Larium Dreams

Checking In

2010-05-09T09:16:00.007Z

So here I am checking in to my Egyptair flight. Luckily this day there isn't a line and I get in to the business lounge quickly. Too bad no English newspapers left... we then make our way into a holding area through a second security screen before getting on the airplane. I counted this time - 5 different people checked my passport and 7 different people checked my ticket as I went through the process.

A New Entry???

2010-04-02T13:20:00.003Z

It's been a while since I posted here and I've been encouraged to restart. How can I summarize the time since last I posted? Travel to many places, gin and tonics on the terrace with my wife, pyramids, Nile sailboat rides, good food and interesting conversations... such a long list I won't even try!

Perhaps I might just start with an update on what I did last week. A visit to Turkey. One of my all time favorite places to go for sure, with Istanbul becoming a city I love more and more every time I go, Adana - 'the biggest village in Turkey' with fantastic kebabs and distant mountain views, and Ankara the capital city with the usual Starbucks and shopping malls.

The next couple weeks will be here in Cairo with a conference in Berlin later this month and next month another conference in New Orleans. Just got a visa for Libya so that is on the short list for a trip as well as Jeddah in Saudi Arabia (a truly odd place) and Beirut (another rather odd place to go).

And for the record - I've snagged my fair share of egg mcmuffins since leaving Ghana, have much faster internet, and can order a pizza in Arabic (although since I can order from a number of pizza places online, as well as McDonalds, this isn't such a necessary skill as I thought it would be).

Now let's see if I remember to bring my camera and to do another posting.

4 Months?!??!

2007-09-30T12:22:00.000Z

I'm well aware that it has been awhile since I last posted a blog entry - but I didn't realize until now that it has been about 4 months! I've been pretty busy which is one excuse. Another is that I'm making mostly return visits to places I've already been which makes my experiences somewhat less interesting. I've also been super busy as I try to make one last visit to all my posts and so have had less energy on returning home for blogging and such.

We are down to 2 months until departing from Ghana. Making our reservations and planning for our home leave this winter makes us all the more aware of how little time is left. So as I took Ziggy for a walk today I reflected on things I'll miss, and things I won't.

Things I'll Miss

The great people we've met from our housestaff to coworkers and expats.
Cheap African shirts made to order.
Fresh flowers from our garden that Rejoice picks and puts in a vase on my return from trips.
Speaking of Rejoice - all the chores, cooking and errands she does.
Watching Michelle play with Judy.
All the flowers blooming in our yard during rainy season - thanks Johnson!
Watching how big the plumaria tree we planted is getting.
The poker game.

Things I Won't Miss

Malaria medication.
The smell of burning plastic as people burn their trash next door.
Trying to figure out what to do on the weekend.
West African airlines and airports.
Harmatan.
The odd mothball taste from food purchased at the local grocery store.
Diet coke, and other consumer items, being 'finished' (all out)
Power outages.

Things I'm Looking Forward To

New things to see and do.
Learning how to order a pizza in Arabic.
A new part of the world to explore.
Fresh milk.
The chance to snag an egg mcmuffin on occassion.
Faster internet.

Hmm.. not sure what else to add. Hopefully Michelle won't see this post and give me hell for putting down wanting an egg mcmuffin on the 'looking forward to' list. :-)

Freetown Ain't Free

2007-05-07T20:58:00.000Z

Well - just got back from Freetown, in Sierra Leone. It ain't free.

On arrival to the airport you have to take a 15 minute helicopter ride across the bay to get to Freetown proper. As you can see from the picture of the pool at my hotel, it is quite hilly and rather scenic. Although I did get attacked by mosquitoes one night things improved tremendously when they put a net up around the bed at my request. Other wildlife included a monkey running around the pool one morning - only the second time I've seen wild monkeys running around since I've been in West Africa. The work side of the trip was very succesful and I've been invited back in October for their off-site team building, which could be fun.

On a more solemn note - I flew back from Freetown on Kenya Airways which now has an air route from Freetown nonstop to Accra. I was thrilled when they started flying this route a few weeks ago because they have a good reputation for safety and have modern aircraft. Unfortunately the same night I flew in another one of their airplanes crashed in Cameroon. And yes, I've flown that route before. Definitely sobering and I hope this will lead to further improvements in aviation safety in Africa which definitely could be better.

Otherwise all is well. Michelle is in Togo the next couple nights. I'll be visiting San Diego and Vancouver later this month then hope to make a Dakar/Nouakchott trip. I was notified by email today that I will likely get final/official confirmation shortly that Cairo will be our next assignment, starting in January. So please start thinking about visiting us there early next year!

Conakry, Oh Conakry

2007-04-22T10:17:00.000Z

My last trip was to Conakry, Guinea. If you haven't heard of either the city or country I'm not surprised. It is a poor little country that has some unexploited natural resources and bad governance. Oh, and they speak French there. That's about it.

It is on the coast which is nice - so there are some ocean views. I never got out of the city but am told the countryside is pretty. Unfortunately the city is not. I'm struggling a bit to find something positive to say.... hmm...

The photo above shows a rusty wheelbarrow filled with loaves of bread next to a scruffy street dog. I wonder if you pay extra for a loaf in the middle of the stack.

Anyway, I'm off to Liberia today and will be staying in government provided housing which is a real plus. The last time I was there I stayed at one of the less fun hotels in West Africa. The following week I'll be off to Sierra Leone and am actually looking forward to it. You take a helicopter from the airport across the estuary, and the hotel has a dramatic view of rolling hills and the ocean. I'm also hoping to have a chance to make a trip into the interior to visit a mental health facility run by a former Medicine Without Borders psychologist.. so I expect I'll have tons of pictures.

Until next posting... oh, and Ruth, if you are reading this - I'm trying to find ways to post you postcards but there don't seem to be too many in places like Liberia and Guinea.. but still am trying!

Catching Up

2007-03-31T23:46:00.000Z

I believe it was my cousin who recommended adding midget ninjas, haiku and submarines to my blog entry to make it more interesting during a family get together in Las Vegas last week. Alas, I can't quite figure out how to include these elements or the others suggested into my comments today. Perhaps next week I'll encounter some pirate robots when I make trip to Conakry in Guinea and that will help me spruce up the narrative to her satisfaction. I'm struggling to find something to be enthusiastic about with this one. I fly a bad airline, am staying at a hotel where I'm advised I may need mosquito repellent, and the country is in the midst of a political crisis and recently had an evacuation of Americans. This will likely be the last trip I make there as I've got a lot of places to visit between now and the end of the year when we transfer to Cairo.

The other two places I should be visiting in the next few weeks are Monrovia and Sierra Leone (of blood diamond fame). I'm hoping to make use of government provided housing in Monrovia - the hotel there is dreadful. The hotel I stayed at last time in Sierra Leone was actually pretty good with an breathtaking view of the ocean so hopefully I'll get to stay there again.

In May I'll be off to San Diego for a conference. And in July we are planning some safari action in East Africa. After that I'll have to make a flurry of trips to include... Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Niger, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon. Hmm, that doesn't look so bad.. perhaps I'll toss in another visit to Nigeria.

I'll try to take my camera with me to Conakry and post some shots next weekend when I get back. Michelle is in Rwanda this week and tells me her schedule is getting very booked for the rest of the year. She is quite in demand and doing amazing things! I kinda wish she'd slow down a bit as she is also a great cook (I know that sounds terribly sexist but it is true). I make a mean Kraft dinner or frozen pizza. Not to mention that I can open a beer with the best.

