Pigs in my Garden

Well, Mr. Preuss and I were sitting on our porch, enjoying a nice cuppa Chelsea tea, straight from Essex. Powdered milk and sugar that sparkles like I’ve never seen. We witnessed 4 dogs chasing a massive pig into the bush. It was my first encounter with the pig. Joe says that sometimes when he is peeing outside next to the palm tree he then hears a grunt, only to find this pig right next to him. Not much privacy here in Praso. As for the pissing outside bit, well that’s normal here; which I suppose makes sense. We are in fact in the jungle, not only surrounded by bush, but in it.

The fireflies, there are dozens. I have never seen the dark grass sparkle under such a starry sky in my life. It really makes me feel special to witness such a sight. There are crickets and frogs making their usual noise, but only on a much larger scale. And as I was cleaning our new home today I heard singing. There was a group of people sitting outside, singing the most beautiful choir music. They are church goers. The people here have such a strong sense of faith. I feel strange hearing people say “God bless you” to me, and blaming things on the lord. It’s just not like that at home anymore, I feel like I’ve walked into the past.

Our home, my first impression wasn’t the best I must admit. It doesn’t look like much from the outside. It’s rectangle and painted in a faded pink, surrounded by overgrown grass. We have chickens, goats and dogs roaming around freely, as does the rest of the entire town. Inside was better, but still a bit shocking. My first site was our big square empty living room that had clothes hang drying and a cement floor that is paint stained and dirty. It looked like a worksite! I knew we wouldn’t have running water and was prepared for something smallish, but once through the first room I was quite impressed. Joe has painted all the walls (with the help of a few radio friends and the neighborhood kids) in blues and greens. He has found a good carpenter, big Joe (he’s not that big), that has set up a big shelf and a nice tall table in the kitchen. It’s all handmade from a beautiful wood and was cheap as well. The curtains are handmade as well. They are distinctly African, with bright colorful squares and patterns in blue, brown, red, yellow and green. We saw the tailor on the street the other day. He was wearing our curtains, his full outfit; he must have used the scraps. Joe felt ripped off. Our bed is made from the same wood, the same big Joe, and it’s nice. And today we have received the next installment of big Joes work; three new tables and a mirror, made from the same nice wood. So, everything looks well planned and matching.

Lizards, I love lizards. And we have them, lots. Yippee!! The market, the hot hot sun (it shouldn’t be underestimated), cape coast tomorrow, hand washing and I’m really enjoying the simple life already. Yep, they were right; I am missing many first world objects. Like a hot shower, a bath tub, or even a simple ham and cheese sandwich. Oh, my mouth is watering. But, you know what’s funny? I’m kind of appreciating not having them. Well, kind of.