More updates...I have been getting questions about what Tamale is like so I will start by talking about that.
Traffic: In Tamale (where we are in the North) everyone rides motorbikes and bicycles. A few people have cars but if you do you are considered very wealthy. Traffic is crazy. The bikes ride on the sidewalk and just weave in and out of traffic around pedestrians. The idea that pedestrians have the right of the way does NOT exist here so we are always on our toes walking around town. People often drive on the wrong side of the street or go through stop lights if they feel like it.
Taxis: We take a group taxi (there are no private taxis) into town. It costs about 50 cents per person per trip and is a great way to get cozy with the locals!
Buying food or clothing: For those of you who were wondering, there are no Walmarts, McDonalds, or Starbucks here. If you want to buy something you go into town where there are dozens and dozens of stands selling individual things (a mango stand, a tomato stand, a shoe stand, a toy stand, a sardine stand, etc). It is a bit overwhelming as a foreigner since it is difficult to find things like a towel or mirror. (Dave had to shave using a silver coffee pot for a mirror. I took pictures and we will see if we can upload them later. I have not seen my reflection in more than a car window since getting here.)
Water: When we first arrived water was flowing out of the hose pipe at our house. But, just like the electricity, the government or city can shut off the water for an unknown period of time whenever they like, so for the past 5 or six days we have been getting water from a tank a few houses down. We take buckets, fill them, and carry them back to the house a couple of times a day. We are lucky that our family can afford the tank. Right now we are sharing the tank with all of our neighbors too. Some families walk to the river but it is very dry in the north so there are not many rivers. Anyway...once we get the water from the tank we can shower using a bucket. One volunteer we met said she prefers the bucket shower to a real shower. I don't know that Dave and I will ever agree with her but she gave us a couple of tips on how to actually get the soap out of our hair without using as much water.
We buy drinking water every couple of days. The water comes in little plastic bags that you bite open. The bag holds 2 liters of water and you just drink it all in one setting. We have to be careful which bags we buy to make sure that they are actually purified. We've been safe so far so keep your fingers crossed!
Family life: The gender dynamics are very prominent here. The women take care of the children, cook, clean, bath the children, wash the clothes, and often sell food at market. I don't know how they do it all! The men work during the day and they come home and meet up with friends or relax. Since the north is predominantly Muslim most men have up to 4 wives. (I guess this is how the women are able to get so much done). Interestingly, the women and men eat and sleep in different places. Even the daughters do not eat with their brothers or father because it is disrespectful. The mother and daughters will cook the food, take it to the father and sons house, return to their house or hut, and then eat the food with only the women. (This might just be something that happens in Muslim homes as well. I believe that this is different in the south where it is predominantly Christian but again, I am not completely sure.
Ok...I think that covers all of the basic things. If you have any more questions let me know and I will try to answer them. In the future I will mainly post about things Dave and I have been doing or stories about school.
My time is already up!
Until next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment