Friends of ours were expecting last year, and they joked about how forgetful, even incoherent the wife could be. They joked that whenever one of her "stupid" moments arose, she had been hit with the "stupid stick".
So far I haven't been having too much trouble with the whole thinking process, but on occasion I say things or do things that are a little odd. That being said, Tuesday afternoon I truly had a forgetful moment.
I was getting ready for work, and as usual, was just about late, but not quite yet. I decided to take some fish out of the freezer for dinner. I went downstairs, got fish out of the freezer, and then looked down. We have two cats, one is full grown, one is a kitten. The kitten was hanging around and seemed to gesture that she needed food. The fully grown cat's food is kept in the freezer room, and his dish was full. The kitten's food is in the bathroom next door, so I went next door, and she did indeed need food. I opened the cupboard, got out the food, and she hopped into the cupboard. I filled up her dish and then I had to struggle with her to get her out of the cupboard. By this time, I had no time to lose to get to work. I rushed upstairs, grabbed my lunch, drinks, computer bag and headed to work.
Now, when you read the paragraph above, do you at some point stop and ask yourself, "what did she do with the fish?" I asked myself the same question just as I was rolling into work. Although I remembered taking the fish out of the freezer, I had no recollection of what I had done with it from there....
My husband had left the house early in the morning for business meetings, and got home after lunch. As soon as I knew he was home, I called him and put him on the hunt for fish. He looked upstairs in the kitchen and in the fridge. No fish. He looked downstairs in the freezer, on top of the freezer. No fish.
I was almost in a panic, when it suddenly dawned on me to ask him to check in the room our kitten's food is kept. Sure enough, the fish was found!
Good ole stupid stick.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Still waiting...
I was supposed to have my ultrasound yesterday. At the last minute, we had to re-schedule because something came up that prevented my husband from coming. And I wouldn't want to do it without him. It was hard to make the change, even though it was only moved to next Monday. Another week to wait. It's just I've been sooooo excited about the ultrasound, to finally see the baby for the first time, to know that it's ok, that there's no major issues. I mean, I'm young, I'm healthy, so realistically I have nothing to worry about. But to have an ultrasound and get the OK that everything is fine will be nice.
So only another week to wait.....counting the number of sleeps again. :P
So only another week to wait.....counting the number of sleeps again. :P
Monday, August 17, 2009
Busty...really?
I have never been a busty woman. I have ever only been somewhere in the A-B range, depending on the make of the bra. Since becoming pregnant, I have noticed some change in my bust, but I hadn't thought much of it. My husband had mentioned that I was a bit bustier, but I didn't really realise how much so until this past weekend.
We were at a good friend's wedding on Saturday, and it was a hot day, so I wore some comfortable clothes for the drive (about 2 hours) since I have been sweating a lot easier since becoming pregnant. I decided to do the old switcheroo of clothing in the car. Before we left I had tried on the skirt I would be wearing, just to make sure it still fit, but I didn't bother to try on the shirt because I didn't think my bust had grown all that much. The shirt was a really nice empire waist, dark crimson, silk shirt. Really pretty.
Anyway, when we arrived at the wedding location, I quickly slipped into the skirt, and then switched into the nice silk shirt. I had started to zip it up (it had an invisible side zipper), but it didn't seem to be cooperating. I thought it had to do with my position in the car, so I zipped it up as far as it would go and got out of the car. Then I realised that the shirt was NOT zipping up. Slightly panicked, I got my husband to come and help.
So if you can picture me with my arm held in the air, struggling to hold the shirt down while my husband tried to pry the zipper closed. An ivisible zipper, very dainty, very hard for my husband to handle. We were quite the sight. Luckily, a good friend arrived just as we were struggling in the parking lot, most certainly making an amusing sight for the arriving guests. She came over to help, and between her and my hubby, the zipper finally cooperated. Which is good, because it was the only shirt I'd brought. I have to say though, it definitely did not fit as it had the last time I wore it and I felt a little restricted in my breathing all day. What we don't do to look nice. Ha
Next time I will definitely try on the outfit BEFORE we arrive to the church.
