This month we all had exciting things to do: including myself! The girls had Halloween and I even got to have an outing with my friends, too!
Batik Workshop
I’ll start this month’s post by discussing my first outing with friends in a very, very long time. I have made a lot of friends here from South Africa, and one of them invited me out to this workshop to make some Batik fabric. Now, I hadn’t really heard of the Batik before myself, but I had seen fabric, and used plenty of it in my sewing projects too. The pajamas I had made the girls are actually made out of the Batik fabric, and the woman who sold them to me is the one who hosted the workshop from her home.
Getting to the location was, as it is with most places here in Accra, quite an adventure to begin with. I drove in with my friend in Varun’s work car so he could take the girls to gymnastics that morning. We got lost as we got closer to the house, following dirt roads in the backroads of the city. But we did finally make it there with everyone else!
So, the way the process works is that everyone starts with a plain, white length of fabric. Once you have your fabric, you can choose one, or multiple, stamps. The stamps are used to make a wax imprint on the fabric. Once the fabric is dyed, the wax retains the imprint on the fabric, and that is where the pattern comes from.
Now, one would think that the first step of choosing a stamp would be pretty straightforward. But, this particular workshop had a HUGE array of stamps to choose from. They took up an entire wall, as well as a pile of them on the floor!
The sheer amount of stamps was completely overwhelming! And there was such a wide range of variety in the depictions on the stamps. From exotic animals, to geometric patterns, to cowboys, even to superhero symbols, Hindu symbols, and one lone American sports team icon! It was just amazing to see them all! Apparently, a specific stamp can be ordered and custom-made, so I will certainly be ordering a Michigan Block M stamp in the future!
After much deliberation, I decided I would try and made an African holiday tablecloth. So, I chose three typical African stamps to be imprinted on my fabric.
Next, we needed to decide if we wanted the fabric to be white and another color, or two different colors. Since the wax retains the imprint in the dying process, if we wanted a second color, other than white, to appear on our fabric, we need it to be dyed in that color first. Otherwise, the wax imprint would retain the original white of the fabric and then whichever other color you chose. Since I was trying to make a holiday tablecloth, I decided to have mine dyed both red and green. The green dye they had to use is a very dark green, so they couldn’t dye it a dark red to begin with or the colors would clash when they dyed it in green. So, the first dye of my fabric came out to a more pinkish-red color, but it still looked wonderful!
For those of us who weren’t dying the fabric beforehand, the process of putting the wax patterns on the fabric began. First, the wax needed to be melted down to easily get it on the stamps.
Next, the imprints could be put onto the fabric. The people who worked for the workshop would start the process for us, since we didn’t know anything about it ourselves. But, they gave us all plenty of opportunities to put the wax onto our fabric ourselves.
After the wax imprints had been made, the wax needed to dry before the fabric could be dyed.
Once the imprints had been made on all the white clothes, the previously dyed clothes, including mine, were ready to have the wax imprints made.
Now it was time to dye all the fabrics. Some of the ladies had chosen one single color to have their fabric dyed in, but there was also the option of doing a tie-dye type dying process too. No matter what color or pattern was chosen, at this point, all the clothes were dyed all their various colors.
Finally, they all needed to be laid out to dry. Luckily there was a big enough yard to fit them all, but I did think it was odd that they were laying them on the ground to dry. Since I always hang my clothes up on the line, I thought they’d need to be hung up too. But, no, they were just laid out all over the grass.
At this point, and other points in the morning, there was mostly waiting. It was a long process to have the sheets dyed and then wait for them to dry. And in my case I had to wait both before I put the stamps on and after. But, it allowed for a lot of time to chat with both old and new friends. It was a great opportunity for me to get away from all my chores and obligations in the house and just talk with other moms about everything and nothing. And it was neat to just take a look around and get a better view of the house itself, because this workshop was held at the house of the woman who owns the fabric shop. I finally felt like I got a small peak into what a home actually looks like for most Ghanaians.