At some point in the next few months we'll get a better idea of what our winter plans will be. I imagine I'll be taking some time off in the states including taking a class in DC for a week that the department requires. I'm guessing the earliest I could leave here would be November but that will depend on regulations and the availability of my replacement.

Not much else to report other than I'm recovering from a cold which has made my jet lag from the trip last week worse than usual. I so enjoyed seeing everybody - especially Christine. I also enjoyed destroying the purple 'Barney' planet while playing Star Wars slot machine and winning $60! I wonder if there are any casinos in Egypt...

Hello Jimmy, Hello Kofi

2007-02-06T20:26:00.000Z

Every now and then we get VIPs who come to the region. I was able to get an invitation to the ambassador's house tonight for a reception. The guests of honor - Jimmy Carter (giving a brief speech at the podium) and Kofi Annan (that is the back of his head straight ahead with his wife standing to his left). Our ambassador is in the white dress standing to Jimmy Carter's left.

I was honored to meet both men as well as Rosalyn Carter. I was really struck by the warmth and humility of Rosalyn and Jimmy Carter. Kofi... well, if you want my opinion of him, ask me in private.

Nachos In Africa

2007-02-04T16:46:00.000Z

Happily the commissary got in some chips and cheddar cheese last week. Nachos are the meal of the day! While you can get most things you'd want locally, the odd US product sometimes isn't available. Nacho chips are one such scarce commodity here in Ghana. So when they come in it is reason for celebration. Such simple things make us happy here.

All is well with Michelle and I. She is finishing up a 10 day trip to Rwanda and will be getting home tomorrow. I was in Abidjan last week and will spend the next couple weeks here, before heading out to Gambia, Dakar and Conakry. We haven't yet figured out our next vacation. I'll be coming into the States in March to spend some much needed time with Christine, and in May to San Diego for a convention.

Abidjan was interesting, as usual. This time I was able to stay at a much nicer hotel downtown. I felt a touch of nostalgia when the one working elevator of the hotel was playing music on the way down one morning. Another nice feature was the ability to sit by the pool and watch the tens of thousands of bats swarm over the city in the evening. I also enjoyed a rather amazing meal at a French restaurant with another visiting doctor and the new CDC doctor for the region who will be moving there with his wife soon.

Not much else to report. Our new embassy will open this summer. It will have a large pool, gym, and cafeteria. These are much needed and may be of help in my battle of the bulge. There are also a number of local celebrations for the 'Jubilee' which celebrates this countries 50th anniversary from independence.

We are settled in here pretty well at this point. I'm not sure when or where my next assignment will be. It is likely I'll either stay here until summer of next year although there is an off chance they may ask me to return to DC to help fill an open position this winter. I'm loving the work although traveling in West Africa is no picnic. We've met some amazing people and had some tremendous adventures.

Takoradi or Takadori?

2007-01-07T14:56:00.000Z

We had a special treat this Christmas when Michelle's sister Desiree came for a two week visit. After showing her the sights in Accra she set out to some of the local villages with Michelle and our housekeeper Rejoice to hand out some of the donations of clothing and toys that some of her neighbors and friends had given her. It was a moving experience for her and she ended the day with a much better appreciation for the conditions in West Africa. Another highlight for her was the dance/drumming workshop that Michelle arranged. The picture shows her sharing a local 'delicacy' fufu with the drummers after the workshop had ended.

The second week was a little less intense and we headed off to a beach resort called Axim Beach Resort for four nights. The picture shows the view from the villa we rented. There was also a very nice beach with heavy surf just right for boogy boarding nearby. I enjoyed a great 2 mile walk along the beach to another small lodge that just opened two weeks ago and which featured a Togolese cook (that is, a cook from Togo). He was excellent! My favorite was going for refreshing evening swims just before dinner there. It was quite civilized in the middle of the bush.

The long drive took us through the town of Takoradi (which Desiree continued to mispronounce as Takadori to our amusement) and unfortunately through the heart of Accra. The roads are getting better and better and we saw some interesting sights inlcuding roadside sale of 'bush meat' and other interesting things. Desiree was able to get a number of pictures of mud huts, chickens and cows wandering the roads and other such things. She was also quite happy to share a diet coke and can of Pringles we snagged from a gas station just outside of Takoradi.

So Desiree is off tonight back to Canada and our routine starts anew, in 2007. I'll be off to Togo and perhaps Benin again the week after this one. Then a visit to Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia and Sierra Leone before my trip to Las Vegas in March. I can't believe it has been a year.

Some New Pictures!

2006-12-17T19:09:00.000Z

We Roam to Rome

2006-11-07T21:42:00.000Z

It has been a rather busy couple of weeks. In addition to my scheduled trips to Nigeria and Benin, I was requested to accompany a patient to the med evac site in London. The patient is doing fine but this unexpected detour did throw things a bit. All is well that ends well, and Michelle and I will be leaving shortly for a week in Italy. The closest I've ever been to Italy is Olive Garden so this should be quite a treat.

We have now been here in Africa for 11 months. I just can't believe how fast it has gone by and all the experiences and adventures thus far. I think my personal highlights would include 2 unexpected trips to London, a helicopter ride in Sierra Leone, sipping a cold beer to the sounds of drums and call to prayer on a beach in Dakar, taking a ferry complete with chickens and goats across the Gambia river, safari in South Africa, seeing a whale and sharks as we flew along the South African coast, having a fantastic dinner at an Ambassador's house, the pink-white color of the sky in the dessert city of Nouakchott, and of course, the total eclipse of the sun (one of the most amazing things I've ever seen). On top of the experiences the chance to meet some wonderful people has been a huge benefit. And seeing Michelle happy is best of all.

So my next trips will likely be a visit to Bissau and Ouagadougou before the end of the year. Both are challenging places to get to and I have not yet visited either. After that I'll likely fall into a routine of visiting places I last went to last year. I expect the pace should be a little slower than the rush of earlier this year. I'm also hoping to attend the APA conference in San Diego in May.

So, off with me to eat, drink and be merry.

Benin Again

2006-10-18T09:53:00.000Z

It's another hot sunny day in Accra. Things are going well and I'm preparing for my next set of trips - this time to Benin and then to Nigeria. I've been to both locations before and have now been here in Accra long enough (10 months) that I expect to mostly be going to places I've previously visited. The exceptions would be Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, which I'll visit for the first time in a few weeks, and Bissau. The only other out of the way new place I MAY visit at some point would be Bangui. To make up for the lack of any real tourist friendly places in my region, Michelle and I are going to take a trip to Italy in November to enjoy some great food, shopping and touristy stuff.

This last year has really gone by quickly and I can hardly believe we are almost a year into our first posting. Under normal circumstances we should move to another region in a year from now although I have no idea where we might go. I do note that every other possible assignment would be in a location where there is a McDonalds.... for whatever that is worth! However, from a crass commercial perspective things are going to improve here in Accra next year when we get a modern, South African built, mall. It will even have a cinema which is one of the things I've come to miss most about being in West Africa. The new embassy building that will come on line next year will also be a very good thing with its gym, pool and running track.

I'm still really enjoying the work and lifestyle and at this point will continue on for as long as the Department will have me. I continue to learn about how things work and try to refine my skills so as to be of most benefit to ambassadors and management folks who ask me for advice. The actual severity of cases here is far less than I am used to dealing with in the States and from that standpoint my work is not stressful. Being able to sleep at night without getting pages from the emergency room has been wonderful and my disposition is definitely improved from the last few months in private practice.

