Day 10 - In Which A New Skill Is Acquired

Monday, March 21 – Day 10

I’m sitting outside soaking my washing in a bucket by the front porch on a beautifully warm and sunny Ghanaian morning. Life is good.

Beauty peed on me this morning. She was sitting on my leg after I had dried her from her morning bucket bath and created a lovely wet spot on my shorts. I feel like I’ve joined an elite club, since she did the same to Niki a couple of days ago. In good news, I was already planning to do all my washing (including those shorts) after breakfast.

Beauty redeemed herself for her mischief by being at the center of another first-time accomplishment. I’ve now carried a baby on my back Ghanaian-style! The kids were all running rather late for school because breakfast was ready half an hour later than it should have been. (Some of the older-middle girls have breakfast preparation, in addition to self-preparation for school, as one of their chores.) This is okay for the Methodist kids but the Word of Faith ones had a schoolbus to catch. We got the three little ones who attend WoF – Beauty, Godwyn, and Chica – quickly fed (only Chica is old enough to feed herself; Ma feeds the particular Beauty) then I picked up Godwyn in one arm and Beauty in the other to carry them to the bus. (I’ll take a moment to note here that both of them, though especially Godwyn, are tiny and super-light.)

Ma, the ever-amazing woman who cares for all the little ones, immediately rushed over to take Godwyn and turned to the entrance so as to carry him herself to the bus. I reassured her that I would be happy to take both and could absolutely do so with no problem. She handed Godwyn back over then tsked, rushed into her room for a moment, and returned with a wrap. She proceeded to put Beauty on my lower back and secure her as all the local women do with their children. I took Godwyn in my left arm, freeing my right hand to hold Chicababy’s left so I could walk her to the bus as well. (Excitingly, Chica learned my name last night.) Encouraging Chica every so often to walk quickly like the big, strong girl she is, I managed to get all three to the stop as the bus was pulling up. The older kids helped the little ones on (and helped me unsecure Beauty) and I headed home for the standard white-bread-and-ground-nut-butter breakfast. My arm was not at all tired because Godwyn is, let me repeat, tiny. I can only imagine the sight to everyone around of one of the obruni (foreigner(s)) taking three little ones thus to the schoolbus.

Photo Credit: Claire Norton