Signs and Spirits and White Skin

One of my favorite things to do while riding in the car in Ghana is to look for the names of shops we pass by. Some seem normal; others make me laugh out loud or don't make any sense to me at all. Many have Christian words and phrases in the name, from what I hear to ward off bad luck and bad spirits. Here are a just a few examples of the ones I've seen so far:

Almighty Electrical
Taste and See Fast Food
With God All Things Are Possible Cosmetics
In God's Time Power Tools

Another thing I love looking at in our many car rides around the city is all of the people carrying things on their heads. I've seen countless women carrying up to maybe 100 pounds of things on their heads plus a baby strapped to their back, sound asleep. When hiked up Medie Mountain with some of the girls at the home here (on a super narrow, rocky, steep, and overgrown path), we all had to jump aside into the bush as a man carrying a really large bundle of wood on his head passed down the mountain.

I wish I were that skilled, but I've learned that the shape our "Obrunni" (white people) heads and our slippery hair makes it difficult to carry things on our heads. Also most people here use a cloth wrapped up on top of their heads to help balance the load. Maybe the kids can give me lessons at Haven of Hope.

Last cultural note before wrapping this short post up: Everywhere we go, people yell "Obrunni! Obrunni!" if they're speaking Twi and "Yevu!" if they're speaking Ewe. Adam is often adressed as "Mr. White Man". Sometimes I really wish I had brown skin so that I would blend in in a crowd, but instead my super pale skin and light hair stands out like a sore thumb in a crowd. The advantage to having lighter skin, though, is that we're able to do ministry in public schools and to capture the attention of more people simply because we're white. It seems silly, but it's reality here.

More to come about the last week in Accra soon... off to lunch right now.