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Accra Lady musings (28 unread)

February 14, 2010
20:31
"Do you have change?"
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

One of the most frustrating aspects of engaging in any kind of monetary transaction in Ghana has to do with a disconnect between the amount you are charged as a customer, the amount of money you handover, and the change you expect to get - if you did not provide the exact amount in payment.nbsp;nbsp;br /br /It has always been the case that those selling on a table, or in a very small shop, might not have the exact change for you, but I often find that these are the very people who will ask you to wait while they go and make sure that you are given what is due to you.br /br /div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"/divTry a slightly bigger shop, or even a big supermarket, and I have several examples, and then the real palaver begins.nbsp; If you are lucky you will be asked "Do you have one cedi, and then I can give you five?"nbsp; At other times you will be told a price which is rounded up, so that the shop or the assistant will not be obliged to givenbsp; you some one Ghana pesewa coins which of course they do not have!nbsp; And sometimes you will just be told, "Sorry, no change" with the implication being that you just take whatever there is, and forget about the rest!nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;br /br /On more than one occasion I have asked shop assistants whether they are not given "floats" at the beginning of the day, or even at regular intervals.nbsp;nbsp; Responses can vary:nbsp; a blank stare is one, another is "it is finished", so the buyer is left annoyed and frustrated.br /br /div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/S3hNkm69xHI/AAAAAAAAAAs/ZQLKoZGTbts/s1600-h/25995143.optim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="171" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/S3hNkm69xHI/AAAAAAAAAAs/ZQLKoZGTbts/s200/25995143.optim.jpg" width="200" //a/divOne of my responses, simply because I know the above is going to happen, whether at ShopRite, Game, Sarlinesta or whatever, is to be prepared!nbsp; So instead of always relying on the more convenient ATM machines, I try to find time to go physically to a bank, and ask for a packet of 100 one Ghana cedi notes.nbsp; Plus coins - innbsp; 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 pesewa denominations.nbsp;br /br /Well, usually I manage to get the one Ghana cedi notes - though on my last visit to my main branch of one of the older banks, I was told there were no "ones" and when I complained, I was told that the currency was given to them by the Bank of Ghana so I should just take whatever there was. br /br /div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/S3hUhO2C-1I/AAAAAAAAAA0/VizcksjNrWE/s1600-h/14006596.optim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="95" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/S3hUhO2C-1I/AAAAAAAAAA0/VizcksjNrWE/s200/14006596.optim.jpg" width="200" //a/divAnother, older bank is usually OK for whatever notes you want, plus coins, and they even manage to stock one Ghana pesewas which are almost a rarity these days. And for a while one of the newer "Nigerian" banks would even provide me with a packet of brand new notes :-).br /br /Not too surprisingly my purse/wallet seems to get heavier as I try to anticipate my needs for change during my work and shopping days!br /br /But for shops and banks and the Bank of Ghana:nbsp; have any of you heard of customer needs and wants?div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-3335645898661231272?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
December 27, 2009
20:18
Another Ghana moment?
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/SzfAW6qI8-I/AAAAAAAAAAk/S6YZBQo3AWQ/s1600-h/gas+cylinder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/SzfAW6qI8-I/AAAAAAAAAAk/S6YZBQo3AWQ/s200/gas+cylinder.JPG" //abr //divbr /Another "Ghana moment" - or should I say "only in Africa"? as the slot on BBC Network Africa goes?br /br /On a recent weekend I did one of my normal cooking gas runs, as two of the three cylinders we use for cooking were empty, and with the holidays approaching, it was better to be sure of stock, rather than waiting till the last minute. nbsp; And then having to spend a lot of time looking for it when supplies are limited! br /br /With the two cylinders rolling around a bit in the boot - I hadn't put the stone which was to stop them rolling in properly - I set off for the place I usually hit first.nbsp; Thinking why didn't I phone first?nbsp;nbsp; I guess I still operate in the "old" Ghana style that you have to go somewhere physically...nbsp; that really shows how long I have been working the system here!br /br /Anyway I got to the supplier, only to find a hand-painted sign on the gate saying "NO GAS".nbsp; But unlike some other occasions when this was the case, the gate was open, so I decided to go in and ask if the people around had any ideas where I could get gas.nbsp; Rather than telling me straight out where I could try, or that they didn't know, the guys hanging around continued to chat, though one of them did go into the office.nbsp; There must have been a signal because the next thing I knew one of them was asking for my cylinders... br /br /And when I asked how come they were selling to me, with the sign indicating no gas, the response was "for special customers only"...nbsp; Hmmm...nbsp; The price was surprisingly the correct one, but I do have to admit I couldn't resist giving a donation to the "Christmas box" as a way of saving me having to roam around looking for the cooking gas.br /br /Definitely a Ghana moment, almost reminiscent of the bad old days of shortages and kalabule!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-8457011162279114283?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
October 12, 2009
21:00
Tangerines au naturel
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