Not much else to report. I'll try to take my camera to Benin next week and take some interesting pictures. For all our friends in cold places, stay warm, and to those in hot places, keep cool.

Status Post Nigeria

2006-10-02T08:37:00.000Z

I've just returned from my trip to Nigeria. I didn't bring my camera on this trip because I'd heard of the high crime rate and didn't want to bring anything valuable - so no pictures I'm afraid. If I had taken a picture of Lagos you would have seen images of a crowded, destitute, sprawling, polluted, third world city. I wasn't surprised to learn that over 20 MILLION people live there and the population keeps on growing. It is a tough city and I have nothing but sympathy for anybody who lives there.

My second stop was to the capital of Abuja, which is a few hundred miles to the north of Lagos and in the heartland of Nigeria. I guess the politicians who rule Nigeria had enough of Lagos themselves because they packed up and moved their families to this city around 20 years ago and have created themselves a fairly nice place to be. It was remarkable really, with nice modern roads with painted lanes and street lights (some of which worked!). Landscaping. Modern office buildings everywhere. I stayed at this huge Sheraton hotel which had an Italian restaurant, steak house, buffet restaurant, 2 bars, pool, gym, etc. You'd hardly know you were in Africa. Yet I'm told that despite the surface pleasant appearance the crime problem is dire and attempts to drive anywhere outside the city can likely result in a carjacking or worse. At least they have nice restaurants and a cinema.

It has been wonderful to be with Michelle again after three weeks apart. I paused to reflect and realized I've been to a LOT of different places this last 10 months. The list of countries I've been in during the last year; USA, France, UK, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Conakry, Nigeria, Niger, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Gabon, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania. Which comes to 20 countries - a nice round number. Still, as Michelle and I were sipping champagne yesterday and sharing adventures from our respective travels, we realized just how quickly the last year has gone by and how much we've enjoyed being here in West Africa, warts and all. We're also hoping for a bit of a slowdown in travels and time apart over the next few months so we can share more time together.

We do also talk about our friends and family back home and think of them often. During our champagne reunion we brought out the wedding pictures and wondered at where our guests are now and what they are up to. Hopefully with the new diplomatic post office they've opened up we can send out mail and packages a bit more easily. And that's it for today - cheers!

They Are Coming For Me

2006-09-24T11:57:00.000Z

The car to take me to the airport will be here in an hour or so for a trip to Nigeria. This will be my first visit there but I've heard a LOT about the capital city, Lagos. I'm rather looking forward to seeing for myself if what I've been told is true.

It has been a hectic few weeks for Michelle and I as we have been working/traveling. She gets back tomorrow from Rwanda and I'll be back from this trip in a week. Then we will hopefully have a little break from the traveling and get to spend some well deserved quality time together. I wouldn't trade this lifestyle for anything but the time spent away from Christine and Michelle is definitely a negative.

The picture on this post is from my last trip which was to Yaounde, which is in Cameroon, and the island of Malabo. The shot is from the Embassy grounds looking out towards the hills as a storm was rolling in. I find Cameroon to be a fairly beautiful place with dense jungles and rolling hills. Malabo was also interesting but I had only 24 hours there so didn't get to have much of a tourist experience. It is a rapidly developing place because of the large oil reserves being discovered and I'm hoping my next visit will be at a better hotel than the rather run down one I had to use. Then again, the restaurants were excellent - those roughnecks do know how to eat!

So hope everybody out there is well. Michelle and I think of you all frequently. And thanks to Dee, who persuaded my wife to buy me a gadget (an iPod) for my birthday which I'm really really enjoying.

South Africa Dreams

2006-08-27T18:11:00.000Z

Just back from our first vacation since we moved to Africa. We had a marvelous time and visited both a game park (I believe 'divine' would be the best word to describe it) as well as an isolated beach on the coast. The blue umbrella marks the spot of a picnic lunch, in the background you see totally unspoiled, uninhabited, glorious beach. We had a neat flight at one point over the coastline during which we saw a whale!

The game park was fantastic with a jaw dropping villa, excellent meals with local meats (including warthog sausages and impalla burgers) and the opportunity to see zebra, elephant, rhino, cheetah, leopard, lion, giraffe, among others. After that we visited the beach a couple days before heading to the city for a couple days of shopping. It was a most satisfactory vacation.

Now our sometimes insane travel schedule begins anew. It will be a bit of a crunch. I leave in the morning for Dakar and Praia (in the Cape Verde islands). A few days after my return I'm off to Cameroon/Kenya/Equatorial Guinea. And the week after that for my first trip to Nigeria. Michelle will be making a trip to London/DC, then to Rwanda at the same time I'm away. I'm hoping we will have a chance to catch our breath in October and perhaps make a trip to Germany to get reacquainted once more.

Where Have You Been??!?

2006-08-02T14:08:00.000Z

Some great news! My luggage turned up! It was rather like Christmas morning to get my bag and open it up, wondering what might (still) be inside. And it turned out - everything was there. So my guess is that it got misplaced in Paris - blame the French!

Other great news today was my finding a beauty salon at the 5 star LaBadi Beach Resort which has hairdressers that know how to cut a white boys hair. So no more bald Paul. The usual scalp massage, luxurious shampoo, and the low price ($6) all contribute to my happiness with this latest discovery. And the snack bar at the Embassy today had 'American' hot dogs for lunch with diet pepsi. Can life get any better? I'll let you know after we get back from safari.

My Bag Went Missing

2006-07-29T15:22:00.000Z

The pictue of the bus is from Dakar. Like Accra, these minibuses are all over the place and rather aggressive drivers. Unlike Ghana, they are memorable vehicles with a little charm painted on. The other picture is from Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire, taken as one drives out from the airport. Notice that it says both welcome and goodbye on the same side of the sign, instead of welcome on the side of the sign people would see driving into town from the airport, and goodbye on the side people would see as they drive to the airport. That as well as the poorly translated warning sign in the airport 'in the event of smoke bend over' are typical of the quirks one comes across on a day to day basis here.

The last couple weeks have been relatively quiet other than a missing bag of luggage during a trip to Nouakchott - which was hot and desert like, and a brief stop in colorful Dakar. I guess somebody was in dire need of dirty underwear, a couple shirts, and some bad fantasy novels. Luckily I was flying British Airways so I'll get some reimbursement if not the bag.

In mid-August Michelle and I will take our first 'R&R' to South Africa where we will enjoy a safari and a couple days in Johanesberg. After that I will have a crazy few weeks of trips before the end of the fiscal year to Malbo, Dakar, Yaounde, Praia, Lagos and Abuja before again having a chance to catch my breath. After a trip to Ouagadogou I will have completed my first tour of all the posts in my region and be ready to start all over again! Luckily, we are planning some sort of European holiday in October to mark the occassion of my birthday as well as celebrating almost a year here in Africa.

Cote d'Ivoire aka Ivory Coast

2006-07-11T10:06:00.000Z

So this week I'm back to Cote d'Ivoire for a short visit. I thought I'd upload the snapshot I took from my last trip there to show how modern this city looks. However, looks can be misleading...

I'll be back home for a day or so before taking off to Mauritania and Dakar. I'm interested in Mauritiania as it is a desert country well in the Sahara. With any luck I'll be uploading pictures of camels for my next post.

Other than the travel - things continue to go well. Michelle will be in Rwanda for the next couple weeks and on her return we will take a break to go on safari in South Africa. That should provide additional opportunities for photographs. OK, I best get to it - the car will be here to take me to the airport soon and I've promised to eat the lunch our housekeeper made me.

