ReedNews Update: October Edition
Weather: Monday begins with heavy overcast and 77F. The weekend was hot and sunny, with daytime highs around 90F and nighttime lows in the upper 70sF. Breezy, with winds most of the day around 15mph, gusting to 20 or so. Today will turn to partly cloudy by noon, then likely clear up by sunset. Temps will be cooler all day, but humid, with highs in the mid 80sF.
The Reeds have hit a normal stride, and I think its fair to say the four of us have adjusted quickly and well to life in Accra, Ghana. We like Ghana. There is a certain pride Ghanaians take in themselves as Ghanaians, and a certain pride they take in the accomplishments of their country. Here is what's been happening on the home front:
Work-- Renita and I have signed a consulting contract with a Ghanaian NGO called Theovision. Theovision has received international recognition for their work in translating Christian scriptures to many language groups throughout Africa. Our work would be in community assessment and in capacity building. In other work news, we'll be traveling more into Ghana soon, then Renita goes to Liberia and Cote d' Ivoire in month, then further out I'm off to Mali then Nigeria.
The Kids-- Even though they don't like to admit it, both Hannah and Noah are doing well here. Both have made good friends and are active with groups every weekend. Hannah especially misses friends back in the US, but when the internet is up, she takes full advantage of Skype and Facebook. Three of us have Facebook pages-- Renita is almost ready to take the plunge.
Utilities-- This last week prepared us for the long hot season. Electricity w
as out nearly every day for an hour or so, and Sunday we were sans juice for about six hours. It would come on for ten minutes then shut off for an hour, come on for thirty minutes, shut off for another hour. We do not have a generator as of yet, but methinks we will need one soon. As for water, well, we've been getting by ok. The water from the city is often off for a day or more, but with our tanks, we can operate as normal. If the water is off for several days, we need to call in a tanker to fill us back up. Every once in a while, I send Hannah up the ladder to see how much is left in the tank.
Fo
otball-- Soccer is big in Ghana-- really, really huge-type big-- so Friday was loud in the streets after Ghana's "under 20 team" beat Brazil for the U-20 World Cup. We watched on TV, and every time something good happened, we could hear the neighborhood react. It's fun, and even though we never cared much for soccer before, we are getting in to it now. Attention is now on the 2010 World Cup-- the big one-- in South Africa. And both the USA and Ghana are in the 32 team playoffs.
Work-- Renita and I have signed a consulting contract with a Ghanaian NGO called Theovision. Theovision has received international recognition for their work in translating Christian scriptures to many language groups throughout Africa. Our work would be in community assessment and in capacity building. In other work news, we'll be traveling more into Ghana soon, then Renita goes to Liberia and Cote d' Ivoire in month, then further out I'm off to Mali then Nigeria.
The Kids-- Even though they don't like to admit it, both Hannah and Noah are doing well here. Both have made good friends and are active with groups every weekend. Hannah especially misses friends back in the US, but when the internet is up, she takes full advantage of Skype and Facebook. Three of us have Facebook pages-- Renita is almost ready to take the plunge.
Utilities-- This last week prepared us for the long hot season. Electricity w
as out nearly every day for an hour or so, and Sunday we were sans juice for about six hours. It would come on for ten minutes then shut off for an hour, come on for thirty minutes, shut off for another hour. We do not have a generator as of yet, but methinks we will need one soon. As for water, well, we've been getting by ok. The water from the city is often off for a day or more, but with our tanks, we can operate as normal. If the water is off for several days, we need to call in a tanker to fill us back up. Every once in a while, I send Hannah up the ladder to see how much is left in the tank.Fo
otball-- Soccer is big in Ghana-- really, really huge-type big-- so Friday was loud in the streets after Ghana's "under 20 team" beat Brazil for the U-20 World Cup. We watched on TV, and every time something good happened, we could hear the neighborhood react. It's fun, and even though we never cared much for soccer before, we are getting in to it now. Attention is now on the 2010 World Cup-- the big one-- in South Africa. And both the USA and Ghana are in the 32 team playoffs. Mutts-- All three are doing fine-- and they are barkers! As you may recall, Dusty almost died a while back, but after constant care she turned the
corner a few weeks back and is now fully recovered. At her sickest she weighed 3.7 pounds (down from about 10), but she’s almost up to her previous weight now. She’s certainly the Alpha around the dog dishes. Faith and Jack each outweigh her by 15 pounds, but neither dares mess with her. 