span xmlns=''p I really do wish that I could plan and take photos so that I would be more prepared when I write something, but unfortunately this doesn't happen most of the time. I suddenly realized that it is tangerine time again, and I couldn't resist buying some last weekend when I was doing my onion shopping at Agbogbloshie market. I just took one and peeled it, and ate it section by section, dropping pips all over the front of the car, though! [TG it gets cleaned on Sundays though!] I felt a little guilty about the smell, but then I was the only one in the car, so why should I worry? I did wonder whether I was taking a risk though from the market, but crossed my fingers that my luck would hold! br //ppOne day I will look into tangerines in more detail, because it has always struck me as odd that they only flourish for a very short period even in what should be the ideal climate? Here of course they are not always orange on the outside, though the inside ranges from the pale to the deeper orange. Some are sweet, most have a sour edge which is a slight shock, but then somehow the mouth adapts, especially as one eats the whole section. /p/spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-7721921073536189288?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
October 11, 2009
19:00
Is the wheel being reinvented every year?
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

I ask whether the a href="http://www.moe.gov.gh/"Ministry of Education/a (as it is now known) [and yes, the link leads to a website which is still under construction, nine months after the present government came into power!] reinvents the wheel every year with regard to admission to senior high schools here in Ghana? br /br /The computerised system is not new, and even if you have failures, does it take more than six weeks since the results were released by a href="http://www.ghanawaec.org/"WAEC/a to do the placement? nbsp;For crying out loud, I suspect a manual system of slips and cards and assembling all the heads in one place would have solved the problem in much less time! nbsp;div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-1660559529290675513?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
September 07, 2009
20:03
An opportunity missed?
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

Last Saturday I went to a href="http://www.kingdomgh.com/index.cfm"Kingdom Books and Stationery/a (the major stationery shop/store in Accra) to stock up on materials for the coming academic year.nbsp;nbsp; There were several obviously like-minded family groups checking out what there was to buy.nbsp;nbsp;br /br /Yet there was nothing in the store to indicate any kind of sensitivity to a large percentage of the buying or to the particular time of year.nbsp; No school calendars or diaries, not many pencil sets, hardly anything out of the usual, in my view.nbsp; Plus of course there was only one cashier serving the non-corporate customers, so ten to fifteen people waited patiently in line, without complaining (that I could hear).nbsp;nbsp; It was quite difficult to find exercise books, and the options available didn't seem particularly different from previous months.nbsp; br /br /Upon reflection, and in response to a discussion with a colleague, I wondered why it was that they did not seize on the time of year to put up a few signs, such as "Get your school supplies here"nbsp; "Don't forget xyz for your children"nbsp; etc... and maybe even putting together special packs to make the shopping easier, and of course to encourage people to spend more.nbsp;nbsp; What about some special displays or promotions?nbsp; What about material specifically geared at a particular target market - or more precisely the parents and guardians who do their buying?nbsp; Was there any particular help or advice being offered by staff to customers?nbsp; Was the cashier happy to see people buying material, or just wishing that she could be chatting on the phone to her friends?nbsp; br /br /It seems that opportunities upon opportunities were being missed, but then the philosophy of this store, as evidenced by the behaviour of its staff seems to be:nbsp; "Well, we are the big supplier in town, so you take what we have or just go without..."nbsp;nbsp; And of course because there isn't any real competition the customers do keep coming - even if some of us are a little reluctant to do so very often.nbsp;br /br /The only thing is that if an alternative comes - one which offers a range of products, with good customer service, and an attractive environment, then some of us will simply vote with our feet.nbsp;nbsp;br /br /Such a missed opportunity?div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-6453159067983844768?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
September 03, 2009
18:29
A license plate to die for?
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

Seen in Labone on a bluish purple Hummerbr /br /bspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"J.BOND 007 Y/span/bbr /br /Oh, how I wished I had my camera!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-4407926376989550885?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
August 30, 2009
20:40
Water, water - not quite everywhere...
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

