Operation Ghana

Can you believe it?? It’s really me! Rebecca did an excellent job posting everything I told her on the phone. I felt so hurried and excited and worried that the phone card would expire before I could tell her all that I wanted to say. I felt like everything that came out of my mouth was a jumbled mess!

Obviously I am at an internet cafe! They have one here at THE Botel!! Are you dying? We are actually here! And yes there are crocs. Alex, Leah and I fed them this morning. Then on a stupid dare, Curry and I got into a paddle boat and paddled around the lagoon! Our boat had a broken rudder and we could only go right. We were horrified especially because we had to run past a crocodile to get in the boat in the first place. Then we were stranded in the lagoon. With no way to get back to shore and the croc waiting for us upon our arrival. What a mess. We both kept our “outside” hands and arms in close to our bodies, I mean what type of signing future would I have if I lost my hand to a croc?? While we were pedaling in circles dinner arrived for everyone else and they all sat down to eat. If we had been eaten alive they would have heard our screams and come back to video tape it I am sure.

We wake up SO early every day. There are thousands of birds that live around the lagoons here at the Botel and this morning I woke up to there squawkes, squeaks and non-stop chatter. My waking thought was “I love this place!” And then I sat straight up wondering if that was really MY thought. The first night in Ghana I could not sleep because of all of the noise. Frogs, goats, roosters ALL night long. (I thought roosters only crow when the sun comes up!) Gardeners singing at 3 AM, taxis honking on the street and bugs… some sounded like digital beeping alarm clocks! All of us were up for hours and then at different times would bump into eachother in the living room reading a book or journaling when we JUST couldn’t take lying in bed one more minute. Oh, Leah slept like a rock!

I am trying to type quickly so forgive the typos if they are there. It is sticky and humid here in Cape Coast. Mampong has been mostly dry. People here are so friendly, generally. Oh today we got in a car accident! Someone hit our tro-tro that’s like a van that is a taxi. I think the driver was so blinded by our white skin or so shocked to see us she ran right into us. I am NOT kidding. You would not believe what a splash we make around here. We have seen thousands and thousands of people and at last count, yes we are counting, not including the 8 of us we had seen 7 caucasian people until yesterday. Now we point and holler when we see them, just like the locals point and holler at us. How crazy is that? The number has doubled since arriving at the Botel. I think it is because they are the first thing that comes up when you search Cape Coast.

Alex and Leah have started a bottle cap collection, because here the sodas come in glass bottles. You have to finish your drink before leaving the place you bought it, because you can not take the bottle with you.

Here everyone carries everything on their heads. It is incredible! Little children carrying big heavy buckets full of water! I am going to see if some of the girls at the deaf school will teach me how to do that tomorrow. Tomorrow morning we head back to Mampong. I will be helping Marco teach the SOHI workshop for the primary school (elementary) teachers. Then Wednesday I will do the same for with the secondary school teachers.

I was able to interview Marco on camera and I went to church with him on Sunday as his interpreter. I got Signing Timed at church in Ghana, because he teaches a sign class there each week and sometimes bring the DVD’s with him (he also brings a portable DVD player) There are 2 women that attend his sign language class. We watched Signing Time DVD #3 (for some reason he only has #1, #2 and #13 for the deaf school). WE brought a complete set to leave behind for the school to use. So I signed along with it and both women had so many questions. I was impressed with how much they already had learned! I shared with them our story about Leah and Lucy and I brought a family picture. One of them hugged me and said she was so happy to meet me. She said meeting me and hearing my story renewed her testimony of God.

I have SO much more to share! I wish we could just have a big sleepover so I could stay up late and tell you all everything!! Showing you all of the pictures and video. I am constantly amazed that I am even here. Sometimes I just stop and thing, “I am in Africa!” I never would have anticipated coming here. Probably never in my entire life! I mean people go to Europe and South America but Africa?? Good grief! Just one more way I have been so blessed by my children. They give me a life that is an incredible adventure.

Until next time~
Rachel

Hi Everyone! This is Rebecca Overson, Rachel’s sister. (For those who don’t know, it’s my husband Robi that is over there with the gang.) I was able to talk to Rachel for about a half hour a couple days ago so she could tell me some great things to post on her behalf. I know you have all been waiting patiently!

First and foremost, they arrived safely and had no problem at the airport getting through customs. They breezed right through and were met by my husband Robi, Heidi, and two men from the deaf school. They had about an hour drive from the airport in Accra (that’s pronounced uh-CRAW) to Mapong (sp?). Rachel was disappointed to discover that the one “Internet Cafe” is no longer in service. Apparently the owner simply stopped showing up. So it’s still there, just all locked up and useless. Thank heaven for calling cards and satellite phones!!

