Making Contact

I haven't posted in a while for various reasons; mostly the loss of the internet for about a week, due to line problems, unpaid bills, and even the rain.

-Last week I started waking up early in the morning to take short walks in the nearby neighborhoods. It was very relaxing just to walk around for the purpose of just walking around. Also, just being able to observe how this part of the world begins the day was of interest to me.

-The last two weeks are upon me and I am really focusing in on the specifics of what I need to do. It's really funny at the same time to look back at the the plans that I had beforehand and how the realities that were presented once I arrived really called for a big overhaul. Still, the trip has been very educational and I have been able to apply my efforts to many areas.

-On Saturday, the big one hit; I got a mild case of malaria. I awoke at about 6AM with chills, fever, and a headache (never good). I took some pain medicine that marginally reduced the symptoms. I was confined to the bed all day, which was unfortunate, because on that same day was the Sister Cities of Tamale general meeting as well as a rather impressive program of traditional drumming and dancing here at the palace. However, I was comforted all day by the seemingly constant flow of visitors. Luckily, the malaria didn't 'break through' and the whole thing went away after about 24 hours.

-Yesterday I met with a couple of drummers to just sit and ask them loads of questions about traditional drumming. One of the things that I learned is that drummers have an incredible skill of talking at length about everything. I was also taught about the birth of drumming in Dagbon (this region of Ghana); Many centuries ago, a Ya Na (king of Dagbon) had a son, but while he was still very young, the child's mother died. Requiring the care of the the Ya Na's other wives, the little boy learned to move about the palace while beating a calabash bowl as a means of asking for food. Alas, drumming in Dabgon was born, along with the tradition of giving drummers something in return for their playing.

-It rained for the entire first half of the day today. There were waves when it would be a nice, soaking rain but then other times when it rained harder than I've ever seen. Surely it has been the most rain in one day since I've been here. Because of this dramatic weather, all bets are off as far as appointments made for today. A gentleman was supposed to meet me here at 1, but never showed up. Our office assistant normally reports at 9 in the morning (which actually means 9:30) but today she arrived at 2 in the afternoon. I think I'll start blaming more things on the rain.