Recreational Opportunities

2006-06-25T21:33:00.000Z

One question that occasionally comes up is "what is there to do in Ghana?" One answer to this question can be found in the picture above. No, I don't mean drink beer. I am referring to hanging out at the beach. And while this does include some consumption of alcoholic beverages, it also includes watching fishermen go out, munching on seafood, swimming in the ocean/pool, and just falling asleep under the shade of a coconut palm with a cool sea breeze.

There are far worse ways to spend a day.

Go Ghana Go!

2006-06-24T18:15:00.000Z

We've just had a monumental event here in Ghana.... they have advanced to the next round in the World Cup! They trounced both Checkloslovokia and the US teams in the first round and are now headed for the second. Their next match is with Brazil, the world champion, and is going to be a challenge. But that they have done this well has been a tremendous morale boost for this country. After Ghana won, the entire city of Accra went crazy with people driving around honking their horns, spontaneous 'parades', screaming, yelling, and lots of happiness.

If the USA had won and advanced I doubt there would have been anything near this kind of excitement in the streets. For that reason if none else, I'm glad to see Ghana win and the people have something to excite and unite.

Next week - Gabon. Be seeing you!

Ziggy Says Woof!

2006-06-16T19:31:00.000Z

Here is a shot of Ziggy - saying hello. I'm hanging out and playing with my camera in Michelle's office and here comes the dog, a perfect test subject!

All is well here in Accra and the temperatures are a little less hot and the weather is a bit more rainy. Michelle has 'adopted' a horse at the military stables and is riding as often as her busy schedule permits. As for me, I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of travel before our vacation in August. And I'll also be looking forward to more chances to use my new toy.

A Slight Pause

2006-06-13T20:32:00.000Z

I had a wonderful time in Toronto but am glad to be home, in Ghana. I had the Mexican food I wanted, a few egg mcmuffins, wonderful Italian food and went a bit crazy shopping. The Mrs. Fields cookie was delicious and I enjoyed some great seafood and delicious wine. But no meal, no matter how good, compares to a simple dinner with family.

I've had a bit of a pause in work as the summertime is when most people switch assignments or go on vacation. Nevertheless, I'm going to try and visit Gabon, Mauritania, and Cote d'Ivoire before Michelle and I take our first vacation since last year, to South Africa. I'm also trying to get Christine to get her passport so I can arrange to see her - Skype is nice but it isn't the same as a real life visit and I do miss her so.

So this has been a time to catch my breath, reflect on the last six months, and begin planning for the next six. I'm having a fantastic time and enjoying the adventure of it all.

Oh, and I bought a neat little digital camera in Toronto, so I'll try and post more pictures soon!

Monrovia Blues

2006-05-17T09:55:00.000Z

I stretched out in the luxurious leather seat and let the stewardess fill my cup with tea. I thought to myself, 'now this is the way to travel' as we jetted in the UN plane towards my next destination - Liberia.

The capital of war torn Liberia is the city of Monrovia. This country has been through hell over the last decade and is only just starting to recover from the years of civil war and political turmoil. The place is of interest to the US because it was originally founded by slaves who were sent back to Africa in an effort to repatriate them after they were freed. English is widely spoken and the US is fairly well thought of. Unfortunately, the small minority of educated, repatriated black slaves ran a minority government for many years over the vast majority of Africans. When things blew up about twenty years ago the resentment by the majority of Liberians of the 'Americo-Africans' was pretty intense and one of the reasons for the turmoil.

So things there seem to be better. They actually had an election with the winner being a Harvard trained woman (she is supposed to be on the Oprah show soon). Both the First Lady and Secretary of State have visited during her inaguration earlier this year and a lot of foreign aid money is being pumped into the country.

Yet it is a sad place. The Embassy compound is pretty neat - like a college campus with barbed wire, but as soon as you leave the grounds you can see poverty and lack of infrastructure as bad as anything I've seen so far. The people there have been through hell and it shows. So the place has a long way to go before I'd go there for any reason other than business.

On another note - I'm off to Toronto for a conference next week and am looking forward to a quarter pounder with cheese and some good Mexican food. I also have quite a shopping list and hope to have time for that, as well as to catch a movie or too (one of the few things I really miss are movies at the cinema with that amazing popcorn they serve).

Hope all is well with friends and family reading this. Michelle and I think of everybody often and want you all to know we are having fabulous adventures and are quite comfortable. We have, literally, no complaints.

Conakry, Freetown, Monrovia, Toronto

2006-05-06T17:03:00.000Z

What do Conakry, Freetown, Monrovia and Toronto have in common? The answer is that they are all cities in different countries that I'll have visited by the end of this month.

Conakry and Freetown were the week before last and each were interesting in their own right. Freetown is in Sierra Leone - which was devastated by civil war up until a few years ago. It continues to recover and if they can keep the peace there it might even end up being attractive to a certain breed of tourists at some point. Getting to the location in the city where my hotel was located required a short helicopter flight which certainly is a bit of an adventure. But the journey was quite worthwhile, because from my hilltop hotel I had a truly stunning view of the ocean and steep rolling landscape below. The food was excellent, English is widely spoken, and I'm told the beaches are wonderful. So that visit was a pleasant surprise and I look forward to returning there again sometime.

Conakry is in the neighboring country of Guinea. It too is on the ocean and has the usual West Africa problems. Unfortunately, it lacks the natural beauty of Freetown and had little redeeming features. Perhaps if I get to spend more time there I can find something worthwhile. Or perhaps if my hotel had working air conditioning and improved plumbing I'd have a different perspective. Enough said about Conakry.

I'm off to Monrovia tomorrow and will hopefully be able to catch a ride on the UN military flight that departs from Accra three times a week. I've got a bit of trepidation in light of how I've heard Liberia described. Like Freetown, it is a city devastated by war and with severe economic problems. In fact, the former president Charles Taylor is under arrest in Freetown - I saw the prison he is incarcerated in while in Sierra Leone. I'll definitely try to have interesting stories to write about from that visit. Which leaves...

Toronto. I'm going to attend a conference there for a week right after I get back from Liberia. While not nearly as exotic as West Africa this is definitely a shopping and dining opportunity I'll make the most of. I haven't had much craving for McDonalds but a burrito supreme from Taco Bell certainly might hit the spot.

Otherwise not much travel planned for the summer as this tends to be a slow time for us. I still need to visit Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania and Senegal to have made my first circuit of my posts. And then... I'll start the list up all again. So far its been a fascinating life and I wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe a better hotel in Conakry.

Rocking In Africa

2006-05-03T20:22:00.000Z

Another view - nice place to relax and try to cool down in the hot, muggy weather. Should also be great for the rainy season! Now if we could just zap those pesky mosquitos.

International House

2006-05-03T20:13:00.000Z

So here is the front view of our house here in Accra. Quite international, don't you think?

All the Comforts of Home

2006-04-16T21:25:00.000Z

According to the books I've read, 'culture shock' typically lasts three to four months. I'm pretty sure that I've just about had any culture shock I was experiencing fully resolve by this time and must admit feeling pretty comfortable recently. I've learned about how things work and where to go to get things I want - heck, we even went out to a really good Indian restaurant on Saturday. I've got diet pepsi and frozen pizza in the fridge (both of which I've enjoyed this weekend), a new multisystem television to watch DVDs on that we rent from a small shop down the street, and the computers are up and running well on the home wireless network I put in. I'll also be in Washington DC a couple nights next week which will give me the opportunity to pick up a few things that will be helpful. And in May I'll be going to Toronto for a conference for ten days which will be even further opportunity to shop. So things are going well.