Last week or so was kind of a landmark: we got our first bill from Ghana Water Company in nearly two years! And surprisingly, or maybe I should say, not unsurprisingly, we were still in credit! Probably the latter actually, as we've had to buy water almost every week or ten days (the latter if we are lucky) for more than eighteen months, but for several months I paid something on account. divbr //divdivI had had actually had "Go to GWC and find out about bills" on my To Do list for quite time, but in the way of things, I hadn't done anything about it! Mainly I admit because our local GWC office is only open when I am at work, so if I really wanted to go there I would have to leave work early, and knowing my luck, I would get there only to be told that they had closed! divbr //divdivTogether with the water bill, last weekend the pressure was sufficient for the water in the mains to actually come to the tanks on the top of the house - which was the first time this had happened in several months... and it actually happened twice. Unfortunately our tanks are a bit old, and the mechanism to stop the water coming in when they are full doesn't work properly, so usually I will hear the overflow and then go and turn off the tap - not too much fun if one is only half awake though! Not terribly efficient, but it does do the job. The question now is: should I get the plumber to come and see what he can do about making this automatic rather than done by a human being?/divdivbr //divdivSo, did we all think that our water problems were over, and that we would just have to monitor the days on which the mains served this area? Yes, of course... but we should have remembered where we were, because over the last few days, it doesn't look anything has come up so we'll probably have to order the tanker again... /divdivbr //divdivOh well, he will be happy./divdivbr //divdivbr //divdivbr //divdivbr //div/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-9199547581801244714?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
August 18, 2009
20:15
Electricity palavers
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"If it is not one palaver about electricity it is another one! /spandivspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"br //span/divdivspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"Friday evening I came home - late, as I went somewhere - only to find the house in pitch darkness. The lights had been off since 3pm, and of course in typical style, all sorts of stuff had been left unwashed and un-put-away, as if the fact that there is no electrical power means that every single chore should immediately stop until daylight! And the power stayed off all of Saturday and all of Sunday, by which time I had to totally clean out one fridge, as the water was dripping out of the freezer all over the floor! [That should tell you something about the floor and how flat it is!] I was definitely in a bad mood by the end of the weekend, and did not feel at all relaxed, even though I probably slept more than usual! /span/divdivspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"br //span/divdivspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"Some members of the household went to neighbours and friends to recharge phones - the most urgent priority? Personally I was more worried about R at night; the rest of us could manage with torches or flashlights (depending on whether I am speaking British or American English) or the odd candle or the security lights from the next house - which is on a different line from us!/span/divdivspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"br //span/divdivspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"Monday morning saw three of us carrying rechargeable lanterns plus mobile phone chargers to work and school in the hopes that at least those venues would have light. They did, and sod's law also worked, the lights at home came back on. Big relief though. /span/divdivspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"br //span/divdivspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"What I did learn is that I could have phoned the ECG (Electricity Company of Ghana) call centre - whose number I did store on my phone - even at the weekend! I was quite shocked to hear of this, on Monday afternoon! Next time, not such a long wait, before /spanispan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"bcomplaining/b!/span/i/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-4762141564465289215?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
July 20, 2009
20:30
Traffic lights
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

I think non-functioning traffic lights are one of my real pet peeves about life in Accra. I know they run on electricity, and seem to be particular prone to short out or whatever anytime the electricity goes off, but I am continuously amazed at the cost in terms of property, and possibly lives by their not working. br /br /I know some trotro and taxi drivers believe that traffic lights hold up traffic, but at major intersections, or when there is a lot of traffic trying to turn, I continue to think that they do have a positive contribution. How many times have I seen an accident which is often because someone misjudges a turning which would have been much clearer had the lights been working. br /br /I know what it is like. It is really, really tempting to see if one can go quicker than someone else. But the consequences are not always pleasant! And let's face it you don't really save that much time when the lights are not working. br /br /And what about all the police who have to be on traffic duty - or the National Youth Employment people (who used to be called Kufuor police)? Couldn't they be better occupied? Or maybe the feeling is that labour is cheap and if it is not there, the fittest will survive?div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-2694304993869670767?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
July 14, 2009
8:40
Fuel situation back to normal?
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

