Anywhere but here

To steal a quote from one of the telecom ads: I miss my blog like Harmattan misses pawpaw! Everyday I think I should be writing, mainly for myself as this is my journal of life. Without it, I have nothing to reflect what I've been up to. So here it is: I spent two (incredibly fabulous) weeks in Ghana over Easter and have been back for the past two weeks. I am deeply slumped in post-holiday-exhaustive-disorder, which I may have made up, but nonetheless feels like a very real illness. I feel constantly tired, a bit down and missing my car! Worst of all, since January, I've had my trip to Ghana to look forward to, nothing could really get me down as I knew come Easter time I'd be hit by the humid air at Kotoka International Airport! And now... there is nothing to look forward to. I am stuck in this Groundhog Day that is life. Wake up, go to work, come home, eat, sleep, wake up, go to work, etc. So for the past few days, I've found myself scouring the cheap flights website, looking for a getaway somewhere relatively cheap in Europe. Nice, Marseille, Barcelona or Pisa, I'm not quite sure where I'll end up, but sometime soon you'll find me there over a weekend or so. Tips are welcome!

Ghana Easter

The Easter break has begun. How did I notice that? Traffic hell all day yesterday, of course! Unlike Christmas when everybody comes to Accra, for Easter they all leave the big city for their home villages or to the mountains. Yes, in the mountains about midway between Accra and Kumasi, in the Nkawkaw area, the Kwahus have their massive Easter celebration. To the Kwahu, Easter is bigger than Christmas, so big that now other tribes and nationals also travel there to take part in the festivities (which now include a paragliding festival!)

So what are the Easter plans for those of us left in Accra? Chilling with a big C! My sample of traffic today tells me what I already knew, it's going to be a smooth weekend, after all half of the cars have left town.

(picture borrowed from here)

I love Easter, ok I probably love all the holidays, but what makes Easter so exquisite is the lack of pressure. After a usually dreary January, February and March (although this year it's rather been hectic), Easter comes as a rewarding break before we head towards brighter and better days. Before, Easter would signify when the year turned brighter, spring and soon summer on the way. Now it is more of a reminder that despite feeling like we're in hell (well it's hot enough, isn't it?), rainy season is on it's way and with it, cooler temperatures!

So as is my general tradition for Easter, no plans are made, we chill, eat whatever comes our way, socialise with whoever comes our way and hopefully catch up on sleep (but that is every new parent's dream, always!). Today that means leftovers, watching movies (I'm hoping to make Virgo watch It's complicated with me even though I saw it about ten days ago) and looking forward to any friend or family member passing by.

Happy Easter!

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, a national holiday in all(?) Christian countries. This year there hasn't been much talk about lent and Easter (at least not in my circles). Last year Dirty and I actually fasted up to 18:00 every day the two weeks preceding the Easter weekend. In an un-Christian city as London, I remember so many people giving up various things for lent, alcohol, chocolate or coffee (Starbucks did not like those people). I used to choose the easy way out and give up cigarettes (no, I am not a smoker), hard liquor or brussel sprouts!

Ghana, being as religious as it is, doesn't seem to pay much attention to Easter, or at least there is not much talk about it. It is the holiday where people, for a change, leave Accra to visit their villages, the Kwawu people being most known for doing this, returning to the beautiful Kwawu mountains. (Poet, please correct any inaccuracies or spelling mistakes).

I miss the egg-painting, yellow decorations everywhere, chocolate eggs and other commercial rubbish that still affectionately remind me of Easter in Sweden.


Today I will most likely have a very quiet and relaxed day, as Good Friday is meant to be. Virgo will probably pass by, may go for a drive somewhere. Then in the late afternoon, I will meet up with Ruby and H and go to Aburi, most likely till tomorrow. I really hope it happens, look forward to the fresh air and peaceful ambience that clears your mind for days afterwards.

Extra special Easter and birthday hugs to A and K who I hope have a wonderful day in Gothenburg with husbands and parents and the World Championships in iceskating!