And on top of all the material things, I just feel more comfortable with living here in general. Our house here really does feel like home.

So the next two weeks will be busy ones. First off to DC for a couple days and then immediately back to Africa where I'll be visiting Freetown and Conakry. At one point during that trip I'll be going overland from one to the other which should be a very long and very interesting drive through deepest darkest Africa. Then home for a short break before I go off to Liberia and then Toronto. So having a calm and restful holiday weekend has been wonderful to recharge my batteries.

I'm still wanting to post some pictures soon and will be picking up some batteries for our digital camera next week. Standard batteries don't have enough power so I must get some that are specifically designed for cameras. I'm debating buying my own camera to take on trips as Michelle is using hers quite a bit and travelling more and more herself. I did get my webcam up and running so I can make video phone calls on Skype now, which is really fun.

So that is my report for today. More when I've got the chance....

Here There Be Camels

2006-04-09T14:39:00.000Z

I've just returned from another interesting trip - this time to Niger. Frankly I knew less than nothing about the country and certainly would never in my life have visited there had it not been for my work. Yet like all the places I've gone so far it has its own unique character. And for a landlocked, impovershed, sandy, hot country on the border of the Sahara, really good food!

I stayed at the Gaweye Hotel which is perched on a hill overlooking the river Niger. As usual it had the basic comforts of hot showers, cold air conditioning, and clean sheets. And as usual it wasn't anywhere near anything I could comfortably walk to that was worth seeing. It had the typical group of characters; aggressive shoeshine guy, overly helpful bellmen, Lebanese manager, man selling carvings in the lobby, women of dubious character, pushy overpriced taxy drivers, and various and sundry hangers out. I was advised that there was a 'crime problem' in the neighborhood around the hotel and it would be unwise to consider a stroll.

Luckily I was able to get rides and enjoy seeing a little bit of the city. It is on the border of the Sahara desert which greatly impacts the environment on every level. The haze in the air, the red dusty ground, lack of vegetation, and the use of camels. This was the first time I've seen camels on any of my trips. So when I think of Niger I think of the strong influence of the great desert to its north and the arid quality of the city environs. This trip also gave me additional practice using the few French phrases I've picked up. I must admit I'm starting to be able to communicate a bit and am at the dangerous point of being able to express myself in French without being able to understand the response. Still, definite progress is noted.

So I'm typing this entry on my laptop in the study. Every week that goes by has me feeling more at home here in Accra and comfortable with the lifestyle. Michelle settled in pretty quickly and Ziggy seems happy having a yard. My webcam came in while I was gone so I can make video phone calls to Christine, my daughter. Well, I can when my computer is repaired. I took it in a few days before I left for a minor repair and the computer store technician ended up damaging the motherboard. What a pain! It isn't like one can just drive to CompUSA and buy a new one. Ah well, hopefully the repairs will be done this week. On the bright side, when I got in they had gotten a new shipment at the Embassy commissary and I've stocked up on diet cokes and tostitos. Nothing like nachos to brighten your day.

Michelle will be back from Rwanda tomorrow and it sounds as though she had a productive trip. I'll be taking a three day course in Ghanaian culture which should be fascinating. We have a four day weekend coming up which is going to be nice - I need the break. The next couple months promise to be quite busy. Michelle has a few trips planned, I will be visiting Liberia, Sierra Leon and Guinea-Bissau. Still, this has been a fabulous few months and I look forward to the trips to come.

Totality

2006-03-29T09:26:00.000Z

I've just seen one of the most amazing sights of my life.

You may have heard about the solar eclipse today. It turns out that Accra is located in the very narrow band (100 miles or so across) at the center of the eclipse in which the sun is completely covered by the moon. This area experiences a total eclipse as opposed to the partial eclipse which most of the continent experienced. I have also been in partial eclipses before which, quite frankly, aren't all that interesting.

This was quite different.

With the aid of special sunglasses, convienently sold at the local grocery stores, it was possible to look directly at the sun as the moon's shadow gradually grew larger and larger across the bright face. This is the partial part of the eclipse and you wouldn't even know it was occurring unless you had the ability to look at the sun with these glasses. Even as the shadow covered more and more of the face of the sun it was still so bright you couldn't look directly at it and it was hardly discernable in the quality of the daylight. Perhaps equivlent to a hazy day right up until the last second when very dramatically the sun was suddenly completely obscured. And this was the really amazing sight. You could look directly at the totally eclipsed sun without sunglases and see the corona quite clearly. It was as dark as twilight with the planet Venus visible, and lasted for about three minutes.

If you ever have the opportunity to experience a total eclipse of the sun - don't miss it. It will be one of the most incredible sights you'll ever see.

Johnny Cash Speaks French

2006-03-24T15:24:00.000Z

I spent this week in the small African country of Togo. As you can probably already guess from the title of todays blog, it is a Francophone country. Under normal circumstances the language barrier isn't much of a problem for me because at the large hotels and US embassies I can find plenty of people who speak English. However, on occassion my French language deficiency can be a real drawback. Such was the case a few nights ago when I went to the Togolese equivlant of a cinema.

The movie was the recent Johnny Cash bio pic and was being shown on a projected screen at an outside cafe. The film had been dubbed into French with English subtitles. It was definitely odd seeing Johnny talk in French. Fortunately they didn't attempt to alter the songs - seeing him sing in French would have been way too much! The pizza was great and with the subtitles I managed to enjoy the film very much. Not being able to go to the movies is one of the things I miss most about being here. I also miss that lovely movie popcorn and an ice cold diet coke. I'm definitely going to make time to see a movie, any movie, when I'm in Toronto for my psychiatric conference in May.

Life otherwise goes on. Our housekeeper got married today and that was quite nice. The commissary had a frozen shipment come in - hurray, frozen pizza and sharp cheddar cheese! We also had a visit from my father-in-law which was enjoyable. In an odd coincidence he was on the same airplane as our friend Audrey (hello Audrey - when are YOU going to come visit us???) and they got to meet. The world just gets smaller and smaller.

So I'll be alone next week while Michelle goes off to Rwanda for two weeks. I'll be off the second week to Niger. Perhaps I'll get inspired and write.

Dakar and Banjul

2006-03-18T20:21:00.000Z

Last week I had planned to go to Praia, which is located in the Cape Verde islands. A last minute change of plans led to my visiting the cities of Dakar and Banjul instead.

Dakar, the capital of Senegal, was my first stop. This exotic city is located on a peninsula that reaches out into the ocean via a narrow strip of land. Because of the severe traffic congestion at this 'choke point' which serves as a causeway, the place has a sort of island feel. The mix of Islamic, African and French influences has resulted in a very interesting sort of place. My first evening there was spent sitting at a small beach shack/restaurant eating a fresh fish kabob, listening to drummers, watching the orange sun set over the waters with the sillouette of the towers of a nearby mosque in sharp relief. The waters were filled with the dugout boats used by the local fishermen replete with carvings and colorful painted designs. And the best part is that the next day I didn't get sick from the rather dodgy eating place! Perhaps the alcohol from the beer killed the germs.

I enjoyed my short time in Dakar very much. In addition to that amazing evening the other strong memories I have are of how cool the weather was, the wonderful French bakery I stumbled upon, and the dust storm which blew in shortly before I departed later in the week.

