Soccer Frenzy

We have been caught up in the World Cup soccer frenzy here in Ghana. Not having our own South African team to support, we have settled for the next best thing and decided that as we are actually living here for now, we should do the right thing and support Ghana. To be very honest, we have not been given much of a choice in the matter. It is ridiculously hard not to get engrossed in their spirit, soccer is taken very seriously in this country. The first match was disastrous, and it was as if the locals had gone into a deep depression, only to be rectified in the last match. Victer, myself and the kids found ourselves jumping, cheering and screaming in our back garden, as we joined our staff watching on their little television in their quarters at the back of the house. We opted to watch with them outside, as the screaming was deafening, and we could not just sit inside and not partake. Once Ghana had proven victorious, the streets turned into a river of honking horns, running people holding flags up high, and the celebrations continued throughout the night. Every vehicle on the road has a Ghana flag flying from its aerial and huge flags strewn across dash boards. Of course, now the locals cannot be told anything about soccer. When another country wins, they proudly announce that they have learnt everything from the Ghana team! For the sake of good morale let us hope they continue their winning streak. Morgan the socialite is clueless, but prances around with flags draped around her, giving her support by being the goddess of cheerleaders. Chris on the other hand gets really involved, and shouts at the apposing team, constantly remarking how stupid they are when they fall on the floor, accusing them of being big babies.

At last, the abundance of birthday parties has come to an end as the children prepare to break up for the “summer holidays”. It is called summer holidays as most of the foreigners who are expats here and attend the Three Bears School, return home to their respective countries for their full ten weeks of summer. Feels very strange to us as we are in the throws of winter at our home. Morgan feels a little lost at not having to choose party outfits in the afternoons anymore, but we had an interview at her school when her report was handed over, and we are pleased to announce that she has done really well. Christopher, having been placed at a big disadvantage of starting off in a class full of professional readers and writers, is still slightly below average but we are assured by the teachers that he has done exceptionally well considering the challenges he faced. We are very relieved parents. Tomorrow the children have a huge party at the school in preparation for their closing. This is considered the end of the year for schools here and the new year starts in September. All takes a lot of getting used to, especially when I get phone calls from Nick at home and he is only now starting to get ready for his mid-year exams. So, in light of the pending end of year party, Morgan began her outfit planning ahead of time and has had her preferred outfit laid out on the end of her bed for three days with matching shoes laid perfectly underneath. My social butterfly.

On Sunday we took a break and enjoyed a great day at the Golden Tulip hotel pool with some new friends of ours from Lebanon. They have two little boys at school with Chris and Morgan. The children swam and made plenty of noise on the slides and swings, while the adults sat under the umbrellas, enjoying lunch and drinks. It has become rather cool (Yes, believe it or not, cool) I am almost too nervous to say the word cool, incase I am made to regret having jinxed it tomorrow. Most of the days are spent endlessly raining, and if not raining cats and dogs, then certainly drizzling well into the night. This is glorious as the temperatures drop considerably, but is also a problem for us as the mosquitoes have quadrupled in numbers. Many members of staff in our office and children in the school have been down and out with malaria. Of course, this has once again caused Mom to go into her panic mode, and double sprayings are the norm of the evening. If the malaria does not get us then the fumes from the insecticides will do the job. Our home has a lingering odour of insect spray and citronella and the children’s bodies glisten with tabard lotion. Each evening the kids are cocooned in their mosquito nets, safely tucked in under the mattress so no nasty little buggar can make an entrance from underneath. Should a bathroom visit be necessary during the night…tough……. child locked in bed; mosquito locked out. Once again, the children run from me and my spray can in horror that such a small gogga can cause such chaos. Morgan takes it in her stride, but Chris has added the dreaded mosquito to his already growing list of feared creatures.

The evenings are so unbearably boring and uneventful here, absolutely nothing to do besides become couch potatoes in front of the television. We have decided to ration TV time and play scrabble instead. So, whilst our spelling is improving, we are getting quite depressed at our lack of conversation due to no exciting happenings. At times Ghana can be endearing and its people do creep into your hearts, however the time does seem to stand still, and frustrations grow daily. We take each daily step in the hope that each step will take us home sooner. Home to you all and home to what we love and miss so terribly much.