This week is all about our month of April 2021 when we celebrated Easter with our close friends, finally took a family trip to a beautiful beach, and Patti traveled back to India.
Easter 2021
This year we finally got the hang of our Easter celebrations. Varun was here to enjoy with all of us, and his mother, Saraswathi got to witness another western holiday that she hadn’t celebrated before. Since we had missed out on a Christmas celebration, our friends invited us over for a full day of Easter fun. But before we went to their house, the girls had a few surprises from the Easter bunny waiting for them when they woke up. They both got Easter baskets full of goodies from the Easter bunny, and they had a small Easter egg hunt for eggs that the Easter bunny left them to find. (Sara Gail had insisted that the Easter bunny do this since she first saw the movie Rise of the Guardians)
Sara Gail also had another occasion where she was spoiled by two different people: the Easter bunny and the Tooth Fairy! Because she lost another tooth the night before Easter!
We didn’t have a chance to snap any pictures while we were with our friends, since we were too busy just having a good time and enjoying their company. But the girls did get to do a few more Easter related activities at their house. We tried, once again, to paint Easter eggs, although I still haven’t fully got the hang of it yet, and the girls are still a little too young to enjoy it, because it requires patience. But I still hid the ones we painted all around the front yard for all the kids to find. And our friends did their own version of an Easter egg hunt at the same time. She hid goodies for all the kids around the front yard too, and each item had a color-coded sticker on it. So, each child had a color sticker that they received, and they had to find the goodies with that color on it. All the kids had fun searching and enjoyed all their treats afterwards. After all the Easter fun, the girls got to watch TV while the grownups chatted together and, overall, it was a fun Easter celebration. We all enjoyed getting a chance to get a little dressed up and share a new tradition with Patti!
Ko Sa
This month, while his mom was visiting, Varun decided to take some time off so we could, finally, travel to a beach as a family! I was so excited to have the opportunity to leave Accra and see more of Ghana, as well as get to a beach! Since we don’t have a driver, Varun wanted to drive himself, it is only a few hours away from where we live. But that came with it’s own challenges of squeezing all five of us into his car, with a very tight fit for his mom between the girls’ two car seats. And we grownups all had to wear our masks the entire drive. Still, I was happy to be getting to see some of the countryside here!
Along the drive we did pass through a couple small towns and villages. Most were uneventful, however, there was one town we drove through that slowed us down quite a bit. For some reason, there were some make-shift speed bumps that had been erected along the main roadway that we needed to drive through. I say make-shift, because they were literally huge piles of dirt that had been laid out across the road. They were so big that each car had to slow to a crawl, and sometimes be assisted over them. Now, I can only imagine that there isn’t much going on in this town on a regular basis, because there was a huge crowd that had gathered just to watch each car go over this obstacle. Yes, there were some men who appeared to be slowly clearing out the dirt, but most of the crowd appeared to just be watching the action. There were six of these speed bumps in total, and only the first one was a challenge to pass over. And by the time we drove back home a few days later, they were all gone! But it certainly made the drive a lot more interesting for all of us!
Then we finally made it to the coast! I was so thrilled to see the ocean in the distance, with the road lined with palm trees! It is a sight that will always thrill me! We even got to see a couple local fishing boats lined up along the beach!
As with the resort we visited last year, and I assume any resort around the world, the surrounding area leading up to this resort was very impoverished.
After our long journey, we finally arrived at our destination: Ko Sa Beach Resort! Our friends had raved about how nice the place was. And you certainly couldn’t beat the view of the ocean. The accommodations were pretty basic though, literally a bed and a bathroom. But the girls were excited and it was a nice little resort. The restaurant was very nice with delicious food, and some games for the girls to play.
The main attraction, of course, was the beach! Now, this beach was unlike any that I have been to before. The sand was huge, it wasn’t the small, soft grains that I’m used to getting between my toes on the US East Coast beaches. Instead, it was large, awkward pieces, and it was almost like walking across hot pieces of glass! There was also a lot of seaweed and trash both in the water and along the beach, too. And the current was incredibly strong! The first day we spent on the beach, Varun and I had to keep a very tight hold of the girls in the water, because the waves were just so unbelievably strong. Even when we were just sitting along the water’s edge while the waves came in, we had to hold onto the girls or else they’d tip over and get a face full of sea water! At first both the girls were a bit nervous to get in, but after a while Sara Gail did not want to leave! She would’ve spent the whole day just jumping over the waves in the ocean if we had let her. And even Saraswathi enjoyed sitting at the edge while the waves crashed in, at least for short intervals. When we weren’t in the ocean, we were lounging in the shade, enjoying the view and the coconuts!
The next day, the tide had gone out and the water was much calmer. Thanks to the manmade barriers out in the water, there was a nice, calm tide pool that was perfect for the girls to swim around in. And Varun and I didn’t have to worry as much about them being carried away by the current. We spent that day in and out of the water. And Abigail discovered a new hobby while on the beach: collecting sea shells! Which she then brought home, and to this day, I am still finding everywhere around the house!
All in all, Ko Sa turned out to be a great little getaway for our family and a wonderful opportunity for all of us to spend some relaxing time on the seaside!
