I feel like we're always telling folks how busy we are. It seems like, since our move to Accra, I am always thinking that we are nearing the end of the craziness and that the slow season is just around the corner. But, one month rolls into another and the slow season doesn't come. The bottom line is, we're in a busy season of life. I think anyone, parenting 5 children ages 6-16 would be hopping, right?
But yet, our busy probably doesn't look like your busy. We don't have church youth group calendars or little league schedules to navigate. We aren't squeezing weekend trips to the grandparent's house in between school carnivals. And, my heavens, we have a house helper, so what could possibly be filling our days? What does our "busy" look like? Here's a little glimpse into it a typical day in our life, here in urban West Africa.
The day begins about 5:45 AM, when the sun has been up for some time and it is so bright that I can't deny it's time. Not to mention, the roosters in the neighbor's yard aren't going to shush, so I may as well get up and going. I head to the kitchen for my morning glass of water, only to realize no one refilled the water filter last night. I spend the next 5 minutes getting water from the tap and filling the Katydyn. Finally, glass in tow, I head to the couch to spend a few minutes of quiet time before the children start invading my morning. No sooner do I sit down than I hear the guard's daily "Good morning Madame" through the back window, where he has stepped up to turn off the security lights.
All too quickly, the living room starts being invaded with young ones, clamoring for the breakfast menu. I put my Bible back on the shelf and begin the morning routine. After putting on clothes and yanking the hair up off of my neck because the heat is already rising, I head out to the water tank to knock on it and figure out if laundry is going to be a possibility today. Pleasantly surprised to hear that it is full, I head inside to make sure the pressure pump is on, before I head back through the house to gather laundry. I sort it into baskets by loads, because even though Naomi is great at switching them around and operating the machines now, I know that her load sizes and my machines don't get along. Not to mention, that while I have relaxed my standards significantly, I still don't want our dish towels washed with our underwear. I notice that there is ironing from the day before lying beside the laundry door and I remember that the electric was off yesterday afternoon before Naomi left. I make a mental note to add that to Naomi's list for the day.
At 7:00, I hear a banging on the gate. Sixty seconds later the guard comes to the front window saying, "Madame, the plumber is here." I remember that Ryan called the plumber yesterday for a sink leak and start off to find him. I go out to greet Joseph, thanking him for coming and wondering what time the man gets up, since he always reports for service calls by 7:15AM.
Then, I make my rounds through the house, reminding kids to make their beds, put laundry in their hampers, and the like. I wonder once again if they're going to be slobs because we've let them grow up with a house helper around. Then I wonder if the alternative of me loosing my mind without one would be a better option. Deciding that I'll err on the side of raising slobs, I do one last inspection and head to the kitchen to make breakfast.
We're running late and I consider quick breakfast options. Hmmm, toast and eggs? No, we don't have enough eggs. Should I make one of the kids put on a pair of shoes and run around to the egg lady? Wait! I remember that I asked Naomi to mix up waffle batter yesterday. Score one for me, all I have to do is cook them. I think through my options, should I add chocolate chips or should I make syrup to go with them. If I add chocolate chips, I won't have to take time to make syrup, the kids will eat them happily without. But, do I want to dip into the chocolate chip supply? A quick peek into the chocolate chip drawer confirms that I can throw some into the batter and still have enough for granola bars and a batch of cookies before a friend brings me some next month. Chocolate chips it is.
With breakfast behind us, I sit down to make Naomi's list for the day. Let's see, if I have her make tortillas today, then we can have tacos for dinner tonight, which is one of our easiest food options. Since I need to go to the office today, fast would be good. "Tortillas" goes on the list. I remember that the lettuce and tomatoes I bought yesterday still haven't been soaked, so I add "Soak vegetables" to the list. Let's see, baked potatoes would be a good option for lunch, but I'd better set them out for her to wrap. I still don't understand why she doesn't choose the big ones out of the bag, if I don't. Who wants a baked potato that is 1.5 inches in diameter? And, why does she still put ketchup and mustard on the table every time we have baked potatoes? Then, I remember that I'm in a hurry and add "Baked Potatoes @ 12:45" to the list.
At this point, time is really getting away from me, so I hop into the van and head to the guest house to pick up our new volunteer, Bailey. The mile drive over and back would only have taken about 7 minutes, if I'd left 10 minutes earlier, but because of my tardiness it's going to take at least 15. I decide to relax and just wait in line at the round-about without huffing and puffing. I make a mental note not to leave so late tomorrow morning.
When I return, I see that Mustapha, our occasional gardener, is here. I go to greet him in Hausa, and attempt to track with him when he continues talking in Hausa. I realize again how quickly my language gets rusty when not in use. After a moment of my blank stare, we decide to switch to English, so that we can go beyond the most basic questions. I inquire of his new baby and his wife. I rejoice with him for her continued recovery. When she was told during childbirth a few weeks ago that she would have to have a c-section, she told him her goodbyes, assuming that she would die. Thankfully, her care was good and the Lord saw fit to spare her life. We are all so thankful.
The school day starts as soon as I finish my conversation with Mustapha. Bailey heads into one room of the old "boy's quarters" with Abe while the older kids and I head into the other. Thus begins a frenzied morning of rotating children. I do Abe's reading lesson while Bailey does spelling with the middles, I read history to the middles while Bailey does workboxes with Abe. Whoever can field Math questions at any given moment goes for it. On and on it goes for the next 4 hours until Naomi comes to remind me that it's time for lunch.
