“The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination.”
The freeze is coming. We’ll go to single digits at night. 28° will be tomorrow’s high while the low will be -2. Saturday will be warm as the high will be 17° (Did you notice the tongue- in -cheek?). I could go to the dump today, but I’m waiting for Sunday and balmy weather, 40°.
I slept in this morning. Last night I went to bed around two. The dogs were asleep on the couch. They tend to crash earlier than I do, but they know the routine. Once I close my computer, they follow me up stairs. I spent almost an hour with Jack. The dogs by then had moved to my bed. Nala was under the covers while Henry was watching and hoping.
I went to my uke practice and my lesson this week. My finger is swollen and stiff which happens every time I do uke twice in a week even though I don’t use that finger. I’m going to start taping the offending digit as I have practice, a lesson and a show next week. The surgeon did tell me the finger would take a year to heal completely.
When I was in Ghana, most of each day during training was scheduled, and the down time was at night. We spent our first two weeks in Winneba. I can still picture that school and all of its buildings. I had a second floor room in the dorm. From there I could see palm trees and the rusted roofs of the compounds in the town. We went to greet the chief. I can only imagine the reaction of the Ghanaians. Here was a parade with 120+ of us trainees plus PC staff walking through town.
During those first two weeks, I was still amazed about being in Ghana. I was getting to know my fellow trainees. I had language two or three times a day. Sandwiched in with that were large group sessions. One was medical: what wonderful diseases we were hoping not to meet. Another was about Ghanaian customs and how not to offend. My language group went to see the market.
I got homesick every now and then during training. I remember in Winneba going to the female dorm, all of us in one room. I had had a trying day. I got to the dorm and starting spewing about everything and swore I was leaving. The other trainees all agreed they’d go with me. That gave us a laugh. Everything was good again.
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Tags: Ghana, omesickness, Peace Corps, Peace Corps training, Winneba
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February 2, 2023 at 5:54 pm
17° doesn’t sound too bad from a European Celsius point of view 🙂 Stay warm!
February 2, 2023 at 8:09 pm
Birgit,
That’s funny!! That temperature, in Celsius, doesn’t show up here until May.
I am snuggling on the couch warmed by two dogs!!
February 2, 2023 at 8:12 pm
Hi Kat,
This morning the drive to work was better than the previous few days. By nine this morning the temperature finally got up to freezing after days in the 20s. 🙂
The drive home was almost normal as most of the ice on the streets has disappeared. Enjoy the crappy winter weather we’ve had all week. 🙁 Now we’re being treated to a steady cold rain and some snow flurries as the temperature is a balmy 33°F. Tomorrow we are predicted to hit a high of 45° and Saturday we will be in the 50s. Winter has no redeeming value except it’s a prelude to spring.
February 2, 2023 at 10:52 pm
Hi Bob,
How awful this winter had been that we are happy to watch the temperature rise to freezing.
Your weekend sounds so much warmer than mine will be. Some schools have already been closed for tomorrow because of the extreme cold. I don’t know if my local ones are, but, in the past, they have been closed for cold. Tomorrow the kids could be waiting for buses in 17° weather.
I’m going to hunker down!!
February 3, 2023 at 11:33 am
Yes, Kat, it’s going to get darn cold here also. Wind is supposed to be up to 30mph, with the temp. dropping more & more. 17 deg. weather is coming, and colder in other places. Only going to last about 2 days, then warm up a bit. Staying inside where it’s warm!
February 3, 2023 at 9:45 pm
Les,
Right now the wind is raging. It is currently 5° but with the wind feels like -17°. I hate when the dogs want to go out. I think I’ll put on their coats. Henry will hate it but too bad.
I am definitely staying inside tonight. Just the sound of the wind is scary.
Stay safe!
February 5, 2023 at 7:26 pm
Yes, Kat, the wind did blow a bit. Before all that wind started, I went outside “to batten down all hatches & gun covers” (a US Navy term to tie everything down that might blow away.) Like you stated, it did get darn cold. Did not venture out at all after that. Thank goodness it’s warming up now!
February 5, 2023 at 9:33 pm
Hi Les,
During the wind storm I could hear knocks on the sides of the house. I just hoped it was benign as I was not going out to check. I didn’t see anything so I guess all is well.
I have often used batten down the hatches as my mother used to, but I hadn’t ever heard the second part about gun covers.
Today’s temperature made it thin it was warm, but the wind was awful. It was cold out especially at the dump which I always think of as local steppes.