“Every parting gives a foretaste of death, every reunion a hint of the resurrection.”
Late yesterday afternoon, the thunder and lightning were spectacular. I stood at the front door and watched. The house shook a couple of times and I could hear the rumbling all around me. The rain came down hard but didn’t last as long I’d hoped. What it did do, however, was even better. It took all the humidity with it and left us with a much cooler evening. I turned off the AC and opened all the windows and the two doors. It was easy to fall asleep.
This morning dawned cool and cloudy. Gracie is loving having the back door open as she has access to her dog door and can come and go as she pleases. She’s been outside all morning. I even joined her for a while. From the open windows, I can hear the world for the first time in days. Gone is the solitude. Some kid is screaming, and the renters next door are having a conversation. Dogs are barking, and I can hear the click of Gracie’s collar as she runs around the yard. She joins the chorus of barkers every now and then to let them know she’s here.
Yesterday I got a call from Texas, from a Ghanaian living there now who attended Women’s Training College in Bolga. She started there the year after I had left so we were never acquainted. Assan got my number when she went back to Bolga and thought she’d connect. It was a wonderful conversation. She knows many of my former students who were her seniors. She explained the reason she called was to apologize about missing the big reunion late this summer. I didn’t even know there was going to be one. It seems the students I met last year have been rallying the troops to come this summer to Bolga while I’ll be there. They’re hoping to have a huge party. I think it’s wonderful.
Grace called me from Ghana yesterday, and she sang Leaving on a Jet Plane, Miss Ryan’s song. She told me she was counting the days until my arrival and can hardly wait. She’ll come north with me and we’ll do a bit of touring as I hope to make a few stops in the Volta Region, places I have wanted to see like the Volta Lake, the dam and the monkey sanctuary. She’ll also stay with Francisca and me in the village.
My passport came back yesterday with my Ghanaian visa. I got one for multiple re-entries which is good for two years so this time so it won’t expire before I leave the way it did last year. The trip is more than a month away, but I am really getting excited to go. This time I know I’ll see my students and I’ll get to live in the village. Even better, we’ll party!
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Bolga, Gracie, party, rain, reunion, thunder, Volta Lake, Volta Region, Women's Training College
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July 19, 2012 at 11:23 am
Your excitement & joy is palpable Kat. What a party it’s going to be.
If your going to Volta, best we write new lyrics to “The Song Of The Volta Boatman” Yuk Yuk!!
July 19, 2012 at 11:57 am
Pete,
You are so right. It will be such fun to see more of my students. The ones I met last summer were wonderful and had amazing memories of our two years together.
I can barely wait. I do have a list of a few things I need to get like supplies for the local village school like pencils and crayons as they are always in need of stuff like that. I’m going to start ordering and will fill my suitcase.
July 19, 2012 at 12:30 pm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchrelay
And tomorrow the Olympic torch will head into Surrey. Around 10.00 AM EST it will head in to Dorking where MDH once attended the now defunct Dorking Grammar School and then it will go past Auntie Madge’s house in Westcott and in to the beautiful village of Shere, ending its journey in Guildford.
Passport Control annouced it’s union members are walking out next Thursday, I hope that the replacements are ready and Mrs MDH and I can escape Heathrow without too much pain. We are still hoping to hook up with the US Swim Team but first need to find somewhere to stay after the opening ceremonies
July 19, 2012 at 2:08 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I will be glued to the TV once the opening ceremony begins. It must be fun to be in one of the towns where the torch bearer is running through. You are lucky as you can picture the run through your old haunts.
Of course, passport control would walk-out. What better time? Maybe the army will step in again as it did. I too hope for a speedy entry for you and Mrs. hedley.
I thought you were staying with your sister.
July 19, 2012 at 2:16 pm
Yes, we are staying with my sister but the opening ceremony will probably run until 12.15 am. The Tube will remain open until 2.30am but the commuter trains will not be changing their schedule, and the last train will be long gone to Weybridge
So we can easily get out of the East End but not London. We have been explaining to hotels that we will be needing to check in for one night at 2.00 am without any luggage so there are no surprises.