I should have written about getting fuel. In the end it wasn't that painful, even though I had armed myself with newspapers and two books - just in case I had to spend a really long time in a queue. Amazing what the distribution of 200 tankers can do to bring chaos back to the usual "situation normal". I wonder whether the impending arrival of Obama had anything to do with the rapid reaction?br /br /Maybe I shouldn't be counting my chickens though, and should get my act together and make sure that I have a full tank for the next week or so of driving.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-2223663367246664414?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
July 09, 2009
13:19
Will I get to work tomorrow?
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/SlXxzVrhddI/AAAAAAAAAAc/7iAhv3KFuic/s1600-h/Fuel+shortage+550.jpg"img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/SlXxzVrhddI/AAAAAAAAAAc/7iAhv3KFuic/s320/Fuel+shortage+550.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356453196122387922" //abr /I am not sure I will get to work tomorrow because of the fuel shortage. Yesterday there were queues (in some cases), agglomeration of vehicles (mostly) in the few stations that had fuel. Today there are the same, all in anticipation of getting fuel. br /br /I filled my tank last Friday, and as usual I need to fill up... mainly because I put on a few more kilometres this week than usual. br /br /Grrr... it just makes me so madbr /br /NB photo is credited from the Myjoyonline website a href="http://news.myjoyonline.com/business/200907/32392.asp"/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-9133899642283700005?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
July 03, 2009
19:59
Long queues in petrol stations - AGAIN!
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

It irritates me no end when I see long queues in petrol/gas stations - and know that these are almost always artificially created. Have we not got over this panic buying in anticipation of fuel price increases? Well, I guess we haven't... br /br /But don't those responsible for setting the prices - the National Petroleum Authority (or whatever it is called now - I seem to lose track of all the incarnations) - know that in this environment you cannot let speculation take hold, or the rumour factories will immediate start operating, and then we the motorists and the users of any form of transport are once again "up the creek, without a paddle" or more appropriate with no fuel in our vehicles.br /br /And will those who set policy and prices suffer, or spend time in queues? Not on your life. Those are the very people who have drivers who will go through the back door to make sure that "their" vehicles have fuel. After all, that is part of their job. Or rather it was in the bad old 1970s and 1980s. br /br /Is it so difficult to monitor the world price of fuel on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, and just act accordingly? Or is it such a political risk?div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-5732235089066974663?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
June 18, 2009
9:29
Ghana cedis NOT cedis
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

It really bugs me when I hear reporters/commentators/newspeople on local/Ghanaian radio and TV stations expressing expenditure in terms of cedis - and usually this is not millions, but billions, or even more. br /br /Ghana switched currency from cedis to Ghana cedis in July 2007, and I would have thought that two years on, the media especially should be consistent in how they express amounts of money. br /br /I suspect a lot of the time that this is done on purpose? perhaps to try and entice listeners, or readers (in the case of newspapers)? br /br /A typical example [see Daily Guide of 18 June a href="http://dailyguideghana.com/newd/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=3994Itemid=243"/a ]came up this morning allied to discussions about the amounts spent by the Ghanaian transitions teams earlier on in 2009.br /br /If the media continues to use the old currency - and many are constantly putting over their roles as educators - when will the rest of us feel comfortable using the new one - except physically of course!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-4778479848921608042?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
February 25, 2009
20:49
Water - steps to getting it through the pipes?
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

We've not had water flowing through our mains pipes for more than a year - due to construction of large pipelines from Weija in the west of Accra to the east of Accra. We saw the big pipes being put into the group - and in fact our road was blocked for a week. Then there were some technicians who did something like connecting smaller pipes to it, and then the road was covered, and ... and ... no water...br /br /Except in the last couple of weeks there would be mornings when the road outside the house (not paved) would be covered in a large pool of water, which every single vehicle would try to avoid - not with much success I must add. br /br /And then we heard that people from the water company were able to connect houses/compounds to the mains supply for a specified sum... We waited. And eventually someone in an official uniform showed up, named the amount, but when asked about an official receipt, the impression was given that there wouldn't be one.br /br /D and others have been to the local district office of the water company to see if we can be reconnected officially. I dredged up some old bills - feeling rather guilty that I hadn't paid anything since September 2008. Not to worry: we were actually in credit! and officials even said they were impressed that we paid on account so regularly.br /br /But have we been connected yet? Noooo... not yet.br /br /The saga continues, and we will buy another tanker load of water at the weekend. Sigh.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-8366030149850195177?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
January 16, 2009
19:28
Exchange students and gender balance
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