School
Between the Easter celebration and trip to Ko Sa, the girls still had a full schedule at school. It was a little early for my taste, but at this time Abigail ended her afternoon naps and started going to school full time. It might seem like a long day for a two-year-old, but she had been fighting the naps for a while. Once Varun got back from his time away, it seemed like as good a time as any to do away with naps. She’s just loving school herself so I think it all turned out for the best.
Patti was still enjoying dropping the girls off every morning. And since she has such a strong background in education, and seemed so interested in the school and curriculum, the principal of the school offered to sit down with Saraswathi and I. She was kind enough to block out a few hours of her time to spend just chatting with Saraswathi and I about the school, education in India now and when Saraswathi started teaching, raising young ones in big and small families, and just ourselves in general. It was a great chance to get to know the principal better, and for her to get to know myself and the girls a bit better, through Saraswathi’s eyes too. Just another reason that I am head over heels for this school!
Swimming
The girls are continuing their lessons at the activity center for swimming. They become more and more like me every day as little fish in the water! They truly can’t get enough of it. Sara Gail has started taking lessons with another student at the same time. It has helped push her to focus more and apply herself to what the coach is asking her to do. I’ve seen a real improvement in her form, technique, and attention span. Abigail has also tried to do a bit more in the water seeing her big sister swimming with a friend. And the beautiful playground is an added bonus each time! I’ve also loved having Saraswathi here to witness these lessons. I’ve sent her pictures for months, of course, but it’s never the same as seeing it in person. It also helps her to see what a busy schedule we have and how hectic our lives can be on a daily basis.
Gymnastics
Of course, our Saturday mornings still start off with gymnastics class for Sara Gail. She’s loving this sport too, and takes every opportunity she can to twist, bend, or roll in preparation for class. As for me, I prefer that she save it for class, because at least the classroom has some protective padding on the floor, unlike our concrete floors and walls with all their sharp corners!
Water Issues
It seems no matter how long we live in this house, we will always have issues with our water supply! And they always seem to occur with the worst timing, like when Varun’s away, or we have a guest visiting us. This time when the plumber came out, he actually took the time to figure out which breaker is connected to the water pump, because none of the breakers are actually labeled in our breaker box. So, now if there’s an issue with our water supply, I at least know how to turn off the pump to conserve our supply. They also had to dig up all around the house to try and find the leaks, which included our driveway. Finally, the leak made itself painfully known right smack dab in the middle of our front yard. So, our fingers are crossed that these repairs will last us a while. It is never fun trying to get by when there is no running water in the house.
Sewing
This month my sewing projects continued and multiplied! I’ve just been having so much fun with the machine, and now that Abigail is going to school full time, I have even more time to work on the projects!
Firstly, I finished off the first pair of pajamas that I had started making for Sara Gail. I think it came out pretty well, if I do say so myself, and Sara Gail absolutely loves them!
Next, I just had to make a set for Varun’s niece back in India for Saraswathi to take back with her. She picked out the fabric herself, and she was very impressed with the quality and softness of the cotton!
Then, as one of her final shopping trips before her departure, I took Saraswathi to one of the biggest, and most fashionable, fabric shops here in Accra named Woodin. That shop is just very dangerous for me to enter because I could spend way too much money! I absolutely love all the fabrics here, how bold and bright the patterns and colors are! Saraswathi picked out a few yards of different fabrics for herself and Varun’s family back in India, and I couldn’t help myself and bought a few yards to make into some cute dresses for the girls and their dolls. I will definitely post the progress when I get to those fun projects!
Finally, with a planned trip to the US coming up in a few months, (that’s right, we were planning to come back stateside to finally be reunited with my family for a bit!) I decided to try and create some activities to keep the girls occupied during the trip. So, first I tried my hand at making some art books for the girls using the left over fabric I had from the quilts, as well as some saris that Saraswathi had given to me to use for my sewing projects!
The rest of the month we mostly just spent time together, soaking in every minute before Saraswathi had to head back home to India. The girls still love to play outside on their bikes, or just snuggle in the house. And I just try and catch up on my rest when I can. These girls can be very tiring to take care of sometimes!
I still love documenting all the odd things I see here in Accra that I just don’t feel one would see back in the US or elsewhere in the west. Like tying the trunk of a van shut to keep everything inside for the drive. It’s these little examples I like to leave on here to give a visual of real life in Ghana.
Finally, the day did arrive that Saraswathi had to travel back home to India. Her niece and nephew on the other end could not wait to have her back home with them, it had been a long six weeks without her. But on our end, Sara Gail was absolutely devastated. It was quite a stressful trip to the airport, because the delta variant was only just emerging in India, so Saraswathi was on the last Emirates flight that was going into India. Varun and I were worried about her getting stuck in Dubai all alone. Plus the paperwork required to get her on the plane was quite a hassle to deal with. Luckily, to make her trips smoother, Saraswathi always requests wheelchair service so she can easily get from gate to gate. And, thankfully, the security let our whole family into the airport to send her off, because they try to limit the amount of people in the airport to those actually traveling. But Sara Gail was sobbing from the moment we arrived in the parking lot, and seeing how upset she was, they let us all go in. It was a very tearful goodbye after a nice visit from Patti. And she did make it all the way back home to India. All we can do hope is to see her again soon!
Come back next week to read about all our adventures and going’s on in May of 2021!
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