I was mostly transiting through Dakar on my journey to Banjul, which is located in The Gambia. From the maps I was struck by how small the country is and that it is embedded in the middle of Senegal. So I had expected a small, impovershed, desperate kind of place which are not unusual in this part of the world. My expectations of what I would find were right on, and completely wrong.

The Gambia has become quite popular with Europeans as a winter vacation spot. It is easily accessible by aircraft from Europe and is English speaking. The rather active sex trade apparently is also a draw, particularly for elderly widows and single women! None of this was apparent to me from the wonderful beach hotel I stayed at for the three days of my visit. It was perhaps the nicest hotel I've stayed at in West Africa thus far. And the food at the hotel and the nearby cafes was extremely good. I even managed to find time to have a massage at the spa and watch the monkeys cavort on the grounds as I sipped a G&T at the lush pool bar. A dinner one night at the Ambassador's residence was a real treat - he was a gracious and considerate host and his wife quite an accomplished artist.

I elected to share a ride back to Dakar instead of returning by air. This was an amazing experience. We had to take a ferry across the Gambia river which was among the most chaotic scenes I have witnessed in my life. And once across we saw the 'real' country, with severe poverty, unkept roads, desert landscapes, a mild dust storm, surreal groves of baobab trees that extended as far as the eye could see, and a real taste of that part of West Africa.

Next week I'm off to Lome, in Togo. I'm happy to report it will require no flights and I'll be at another beachside hotel. Full report to follow!

Top 10 Reasons to Visit a Ghanaian Barber

2006-02-28T17:31:00.000Z

Where else would I watch a Ghanaian soap opera?

Chance to catch up on old issues of Ebony.

Only costs $4 and will last weeks before you need another one.

They take plenty of time with each and every customer, lots and lots of time.

Frequent power outages liven up the place.

After they are done, shampoo becomes optional.

Towel also becomes optional.

Hell, comb becomes optional.

Obsessing over how you want your hair styled not necessary.

Affords spouse chance to create new 'endearing' nicknames such as 'baldy'.

Rain and a Haircut

2006-02-26T09:21:00.000Z

While waiting for our first homemade pizza to cook last night Michelle and I were delighted to experience our first thunderstorm here in Ghana. Delighted because we have been here well over two months and this was the first time it has rained. It's funny how the smell of a rainshower can be so nice, and how you can miss such a thing so much.

My other quick comment this Sunday morning is that I've had my first Ghanaian haircut. It was a real bargain. Only cost 4 dollars and I won't need another one for a long long long time. And it isn't very nice when your wife's new nickname for you is 'baldy'.

Old Abidjan Town

2006-02-25T08:23:00.000Z

I sometimes have to take a moment to stop, take a deep breath, look around, and try to figure out where the heck I am. So it was during my most recent trip to Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire.

My visit to the "Ivory Coast" was arranged at fairly short notice as part of a response to a number of stressors that the Embassy staff are dealing with. Luckily it is a quick 45 minute flight to get there on an airline which actually tends to run on schedule. Yet despite being so very close to Accra, the capital city of Abidjan is worlds away in so many other ways.

Cote d'Ivoire is a former French colony which retained economic and cultural ties to France long after independence. It became something of a regional center and a LOT of development occurred there during the 70s and 80s. Unfortunately over the last 10 years the country has been on a slow, steady decline. Corruption has become widespread, violence against foreigners has been encouraged as blame for the countries problems has been ascribed to them by the government, and there has been a big pullout of NGOs, companies, and ex-pats. With their departure the ecomony has taken a big hit and many of the vibrant and interesting parts of the city are slowly dying. And this is a real shame to see because Abidjan still retains a unique flavor as a modern city in a developing region of the world.

This really struck me the most when I was being driven from the airport to the Embassy the morning of my arrival. Billboards advertising a variety of services and products are plentiful, the streets are paved, wide and well maintained, traffic signals function, and the architecture is modern. I was amazed as we crossed a bridge over one of the many scenic lagoons which are located throughout the city. As I eagerly gazed about I saw the city center which was comprised of numerous skyscrapers, neon signs, buildboards and in short could have been located anywhere in a modern country. A little homesickness came over me as I thought about modern cities and their amenities which we lack in Ghana.

The city at night is quite beautiful. As one drives on the roads up on the hills and you gaze down upon the center with all its lights, the signs of poverty obscured in the darkness, you again get a sense that you are no longer in Africa. And the restaurants... wow, the French do know how to eat and certainly have left behind that influence in the countries they used to rule.

All of which makes the decline of this once great, and perhaps still great, city all the sadder. My overall impression of this place - it's seen its best days unless something miraculous happens. And soon.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

2006-02-14T19:17:00.000Z

I’ve just returned from my second trip to Cameroon and I’m definitely feeling more comfortable as I continue to figure out how things work. This was the second time I’ve visited the capital city of Yaoundé, which is a typical third world city but set in a landscape of lush, rolling, green hills which give it a unique character. This was a nicer trip than the first, which was two months ago, as the serious problems I had been presented with then have now largely resolved. And having been there before I knew a little bit about the place and had met a number of people at the Embassy. Bottom line - it was a lot easier than the first visit.

But things in West Africa are never predictable and there is always some new wrinkle to deal with. On this occasion the expected unexpected difficulty was in finding a way to get to Cameroon from Ghana. This part of the continent has the absolute worst system of airlines and connections of probably anywhere in the world. I’ve had to deal with the recent warnings not to travel through our major hub, Abidjan, and to make things even more difficult must avoid certain small, poorly maintained airlines which have the problem of airplanes falling from the sky. Add to that the fact that the airplanes always run late except when you expect them to and you have a ‘perfect storm’ of which travel nightmares are made.

So my best solution on this occasion was to actually fly all the way over to Nairobi on an overnight flight, catch some sleep in a hotel the next day and depart that same evening to finally get to Douala which is the Cameroonian economic center, located on the coast. It is a three hour scenic drive to Yaounde from Douala which can only be made safely during the day. That required a nights stay in Douala with a drive the next morning. Luckily that went smoothly and I hit the ground running when I arrived.

I had a chance to socialize a bit with the Ambassador and his wife this trip which was very helpful in understanding more about the embassy culture and ‘how things work’. Interestingly Michelle had suggested I bring with me a Le Carre novel, The Constant Gardener, to read during the long flight. The book has as a backdrop the British High Commission (aka Embassy) in Nairobi and really did nail some of the culture that permeates the Foreign Service. It had a rather grim ending which is a trademark of Le Carre, so fair warning if you haven’t read it yet. I picked up a science fiction novel to read on the way back and it had a much happier ending.

So as I sat reading my book on the tail end of my journey, in the bar at the Yaounde Hilton, I had a couple of realizations. The first relates to an observation by a friend who lives in Whitehorse and who has been on the campaign trail in the past, that you can never really go wrong with a cheese sandwich when you are in a strange town with questionable food (thanks Audrey!). That may apply to Canada but in Africa the corollary is you can never go wrong by ordering a vegetarian pizza (and local beer). The second observation is that in Africa it is perfectly acceptable to play way out of season Christmas tunes in February.

Been to Benin

2006-02-01T19:40:00.000Z

Michelle and I returned from Benin a few days ago after spending a week in the city of Cotonou. After having been there I can honestly say that Cotonou is the nicest city in Benin that I have ever been to!