At last all the fabric had dried and they all looked stunning! We were all really happy with how each of ours turned out, and amazed by all the others that we saw.
All in all, it was a great morning spent chatting, laughing, and creating! It really meant a lot to me that I was able to create my own fabric from scratch to then have fun sewing into something beautiful. I think it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself!
Birthday Parties
The girls had their own fun this month, too, getting invited to several birthday parties each! Both our girls are becoming very popular with their friends, and, for some reason, October is a very busy month for birthday! This month was particularly exciting with birthdays, because Abigail got her very first invite to her friend’s birthday! The story behind this particular friendship is so sweet! When the classes started in January for both girls, the classrooms were not divided into separate bubbles yet. So, when Abigail started in the Starfish room, she met a little boy named Jonah. Now, they only spent a day or so together sharing a classroom before they were separated into different bubbles. But those first few days were plenty for Jonah to cling on to Abigail. Ever since then, even though they are now in completely different classrooms, Jonah completely lights up when he sees Abigail. I’m told by his mom that she still talks about her a lot and the main motivation he’d have to go into school without crying was the chance of seeing Abigail, even if it was across a barrier.
So, little Jonah had his third birthday party this month at a brand new venue that I had been hearing a lot about from the other moms in my chatrooms. It is a fairly new restaurant with a huge outdoor playground for the kids. So, ideally, parents can go and enjoy a nice meal out while the kids go crazy and have fun on the playground. And it is a nice, big playground, the girls absolutely loved it!
The only downside to this location was that there was little to no cover from the blazing sun. It was such a big space, it’d be hard to cover it all. Plus, there were quite a bit of mosquitoes in the little shade that there was. Nevertheless, we all had fun at the party meeting new people and new friends. And Abigail had a great time seeing her friend again.
Both girls also go invited to a birthday party at a beach hotel that Varun and I had heard a lot about since we arrived here in Accra, but neither one of us had been before. It was actually a really nice pool, perfect for kids because it had a very shallow end with a gradual decline into the deeper end. Both the girls had lots of fun in the water, but were being very shy and clingy that day. I didn’t get any pictures of the pool this time around, I was too busy taking care of the girls, and enjoying the food and company at the party myself. Before we left the party, we did sneak over to take a peak at the beach, because one draw of the hotel is the vicinity to the beach. But, it did not look like the nice beaches that I’m used to. Plus, it wasn’t even open to the public – that is one of the restrictions that was put in place early on to stem the spread of COVID.
All the parties we got to go to this month were a blast for all four of us, getting a chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Plus, we got a few new ideas for the girls’ birthdays in the future, if they are wanting bigger parties.
School
As usual, this month had our regular routine of going to school every day. But the girls now get a new treat every morning. In late September, after the start of the new year and continuation of the restrictions at the school, the school sent out a questionnaire to parents to gauge how comfortable they were with easing some of the restrictions. As a result of the survey, the parents are now able to take their children to their classroom door, provided that everyone wears a mask, washes their hands, and gets a temperature check before walking into campus. The girls were thrilled! And I was excited to finally be able to get back on campus again myself. It reminds me of the “pre-pandemic” times when I could just walk right in a pick up Sara Gail.
Not only do I get to take them straight to their classrooms now, but the school has also opened up the playground again for free play in the mornings before class and in the afternoon after class. They started off with specific days for specific classrooms, but so few people took advantage of the opportunity that they opened it up everyday for all students. To ensure that health and safety protocols are still in place, they have employed someone whose only job is to clean the equipment each time a child uses it. Not only does it keep everyone safe, but it is also providing an added job during a really difficult economic time here. It has been wonderful! It gives the girls great motivation to get ready quickly in the morning so they have plenty of time with me on the playground and it reminds me of what the school community used to be like before COVID arrived. We used to spend at least 30 minutes on the playground every day after school. Sara Gail, and Abigail, would get to play with each other and their friends, and I would get a chance to chat with other parents and my own friends. It’s definitely not quite the same. I have to remind myself that a lot of the parents that now send their kids to this school were not here before COVID, so they never experienced the school community, or had even seen the playground before! But now it is slowly starting to feel like it did before, and it is an amazing feeling!