We were at a good friend's wedding on Saturday, and it was a hot day, so I wore some comfortable clothes for the drive (about 2 hours) since I have been sweating a lot easier since becoming pregnant. I decided to do the old switcheroo of clothing in the car. Before we left I had tried on the skirt I would be wearing, just to make sure it still fit, but I didn't bother to try on the shirt because I didn't think my bust had grown all that much. The shirt was a really nice empire waist, dark crimson, silk shirt. Really pretty.
Anyway, when we arrived at the wedding location, I quickly slipped into the skirt, and then switched into the nice silk shirt. I had started to zip it up (it had an invisible side zipper), but it didn't seem to be cooperating. I thought it had to do with my position in the car, so I zipped it up as far as it would go and got out of the car. Then I realised that the shirt was NOT zipping up. Slightly panicked, I got my husband to come and help.
So if you can picture me with my arm held in the air, struggling to hold the shirt down while my husband tried to pry the zipper closed. An ivisible zipper, very dainty, very hard for my husband to handle. We were quite the sight. Luckily, a good friend arrived just as we were struggling in the parking lot, most certainly making an amusing sight for the arriving guests. She came over to help, and between her and my hubby, the zipper finally cooperated. Which is good, because it was the only shirt I'd brought. I have to say though, it definitely did not fit as it had the last time I wore it and I felt a little restricted in my breathing all day. What we don't do to look nice. Ha
Next time I will definitely try on the outfit BEFORE we arrive to the church.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Midwife visit #2
We went to visit the midwife on July 23, my husband came with me this time. I have to say I really appreciate having a midwife. We spent about 45 minutes in the office asking questions and the likes. The last visit I was at my midwife had given me a sheet to fill out with my diet, and two questionnaires to fill out to screen for postpartum depression and to find out how I was feeling about being pregnant. It was neat, because you can tell that they care about how I'm doing and want to help me travel through this adventure that is pregnancy. The midwife I saw on this visit went over what I had written and asked me questions about some of the items I had filled out. We also discussed questions that I had, such as whether I could take metamucil (as mentioned from my previous entry).
It was really nice to have my husband there, because I think it was a great experience for him to learn a bit more about what I am going through and how he can support me.
The best part was hearing the baby heartbeat.....it was the first time we'd heard it. It was VERY exciting, my husband said it made it much more real for him. To hear a heartbeat and really know that there is something there inside my belly growing. It was pretty neat. It definitely made it more real for me, even though I'm starting to feel my tummy growing and my pelvis is shifting around more, hearing a heartbeat is really neat. The heartbeat was ~140. So right smack in the middle. :)
My blood pressure by the way was 90/60. Probably why I've been lightheaded lately. Ha
It was really nice to have my husband there, because I think it was a great experience for him to learn a bit more about what I am going through and how he can support me.
The best part was hearing the baby heartbeat.....it was the first time we'd heard it. It was VERY exciting, my husband said it made it much more real for him. To hear a heartbeat and really know that there is something there inside my belly growing. It was pretty neat. It definitely made it more real for me, even though I'm starting to feel my tummy growing and my pelvis is shifting around more, hearing a heartbeat is really neat. The heartbeat was ~140. So right smack in the middle. :)
My blood pressure by the way was 90/60. Probably why I've been lightheaded lately. Ha
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Visit to the midwife
This week I will be making my second visit to the midwife (working on week 15 this week!) and I'm hoping that it will go more smoothly than the last visit.
