Metamorphosis

Just call me Betty... Betty Crocker.

Yep.

I just cooked my people breakfast this morning without setting the house on fire, no big deal.

I have been feeling quite useless in the domestic area since I have been in Ghana, but this morning when the rooster crowed, that all changed.

I had mentioned to Abraham last night on our motorcycle ride past the “stores” downtown that I would like to make French toast in the morning. When I woke up, he had already been to town to get the supplies. So, I walked into an unfamiliar kitchen with nothing but eggs and some bread.  Luckily, one of the older girls from the orphanage was washing clothes outside the kitchen door, so I “psst” her inside to answer a few questions. I whispered, “I was going to make some French toast so if you could help me find a…”

She’s off the to races, buzzing around the kitchen and the dining room collecting every single item French toast making requires without me saying another word.

Man, she’s good. I can’t compete with that! As if I wasn’t feeling white- girlish before, I certainly was then.  Once I lit the stove and got things sizzling, I was feeling awfully good about myself. According to Bob, syrup is hard to come by here. In Saboba, we use dark honey. When I saw Abraham had syrup, I had to have some! Oh it was so good… I had four pieces. Ok five. They were small…ish.

I packed my things after breakfast. I am still stupefied about this rat-mouse business. It was taunting me again last night. I fell asleep with a book in my hands, and every time it woke me up, I would slap the bed frame next to me to shut it up long enough for me to fall asleep... This happened four times. Ugh. So glad to be out of that room!

We left Damongo at 1:00 this afternoon. I thought we were going by bus, but we actually took a truck.. lorry I should say to Tamale. I was fully prepared for the wild ride, but I realized half way through that it wasn’t so much the bad roads, but Bob’s driving that caused the near snapage of my spine last time. Though the ride was smoother, we had no AC or as my dad would say, 260 AC- both windows down going 60 mph. According to that nomenclature, this lorry had 4100 AC- all four windows down going at times 100 km per hour.

This is when I evolved from Betty into a bow ornament on a boat. It started when I was young, but I love sitting in the point of the bow when the boat goes really fast. It feels like you’re flying right over the water and it’s so thrilling to me. I bring this up not because of the water or that I was on a boat today, but because of the wind you experience up there. It does crazy things to your hair and makes your cheeks flap in the wind and your eyelashes to blow back into your face. That’s exactly what I was experiencing bouncing around in the back seat today. On top of that, the dust from oncoming traffic would blow straight into the window and choke me out for a few seconds. I figured it out though. If I closed my eyes and held my breath for 10 seconds, I skipped the whole dust storm! Brilliant eh?

I am staying with some good friends of the Young’s while I am in Tamale. Upon my arrival, Bob commented on how much sun I got since the last time he saw me. “Yeah, yeah… playing with the kids outside.” I went to the restroom to wash my hands off. When I looked up at myself in the mirror, I was stunned.

I had morphed again! Bow ornament to Malibu Barbie in a fitness competition!! What in the world!?!? I was ORANGE! I had the most even and perfect dust tan. I couldn’t believe it. My face. My neck. My arms, My legs, My feet. ALL that fake orangey color that girls who live in tanning beds look like. It was flawless though. Maybe Planet Beach could take a few pointers. I took before and after pictures to see how many shades lighter I went after wiping of the dust. I couldn’t believe how much dirt came off of me, especially after I showered.

I came out, all freshened up to find Mrs. Schaffer was making something chocolate. I could smell it, and that’s when I felt another switch going on…. Nicole Leibach. I turned into one of my best friends Nicole who absolutely cannot help herself when it comes to food, especially sweets. I can make fun of her for it because she knows it’s true, and because she’s fit and beautiful despite her carnivorous ways. I told you my sugar cravings have kicked in after a month, and this is what I have turned into. I actually had her audacity to walk into the kitchen of a woman I barely knew and shamelessly stick my finger into the remnants of chocolate cake batter. I have not had this much sugar in one bite since I left home! It soothed my stomach and my soul.

Note: DO NOT feel sorry for me or send me care packages (assuming it would even get to me in the first place). I am not starving. I am fine. This is part of the experienceJ

It was Abraham’s birthday today, so he and Zee came to pick me up, and we went out for a bit for his birthday. I felt like I was home again, hanging out with old friends. Sometimes I don’t even know who I am running all over Ghana like I do. It’s a side of me I have wanted to get to know for a long time. There are things about myself that I can predict, but there parts of me that I am constantly being introduced to. But this was something familiar and I morphed into Nikki again. I do this- I go out with friends to a new place and laugh and talk until the place closes down. Oh it was so great. We went to this amazing little restaurant where you can sit outside under trees and gazebo’s with these awesome Japanese lantern looking things. Fabulous.

I would like to tell you that I used some of the money you so graciously sent with me on this trip to give Abraham and his wonderful family of 46 kids. Thank you for helping me bless them. They have truly touched my heart, and I know good will come of what we were able to give together.

I don’t even know what’s going on tomorrow. Imagine that. I guess we will find out soon enough. It’s time to morph into Sleeping Sweating Beauty.