I’ll try to do justice to Rachel’s excitement and enthusiasm, and I trust that when she gets back she will fill in any blanks I may have left in these stories… oh and by the way, she said she is journaling about 7-8 pages a day; there is SO much to take in - in her own words: “INDESCRIBABLE AND COMPLETELY OVERWHELMING” (in a good way!) and she says the only way to really bring you along for the journey is for her to publish her entire travel journel in her blog when she gets back. She says when you read it you will laugh with her, cry with her, stand in utter amazement with her… She wants to share it all… I personally can’t wait! She also said that Aaron is getting some incredible video that she will share as well. And pictures too. So for now - here are a few tidbits I think you’ll enjoy.

-They have had power every day (ah, electricity… the things we take for granted!) which is rare. Typically the power cycles off and on depending on the lake levels (hydropower I am guessing?)… and the lake has been high enough that they have not had to switch to a generator. So they have had some refrigeration and lights at night, albeit very dim, and that’s been nice.

-They are the ONLY white people in this town. In Ghana, they have a nickname for white people: “Obroonie” (I’m sure I didn’t spell that right!). She said it is almost comical - everywhere they go, people point and say “Obroonie! Obroonie!” They were even riding in the back of an open truck (aka the School Bus!) and when they passed a regular school, all the kids went chasing after the truck laughing and yelling “Obroonie!” They aren’t teasing or taunting - it is just so rare to see white people, let alone a group of EIGHT of them in one place!

- The food has been ‘touch and go’ - she just prays every day that they get to eat chicken and rice instead of GOAT. (My husband Robi lived in Uganda, Africa for awhile several years ago and still gags when he tells me about eating a bowl of goat stew that was also full of goat HAIR. Blech!)

- Rachel and Leah took showers with buckets of water from the well. They have to draw water every day from the well and boil it to wash their dishes and other things.

- On their drive through the city, she saw interesting signs on businesses: “God is Great Mobile Phones” and “Our Lord and Savior Hair Salon,” to name a few! She’s considering changing “Two Little Hands Productions” to something along those lines… just kidding!

- Rachel got to meet and visit with Marco, the first deaf man in Ghana to graduate from college. She said she mentioned him before in her blog. She is going to get his story on video. She said his personal story is THE MOST INCREDIBLE journey - and she can’t wait to share it.

- She says they are living in a place that looks like the set of “LOST” (her favorite TV Show!).

- Every day, people burn their garbage. There is no garbage man, trash cans, dumpsters - nothing. There is a haze over the entire city of Accra because of the constant fires. They’ve all developed little coughs since they arrived because of all the smoke.

- Speaking of garbage, they were walking down the road one day and Rachel asked Curry what she should do with the orange peel she was holding from the orange she had just eaten. He said “Just drop it on the ground.” She looked at him like, “What???? Are you kidding? I am not going to litter!” He said, “Rachel, seriously, drop it on the ground! The animals will come eat it… don’t worry.” She was still a little freaked out about it and as they were walking through a field she gingerly let a piece of the orange rind fall to the ground. Leah stopped, looked at her and said, “MOM!!! Did you just put that on the GROUND?!?!?” Things are SO different there…

-They played a game of soccer with the boys from the school (who were all mostly barefoot), much to the amazement of the female students. One girl pulled Rachel and Leah aside and said “you can’t play soccer with the boys - you are a girl.” (as in, it is not possible for girls to play with boys.) Rachel looked at her and said, “No, we can play soccer. We are girls, we can do all the things that boys can do.” This girl looked like she was in shock. Rachel said, “If someone tells you you can’t do something because you are a girl, it is only true if you believe them.” And again the girls were amazed to hear this. These are little girls, who are deaf, who are going to be told many times they can’t do anything… Rachel wanted them to get that the only thing they can not do is hear!

-Another thing that made me laugh is that the kids there have a fascination with all the white peoples’ hair because it is so different. A little boy came up and started rubbing his face against Aaron’s arm hair, back and forth, back and forth, like a cat! And Robi had some little kids pulling on his leg hair, just because they wanted to touch it. Alex is getting petted to death - his straight, blonde hair is something they never get to see!

- The children were utterly amazed to see Alex and Leah signing. They said they have NEVER seen American Obroonie children who also knew ASL! (Yes, they do use ASL over there.)