I was a little nervous about my first visit, didn't know what to expect, how long it would take, if she'd be nice....all the things you wonder about when meeting a new health care provider. Anyway, at the orientation session we had gone to a few weeks previous, they had mentioned that when you arrived you should weigh yourself and test your urine. Me being the newbie, these facts TOTALLY slipped my mind. So when I got into the room and sat down, the first thing she asked me was had I weighed myself this morning and tested my urine. My face must have betrayed my confusion, and honestly what was going through my head when she asked was "does she really think I have a urine test at my house!?!?". I proceeded to say "Was I supposed to pick one up and bring it home with me last time I was in?" to which she responded "No, when you arrive you are supposed to weigh yourself and grab one of the test strips by the door and go use it in the bathroom." I felt like a dope.
She then kindly showed me where the weight scale and test strips were and asked me to do those two things and then come back to her office. The weight scale was easy enough and I was able to get that figured out, not so much with the test strip apparently. They came in this little bottle with all sorts of colours on the side that corresponded with colours on the strip and they'd tell you if your urine was normal. I took strip and bottle to the bathroom like I was told and proceeded to pee on the strip. Then I started trying to compare the strip to the bottle, but it was kind've dark in the stall. So.....I finished the job, wiped, and went out to the sink area to take a better look. Of course there were two other women in the bathroom, neither of whom were pregnant or confused. I continued to compare the strip to the bottle, and then a little voice in my head said "are you sure you weren't supposed to show her the strip?" I couldn't recall her saying she wanted to see it, but what if she did? I proceeded to gingerly pry a paper towel from the dispenser without touching anything, and then put my pee strip down on the towel on the counter. I washed my hands, and then picked up the bottle and the strip now wrapped in a paper towel and carried it back to the office. I felt a little sheepish as I walked up to the secretary and asked "Do you know if she wants to see this?" to which the receptionist replied with a slightly amused (maybe a bit grossed out too!) expression "sure". I walked back into the midwife's office with my little strip, still feeling a little sheepish and asked "did you want to see this?" I swear she thought I was the most incompetent person in the world. She told me that I just had to compare it to the colours on the bottle, and as long as everything was normal I could just dispose of it.
It's a good thing peeing on coloured strips doesn't determine a person's competence for parenthood.
I was a little nervous about my first visit, didn't know what to expect, how long it would take, if she'd be nice....all the things you wonder about when meeting a new health care provider. Anyway, at the orientation session we had gone to a few weeks previous, they had mentioned that when you arrived you should weigh yourself and test your urine. Me being the newbie, these facts TOTALLY slipped my mind. So when I got into the room and sat down, the first thing she asked me was had I weighed myself this morning and tested my urine. My face must have betrayed my confusion, and honestly what was going through my head when she asked was "does she really think I have a urine test at my house!?!?". I proceeded to say "Was I supposed to pick one up and bring it home with me last time I was in?" to which she responded "No, when you arrive you are supposed to weigh yourself and grab one of the test strips by the door and go use it in the bathroom." I felt like a dope.
She then kindly showed me where the weight scale and test strips were and asked me to do those two things and then come back to her office. The weight scale was easy enough and I was able to get that figured out, not so much with the test strip apparently. They came in this little bottle with all sorts of colours on the side that corresponded with colours on the strip and they'd tell you if your urine was normal. I took strip and bottle to the bathroom like I was told and proceeded to pee on the strip. Then I started trying to compare the strip to the bottle, but it was kind've dark in the stall. So.....I finished the job, wiped, and went out to the sink area to take a better look. Of course there were two other women in the bathroom, neither of whom were pregnant or confused. I continued to compare the strip to the bottle, and then a little voice in my head said "are you sure you weren't supposed to show her the strip?" I couldn't recall her saying she wanted to see it, but what if she did? I proceeded to gingerly pry a paper towel from the dispenser without touching anything, and then put my pee strip down on the towel on the counter. I washed my hands, and then picked up the bottle and the strip now wrapped in a paper towel and carried it back to the office. I felt a little sheepish as I walked up to the secretary and asked "Do you know if she wants to see this?" to which the receptionist replied with a slightly amused (maybe a bit grossed out too!) expression "sure". I walked back into the midwife's office with my little strip, still feeling a little sheepish and asked "did you want to see this?" I swear she thought I was the most incompetent person in the world. She told me that I just had to compare it to the colours on the bottle, and as long as everything was normal I could just dispose of it.