I remember reading a blog [hollisramblings.blogspot.com] which commented on volunteers coming to Ghana during summer holidays and being struck at how true this seemed. br /br /Last semester was an extreme case at the institution where I work - with less than 10% male visiting exchange students - and though this semester there are more males, the percentage isn't that much over 20%. I asked one of the students why she thought this happened, and she made the comment, passed on from someone who had made some kind of study of this, that the males like going to Europe! br /br /I wonder whether this is an indication of the feminisation of development - and I am not criticising this by any means, but I do wonder whether this is a trend which will continue in a job market. I think I will ask a bit more, as this does intrigue me.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-6710307623746543976?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
December 27, 2008
20:52
Ghana presidential runoff elections
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

The presidential runoff elections here in Ghana are taking place on Sunday 28 December, and I am still ambivalent as to who should win. I don't have the right to vote, but I can still express my opinion. Once again the "special" elections which were held earlier in the week for those who are on duty on the actual election day seem to have had some issues - mostly in terms of much larger numbers of people voting than in the previous time. br /br /Then there is the business about the borders being closed from Friday. I don't understand why this was necessary, though I suppose it is better that it is all of them rather than just those with Togo! I guess it just means that some people will slip in on the unauthorised routes - instead of doing it legally. br /br /And there are other worrying stories - not proven, but discussed at length on the talk shows - which seem to indicate that both the NPP and the NDC are really desperate to win. And will they accept the totals that are released by the Electoral Commission? Or will there be cries of "we wus robbed!"?div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-935841325212886978?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
December 05, 2008
21:38
Two more days to Ghana's election
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

Two more days to the Ghana elections on Sunday 7 December 2008. Today was noisy – with all sorts of groups and floats passing by with brass bands and/or loudspeakers proclaiming the latest party songs. The traffic was awful – just like the morning and evening traffic jams but all day. And initially I couldn’t figure out why, and then it clicked. The NPP (New Patriotic Party) were having a mega-rally at Accra Academy, which is on the main Mallam highway, which I suspect was causing total chaos and not just a traffic jam, but probably gridlock! So all the "wise" drivers decided to go on the alternative route instead. Luckily I got out relatively early this morning to do some shopping. br /br /Ironically it rained twice today – extremely unusual for early December in Ghana. I wonder whether this is a sign from on high? Though of what?div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-5193508951075557883?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
November 18, 2008
20:29
No electricity, no vote?
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

How I wish that people would respond this way, but I know it is not going to happen. Despite all the frustrations of constant power outages, everyone just grumbles, and gets on with life. Those who have the money use their generators - and they are noisy, especially if one is not a good sleeper, and the thing is less than 20 metres away from one's bedroom. br /br /The rest resort to rechargeable lamps (but most don't last all night) or kerosene lanterns (the quality seems to have definitely gone done since I came to Ghana) or candles. Each has its own issues. With a rechargeable lamp, you do need electricity, unless it's solar, in which case you need the sun, and to bring it in before dusk or before it rains. Yes, I have forgotten my solar lantern until after dark, and yes, it has been drenched during a tropical rain. br /br /Charging the rechargeable lanterns does take about 12 hours, so even if you take to work, it probably won't fully charge. Ditto using a cigarette lighter in the car - which I did last week in desperation. Solution: we now have five rechargeable lanterns, plus one solar. And for the rest, it is the kerosene lanterns, candles and flashlights/torches. br /br /Buying kerosene isn't straightforward either - or maybe it is just that I find it quite difficult to get a hold of, involving visits to several fuel stations, and wasting lots of fuel in the process. Sigh...br /br /Not surprising electricity supply is on my mind as last week we had no power for almost 72 hours - including three nights. And yesterday the lights were off for more than 12 hours - again by the time I came home, and for me it makes evenings tense, rather than relaxing and a time to wind down. I can't read for long, and at a certain stage there is nothing else to do but wash, go to bed, listen to the radio and go to sleep. Not my idea of a particular productive time! I was NOT a happy bunnybr /br /Yet no one seems to publicly mind. I guess that is why I would like to see a handwritten or handpainted sign that says "no electricity, no vote?"div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-2122526951041998554?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
October 24, 2008
8:48
Ghana elections
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/SQGNK18PV0I/AAAAAAAAAAU/VgTWSjhbros/s1600-h/Lapaz+road+to+Fishpond.jpg"img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MmVkOomc3g4/SQGNK18PV0I/AAAAAAAAAAU/VgTWSjhbros/s320/Lapaz+road+to+Fishpond.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260641057163401026" //abr /br /A comment from frustrated voters in an area of Accradiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-2492836941821441897?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
October 08, 2008
20:43
Hairdressers and the little things in life
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