And here’s my favorite story -

The first day after they arrived they went to the Elementary deaf school to meet the head mistress, Agnes. As they were walking up the dirt road towards the school, she saw something she’d never seen before - a group of seven-year-old children pumping water at a well. They were all dressed in their green and white checkered uniforms, and when they saw this group of white people walking towards them, all the children came running to meet them. Rachel said they nearly got mauled! They were just completely surrounded by a crowd of exuberant children anxious to give hugs and walk with their arm around you. Curry and Heidi told Rachel and everyone “Keep walking or they’ll never let you go!” Well, that proved difficult and pretty soon this swarm of kids had Rachel and Leah separated from Alex and Derek by about a hundred yards (they were being mobbed by their own group of children). Rachel’s eyes were full of tears at the sight of these beautiful, sweet, loving children.

They asked her name, and she said and signed R-A-C-H-E-L and showed them her name sign. They began signing their names excitedly. Then they asked (pointing to Leah) what’s her name? And of course Leah just signed back. They looked at her and said, “Leah?” and did her name sign - an L circling behind the ear - and said “Leah? Like on TV??” to which they responded YES! And the children said, “Where is Alex?” using his name sign as well!!! She was just blown away that they KNEW and recognized who they were. The children continued on: “Alex and Leah, come and play! Come and Play! In the Tree House!” (I add my comment here: you know, we always knew that Signing Time was making a difference for children but to be received by ‘fans’ in Ghana just blows my mind!!!!) I think “Stunned” was the word Rachel used to describe her feelings.

WOW!!!

Rachel says “We TOTALLY appreciate everyone’s support. We could not have done this without you! We love that you are dying to know what is happening over here - and I am so sad there is no more internet cafe or I would be posting every day! I promise when I get back you will hear EVERYTHING… You are a part of our family and you made this happen. We LOVE YOU!!”

So there you have it!

I will probably call them again tomorrow, because I paid for a phone card to call Ghana and I have about 100 minutes left. I have less than a week now to use all the minutes! I’ll be on the Chat on Wednesday night to share more. If you have anything to share with Rachel, or if you have any questions, post them here and I’ll do my best to relay everything to her!

Love,

Rebecca

We had our first successful satellite phone calls to Ghana yesterday. Robi said it is incredible there and he already wants to bring some of the children home with him. He also said he is anxiously anticipating Leah’s reaction to all of the children. He thinks she will be in heaven. In the short conversation he only made one request, “Please bring me a honey bear!” (You know, the plastic bear-shaped jar full of honey?) Two days in Ghana and he can only think to ask for honey? It makes me feel a little more confident that we are bringing enough to eat and that we have thought of most everything we might need.

I can’t believe that only a few months ago I was telling Curry that I wasn’t sure when we would be able to go to Ghana. We had the desire, but we did not have the money and I wasn’t sure where it would come from. I told him, when we get the money we can go. In my mind I imagined receiving a $20,000 check in the mail and saying, “Ok! Let’s do this!” But that check didn’t come With fingers crossed and not much more than faith, I committed to go on a smaller scale. Only Leah, Aaron and I would be going with Curry, effectively cutting the cost in half. The “magic check” still didn’t come and we began making requests contacting businesses, family and friends. Within 5 days we had $6,000. This was real, so real that I purchased the first three tickets.

Derek realized we were really doing this and he expressed how much he would love to go on this first trip. (He and Alex had been trimmed out of it when I thought we could only go if we “go small”) Adding Alex and Derek required SOHI to bring another member as well. Suddenly we were no longer past the financial halfway mark. One step forward and two steps back, it seemed. It was frustrating, feeling like I had to do this on my own. I soon realized I didn’t have to do this on my own. The holidays are notoriously a time of giving and many of you gave. You submitted our Signing Time Foundation for corporate donations and we received some. BLOGS began popping up supporting our cause and asking friends of friends to donate. Instead of giving gifts to one another, neighborhood Christmas parties made donations. Your children sent dollars. Parents sent checks. An after school sign language club sold hot cocoa at their elementary school as a fundraiser raising over $300.

It may sound crazy but there were times I would look at the balance sheet in frustration and wonder, “How are we going to raise another $6,000?” It’s crazy! I was so focused on what was left to accomplish, rather than recognizing that we had already raised twice that amount. Thankfully, I was able to stop and see it as a metaphor for how I view so many things in life. 2/3 done, and I can only think about the 1/3 that is not yet done. (sigh) We are silly humans, aren’t we?

Last night we hit 100% on the Chip In and you guys are still donating!!! I love it! See, I forgot to factor in Paypal’s fees (blush) Together, you and I have raised over $16,000. Remarkably only $4000 of that came from businesses or corporations. I am sitting here typing in a pretty humbled state. Completely in touch with generosity, contribution and making a difference and clear that those things are as important to all of you as they are to me. It is awesome for me to be part of a community like this. Many of you shared how you are happy to donate in light of how Signing Time has touched your family’s life. Thank you for sharing that. It allows me a glimpse into the real difference that Signing Time continues to make in so many lives.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I woke up this morning and looked at Aaron and said, “I don’t feel so good!” He said, “I feel kind of sick too.” Then we started laughing as we both said “I’ve got butterflies!” In the past few days I was also able to see that I really do not think ANYONE can take care of Lucy as well as Aaron and I can. I have had to work through that one too. You should see the care manual I have left for my brother and his wife, LOL I think it’s 10 pages.

