Harmattan!

There really aren’t seasons per se in Ghana but there are 2 times of year where the days are different from the sunny, hot, humid 90 degree classic 'Ghana Days'. One of these is the ‘rainy season’ which I gather is around April/May and the other is happening now and is what Ghanaians and many West Africans call Harmattan. Harmattan is a very dry period with light winds full of ‘dust’ from the Sahara. I’d been told to get ready for this when I got back. “Bring chapstick”,they said, “The stores sell out of it”. What I didn’t realize is that the weather was going to get cooler. Harmattan came on without warning. One day it was sunny and hot, and the next evening it was in the 70s. In fact I’d say that since the day after I got back it has been in the mid (even low a few times) 70s at daybreak. So, you can't believe how cold everyone is! It’s hysterical. Even though by the end of the day we’re in the mid to upper 80s, folks around here cannot handle 70s. Kids are wearing hoodies and fleeces and heavy ski sweaters! Here are some students this morning outside of my classroom. It was 78! One girl asked me to keep the door closed!


Now the ‘dust’ or dirt or whatever it is is quite annoying. I’m constantly sweeping and wiping and mopping. If I left a glass on a table for a day and then picked it up you would see a circle. The days are hazy with the dust and there is a film on everything. So on one hand I have these great temps and am actually sleeping with a sheet, and on the other I’m feeling gritty all of the time.

Inauguration:
I was able to watch last week's inauguration at the WEB Dubois center for Pan African Culture in Accra near the embassy. They had a tree covered open area where two-three hundred people gathered and watched on big screen. The audience, American and Ghanaian mixed, applauded and stood as if they were there. Of course this was an 'African' celebration so there was music and dancing and food and vendors. There was a vendor who had made special 'Obama fabric'-it had his face and the Presidential seal-I'm sure totally unauthorized!


Here are some of the Fulbright researchers/teachers at the event

The calculators have batteries! Monday was the first day of using the graphing calculators-lots of ooohs and ahhhs :)
We are playing a group game I call the 'Fun Game'-groupwork is not common. They loved it!
The goats nextdoor may be gone but I now have puppies. Dogs aren't kept in houses in Ghana.

So, that's it until next time. Happy Harmattan!