It's a good thing peeing on coloured strips doesn't determine a person's competence for parenthood.
Pregnant functions
The past few weeks have been exceptionally busy. Besides working full time, I planned and organised my husband's 30th birthday, helped out with a family reunion, helped out with a wedding, and this weekend spent time with friends. It's been fun, but it has really made me realise how your body functions differently when pregnant.
Normally if I'm busy I can just keep going all day, pushing myself to get everything done, and then collapse at the end of the day. Not so when pregnant. All of a sudden, your body will just say "ok, that's enough" and if you don't stop and rest/eat and or nap, you'll really pay for it.
I tried ignoring my tiredness on the day of my husband's birthday, and I definitely paid for it. I had been mostly over the first trimester nausea and exhaustion (I was just tired and easily worn out instead). However, on the day of his birthday I just kept going, ignoring my growing tiredness, and the next day the nausea and exhastion came flooding back. I actually had to call in sick that day because I could NOT function. First and only sick day during the first trimester (as I write this I am safely past the 14 week mark).
The other major change I've noticed is digestive function. Now I'm sure no one really likes to talk about bowel function, but MAN does it ever change during pregnancy. Not only am I constantly gassy (very embarassing when working with the public) but the efficiency of the system is compromised. I'm a fairly healthy eater, I get a good number of vegetables and fruit and water and grains in my diet, and yet on more than one occasion I've been wishing I had metamucil to reach for......definitely something I plan to ask my midwife about at the next visit. :P
Normally if I'm busy I can just keep going all day, pushing myself to get everything done, and then collapse at the end of the day. Not so when pregnant. All of a sudden, your body will just say "ok, that's enough" and if you don't stop and rest/eat and or nap, you'll really pay for it.
I tried ignoring my tiredness on the day of my husband's birthday, and I definitely paid for it. I had been mostly over the first trimester nausea and exhaustion (I was just tired and easily worn out instead). However, on the day of his birthday I just kept going, ignoring my growing tiredness, and the next day the nausea and exhastion came flooding back. I actually had to call in sick that day because I could NOT function. First and only sick day during the first trimester (as I write this I am safely past the 14 week mark).
The other major change I've noticed is digestive function. Now I'm sure no one really likes to talk about bowel function, but MAN does it ever change during pregnancy. Not only am I constantly gassy (very embarassing when working with the public) but the efficiency of the system is compromised. I'm a fairly healthy eater, I get a good number of vegetables and fruit and water and grains in my diet, and yet on more than one occasion I've been wishing I had metamucil to reach for......definitely something I plan to ask my midwife about at the next visit. :P
Monday, June 15, 2009
Coming along
Well, the past couple weeks have been going ok. The nausea seems to have subsided, and I'm feeling much more energetic, more like myself. I don't have to come home and sleep for an hour before making dinner. Or eating for that matter. I can actually make it through the day without a nap if I need to (although I still tend to take a nap at lunch time when I can sneak it).
My eye stopped twitching about a week and a half ago, around the time that the exhaustion started to subside. I'm sure they are related. It will be interesting to see as my pregnancy progresses and I get more tired whether the eye twitch will return. I'm also curious to know if I get pregnant again someday in the future if I'll get the eye twitch again....but I think I'm getting ahead of myself.
I'm into my 11th week, and I'm trying to figure out when the first trimester finishes. I've been looking online, and some sources say the start of the 13th week, some say the start of the 14th. Either way, I'm almost a third of the way through! Crazy considering I only found out a few weeks ago. I wonder if the whole pregnancy will fly by like this (I'm guessing probably not).