Benin is a small African country which lies between Togo and Nigeria. If that doesn’t help you place it don’t worry because if I hadn’t been there I wouldn’t know where it is either. Because it was a former French colony it continues to retain a strong French influence today. French continues to be the predominant language, the food has a French influence, and there is a certain style and flair which is distinctly European.

We were booked into the Novotel, which is a nice but rather bland business hotel. It has the usual amenities; hideously overpriced restaurant, nice pool, well stocked bar, uninspired but clean room with satellite TV, and hot water. And air conditioning. Well, it was supposed to have air conditioning. Unfortunately that wasn’t working so well and we suffered through a rather steamy night (and not in a good way). After I learned that this was a chronic problem at the hotel, and after being promised by hotel staff the problem would be fixed ‘soon’, I knew it was time to seek a cooler venue. We found a small hotel in town, the Residence Hotel, and made the best decision of our week to move there. While the rooms were plain they were large and comfortable, with hot water, cold air conditioning, and clean sheets. And in the end, those are much more important than things like pools and satellite TV. Besides, the French only stations were helpful for my language skills (more on this another day). But the absolute nicest thing was that the hotel was located on a major street that had nice restaurants, a bakery, grocery stores, and bars.

As I mentioned earlier, Benin still retains the French influence in regards food. The French do like their food and so do the Beninese. I had the best pizza that I’ve tasted so far in West Africa, as well as some fabulous Lebanese food. It is just as well we don’t have such wonderful restaurants in Accra or weight gain would be more even of a problem for us. So the nights we sat outside under sparkling white decorative lights, enjoying a comfortable breeze and wonderful cuisine, was a real treat. Food for the soul.

I continue to delight in my new work. I met the son of a voodoo priestess who is now a medical doctor, Ambassador of a US Embassy, one of the top medical doctors in the Peace Corp who was visiting the region, and a group of wonderful, intelligent, creative and interesting people. I also decided that I’d like to take up the cause of the city public psychiatric hospital by applying for a grant to help them get a new roof on one of their dilapidated structures where the homeless, mentally ill people sleep at night. Yet despite the austere, perhaps even grim, conditions, the staff and patients retained a dignity and sense of humor that represents the best of humanity, which can somehow manage to persevere even in the most extremely difficult of circumstances.

My week has otherwise mostly been involved in setting up my schedule for the next few months. I’m looking forward to attending a medical conference in Toronto in May (and preparing for reverse culture shock, oh McDonalds and Electronics Boutique, how I have missed you) and have been nailing down details for my trip to Yaoundé next week. As it happens I will need to get to Cameroon via Kenya, and have two overnight flights. It is likely to be a bit of a travel ordeal but frankly I’m still early enough into my new career to appreciate the joy of the variety and novelty of it all. Other trips in the next few months I’m in the process of arranging include Mauritania, Niger, Cape Verde and Togo. But with current travel restrictions preventing transit through Cape d’Ivoire and advising against use of certain airlines which shall remain nameless (but that had the bad habit of dropping out of the sky in Nigeria), I’m having to be creative in routing. Still, that is probably going to have the silver lining of taking me through other cities and countries I’d otherwise never have had the opportunity to see. There are lots of silver linings with a lot of the ‘adversity’ one endures here. Otherwise not much else to say except I’ll try to post some pictures soon for those who have requested them. Regards!

A Cash Economy

2006-01-22T21:15:00.000Z

Buying things in Ghana takes millions. Millions of cedis that is. The cedi is the local unit of currency and 10000 of them are worth 1 dollar. So one millions cedis is the equivalent of 100 US dollars. I have learned a lot about cedis over the last month.

Ghana is known as a cash economy because most everything you buy here must be paid for in cash, and that can make life interesting. You can’t use credit cards here because so few places accept them and those that do may steal the information and commit fraud. There aren’t ATMs and nobody accepts checks. The highest denomination of the cedi is the 20000 note. As I mentioned above that is worth about two dollars. Put it all together and it makes shopping interesting.

So, here is how we conduct business in Accra. First, try to find the best deal. We have no Walmarts here so you must usually go to several places to find the things you want. You can find anything, eventually, but frequently only after a bit of a search. When you do find it the next step is to comparison shop and try to figure out if you can negotiate the price down. Once you have done that you can go get the stacks of cedis required by cashing a check at the Embassy.

The Embassy has arranged a cashier from Standard Chartered Bank to come daily so we can cash checks. One negative to this arrangement is we are required to receive cedis, not dollars, to prevent currency speculation. When one withdrawals a few hundred dollars it is automatically converted to local currency, one is given literally stacks of cedi bills, which are neatly put into a black bag. The poor teller has to use a bill counting machine to figure out the total, and I see such machines frequently at businesses in the city. While I feel rather rich to have ‘millions’ the stacks do seem to vanish at a rapid pace. I suppose that is true with any currency however.

On a different note, Michelle and I will be heading out to Benin this week. I am going to conduct a site visit and she will be doing a three day workshop. It is about a six hour drive through three countries and will be interesting I’m sure. I’ve made a drive about half the way through a few weeks ago when I needed to leave from Togo to get to Cameroon and found it enjoyable to get out of the city for a bit. I believe we will stay at the Novotel and I hope we have a chance to enjoy the pool there in the evenings.

A week or so later I’m scheduled to go back to Cameroon. Unfortunately I’m having to reschedule because flights through Abidjan, where I was to connect, are no longer recommended. It looks like I’ll fly all the way to Nairobi in Kenya to get to Douala in Cameroon. I don’t think it will be fun but at least it is a reliable and good airline and if all goes well and I can finagle business class at least I’ll eat well.

Cheers!

Please Don't Urinate Here

2006-01-16T16:20:00.000Z

I’ve been here in Accra for just over a month and am making definite progress on adjusting to this foreign place. I think that most of the disorientation comes from the extremes you observe on a daily basis. For example, I went to a reception sponsored by the French navy on one of their ships at the generous invitation of the defense attaché. I thought it would be interesting as I’ve never been on a ‘boat full of Frenchmen’ as he rather unglamorously described it. We were able to get a ride from the Embassy motor pool as this was a ‘representational activity’ which made the hour long drive to the port town of Tema stress free from our perspective.

When we arrived at the port we had to be directed through a confusing maze of stacked containers, heavy equipment, crowds of French sailors heading God knows where, dock workers wandering about, and other vehicles headed to the reception. We finally found the berthing where the Foudre was moored and tromped up the ramp into a typical large naval vessel, which I gather is some sort of amphibious carrier. As we were directed through the labyrinthine corridors and up steep metal ladders I was able to avoid banging my head on the low overhangs on almost every occasion. Finally we emerged unto the huge top deck where the affair was to be held.

I was told by the French physician who serves on the craft that the boat is currently sailing throughout the region visiting all the small African countries, most of which are Francophone. The ship was not armed that I could tell and had a huge open top deck, where we attended the reception, which even included a helicopter on a landing pad. The purpose of the ship is to help French citizens evacuate during the periodic political turmoil which erupts all too often in West Africa, as well as to serve a diplomatic function by training local navies and having functions such as the one we were attending. We also had a chance to meet the US naval officer who was aboard their ship on a two year liason tour. He confessed he thought the tour was great to polish his French, visit inexpensive restaurants in the various ports, and have an interesting experience – before he departed the military to pursue a graduate degree in international law at Harvard. Sheesh, wish that had been me at 28!