Ryan comes up from his office to join us and I ask him how his morning went. He tells me that he had planned to work on payroll for the national staff in Nigeria that morning, but instead a deaf pastor and Sunday school teacher stopped by and he helped them work on crafting a story. He would like to finish the payroll after lunch, but he doesn't know if he can get it done. He has to run to Vodaphone to pay the internet bill for the office, because the data ran out this morning while he was in the middle of sending e-mails. While he's out he might as well take the gas cylinders to be filled, since one of them ran out last week and we don't want to be caught without cooking gas again. Not to mention, he has to stop by an embassy to see if a visa he is trying to get for one of our personnel is ready.
The children bicker about whose turn it is to go to the guest house with mom. We review who went the last few times and realize that it is Lizzie's turn. She grabs her I-pad, a gift from her grandparents, which is the primary motivator for her desire to accompany me. She knows that unlimited internet and the Disney Channel await her there. Lizzie, Bailey, and I hop in the van and head to the office.
From the minute I walk through the door of the guest house, I am hopping. Charity, my assistant, and I meet to log income, discuss reservations, and assess this week's repair needs. We agree to call the electrician to have him look at the light fixture in Apt. B. I tell her not to call the plumber for the drip in room D yet, but that if any other repairs come up in the next few days, we'll have him look at both. I know full well that a week without a plumber is almost a myth around here. I think for the 100th time that I never knew that you could have such a friendly relationship with so many different repairmen.
I note that all 12 rooms are booked for both nights this weekend. I look through e-mails and see that one of the doctors leading one of our incoming teams is asking me to hold off on buying their domestic flight tickets up to the hospital. Apparently, some of his team are starting to get cold feet about the whole ebola thing. I can't say that I'm surprised, we've done lots of rearranging with our medical volunteers, thanks to Mr. Ebola.
My best laugh of the day comes when Charity hands me the list that our driver gave her. It's a list of items that we need for the guest house truck. At the top of the list are the words jerk and jerk bar. I ponder. I think. I give up and finally ask what a jerk and jerk bar are. Charity says the words to me 2-3 times, at a louder volume each time. I finally tell her that I know full well what a jerk is, but it has nothing to do with an Isuzu pick-up truck. She smiles and laughs in frustration at the silly obroni madame she's forced to work for, having no idea what I am talking about. Then she explains that it is one of those things that you use to lift your car up when you get a flat tire. Now it's my turn to laugh as I explain that this is called a jack. She tells me that's what she just said...a jerk. I proceed to spell it for her. We agree to disagree.
The rest of the afternoon passes in a whirlwind. Between fielding guest questions, answering volunteer e-mails, and preparing pay envelopes for the staff, my limited time there is exceedingly full. But, I love every minute of it.
Finally, about 5:30, Lizzie and I hop back into the van and begin the process of inching home. The same ride that took us 4 minutes at 1:30 takes us 20 minutes now. Lizzie calls Ryan to ask him to start the taco meat. I would call myself, but the police stationed every 30 feet this time of day would surely give this white woman a fine if I even dared to hold the phone, even though we're sitting perfectly still in a long line of traffic.
Dinner is fast and easy. I hear the stories of everyone's afternoons. Ryan managed to accomplish 3 of his 4 tasks, which is better than usual around these parts. Abby needs help with some Biology questions, so I've got that to look forward to after dinner. Isaac tells me how frustrated he is with the guard, who called the dog "stupid" again. Lizzie tells us all about the funny Disney episode she watched while we were at the guest house. Lily and Abe argue over who is going to have the leftover waffle from breakfast for desert. Ahh, the sounds of home sweet home.
At 7:00, the table is cleared and I think about all of the possibilities that await for the rest of my evening. What should I do with my "free" time. Wait. Biology questions first. Then Lily comes, explaining that she is having trouble with her reading and wants to know if I can help. By the time those two are squared away, it's 8:00. Maybe something productive could be done, still? But then, maybe I'll just check FB first? Read a couple of blogs? Answer a few e-mails? Then, I'll get up and do something productive.
Next thing I know, it's 9:45 and my productivity window is firmly closed for the day. I remember that I need a shower. Darn, I forgot to turn our hot water heater on again. I dash back to the bathroom and flip the switch, then decide that I don't want to wait the 20 minutes it will take to get hot water. And besides, it's hot enough that I can do without.
While I'm in the shower, I think through tomorrow's schedule. I need to get groceries at some point. Where should I go? I really would like some chicken breast, and I know that Maxmart will have the best chance of having that. Oh, and I can get cheddar there too. Plus, maybe they'll have sour cream again. Oh, and maybe they've gotten Crisco in. I'm nearly out and it's been weeks since I've seen it anywhere. But, I also want butter, milk powder, and vegetable oil and I cannot justify paying their price for those. I guess I'll go to Maxmart and Marina. Maybe between the two, they'll have all I want for the week? Oh, and I need cell phone credit too, but that shouldn't be a problem. I can always purchase it from my car window at the intersection before Marina. I just need to remember to wave the guy over.
Shower finished, I head to the kitchen for a glass of water before bed. I realize the filter is nearly empty. Should I fill it? Nah, I'm too tired, I'll just do it in the morning.
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