July 19, 2012 at 4:52 pm
I read a report that several TSA agents will be on duty at Heathrow to do something until the Para Olympics are over in September. Maybe they will be instructing the UK security guys on how to be extra discourteous. 🙂 The longest security line I have ever seen was when I was changing planes in Terminal 5. BA not only has the worst coach meals on earth, but also the longest security lines. I thought that Terminal 5, BAs newest marvel, would be great. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most uncomfortable places to wait for a plane to depart. The lobby has too few ticketing kiosks, longest security lines and It’s one of the UKs largest shopping malls.
Then I discovered the terrible Terminal 3. OMG, it’s even worse!
July 19, 2012 at 12:48 pm
I guess there’s no need for looking surprised at that surprise welcoming party 🙂 🙂 It is so fun how they’ll gather every one from back then 🙂 You must have made a great impact on them!
I’ve been waiting for the rain all day but it never arrived 🙂 We even got some sunshine!
I saw a great movie on tv yesterday morning, I have one channel that shows movies and programs from countries we’re not used to see anything from. It was a movie made in India and was a new version of Aladdin, called Aladin. They spoke both English and I guess Hindi in a strange mix.
It wasn’t a Bollywood movie but naturally there were both dance and music in it. The final fight was a great dance and music number where they all danced together 🙂 I immediately came to think about You 🙂 I think You would like this one very much, I did. It was made 2009 so it was pretty new. Now I must see if I can buy it here somewhere 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
July 19, 2012 at 1:36 pm
I found the final battle music piece on Youtube. It’s nice to see that enemies still can sing and dance even if they’ll try to destroy each other 🙂
July 19, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Christer,
What do you think they were saying to one another? Great dancing scene!1
July 19, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Christer,
I also think they love to see one another as for many of my former students it has been a long time.
We didn’t get anywhere enough rain let night. I hope it rains again!
I watched the entire video. I thought it was a costume party as I saw Spiderman, and the black guy looked like a Klingnon, but a lot of the other people looked dressed in regular clothes. I wish I knew what they were saying.
Enjoy your evening.
July 20, 2012 at 7:34 am
It was a prom and I guess it also was a costume party 🙂 The evil ones looked like that all the time and were living in some kind of circus.
Their leader (the man with the hat) was a former genie that had lost his powers since he used it to make himself rich and powerful. The clown, the Klingon, the girl with the mask and the Albino one looked like that all the time 🙂
It was a really fun movie but it can’t be bought here in Sweden it seems.
July 19, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Kat:
Who is Assan? She was there during our last year in Bolga, so she was probably a T1 that year. Our students were T3’s and T4’s that year, if I remember correctly.
Seems hard to believe that a whole year has almost gone since you were there last. It’s time to “drag our feet to slow the circles down”.
July 19, 2012 at 5:55 pm
Bill,
Nobody I know. You’re right: she was T1 that year. Florence gave her my number thinking she might like to connect so we did.
It’s true about the year going so quickly. I can’t believe it either. Since last I was there, they told me PC Ghana has moved to new digs, but this time around I won’t have any reason to go there.
Grace Awai called today and can’t wait until I come. She hopes to get here to the US in the spring.
July 19, 2012 at 7:24 pm
It’s gotta be a better plan when your students share in your arrival. Write more about the Monkey Sanctuary. Of course they would have one. August is the worst month here weatherwise, how will it be in Ghana? I know you’ll have a wonderful time.
July 19, 2012 at 8:57 pm
Z&Me,
My students complained that I didn’t tell them I was coming last year; I explained I didn’t know who was still around Bolga. Francisca is still amazed I went to Bolga and knew I’d find some,and I was sure of it.
It is the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary which houses mona and pat as monkeys. There are about 200 monkeys. They’re playful beasts who will come and take bananas from people.
August is still the rainy season in Ghana which means it will be cool after the rain each day. There is humidity but other times of the year are just blistering hot in Bolga, especially during the dry season.
July 20, 2012 at 10:40 am
Thanks, Christer, for the info!!