Once I'm through the first trimester I plan to tell my boss....and I'm a little nervous about it. Not because I think he'll be upset, on the contrary, I'm sure he'll be excited for us. But I'm nervous about it because it makes it really real. Right now the only people who know I'm pregnant is immediate family, the few people they've told...sigh....hard to keep secrets and a couple girlfriends I slipped and told. I'm not really showing yet, although I have noticed my middle is a bit thicker and I've put on a few pounds....but now that I'm feeling better, I doesn't really seem like I'm pregnant. So once I tell my boss, once I start telling friends and extended family, there's no pretending.....there's no hiding it. My tummy will start to grow, my clothes will start to shrink, and soon enough our lives will be turned upside down. Not in a bad way. Just different.
And we all know that most of us don't take change easily. Thank goodness I have 9 months to adjust to the idea. :P
My eye stopped twitching about a week and a half ago, around the time that the exhaustion started to subside. I'm sure they are related. It will be interesting to see as my pregnancy progresses and I get more tired whether the eye twitch will return. I'm also curious to know if I get pregnant again someday in the future if I'll get the eye twitch again....but I think I'm getting ahead of myself.
I'm into my 11th week, and I'm trying to figure out when the first trimester finishes. I've been looking online, and some sources say the start of the 13th week, some say the start of the 14th. Either way, I'm almost a third of the way through! Crazy considering I only found out a few weeks ago. I wonder if the whole pregnancy will fly by like this (I'm guessing probably not).
Once I'm through the first trimester I plan to tell my boss....and I'm a little nervous about it. Not because I think he'll be upset, on the contrary, I'm sure he'll be excited for us. But I'm nervous about it because it makes it really real. Right now the only people who know I'm pregnant is immediate family, the few people they've told...sigh....hard to keep secrets and a couple girlfriends I slipped and told. I'm not really showing yet, although I have noticed my middle is a bit thicker and I've put on a few pounds....but now that I'm feeling better, I doesn't really seem like I'm pregnant. So once I tell my boss, once I start telling friends and extended family, there's no pretending.....there's no hiding it. My tummy will start to grow, my clothes will start to shrink, and soon enough our lives will be turned upside down. Not in a bad way. Just different.
And we all know that most of us don't take change easily. Thank goodness I have 9 months to adjust to the idea. :P
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Adjustments
May 8 2009 I found out I was pregnant. My husband and I had decided to "start trying" for a baby, never expecting that we would be successful our first try!
My initial reaction was a mix of surprise and awe and excitement. And shock. Definitely some shock in there. It's not that I didn't want a baby, it's more the sudden HUGE responsibility that is added to your life. It's been over 3 weeks and I'm still feeling apprehensive. Just afraid that I won't live up to the job that's been put before me.
So I've decided to create this blog, just so I can put some of my thoughts and feelings up here.
How has it been going so far......
- I don't really feel pregnant yet....there's the obvious fatigue, the nausea (thankfully I haven't vomitted yet), the weird food aversions (of all things, right now orange juice really turns my stomach), the getting up to pee two and three times a night....but I don't feel pregnant. It's weird. I almost have to remind myself sometimes.
- I'm scared...I have always been one that finds change challenging. And I'm embarking on a journey that will change my life forever. It scares me. I'm afraid I won't be a good mom. I'm afraid I'll lose touch with my husband. I'm afraid my child will be born with some kind of congenital abnormality. I'm afraid of getting fat....I know this a terribly selfish thing to say, but I like that I am fit and have a decent figure. It's a struggle to let that go.
- I'm struggling with the idea of the financial implications, the loss of freedom and spontaneity that my husband and I curently enjoy.....
- I'm in awe that inside me a tiny person is growing. It is the coolest phenomena. I can't even feel him/her, but they're in there, growing away. Pretty amazing....
I want this baby. I think I just have all these conflicting emotions because there's an imminent change facing me. And it always takes me a while to struggle with change. And of course, it could also be all the hormones talking. :P
My initial reaction was a mix of surprise and awe and excitement. And shock. Definitely some shock in there. It's not that I didn't want a baby, it's more the sudden HUGE responsibility that is added to your life. It's been over 3 weeks and I'm still feeling apprehensive. Just afraid that I won't live up to the job that's been put before me.