It’s also given me a chance to see a bit more of the campus, which I haven’t been able to see for over a year. So, I got a chance to see, in person, the outdoor nurses station, and even one of the art areas where the girls love to paint!
We simply could not be happier with the school, for the girls’ health, safety, academics, and joy!
The girls also got a special school day this month, because they got to dress up. Since Halloween was a few weeks away, the girls decided to dress up in their Halloween costumes.
Ballet/Gymnastics
This month Abigail got to officially start her ballet class and she was thrilled! The class takes place at her best friend’s school, so not only does Abigail get her very own afterschool activity, but she gets to do it with her best friend! Sara Gail is enjoying the alone time with me, too, because we have a little bit of time to wait together after school gets out and before Abigail is done with her class. So, I usually treat her to a nice juice and some tablet time at a nearby café.
And, as always, Sara Gail is still loving her gymnastics class as she continues to improve on her cartwheels, bridges, backbends, and so much more. She decided to be silly on the way one week this month by being a gymnastics Power Ranger.
Swimming
Sara Gail’s swimming lessons are continuing at pace, she is doing really well and should be practicing with the team very soon, or so the coach continues to tell me. Sara Gail keeps begging me to swim with the team, but I don’t have any control over that decision.
I’ve been trying my best to keep Abigail entertained while her sister is training. Since she will be starting classes at school soon, I’ve given her the option to not swim, if she doesn’t feel like it. She’s been choosing to swim some days, but other days she would rather color and practice writing her name.
This month poor Sara Gail was running too fast around the pool and took quite the spill. This pool is much better than most because it does have a very rough surface of rock and even shells surrounding it, while most pools here are surrounding by hard, slippery tiles. But one wrong step, and those rocks can tear you up. Practice had to end early that day because the chlorine was stinging too much, but she wasn’t out of the water for long.
I also got quite a shock this month when we were heading home one evening. When we walk out to the parking lot, we find that a car from none other than Texas had parked right next to us! This is the first US license plate I had ever seen here, and I know it won’t stay on there for long. A lot of people do ship their cars over here, but once they are settled here, they do need to register and carry a Ghanaian license plate. So clearly, whoever this Texan was, had only just arrived.
Sewing
Even though I did get a great activity out of the house to do for myself, I have still been continuing my sewing projects at home. Right now I’m trying to finish up the last pairs of pjs that I had prepared and cut out for the girls. We did have a mid-term break during the month, but we were unable to do playdates because both the girls were sick throughout the week. But, they did allow me a day to sew with them at home. They just congregated around the table with their own projects and play too.
Food
As with every other month, the cooking and food preparation must go on! I continue to try and make a good variety of meals for all of us, the girls especially. One of their favorite meals, including Varun, is taco night! For taco night, I make everything from scratch, the beans and corn, tomatoes and onions, sour cream, even the tortillas. Sour cream just isn’t available here, and even though I can find tortillas, they can be costly and are always imported. Plus, I enjoy making them from scratch!
This month I tried making something I had never made before: chicken pot pie! Luckily, it’s easy to find frozen pastry dough, so I didn’t make that part from scratch. But it was still fun to make and everyone enjoyed it!
I was also very excited this month because some new friends of our were kind enough to offer to have something shipped into the country for us. They both work with USAID, through the US embassy, so they can have anything from Amazon shipped in directly. I only had one request: Chex cereal! It has been years since I’ve been able to make a true Chex mix from scratch, because it is impossible to find the cereal anywhere in Accra. They were only able to ship in the Rice and Corn Chex, but luckily I was able to find a box of the Wheat Chex here, it did cost about $9 a box. That is another problem, if I’m able to find a product from back home, it’s usually exorbitantly expensive. But, since I had the other Chex cereals on hand, I did got for the Wheat Chex. Now I can’t wait to make REAL, AUTHENTIC Chex Mix for our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations!