Funny how small things matter more as I grow older, and probably more stuck in my ways, and maybe lacking the variety there used to be. It was time to cut my hair – I really shouldn’t leave it for more than four or five weeks, but sometimes I do for all sorts of reasons – including procrastination, feeling I have other more important things to do and/or spend my money on… br /br /When I first came to Accra I asked a fellow obroni about hairdressers that did hair for non-Africans and basically settled on one at Osu. There were changes and a few times I went somewhere else, as one of the staff set up her own place. It was a bit of a pain though to go rather further, although the problem was more mine than anyone else’s. br /br /Having decided it was that time, I called my usual place in Osu – on both landline and mobile, and no answer…. Did it again a few days later, and the same… So I decided to physically go there, which is what I would have done at first not so long ago when there weren’t mobile phones and landlines for the most part didn’t work. br /br /It was all locked up, and no signs anywhere, and when I asked from the shops next door, I was told they had closed down – in September? Looking back, I guess I wasn’t too surprised, as there hadn’t seemed to be many customers around whenever I went. I guess there are more alternatives now, and perhaps different ways of being known – plus the lure of the new Accra mall does attract a lot of foreigners. br /br /I was sad though, as I always found people there pleasant and relatively efficient. And A was always full of chat, which was rather nice… I wonder what she is doing – is she in Ghana? Or outside with her family? br /br /Oh, well, found another alternative – again somewhere that was mentioned to me a long time ago, but I never followed up. Very convenient to work though, which is always a plus. And when I went in to make enquiries about making an appointment, they definitely won brownie points by suggesting that they could do my hair immediately. I emerged rather happier with myself, and as others were complimentary on the result, that made my day!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-2404528971793908415?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
September 17, 2008
20:05
Detours to get home
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

For nearly a week access to the main road – or rather the side area of it – was blocked as deep trenches were being dug, and large water pipes were being laid. A big nuisance, even though we had all seen it coming for several weeks, or even months. But then, how to get home? It did mean taking going the long way round, via a rough unpaved road, full of deep gulleys and in some cases some rather unsettling rocks which had been put in to fill the depressions… Funnily enough in the five years I have lived here, I have never used either of the two alternative routes I had to, so that was interesting, though I managed to lose one of the wheel covers on my car. That did not make me happy. br /br /Initially the first day the junction was blocked the company responsible carefully put up white and red plastic to tell vehicles that the road was closed. That only lasted two days- and it did make me wonder as to who removed them? It was kind of fun going along and having people tell me that the road was closed, and my mouthing that it was OK, or even rolling down the window, and telling them I was going to my house – both in English and my disastrous attempt at Twi! br /br /I guess Engaa Street is a relatively useful road, as it does actually connect with other places, and not peter out into a dead-end, like so many others in Accra. It could definitely do with some grading though. Gutters were dug about four years ago – but they were soon washed away in many places, and where the concrete gutters were done, they have started to erode. br /br /But now it looks as if the big pipes are being connected to the smaller subsidiary ones, so maybe we will have water through our pipes rather than having to rely on tankers! That would be great, cos I am really, really tired of having to buy water every week. Not to speak of the cost, which is considerable. And as P said, tanker water service really is horribly inefficient, and environmentally degrading (given all the diesel consumed!)div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-2219415919900645940?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
August 31, 2008
20:08
Almost a week with electricity!
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

span style="font-family: arial;"Last week was pretty bad - for all sorts of reasons, but mostly because of the electricity being off for five nights and much of six days. OK I was at work during the week, but it is incredibly depressing to come home from a day at work, and wanting to relax, only to find that the lights are still off. And naturally half of the rechargeable lamps are not working - all right most of them are pretty lousy, and obviously meant for occasional use, not the constant use we can give them. Then we more or less ran out of kerosene, and even the kerosene lanterns and lamps we have don't work properly. Sigh. Oh, and I forgot, only one of the solar lanterns works, and even that didn't charge on some days, because it was so gloomy and raining. And I had forgotten I had some packets of candles, so we had to buy more of those! So whatever way, I couldn't really win/spanspan style="font-family: arial;". I guess it is time to invest in some new lamps of all sorts.br /br /There were funny elements - carrying two or three chargers to work - for a lamp and phones, with all the trailing cables. I remembered too late that one of them was supposed to work in the car, but obviously some of the brain cells had gone off with the electricity. br /br /And then there is all the food which went bad. The fridge was the first to be cleaned out - though I have found that yogurt which is definitely spoiled for ordinary eating will still do fine in cakes! [Waste not, want not, as my mother would say!]. Then the freezer - after three days that needed to be cleared out too - since we tend to store a whole lot of food in the freezer rather than in the fridge. And everyone uses the freezer as basically a slightly colder version of the fridge!br /br /We went to ECG on two mornings - and we were not alone in our irritation (and lack of ironed clothes!) and they did promise to do something about it - only it happened on their time, and not ours.br /br /We don't have a generator, though the house next door to us does, though it didn't work very consistently, and it is horribly noisy... Advantage: you do get some lights from their outside security lights... Major disadvantage: interrupted sleep! br /br /So that's probably why I didn't feel more rested during this whole period - even though I was going to bed earlier than normal...br /br /My gripe for the week? month?br //spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-561530267406540253?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
August 09, 2008
21:54
Olympics and Ghana
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

