When Harry Met Roach

So the roach situation has largely settled down. I may have mentioned earlier that they were replaced by a swarm of mosquitoes (all of which seem intent on biting me, rather than Jessica). Perhaps I should also mention that the bathroom has been infested by hordes of buzzing flies, which spiral up out of the toilet when you open the door like something from "The Mummy". I might be exaggerating a little, but still, it seems like a neverending adventure! It was especially rough this weekend, as Jessi was sick. Things seem to have calmed down, but for a while there we were afraid to get too far away from our facilities. Instead we stayed in the house, reading, studying Ewe, and watching terribly pirated movie collections we bought on the street in Ho (including several films starring Angelina Jolie...hurray!).

Work has ground to a halt, more or less. The major dynamo of this project is Mr. Numado, the headmaster, and he's had his attention hijacked by some event this week having to do with the National Identification Authority. Details are sketchy, but apparently the government has camped out at his school to do some sort of registration. Anyway, we got a quote from an electrician to hook up the library, but the quote is currently sealed in Mr. Numado's mind...he hasn't gotten around to telling us yet. It's okay, we forgive him: he's an excellent host and a sweet friend.

So to pass the time, I am embarking on the other half of my work here: producing some video footage for my friends at Farm Radio International of their partner here, Volta Star Radio station. I'm headed up that way this afternoon to try and get some footage...I'm a tad nervous, since I've learned to expect the unexpected (especially when you have a video camera in your hand), but hopefully it will all go well.

Meanwhile, I lay awake last night during the most tremendous thunderstorm I've ever experienced (a three-hour extravaganza of near-constant lightning and simultaneous deafening thunder), contemplating the dream I had on Monday night. Traditionally, I dream on the day before I take my next dose of mefoloquine, my malaria preventative; I'm not quite sure why. This Monday I dreamed that the Senators were in the Stanley Cup final, but I was in Ghana and couldn't see them. I was in an internet cafe, trying desperately to get the score, but I couldn't remember how to use Google. Then I opened up a newspaper and tried to find the sports pages, but instead it was page after page of comics and articles written in gibberish. Finally, I somehow learned that the Sens had won, but when I tried to shout for joy, my voice was gone.

I'm no expert, but I think when you start having hockey-related nightmares, you're probably in over your head. My surprise was great when I discovered that there will be a Game 7, and I'm now planning to call every hotel in Ghana to find out if any of them have NBC on their satellite TV menu. I may end up dragging Jessica away for the weekend so I can see the game. A fool's errand...wish me luck!