Electricity, or water?

This question is something I've pondered quite a bit over the past few weeks. Not really because I enjoy thinking about which one I like more, or which is more important to me, but mainly because it's a dilemma that seems to turn up every few days. As I'm sure you've guessed, we have been without one of the aforementioned pretty consistently, and it's become a very frustrating battle. As I write this, the water is off, and since that's the case, I feel like I need water more than electricity. Similarly, when the power goes out, I would rather have that instead.

So, let's examine the pros and cons of each.

Water:

Water serves many purposes, and as I've often been without over the past few months, I've realized it holds many more roles than it may appear. The obvious purpose, for me anyways, is showering. I have to admit, not being able to shower as I'm used to has become a little irritating. However, thanks to the extra supply of water, I'm able to use a bucket, some water, and bathe accordingly. Not quite as good, but it certainly suffices. At least I'm clean, right? But what if the extra water tank runs out? Let's not go there…

Okay, so showering… yes, it's annoying, but I can certainly get by. But then there are a few things that I have overlooked, obvious as they may be. The first, and probably the most significant, is the water used when flushing the toilet. Although the pungent stench of fecal matter is present in places throughout Ghana, having it build up in your bathroom isn't nice either… washing hands is another essential that I neglected… needless to say, running water is a luxury here, even if it isn't drinkable (but guess who did last weekend!? AH!). I can't even explain the sense of satisfaction I feel when the water finally comes back on.

Electricity:

You might have been thinking that water is MUCH more important to have than electricity. And before I went without it, I would have agreed. However, there are a few things that have made me think otherwise. The first is that it gets dark between 5:30 and 6PM in Ghana. With no light that early in the night, things become a little complicated. Second, while it's getting colder back home, it's getting hotter here. Since AC only exists in one building that I have class in once a week, our fan has become something like a safe haven. So when the power goes out, it becomes a little warm…

Lastly, Levi and I paid 40 GH¢ ($28) to rent a fridge for the semester. While we don't do much shopping, it's always nice to grab a cold water, or Fanchoco that we keep in our freezer section. It also houses some cheese every once in a while, as well as fruit, butter, and various condiments. When the power goes out, I tend to hold my breath, for there's a great chance either the food we have goes bad, or the icy-freezer section melts all over everything else below.

As I said, our water is out now, so right now I feel that's more of a necessity- "we always want what we can't have" seems to be a pretty solid statement. I'm not saying that's my final answer, but washing my hands, taking a shower, and flushing those toilets that haven't been for the past 2 days would be so, so gratifying.

Aside from these minor struggles we've incurred, I can't say much else is new. Time is often moving quicker than I'd like, but also moving a little too slowly at other times. One thing I've battled with is finding a nice balance here. While I'm finally falling into a routine, and becoming used to the Ghanaian way of life, my days are usually not like those I'm used to- more often than not, I'm either doing something I love, or finding myself becoming quite frustrated with what's going on around me. When things are going well, I can't help but feel like I don't have enough time here- and the exact opposite when they're not. It sure is an experience…

The orphanage is going very well, and I still love the time I spend there. The school is… well, not. It's fine, and probably better than I make it sound, but the teacher I'm working with is a crazy, crazy woman. And that's putting it lightly. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think using fear, as a means of teaching is the right way to go… the students seem to agree.

Last weekend we went to Kumasi, a city 5 hours northwest of Accra. It was a great trip, mainly because everything went so smoothly. We went to the central market, and my feelings towards markets in general aren't very nice. It's quite an overwhelming and stressful environment. We also visited a Kente-weaving center, which I have pictures from my first time. I also posted pictures of Lake Bosomtwe where I got to play PING PONG. It was marvelous. It really was a beautiful place.

*Huge shout-out to Ghana for beating Brazil in the U-20 World Cup last weekend!*

It's hard to believe, but today is my 80th day in Ghana. Have I really been here for over 11 weeks? And now only 7 to go… I think that might actually be the scarier statistic.

Missing you all very, very much!