span style="font-family: arial;"Why do I feel that it has been rather quiet on the Ghanaian media front (except maybe from a few sports journalists?) regarding Ghana's contingent to the Olympics? I hardly heard anything about the group, and who they were, and their strengths/weaknesses/preparations/hopes/fears, plus of course those of their coaches. And then there is the question to how many "officials" went along with nine competitors? Not to speak of those who accompanied President Kufuor on his trip...br /br /When will we ever learn? or is this just another case of the last minute? Isn't this now the time to be thinking, and preparing for 2012? and maybe 2016? Who is out there looking at the kids of 10-12 to see their potential, and help to mature it. br /br /Lousy language, I know, but this is really bugging me. /spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-6181324104020915726?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
July 27, 2008
20:16
Not a foodie
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"I am not a foodie, but I do like food and eating and reading about food and cooking.span style="" /spanAnd even watching food programmes on TV!span style="" /spanYet, I will eat most of what is put in front of me, without fussing too much – unless it is absolutely spoiled, or too much salt or too much pepper…o:p/o:p/span/p p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"o:p/o:pI like baking, and cooking non-everyday meals.span style="" /spanSo there is the sweet and the savoury.span style="" /spanAnd I like both, but then I have to deal with the likes and dislikes of those living with me.span style="" /spanR is fine.span style="" /spanEven since he’s been ill he’s been pretty much able to eat almost anything we give him, as long as it doesn’t require too much chewing.span style="" /spanThat does bother him, even with his new teeth!span style="" /spanAnd he does have a very sweet tooth, and will eat lots of cakes and other nice things, with anything to drink – again preferably sweet.span style="" /spanSometimes he does ask about coffee, but most of the time he doesn’t remember.span style="" /spano:p/o:p/span/p p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"o:p/o:pLast Sunday I made a new cake recipe – sent to me by Z, K’s girlfriend.span style="" /spanI think K said it was sort of adapted from a recipe in iJoy of cooking/i which it is, but it was OK just doing part of it.span style="" /spanThe plain yellow cake went down pretty well with everyone, though I misgauged the oven again!span style="" /spanThat was just the small one with the leftover.span style="" /spanBut the main one was the hot yellow cake, drenched with a mixture of milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk, and then put in the freezer for a couple of hours.span style="" /spanIt should have gone into the fridge, but there was no room…It was very sweet and moist.span style="" /spanNext time I think I will put less sugar in the main cake though.span style="" /spanThe sad thing is that most of the hordes didn’t really like it, apart from R and Ro – both of whom will eat anything sweet.span style="" /spanSo next time, I guess I will make it for those of us who like such things, and keep the plain one for the rest.span style="" /spano:p/o:p/span/p p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"o:p/o:pI bought some fresh coriander outside Saagar in Osu.span style="" /spanIt does have a wonderful smell, and makes salads taste special.span style="" /spanI really do like it. Gives a kind of middle Eastern tang to a salad...span style="" /spano:p/o:p/span/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-293992479267472849?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
July 08, 2008
20:21
Accra Shopping Mall
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