So I've decided to create this blog, just so I can put some of my thoughts and feelings up here.
How has it been going so far......
- I don't really feel pregnant yet....there's the obvious fatigue, the nausea (thankfully I haven't vomitted yet), the weird food aversions (of all things, right now orange juice really turns my stomach), the getting up to pee two and three times a night....but I don't feel pregnant. It's weird. I almost have to remind myself sometimes.
- I'm scared...I have always been one that finds change challenging. And I'm embarking on a journey that will change my life forever. It scares me. I'm afraid I won't be a good mom. I'm afraid I'll lose touch with my husband. I'm afraid my child will be born with some kind of congenital abnormality. I'm afraid of getting fat....I know this a terribly selfish thing to say, but I like that I am fit and have a decent figure. It's a struggle to let that go.
- I'm struggling with the idea of the financial implications, the loss of freedom and spontaneity that my husband and I curently enjoy.....
- I'm in awe that inside me a tiny person is growing. It is the coolest phenomena. I can't even feel him/her, but they're in there, growing away. Pretty amazing....
I want this baby. I think I just have all these conflicting emotions because there's an imminent change facing me. And it always takes me a while to struggle with change. And of course, it could also be all the hormones talking. :P
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The virtue of bathrooms
Here in Togo, bathrooms for public use are often few and far between.
Unfortunately, because we do not tend to be accustomed to the local dishes, bathrooms are often a coveted item to discover. They come in a range: from real "african style" bathrooms (aka hole in ground) to gas station standard bathrooms in Canada (you know what I mean, the kind that are just a little sketchy but you'll use them!). We have found in our travels that whenever you come across a bathroom, whatever the standard may be, you use it, because you never know when you'll see one again.
It's interesting to think of all the different mthods of creating a bathroom, and what other dual usages it can have...such as shower. Or place to store bricks. Or just the good old back yard. The oddest place I have used as a bathroom is the pavement behind someone's house. No word of a lie, I REALLY had to pee, and they couldn't get their outhouse open, so they just gestured to behind the house and told me to go. Let me tell you, it was weird. But when presented with no other option, sometimes you just have to go with the flow (no pun intended!) :p
Unfortunately, because we do not tend to be accustomed to the local dishes, bathrooms are often a coveted item to discover. They come in a range: from real "african style" bathrooms (aka hole in ground) to gas station standard bathrooms in Canada (you know what I mean, the kind that are just a little sketchy but you'll use them!). We have found in our travels that whenever you come across a bathroom, whatever the standard may be, you use it, because you never know when you'll see one again.
It's interesting to think of all the different mthods of creating a bathroom, and what other dual usages it can have...such as shower. Or place to store bricks. Or just the good old back yard. The oddest place I have used as a bathroom is the pavement behind someone's house. No word of a lie, I REALLY had to pee, and they couldn't get their outhouse open, so they just gestured to behind the house and told me to go. Let me tell you, it was weird. But when presented with no other option, sometimes you just have to go with the flow (no pun intended!) :p
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Lazy Days
Life here in Kpalime is nice. The pace is slow, the food is good, and we are getting a chance to relax.
