The day stars at 5.30 with the sound of the neighbours sweeping the compound (a concept completely lost on me). About twenty minutes later I can hear the family in the boys-quarters screaming conversation at each other (even though they are no more than a few meters from each other, if that).
I manage to slumber back to sleep only to be woken by the sound of a bulldozer next door. I hear the neighbours yell: "Ofaine, ofaine" ("please" in Ga, excuse the spelling) as they scream and run around the bulldozer. From the comfort of my bed it seems the owner of the land is trying get rid of the squatters by bulldozing them away!
A few minutes later there's silence. I think the squatters won this battle. I turn over and fall back to sleep, only to hear "Auntie, good morning" at 6.45. I try to ignore it but it grows louder, "Auntie, good morning. AUNTIE!" Moaning, I have to roll out of bed and open the househelp. I know I've complained of her showing up late for work, but to come an hour early, today, that's just cruel!
After opening her, explaining that I am VERY tired and sorting her out with everything she may need, I go back to bed. Just as I fall back into deep sleep with my pillow covering my head: knock, knock, knock. "Auntie, Mrs. D is here for your meeting". Of course I had forgotten that my Thursday in-house meetings with Mrs D have since last week been moved to Wednesdays.
I get up, go to the bathroom and get ready for a brand new, very exhausting day. What's a girl gotta do to get one, ONE mid-week sleep-in in the city of Accra?!
10 comments:
That is the one thing I always remember from Ghana are thesounds of waking up (or rather, the sounds that WAKE YOU UP!). The only place where I ever got a quiet morning in Ghana was in Keta, but I am sure even there things have changed.
Well.... you should thank your stars that i'm not your neighbour cos we have a pair of ultra-noisy dogs who have no sense of timing whatsoever. Whether it's mauling a poor cat at midnite or having a fight at 3am. Or having a barking and howling competition with the street-dogs at 5.30am. I must say that i feel really sorry for my neighbours :(.....
Camille, let's hope there's still some peace and quiet there. My peaceful haven is Aburi, might be time to head there soon.
Yes Adaeze, the cocks have got to be the most annoying!!! Funny you mentioned it, there used to be one right outside my window that would start harassing us at 2.30 a.m. Haven't heard it for weeks though. Maybe it ended up on someone's Christmas table? Can't say I miss it! :)
Anon, I've been in your shoes before. At my mum's house in Tema we have two dogs that bark at the sight of a shadow, any time of day or night! Some nights I'd actually get up, call them to my window and plead with them to...SHUT UP!
But yes, I am glad not to be the neighbour of a dog-owner!
Hehe, funny how they wake you up even if you have nowhere to go. My mother used to insist on us waking up to sweep the compound early on saturday mornings. still don't understand why we couldn't sleep in and sweep whenever we woke up.
Hve you seen Esi's latest post on breastfeeding? I know you have 'interesting' views on that subject.....
Hve you seen Esi's latest post on breastfeeding? I know you have 'interesting' views on that subject.....
Esi I know, there's no logic! My cousin used to be woken at 4.30 a.m. to wash the car, then he and my uncle would go back to bed. What was the point???
I hope it's not one of those parental traits we inherit without realising it.
Oooh Anon, I have to check out Esi's blog right now, can't believe I've missed my 'favourite' topic!
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