August 1, 2007

Dearest peeps-

A quick word- I hope these letters are getting posted on the blog because there are alot of people I miss and want to communicate with and given the cost of stamps (more than a days pay for me) time constraints (non-existent), and technology constraints (also non-existent) there is no way I can do that. I had an intense "I miss Debbie" moment today and I don't want her or anyone to think I don't think about them often.

Another caveat, things have been really great lately and unfortunately I have only now found time to sit and write and I just had a really annoying moment so all of the good wonderfulness is going to be tainted with a "Heather impatience" type ordeal. So I am sitting on some steps in my courtyard, mama is cooking dinner and I am trying to work on my we noun memorization and pronounciation. This 8 or 10 year old girl who is really touchy-feely and usually very sweet is sitting next to me so I ask her to read the Ewe work first (there are pictures also mind you) and I will repeat it after her. I also ask her to correct me. I point to a word with a GIANT picture and the Ewe words typed underneath. She says the word in French. I try and say the word in Ewe, though I ask her again "Jane, you speak Ewe, I don't, I'm trying to learn Ewe, you need to teach me how to pronounce it. I already KNOW the word in French". It continues, but now after I say the word in Ewe with bad pronunciation, she just repeats what I say! Granted, it took me 1/2 and hour to realize that she was just repeating and reinforcing my incorrect pronunciation. Also, please realize that the Ewe alphabet looks quite different. (IN HEATHER"S LETTER SHE WRITES THE ALPHABET OUT BUT BECAUSE OF THE LANGUAGE I AM UNABLE TO COPY) and the word for watch (as in wristwatch) looks like this: Gafodgkui- Dude you try and guess how to spit that out. The word for child:Xedudu. Yeah , OK. Duck is fun: Kpakpaxe. That one is easy actually, but it fun to say. It sounds kind of like a chicken clucking. The fun stuff are Ewe words that come from English (there are Ewe in Ghana too). Oh, but before I get to that, do you want to her how to say "I am a peace Corps Volunteer?" Volunteer is a doozy: "Me nye l)l)nud)w)la le Peace Corps " (THE ")" ARE REALLY BACKWARDS "c"-SORRY)

OK, now for the Ewe words from English matching game.(BECAUSE WE AREN"T ALL CONFUSED ENOUGH ALREADY)
1. d)kita a. bricklayer
2. tela b.tailor
3. dreva c. lawyer
4. bikla d. doctor
5. l)ya e. driver
6. tsitsa f. teacher

Match the professions, Ewe & English. *Hint just do your best to say the Ewe word out loud and you might surprise yourself *Answers are at the bottom.

When you leave people you can also say "Bye Byelo" and the response is "Yo." Hee Hee, fun.

Adding to this intense frustration with my Ewe studying was the radio. The freaking radio. Anyone that knows me even a little knows that I HATE radio commercially type noises and will slam the off button faster that you can pop a groundhog with a rubber mallet on the Ocean City boardwalk. Ohhhhh, the food you can eat on a boardwalk. Ohhhhhhh, you don't know how lucky you are. I digress. Radio. So apparently, any jackass can get on the radio.

A. The music usually sucks. I am talking rap, hip-hop, Kenny G, Backstreet Boys, and the horror, Celine Dion. The manliest of men here, the coolest of the cool will croon, sway, and sing along to that ear filth poison. UGH. VOMIT.
B. The "DJ" talks and has very important things to say. Like over songs, during songs, whenever a thought enters their DJ pea-sized brains, they spit it out. There's more talk than music.
C. The volume. There is no halfway. Shit is loud. All of the time. Yet people respond to it as if it were background music.

Basically to my ears, it is like the worst commercial that you can't turn off. And that folks, is the cool station. That is the one that blares into the courtyard. The other station that I am hearing loud and clear is the one that Mama has on starting at 4am(on the dot, every day) is the Ewee/French- all church, all the time. Prayer, hymns, sermons, praise Jesus. And Mama, God love her, I know I do, has the worst singing voice EVER! And I am connoisseur of bad voices having a pretty freakin terrible one myself. Well, since Mama is a church -going woman, she knows all of the words to all of the hymns and sings along. It starts at 4am with prayers and hymns interspersed. I put in earplugs, but you can still hear. And Mama goes through an hour long service, on her knees in her room, her volume appropriately loud to praise God. Prayers, hymns, and since she is an opinionated woman, she throws in her "Amen", "Hallelujah", and "Hmmmhmmm". And since it wouldn't be right to not sing if you don't know all the words she hums then just as loud, stumbles on the melody, and joins in with real gusto when the chorus comes around. Ahhhh, the radio in Togo. Total ear poison. 2 different stations on normal days and nights. When other family members come, they bust out cassettes. There is one song that I absolutely LOVE! You must must find it on the Internet and listen. He probably even has a freakin Myspace page. His name is Aladzi. He is Togolese and Ewe. His songs are a mix of languages of Togo thrown in. My favorite song has a baby laughing and farting the whole way through until she/he starts crying at the end. Kokou says the song is called "Togolese" but he might not have known and said that to make me go away.

So, thanks to Heidi & Mom & Dad for the care packages and not that I'm soliciting, because after all, I have 2 years to go, but if C-Mart happens to get any cute dresses, shoes, or shelf-bra tank-tops, don't be afraid to send them my way. Also plain cotton low rise bikini underwear are always great. Bee jerky and Slim Jims, and Velvetta are wonderful as well. When I am able to use a computer I am going to try and buy stuff online. Oh! Also all Anthropologie catalogs-doesn't matter how old they are- will always be appreciated. All furniture I have to get and clothes to have to be made to order so I might as well get cool stuff. More letters soon , I promise. Love, kisses, and eat good things for me. Like sushi and Gorgonzola and spinach. And steak. And non-gross fish. And crabs. And oysters. Send rosemary, basil, mint, and soybean(edaman seeds (rachael's job)) Ama says "Dogbe". I say it as part of my salutations, but I don't know what it means and neither does she.

Love, love, love,

Heather

KEY to test:
1. d, 2. b, 3. e,4. a, 5. c, 6. f

(Everything in Capital letters was written by Debbie- sorry I had to add those comments in there.)