Hair
I am still absolutely in love with having two girls with gorgeous, long hair. They are starting to get more and more demanding about how I put it up every morning. And, I am getting more and more hair to work with everyday as their beautiful curly locks continue to grow!
As I’ve been dreading for weeks, Varun finally requested another haircut, despite the previous fiasco. Luckily, the cut went off without a hitch, and I didn’t leave him with a huge bald spot this time. Even though I know he prefers his hair to be on the short side, it still breaks my heart to see all his hair on the floor and cut off.
Hanging Around the House
Even with our busy schedule of school and afterschool activities, we still had plenty of time to just hang around the house and spend time together. The girls did get a week’s vacation, which I then had to fill with play and entertainment. So, there was plenty of TV and tablet time, we squeeze in some swimming, and even learned how to play Uno together. And of course, as always with my two little artists, there was lots and lots of coloring.
This month Abigail was super excited about some outdoor play because we decided to get Abigail her first big girl bike! It was a reward for having a certain number for dry nights, plus she had learned how to pedal well at school. Now both the girls can ride around the neighborhood together!
Finally, even though Varun escaped what he considers the embarrassing Happy Birthday display out in restaurants on his actual birthday, he still got to experience it this month, if a little late. We were out to dinner with friends, and one of them – I swear I had nothing to do with it – arranged for the wait staff to bring Varun a dessert with the true Birthday treatment. I was glad he got that as a birthday surprise, even if a little late and a little embarrassing for his taste.
Halloween!!
Finally, the day the girls had been waiting all month for arrived! This year, I took the time to find and put up some decorations at our house.
I even spent the whole month hyping them up about the holiday by showing them Halloween movies I watched as a kid and even trying to make a Jack-o-lantern treat out of stuffed peppers.
Now, for the past two years, the complex hasn’t really had that many people living here, and our neighbor across the street would try and pull of a Halloween treat for the few kids that lived here. This year, the complex is almost full. There are a few families with kids too. Since I had worked so hard on the girls’ Halloween costumes over the summer, and since I have so many found memories of trick-or-treating as a kid, I really wanted to be able to do something with the girls. So, I decided to write on the community chat room and ask if anyone would be willing to do something. There wasn’t really much interest, so I offered an idea: anyone who is willing to have the kids trick-or-treat at their house can put up some form of decoration and have candy ready. That way, any of the kids in the neighborhood could give it a try, and it was not obligatory in any way. By the time the day came, there was about eight or nine houses with some form of decoration. Our best friends came by to join in the fun too, so the girls and their friends actually got to go trick-or-treating! I was thrilled! They had so much fun going from house to house, asking for the candy, and being in costume. There was even one house that had almost made a game out of trick-or-treating and had created a tube out of water bottles that came down from the second floor. I’m not sure if they did this to be more fun for the kids, or to enact social distancing in these COVID times, but either way the kids loved it! My heart was truly full that day – as were their candy bags!
Well, this has been a doozy of a post – we all did so many fun things this month and I didn’t want to leave anything out! I’ll leave you all with these last two things. Firstly, everyone here in Ghana is already getting in the Christmas spirit as the stores bring out their Christmas decorations long before I’m ready to see them!
And lastly, Varun has earned himself a new work car. His old one will be given to a new employee coming in. While the car does have a third row of seats, that will come in handy when we have people visit us, I am not a fan of the color – at all! Though the girls continue to scold me because they love Daddy’s new car.
This ends it for all the fun we had this month! Come back next week to read all about the Raghunathan Diwali and Thanksgiving celebrations here in Accra!
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