span style="font-family:arial;"The Accra Shopping Mall was finally officially opened last Friday - even though there are still several spaces that are covered by the construction companies labels, but Accra has been and will continue to be patient. I guess the shops are being "dripped" to us the consumers one by one - sometimes there are tantalizing notices advertising the coming of one or another retail store, but sometimes not. So every weekend is in theory a discovery of something new?/spanbr /br /span style="font-family:arial;"/spanbr /br /span style="font-family:arial;"From what I hear the rents are fairly high - at least for Accra - which has rather limited the local companies. And I do wonder how some of them are going to cover their costs, as there don't seem to be that many customers around - at least when I am there! But maybe they come in their numbers at other times... It will be interesting to see what happens over the next year or so./spanbr /br /span style="font-family:arial;"/spanbr /br /span style="font-family:arial;"I do wish that the movie theatre would be completed sometime. I guess it is the thought of being able to see a movie on a large screen that is tantalizing, instead of watching stuff on DVD (usually a pirate) or on satellite TV. /spanbr /br /span style="font-family:arial;"/spanbr /br /span style="font-family:arial;"The other beef - shared by many I suspect - is the traffic control, and getting in and out of the Mall by car. I've learned my lessons the hard way; I refuse to hit the Mall after 11am on a Saturday or noon on a Sunday. Having spent nearly an hour and a half in total gridlock trying to get out twice, that was it. No more. I go there mid-morning on Saturdays... Combined with the chaos on the Spintex Road, with a not exactly wonderfully designed interchange, one does have to plan one's exit times. Will anything change or be improved? Well, we will see.../spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-3157847881483957145?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
July 06, 2008
20:19
VAT receipts?
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

span style="font-family:arial;"Last week I bought a service, and as it was not from the market, I asked for a receipt. And what I was given really shocked me. The receipt looked like something anyone could buy from a roadside stationery shop, with no stamp on it, and nothing to indicate that the service I had bought came from a particular company. I asked for a VAT receipt, and surprisingly got quite a confusing comment back about how much the receipt would be for, and how much service credit I would receive. I was torn, I admit it. Should I go for the cheap option, which obviously meant that my transaction did not go through that part of the accounting books that are seen by or submitted to the VAT service? No, I decided to stick it out, and after waiting for another 20 minutes got my VAT receipt./spanbr /br /span style="font-family:Arial;"But the experience did make me wonder, as it is not the first time that a similar type of incident has happened. /span span style="font-family:arial;"How many times are people offered a choice: I can give you an ordinary receipt for x amount, or a VAT receipt, but you will have to pay an extra 15% or 3% (depending on what the rating is, or maybe which receipt book the company has)... /spanbr /span style="font-family:Arial;"/spanbr /span style="font-family:Arial;"Yes I understand that the business environment isn't easy here, but nor is it for those of us who earn salaries and have taxes deducted at source.../spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-33283245389227879?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
July 05, 2008
20:35
Getting internet access at home
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

span style="font-family:arial;"Even though I have access to the internet at work, for a while I have wished that I could also have it at home. Tried one of the local ISPs - OneTouch - with a wireless modem, but I think my laptop is getting a bit old, and the connection with the USB port seemed not to work most of the time. /spanbr /span style="font-family:Arial;"/spanbr /span style="font-family:Arial;"Saw a good deal with iBurstAfrica who have recently come onto the scene here in Accra, and am seeing how that works out. I don't want to say anything really, apart from "I am keeping my fingers crossed", "touching wood" and all those kinds of things. I know I shouldn't be so superstitious, but in such matters I am. /spanbr /span style="font-family:Arial;"/spanbr /span style="font-family:Arial;"Maybe this will inspire me to express myself a bit more online?/spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-742938531397929709?l=accralady.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
August 22, 2007
15:22
First thoughts
» ‎ Accra Lady musings

span style="font-family:arial;"My first attempt at blogging. Hmmm. Not sure what I will write about either at this point. I guess it is mostly about living in Ghana for so many years. But still being "outside" of so many aspects. Yes, I am a non-Ghanaian, but I have lived here, and elsewhere in West Africa for more than half of my life, so I guess I do feel in many ways more akin to Ghana/West Africa than to anywhere else. But then I am international in origin, so I guess that was inevitable. /spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3612378214296497002-6714673400920256342?l=accralady.blogspot.com'//div

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Accra Lady musings (28 unread)

"Do you have change?"

Another Ghana moment?

Tangerines au naturel

Is the wheel being reinvented every year?

An opportunity missed?

A license plate to die for?

Water, water - not quite everywhere...

Electricity palavers

Traffic lights

Fuel situation back to normal?

Will I get to work tomorrow?

Long queues in petrol stations - AGAIN!

Ghana cedis NOT cedis

Water - steps to getting it through the pipes?

Exchange students and gender balance

Ghana presidential runoff elections

Two more days to Ghana's election

No electricity, no vote?

Ghana elections

Hairdressers and the little things in life

Detours to get home

Almost a week with electricity!

Olympics and Ghana

Not a foodie

Accra Shopping Mall

VAT receipts?

Getting internet access at home

First thoughts