We stayed at the reception about an hour enjoying the full moon, view of the water, and nice canapés and beverages. We had gin and tonics to help prevent malaria (right) and finally headed back to our waiting car and driver. As we drove back home and I contemplated the week to come, including a visit to Ghana by Laura Bush which should include a reception for Embassy folks, I pondered at how privileged this lifestyle can be. I thought about the fact we were driving in an air conditioned vehicle back to a very nice home with gardens, air conditioning, generator and water tank. That we have two full time house staff who cook, clean and garden. That the dog has a great yard to hang out in. Then I glanced outside the car as we drove by a slum and read the sign painted on the adjacent wall, ‘Please Don’t Urinate Here’.

BBC For Me

2006-01-15T11:02:00.000Z

Living in Ghana has not been uncomfortable in the least. But the little differences from what you are used to can add up to a distinct feeling of disorientation. Some examples;

We have a satellite television system which is run out of South Africa as well as a number of channels from the ‘Armed Forces Network’ provided by the Embassy. But the programming is very different than what you might get in the states. Sometimes you can watch an episode from a series in the US, but it will invariably be two or three years old and watching a rerun of Survivor or American Idol lacks any suspense when you already know the outcome. There is live BBC and Sky for news, which have a distinctly European perspective, and even CNN is the ‘International Edition’ which has relatively little news from America but does feature lots of interesting material you wouldn’t see in the US. We also stumble across the odd movie we haven’t seen before which we enjoy over a cold beer.

Speaking of beer, that is another area of difference. Our favorite is Star Beer, which is produced locally. You can get it everywhere and it costs about fifty cents a bottle. The problem we had was that you can only buy a bottle if you turn in an empty bottle in exchange. And getting empty bottles is not easy! If you are able to even find a bottle, they cost more than the beer! Luckily we were able to buy our first case from the Embassy commissary after much pleading, and now are guarding our empties carefully. Still, fifty cents for a decent cold beer is a pretty nice difference. And sipping it as we watch the hot, red African sun go down make it taste all the better.

In general getting groceries is not a problem. There are a couple of grocery stores which are geared towards the large ex-pat population in Ghana, one of which, Koala, is ten minutes by taxi from our front door. The overall size of the stores are modest, perhaps a quarter of the size of a grocery store at home. But the shelves are densely packed with imported products of wide variety and good quality. Prices are definitely higher than in the States but not exorbitantly so. The placement on the shelves of somewhat exotic foodstuffs from the Middle East and Europe alongside favorites from home makes the experience of grocery shopping more interesting. The bakery and deli section also have items which are of equal quality but somewhat different than what I am used to – the local equivalent of hotdog buns, for example, resemble fat breadsticks. But they were fresh, delicious and inexpensive.

Two other shopping options which are opposite extremes are the Embassy sponsored commissary as opposed to local market stalls. The commissary consists entirely of imported grocery products from the US. They have a freezer section but primarily sell dry goods. I’m told every few months they get in a new shipment of items and I believe our pantry and refrigerator were initially stocked from their shelves by my sponsor. The prices there are rather high but you can get things there that even Koala doesn’t carry. I was quite proud of myself for finding pickle relish and frozen Oscar Meyer hot dogs there, which I consumed with great satisfaction on the aforementioned hotdog buns. They also were my source for the initial case of Star Beer bottles. The other possibility is buying fruits and vegetables from market stalls. Although one has to be careful to wash or disinfect such produce, the variety is good; they are fresh, and very inexpensive. And the taste of fresh pineapple is incredible.

The last difference I’ll comment on are the restaurants. Michelle and I certainly enjoy going out for a nice dinner. Because that has always been something we like to share I was somewhat concerned about the availability of decent dining choices. I am happy to report that while somewhat different than what I was used to, the options here are more than adequate. Within fifteen minutes walk of our home there is a French restaurant, Chinese restaurant, coffee shop, several hotel restaurants, and upscale East African establishment. That’s what we have found so far and there are lots of interesting places I’m sure we haven’t discovered yet. Within a fifteen minute taxi ride are countless other little places. Some have air conditioning and some are outdoor. Some are expensive and some are very cheap. Some have excellent service and some you have to be a bit aggressive to get waited on. Yet in going out to a number of places we haven’t suffered any ill effects to this point and have enjoyed a wide variety of types of food and beverage.

So in summary, so far the lifestyle has been comfortable but at times disorienting. We can find just about anything we’d want and sometimes things we didn’t know existed. Our health has been good and if anything we are going to need to be careful or we will end up gaining weight. And despite the occasional nuisances like power outages, needing to call the water truck, sporadic internet and telephone service, mosquitoes, and the absence of our car/household effects, we have no real complaints.

Well I'm A Leaving, On A Jetplane ....

2006-01-08T15:18:00.000Z

It wasn’t until I was on the packed flight from London to Accra that it hit me. I was going to live and work in Africa. Sure, I’d known for several weeks that my first posting with State was to be in West Africa. And even before being given the official notice I was aware that Accra was a strong possibility. But knowing is not the same as KNOWING, and as I sat in my window seat gazing out at the intense scarlet hues of a sunset over the Sahara, I KNEW I was going to live in Africa.

The trip was relatively uneventful. I had a stopover in London en route which afforded me, at least I thought at the time, one last chance for decent shopping and a nice meal in an upscale restaurant, before I plunged into the heart of West Africa. As I strolled in the evening along the festively decorated shops and enjoyed the beautiful Christmas lights hung over the streets I pondered about what I might find on arrival. The simple act of going into a deli to purchase a coffee and pastry gave me pause to consider that in a few days time such a mundane activity might not be possible, as the tourist guidebooks were mute on the presence of delis and Starbucks in Ghana. Still, the overall experience of strolling around London and catching the latest Harry Potter movie, was essentially angst free.

So it wasn’t until that British Airways flight, watching that fiery spectacle below, that the realization this was really happening finally and utterly hit home.

My first impressions of the countries I have visited in my past travels have always, invariably begun with the airport of arrival. This time was no different. As we disembarked from the airplane from the stairs unto the tarmac I was greeted with a wind which was decidedly hot and humid, even at the hour of 11pm. The baggage claim area was jam packed with occupants of a KLM flight which had landed immediately before ours, and in the bustle and heat the experience was decidedly disorienting. Nevertheless, I was finally able to extricate my two very heavy bags from the conveyer belt after shoving aside the throngs who were blocking my way, and lug the suitcases to my borrowed trolley. Further amazing even myself, I managed to balance the ungainly luggage on the trolley and headed for the exit.

So here I was, I thought, my home for the next two years. I wished my wife and dog were there to greet me but unfortunately knew I’d have to wait another week for them to join me. I was met, however, by my sponsor from the Embassy and the helpful expeditors, whose job it is to get diplomats to, through, from and around airports/customs/borders/etc. It was tremendously useful to have experienced help in transiting through the crowds of people clustered in and outside of the airport. While my reception committees were all showing a little fatigue at the late hour on a Thursday night, they were cheerful, informative and helpful. I couldn’t have asked for better care that they delivered and I was grateful for it, considering my emotional state.

We had a relatively short drive to the house in which my wife, dog and I should be living throughout the length of my tour. I remember anxiously looking out through the car windows seeking out clues as to what our lives might be like in this foreign place. My impressions were fleeting and superficial – paved roads, electric lights, a few big buildings, poverty, rubble, people selling food at crudely built stalls with open fires, the acrid smell of smoke, lots of cars, houses with large security gates. It was at such a gate we pulled up and the driver honked the horn. A uniformed guard opened the two large green metal gates and we pulled into the compound. Home at last.