We had a chance to visit the waterfalls near Kpalime, they are called Kpime falls. There is a dam at the top of the waterfalls, and normally the dam is only open during the rainy season. Right now it is the "petit saison" (little season) between the wet and dry season, when there is a bit of rain but also a lot of just hot. Anyway, some piece of equipment in the dam is currently broken, so they had to empty the water to fix it. So to our luck you might say, the waterfalls were running very strongly! We got some beautiful pictures, Tim even pulled out his tripod to take a few shots. It was really gorgeous. A tall waterfall, and about halfway down it splits into two streams of water. I can not wait to share the pictures with you! But the connection is way too slow, so unfortunately for now, just words. :)
We are doing our best to relax, and our plans seem to change daily. We had hoped to go to Lomé the capital on Monday and Tuesday, but then we were invited to a friend,s place for dinner Monday night. And then we had something come up today. And tomorrow a friend is coming to Kpalime from Lomé that we have to see....so maybe we will get there tomorrow night....who knows? Oh well....c,est le Togo. :)
We had a chance to visit the waterfalls near Kpalime, they are called Kpime falls. There is a dam at the top of the waterfalls, and normally the dam is only open during the rainy season. Right now it is the "petit saison" (little season) between the wet and dry season, when there is a bit of rain but also a lot of just hot. Anyway, some piece of equipment in the dam is currently broken, so they had to empty the water to fix it. So to our luck you might say, the waterfalls were running very strongly! We got some beautiful pictures, Tim even pulled out his tripod to take a few shots. It was really gorgeous. A tall waterfall, and about halfway down it splits into two streams of water. I can not wait to share the pictures with you! But the connection is way too slow, so unfortunately for now, just words. :)
We are doing our best to relax, and our plans seem to change daily. We had hoped to go to Lomé the capital on Monday and Tuesday, but then we were invited to a friend,s place for dinner Monday night. And then we had something come up today. And tomorrow a friend is coming to Kpalime from Lomé that we have to see....so maybe we will get there tomorrow night....who knows? Oh well....c,est le Togo. :)
Monday, March 16, 2009
First Impressions
When Tim was here in Togo a few years ago, he was staying in a relatively small town, with about 50,000 people; içt is the kind of community where many people know each other and you are bound to see someone you know on the street on any given day;
First Impressions
When Tim was here in Togo a few years ago, he was staying in a relatively small town, with about 50,000 people; içt is the kind of community where many people know each other and you are bound to see someone you know on the street on any given day. When we arrived in Accra, it was quite a different experience. Accra is a city that contains several million people. It is a loud, bustling, vibrant overwhelming city. We also visitied Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana. Also quite large, and loud, and overwhelming; Not quite what I had anticipated.
We arrived in Kpalime (the city I ,entioned before) it was a refreshing change! It is much more my pace. And not quite so loud... :p
We arrived in Kpalime (the city I ,entioned before) it was a refreshing change! It is much more my pace. And not quite so loud... :p
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hans Cottage Botel (Ghana)
Tonight we are staying in a place called "Hans Cottage Botel". It's on the road between Cape Coast Ghana and Kakum National park. It's an eclectic place, with a pond-ish wetland that is inhabited by real crocodiles and there's bamboo forest and oodles of birds. You can actually hear them singing everywhere. It's beautiful. The restaurant is up on stilts overlooking and OVER the water. So you can sometimes see the crocodiles swimming around. Pretty cool. :P
We spent today in Cape Coast and Elmina visiting the slave castles. These are castles/forts used by the Portuguese, English, Dutch etc who were a part of the transatlantic slave trade. It's where the slaves were brought after being captured/sold into slavery and traded with the Europeans by other black mercenaries for guns/gunpowder. It was a saddening, somber experience, and yet it brought hope to my heart. The Ghanian people that we talked with said that the slave trade was awful and inexcusable. And yet they said from it hope has emerged because it has created the world that we know today and the many very influential African descendents (i.e. Barack Obama) that we see in our world today. I found it all to be a very humbling experience.
I'm really enjoying being here in Ghana. I hope to post more later. But I need to go wash some laundry. It really is stinkin' hot here. ha ha....you sweat a LOT.
We spent today in Cape Coast and Elmina visiting the slave castles. These are castles/forts used by the Portuguese, English, Dutch etc who were a part of the transatlantic slave trade. It's where the slaves were brought after being captured/sold into slavery and traded with the Europeans by other black mercenaries for guns/gunpowder. It was a saddening, somber experience, and yet it brought hope to my heart. The Ghanian people that we talked with said that the slave trade was awful and inexcusable. And yet they said from it hope has emerged because it has created the world that we know today and the many very influential African descendents (i.e. Barack Obama) that we see in our world today. I found it all to be a very humbling experience.
