This week is all about March 2021, which brought our first visitor to our house in Ghana: Varun’s mom! The girls and I were thrilled, and it certainly helped us pass the time while Varun was away for his second six-week trip.
School
The girls were still enjoying school this month, happily going in every morning and coming home in the afternoons. Abigail was still napping at this point, so I only had the mornings to myself. But Varun had to go for another six-week long trip to Equatorial Guinea. Since we hadn’t seen his mom in over a year, and she had the time and willingness, we decided to get her over here to see the girls, our new home, and help me with the burden of Varun’s long absence. But we still had the first week of March to wait for her to come over here. So, it was the normal routine of school and extra curriculars until she got here.
Ghana Independence Day
The end of that first week was marked by Ghana’s Independence Day celebrations at the school. A year ago, the school held a whole assembly and performance to celebrate. There had even been a stand-in King and Queen for the occasion, with a very elaborate and boisterous entrance!
Now, the girls were lucky to be able to attend the school in person at all. The school had asked that the students wear local dress for the day. I didn’t have any time to make anything out of the leftover fabrics I had, so I took the girls out to get some nice, new dresses for the occasion.
And the school had still gone the extra mile to help the kids celebrate and learn more about the day’s significance. I love that the girls are getting an opportunity so young to learn about another country and another culture. It truly does give one a better perspective on one’s own background and country. And I know they will appreciate it once they’re older as well!
Patti’s Arrival!
Then the day finally came the Varun’s mom, Saraswathi, arrived here in Ghana! The girls were absolutely thrilled to see her, but I had warned them ahead of time that she would need to shower and get settled in before we could have a big hug and greeting.
As soon as we all settled back in at home, the girls were all over Patti, snuggling, playing, and just happy to have her here. She was also over the moon herself to be with her granddaughters, and daughter-in-law, and to witness how we live our lives here in Accra firsthand.
Patti also got settled into the kitchen fairly quickly and started making us lots of tasty Indian treats! The girls would order exactly which Indian meals they wanted every night. And Patti did her best to make it fun for them by cooking the food in various shapes, like Sara Gail’s age.
We even got to celebrate my star birthday together. In Hindu culture, astrology plays a big role. Even for our wedding, Saraswathi had to create a horoscope for me, which isn’t just my date of birth and Aquarius, but it also includes the exact time of my birth as well as the longitude and latitude of my place of birth. Varun already had his created from birth, so she had to then take them to a priest to determine the exact time we needed to get married! As far as birthdays are concerned, Hindus celebrate one’s date of birth, as well as a star birthday, which is different each year. A star birthday lands on the day, each year, when all the planets are aligned exactly as they were when a person was born. So, mine happened to fall during Saraswathi’s visit and she treated me with an authentic Indian star birthday “cake.” It is made very differently than our baked cakes, and it is much sweeter! But I loved it!
So, this time while Varun was away for so long, the girls and I got to enjoy Saraswathi’s company. It was a great opportunity for the girls to get to ask her questions about Indian culture and their Indian background. Saraswathi also loved taking the girls to school and chatting with the principal about the education there, since she was an educator herself for more than 30 years. And we all just enjoyed each other’s company at home, peacefully watching TV and passing the time until Varun would be with us too.
Roller Skating
While Saraswathi was here, I decided to spoil the girls a little bit and buy them both brand new roller skates, as well as some skates for myself! I thought it would be a really fun activity we could all share together. It does take a long time to get everybody ready with all the knee pads, elbow pads, gloves, and helmets, but I think it’s worth it, at least for myself. Although, the girls did start complaining after only a few minutes of skating. It’s true, it does take a little while to get the hang of it, and it is a hard workout on the legs!
Gymnastics
Now that Saraswathi was here to help out, I was free to take Sara Gail to gymnastics by myself and Abigail could stay home with Patti. Sara Gail is really loving all the bending, twisting, and contorting that gymnastics brings, and she is doing so well! I can’t remember a day I was ever that flexible! And she’s getting so close to being able to do a full cartwheel!
Sewing
Now that the girls were back to school, almost, full time, I was able to fit in some more sewing projects. I had completed the girls’ quilts, and after a trip out for fabric, and some fun pattern finds, I started on some homemade pajamas for the girls. I still only had mornings to work on my sewing, but it’s definitely a work in progress!
Hair
With school fairly early every morning, I don’t have the leisurely time I had during the lockdown to play with and have fun with the girl’s hairstyles. But I still have plenty of material to work with, and I try to put it back every day. I do my best to finish up while they’re eating their breakfast, so the morning routine doesn’t get too disturbed. I will always love their gorgeous hair, and I love that I have the time now to put it up and care for it myself!
Hanging Out
The rest of our days this month were just spent hanging out together at the house, with Patti there as well. I get some one-on-one time with Abigail after I pick her up early from school, and when Sara Gail is having her piano lessons at home. We did get a chance to hang out with our friends at their place for their daughter’s birthday. It was nice for them to get to meet Saraswathi, and the girls always love spending time with their friends! And, the girls are still more than happy to come up with creative games together, or just lay around watching their favorite movies and shows.
Vaccine Time
While Saraswathi was here, I also took the opportunity of having extra help to take care of myself. A shipment of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had finally arrived in the country, and the clinic where we are members was offering the vaccine to their members on a first-come, first-serve basis. Little did I know how many members would take up the offer and show up at the appointed time!
Obviously, this plan was not well thought out on the clinic’s part. As you can see from the pictures, I was no where near the entrance of the clinic, there was no shade cover, or seating, and it was a typical, hot, Accra day. When I finally did reach the front, they were turning people away, claiming that they had no more vaccines to give out that day. So, they wrote down numbers on each person’s form and said they would call us back with an appointment time, rather than making us all wait standing out in the scorching sun again. I received my phone call that night and they said they did not have any more vaccines to give out. I thought nothing of it and was planning on trying my luck a few weeks later. The following day, Varun’s boss sent me messages asking if I had a chance to get the vaccine. He was explaining how he and his wife had gone over to the same clinic hours after I had left, filled out the forms, and were given an appointment and vaccine the following day, with no waiting in line in the blistering sun! I was absolutely livid! I called the clinic, but they were giving me the run around, so I went over there and made a huge fuss about being lied to and I even yelled at the medical director himself. In the end, he arranged for me to get the vaccine then and there, I think mostly to get me quiet. But I did eventually get it! This first dose hit me hard the day after with fatigue, fever, and chills, so I was glad that Saraswathi was there to help me take care of the children.
The month ended with Varun surprising all of us and coming home from his work trip early! All of us were so happy to have him back home with us safe and sound! He came along to bring the girls to school, and we started to have a real visit with his mother. She wasn’t only there to help me with the girls anymore, she was now able to enjoy time with her son!
I hope you come back next week to read more about our adventures with Patti in town, and our first trip to a beach here in Ghana!
Commentaires