Gorée Island is just off the coast of Dakar, the capital city of Senegal. It’s most well known for Maison des esclaves (House of Slaves), where slaves were held before transport.
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Category Archives: Ghana
Odds ‘n Ends
I’m on the road for a bit here, and thought I’d just write about the various things I’ve been doing…odds and ends.
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Just a Girl
The neighborhood is surprisingly noisy. If it’s not people calling out greetings to each other or yelling at kids, it’s sheep and goats baaing or roosters crowing or guinea fowl chattering. I’ve gotten used to it.
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My Little Monster
One of the most enjoyable parts of this experience is the kids. They make me feel like a bit of a celebrity while I walk through town, calling out my name, sometimes running over to shake hands or high-five.
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Don’t Call it Death
Sitting in church for three hours every Sunday, not understanding the language and just letting my mind free-associate may not be the kind of spiritual experience the church leaders want me to have…but it works for me.
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The Little Dry Season
In a lot of ways, I’m just not cut out for this.
Nonetheless, I’m glad I’m here. Hard to explain.
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Our Day
On Wednesday last week, the morning was already well underway and I hadn’t seen Esther yet. Sometimes she sleeps at her husband’s family house, sometimes she sleeps here. She might sleep at her mother’s house sometimes, too…I’m not sure. It’s part of the extended family system here.
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Big Wheel Keeps on Turning
It’s been really good to have Stephen’s family back in the neighborhood. Their dogs are happy, their kids are happy, and even though I haven’t seen much of Stephen as he’s busy catching up on things, I’m happy just to have things back to normal. It’s a little funny how quickly I’ve gotten use to there being a “normal” to get back to here. Of course, it also helps to have someone nearby who speaks English well.
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Jubilees and Other Oddities
Monday was exceedingly weird. (And this is an exceedingly scattered post; sometimes I feel like I need to just get stuff posted when I can, because the next thing will be coming down the pike at any moment.)
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Things Fall Apart
I often recall the three-word title of Chinua Achebe’s novel set on the banks of the Niger river. It is the core truth of life in West Africa.
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