To-Dos

Jens and I have finally reached a decision on the curtains: we don't like anything the curtain shops here are offering, so we're going to buy local fabric and get a seamstress or tailor to make it into curtains.  The price will be similar, though a bit higher, but it's better to get something we both like for a higher price, than settle for a price that's also pretty high and get something we don't really like.

Both surgeries of mothers went well, for those following that.  As for me, the dentist put some kind of hard paste on the outer surface of my teeth and has 60% solved the problem; I'm coming back in two weeks for a further consultation.  I really hope that next time I don't wait four hours.  I mean, they double-scheduled the 10am slot and the other guy who was booked in at 10 only went in at 1:40.  It's really bad practice.  I'm going back to this guy because I'm now mid-treatment with him, but I won't be back after that.

Easter weekend saw us spend a night at Kokrobite Beach, which is laid-back and quieter than the chaos of Labadi and chock-full of obroni backpackers and volunteers.  We ran into a friend of Aimee's and met a foursome of Norwegians there, one of whom is reading a favorite book of mine.

There are ants in our bedroom!  Jens and I both suspect they came in on one of the plants which we bought on Friday.  They are lovely plants but not worth the anty price.  I've just mopped the floor with vinegar and Vim (a Comet-esque scrubbing powder) and am hoping that will be it.  Each of those is supposed to disrupt the scent-trails they leave so no more will follow.  Next step is giving them cornmeal - apparently they eat it and then it expands inside them... you get the drift.  Also, this means we really need to find a cleaning person soon.  If there's one thing I do NOT want, it's the ants getting to our kitchen.

Jens thinks there's likely not a queen in the flowerpot as they usually stay in the anthills, which would mean this population can't reproduce after their lifespans run out.  And three floors is a long way to come up, on the outside balconies no less.  Still not a theory I'd like to rely on without some proactive measures.

My computer screen's got a pesky loose connection that I thought had been fixed in Dublin.  I have to take it to a repair shop here, which I'm not looking forward to - hopefully I'll be able to tell them there's a loose connection, show them the screen, and trust them to do this one particular fix.  I think I saw a Chinese repair shop around the corner from work; maybe I'll take it there...

Also, we've now got mosquitoes in our bedroom who are feeding on us while we sleep.  We got a zapper light and have been using it for the past two nights, but it's in a corner and not hung very high so it hasn't been effective.

Let the first of the bug woes begin... let's hope they're not bad after this.

Our shipment should have arrived last Friday; we haven't heard from the agent who's taking care of it at the port, because it was Good Friday.  They hoped to get it to us late this week, but we're hoping for next week. It's time to start getting other furniture - a dining room table and chairs, and a TV table!

Inconsistencies

Where do I start with a post titled "inconsistencies"? They're everywhere. A house that was supposed to be ready by the time we got here is now going to be done "at the end of the week," and we all know that probably means two more weeks. Taxi drivers say they know where they're going when you ask to go somewhere, then two minutes into the ride start pulling over and asking people on the side of the street how to get there.

But enough about that; I'm talking about inconsistencies I tell. For example, half the people I meet are introduced to my full name while the other half get my nickname. I've already forgotten who has gotten what - this will become royally confusing, I already know.

Also, some people refer to Jens as my husband by default and I don't say anything; it's generally regarded as safer to say you're married. People take the relationship more seriously. I find it easier to do with Ghanaians, though. So when I went to the local internet provider's office last night and they asked about my husband, I had no problem playing along... but I talked to the boss this morning, who's European, and found it really hard to stick to my "husband" story.

I predict I'll end up going with the old nickname as everyone's trying to abbreviate my full name anyway, and I'll start being able to refer to Jens as my husband to people who would be more comfortable hearing that.

At the moment I'm off to Oxford Street to meet with an English expat and have smoothies; after that to the Goethe institut to register for my German class. And then back home to get real internet installed, instead of relying on 3G on the phone.

We have a roommate, I went to choir on Tuesday again, and the new place in the yellow building is making progress towards being ready for us to move in. And it's hot outside!

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Motivation is hard work

As I was getting a haircut two days ago (it's too short!  it kinda makes me feel like a rocker.  I'll take a photo some time), it started to sink in how fast time is flying towards our real, big, serious departure from Ireland.  The movers are coming in on Tuesday to put everything in a 20-foot container and ship it over the seas, to be seen a month or two later (if we're lucky).  Thursday we have a professional cleaner coming in to strip away the accumulated dust and grime of the past 2 1/2 years.  There's a going-away party Thursday night, and then it's just anticipation until Sunday.  We took an inventory of everything insurable inside the house (it turns out that, using rough estimates, we've got about €24,000 worth of stuff in here.  Those estimates are guesses of how much it'd cost to replace in Ghana, which might run higher than the original price.)

I know we have to get things ready before the movers come.  I have to know exactly what they're not packing, so I don't set aside more stuff than will fit in our suitcases.  Also it will make me more psychologically ready to go, I think.  Say "moving" as many times as I may, on a deep level it's hard not to think of that Ghana trip as just a holiday that's over now.  Lease in Accra, what lease?  Sure, I could go back there for a while.  But isn't Dublin my primary home?  

I've decided to sell the bodhran I bought here so many years ago.  I haven't touched it since 2007 and won't use it in Ghana, either.  If I really find I miss drumming, I'll take up the kpanlogo.  I don't know if anyone will want it, but I'm offering it first on Facebook and then will ask Jens to ask around Google.  With such a huge community, surely there are trad enthusiasts out there.  

We're headed to Ikea tonight with a rented van to buy new slats for a bed frame, and tomorrow morning we'll drive the van to the recycling center in Ringsend to drop off all our old broken electronics, lightbulbs, rusty pots, and other big waste.  

Am I really going to love it in Accra?  For the first few months, probably not with all my heart.  I don't think I'll ever appreciate the stink of the open sewers flanking every paved road.  It's also nice in Dublin that I can be outside for more than 5 minutes without sweating.  And the number of beers available in Accra I think you can count on one hand.

However, in Ghana is the first time I've ever enjoyed a papaya, cut a pineapple, or guzzled water straight out of a green coconut.  I'll be able to wear dresses and skirts every day because it'll be so warm, and there will be sun guaranteed practically every day.  I'll be living a block from a gelateria and less than that from a smoothie shop; oh yes, and two blocks the other direction from the Irish pub.  I have a choir.  And did I mention, I already ran into a Jewish lady in Accra who wants me to help with Hebrew-schooling her kids?!?

Lindsay from TCD, who moved to South Africa 6 months ago, advised me early on that it's impossible to compare.  Experience them as two separate things.  Good advice- hard to do.

I'd like to pack a lot, but it doesn't feel real while the decorations and furniture are still there.  Without them around, I'd get to it easier because it'd feel less like home.  And I can't pack those without the movers, for insurance reasons.  Maybe I can at least put them into stacks in one place.