Today we have been packing the last minute things. Can you believe I almost forgot to pack a hair brush?? Leah and I would come home with dread locks! I bought a travel Scrabble board, I love Scrabble and the tiles lock into the spaces so no slipping around! I picked up the 3rd Traveling Pants book and stashed it in Leah’s backpack, because the one I got on ebay hasn’t arrived. More importantly Leah’s green skirt DID arrive in the mail yesterday. Aaron finally found sandals! (It’s been 20 degrees here in Utah, sandals have been tough to find.) AND today I bought TWO honey bears, because I figured if that is ALL Robi wants, I want one too!

Until next time… whenever that may be…

~Rachel

Today, Curry and Heidi from Signs of Hope International left for Ghana. 3 down 4 to go! Last night I called Curry about some last minute things. He has been there many times and it was at his invitation and the invitation of the schools that we are fortunate enough to be part of this amazing experience! I was asking him about packing swimsuits and rain gear – yes talk about two ends of a spectrum. The packing list we received from SOHI mentioned both. He said there is not a body of water that he would recommend getting into. As far as rain, he said, WHEN it rains it is still 90 degrees so jackets aren’t necessary. I told him that I had been looking up different travel sites that talked about Ghana and I saw some pictures of very large lizards. He laughed and said on one of his past trips a lizard gave birth on their front door – there were baby lizards everywhere! Then he said “Do you like spiders?” He actually sounded serious. I hardly dared to ask him, “Why?”
“There are spiders as big as your fist. They come out every night, the same spiders. You start recognizing them and naming them after a couple of nights. And you’ll wonder hmmm, where is that one?” I could hardly answer. I think I managed a very weak, “Oh good!”

Leah’s skirts arrived yesterday and then I found a great skirt in her closet… yeah, I didn’t think to look there. Luckily Old Navy is having a huge sale. 50% off the sale price! This trip brought to you by Old Navy, Ziplocks and Ebay Actually this trip is brought to you by real live Signing Time fans!! Every time I see that the Chip In meter has another contributor, I am so touched by YOUR generosity!

I only posted the Chip In donation meters 2 weeks ago and so far 51 people have donated raising more than $2,145. We have hit the 50% mark of the final leg! You can visit the Chip In page and see the messages some have left. You have kept me busy sending out “Thank you!” messages to each of our Signing Time friends. And I mean it “Thank you!”

If you were one of the many who almost Chipped In over the past few weeks… maybe you clicked but got distracted, or planned to do it later, there is no time like the present. Chip In now and I might even name a fist sized spider after you!!!

Robi left for Africa today. Curry and Heidi leave tomorrow. They are all going in advance to have meetings and take care of some of the business aspects and formalities so that we can hit the ground running when we arrive.

I asked Curry, how we are going to get from the airport to Mampong, a one and a half hour drive. He said he will be picking us up in the Deaf School’s bus, if it is running. Why am I having flashbacks of “The God’s Must Be Crazy?” I can’t imagine it will be hard to spot us at the airport. Just look for a group of 5 sun-deprived Utahns… very pale:) It helps that Aaron is 6′ 5″ and sun-deprived. When we lived in CA and Leah was 2 years-old, I was always amazed that people would stop us in the store and say “Wow! Your daughter is SO WHITE! I have NEVER seen a child so WHITE!” I am not kidding, it was like a running joke. I don’t think you could get away making that comment about any color other than white though and I don’t suggest trying.

The flight from JFK to Accra is about 12 hours. I would love some suggestions of things to keep Alex and Leah interested and happy for 12 hours. I think our ipods last about 3 hours each. My laptop (if I bring it) will last close to 3 hours, ooh 3 hours of backgammon;). I know there will be movies, sleep, food and snacks… but 12 hours in the air? I picked up the 3rd Traveling Pants book for Leah as a surprise… she will devour it in an hour or two. I should have picked up the 4th as well… there is still time.

Yesterday Aaron and Leah completed their shots! Today I am ordering 15 family pictures at Costco. I am making copies of our passports. (You keep the copy on you at all times, rather than keeping the real thing - except for when you are at the airport, you better have the real thing). I will pick up 400 Signing Time temporary tattoos for the school kids. Doing wash and then spraying our clothes with insect repellant. Do you think I should spray then pack or pack then spray when we arrive in Ghana? I just don’t know.