I'm really enjoying being here in Ghana. I hope to post more later. But I need to go wash some laundry. It really is stinkin' hot here. ha ha....you sweat a LOT.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Amsterdam Airport
Well, we've started our adventure to West Africa. We left Friday evening from Toronto, not without adventure: my passport was inadvertantly left in the scanner at home and we didn't realise it until we got to the airport. Thankfully, one of our good friends was able to go to our house and pick it up and meet us halfway between the airport and home. (Thanks Heather!)
The flight was great, I really like KLM airlines and would recommend them to anyone. We had television screens in the seatback of every seat, and had a choice between many many TV shows, movies, music and the likes. We could have even gone online or made phone calls if we'd felt like using our VISA. The food was amazing, the service superb, and we had all the free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that we wanted. It was great!
We left Toronto airport at 6 pm, the flight was 7 hours, and we arrive in Amsterdam at 6:35 am their time. So you do the math....right now it is 10 am Amsterdam time, and I have not been to sleep. Oddly enough, I am not tired at all. Tim is sound asleep on a funky recliner type chair, there are little gatherings of these chairs all over the airport, and let me tell you, they're prime real estate! It took us a while to finally find some, but thankfully eventually we did. I tried to sleep, but it's broad daylight out, and lots of people were walking to and fro. And I'm excited. So eventually after about 40 minutes of trying to force myself to sleep, I resorted to walking around the airport. It's HUGE. A very cool airport, lots of shops and eateries, lots of neat architecture and windows. Dad, I think you'd really like it. :P
It's cool, a nice place to be while we wait to travel to our final destinations...Ghana and Togo. I'm really excited, a little nervous, but mostly excited. I can't wait to see all the places I've heard so much about from Tim. I can't wait to try Foufou finally (Tim talks about it so much!). I can't wait to meet Amedzi and Christine and Fofo....someone said to me that it will be interesting to see if it all lives up to my expectations. I don't know if I really know what to expect, but I do know that as long as I'm with Tim, it will be wonderful. :)
I'll try to post more later....running out of time. Love you all.
The flight was great, I really like KLM airlines and would recommend them to anyone. We had television screens in the seatback of every seat, and had a choice between many many TV shows, movies, music and the likes. We could have even gone online or made phone calls if we'd felt like using our VISA. The food was amazing, the service superb, and we had all the free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that we wanted. It was great!
We left Toronto airport at 6 pm, the flight was 7 hours, and we arrive in Amsterdam at 6:35 am their time. So you do the math....right now it is 10 am Amsterdam time, and I have not been to sleep. Oddly enough, I am not tired at all. Tim is sound asleep on a funky recliner type chair, there are little gatherings of these chairs all over the airport, and let me tell you, they're prime real estate! It took us a while to finally find some, but thankfully eventually we did. I tried to sleep, but it's broad daylight out, and lots of people were walking to and fro. And I'm excited. So eventually after about 40 minutes of trying to force myself to sleep, I resorted to walking around the airport. It's HUGE. A very cool airport, lots of shops and eateries, lots of neat architecture and windows. Dad, I think you'd really like it. :P
It's cool, a nice place to be while we wait to travel to our final destinations...Ghana and Togo. I'm really excited, a little nervous, but mostly excited. I can't wait to see all the places I've heard so much about from Tim. I can't wait to try Foufou finally (Tim talks about it so much!). I can't wait to meet Amedzi and Christine and Fofo....someone said to me that it will be interesting to see if it all lives up to my expectations. I don't know if I really know what to expect, but I do know that as long as I'm with Tim, it will be wonderful. :)
I'll try to post more later....running out of time. Love you all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)