23. Postcard from Daboase

March 4, 2007

Although I've complained in my blogs here about what a challenge it was for me in Daboase, it was really a lovely town with very warm-hearted people! So here are some pictures to illustrate my point.

 Here's the sign as you enter town (that's a painting of the current president) and a shot of the main drag in Daboase. That tall building is the police station, where every day as I would pass I'd hear the same officer greet me, "Hello, my wife!"

In Daboase everyone wanted to give me an African name, and as a Friday born girl that makes my name Afua in Fanti (the local language). By the time I left everyone knew who I was through word-of-mouth and they'd all call, "Madame Afua!" or "Afua Laura!" Probably the closest I'll ever get to feeling like a celebrity.

So Daboase has a chief. Yeah, a chief. And I got to meet him! The chief of a town in Ghana is a social/ community leader rather than a political leader. The painting behind us is a portrait of the previous Chief, who reigned for 30 years.

This is a picture of my after-school class that I taught everyday. The room was teeny-weenie but we managed nonetheless!

In the mornings I taught at a couple of the local Junior Secondary Schools. In one school up on a hilltop I taught in this huge well-lit classroom pictured below. 

Here's a picture in the compound where I lived! That's the landlord there, who was always sitting or sleeping outside. There's even a painting of him on the wall behind him if you can make it out. Oh, and notice the cat on the roof! There were two cats living here, Scratch and Scratch II...

There was a pair of tiny newborn goats in the compound where I live, who I called (only to myself) Marco and Polo since they were always calling back and forth to find eachother if they were seperated. This is when they met Mr. Duck.