Wednesday morning we woke up (I had been coughing for a few days now--not easy to sleep) and we had a breakfast of oatmeal (I finally figured out how to avoid the white bread and egg--a lot of variation on starch in West Africa, not a surprise that folks struggle with diabetes). Madeline has broadened her horizons and has had everything in the morning from hot chocolate to ovaltine to a sugary coffee drink that isn't too bad. We try to get protein in her every day and luckily she is not a picky eater--I'm really not at all sure what we would have done if she was. In fact, I am not sure what we would have done if she was not flexible in general. There has been very little TV, long drives, a lot of grown ups and a lot of waiting. I commend her adventurous spirit and her willingness to learn alongside her parents.
So, the market in Kumase. We went up to view it before immersing ourselves in the thick of it all and the expanse of it is unbelievable. It has to be at least four square miles, but is pretty well organized by fabric and garments, household items, metals and food. We just did a fraction of the fabric and some of the household items. I bargained my little heart out but some of the fabric prices are set by the government--it didn't prevent me from trying though!
Wherever we walk, we often hear "Obruni! Obruni!" which of course means white person in Twi, the Ashanti language. A lot of little kids say it, and then wave, but there are the hostile utterances too--one day in particular it was shouted from a truck, and we were walking in the mud after a long rain--"Yeah, yeah I'm the obruni.." Many people want Madeline's attention in particular, which can get a little overwhelming, but she takes it in stride. We got our goods and jumped back in the van for the trip back to Accra--and some consistency.
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