Our Adventure in Makola Market

Our adventurous spirit led us to visit Makola Market with a few friends that knew the "path through this jungle." We left home at 7 a.m. on a Saturday hoping to beat the crowd and we still found it shoulder to shoulder from the moment we arrived. Truly, it was a flowing sea of humanity, with an occasional goat or truck in the mix.

Makola Market is where all the locals from Accra and surrounding areas go to find and buy what they need. It covers 12 or more square blocks of tightly packed buildings, booths, and people. Although there are still a few fresh food items left in the market, now it is mostly things. You can literally find anything you want at Makola Market if you are willing to take the time to look for it. You can find dress shirts, to fabric, to prepackaged goods (who knows if they are genuine or not), to used parts, to wastebaskets, to luggage, to propane tanks and anything else your mind can imagine.

Gregg and I have been to markets, bazaars, and "souks" in many places including Istanbul, Cairo, Amman, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Mexico City, Juarez, and Sharmel Sheikh. However, Makola Market in Accra, Ghana is now one of our favorites. There was not one "tourist" item for sale and not one vendor begged us to buy anything. Other than our little group, we never saw another white person (obruni) the entire time and no one gave us a second look. It was still fun to bargain, but the prices were low and fairly firm.

Gregg bought several nice things: four dress ties, a bow tie, and cuff links all for about $10. I saw a cluster of women tightly grouped around a vendor on the sidewalk and poked my head in to happily discover Ghanaian Batik fabric for a good price. Yes, I bought two pieces (about 3 yards each) for about $12 total.

Although we went early in the day, it was very hot and humid and Gregg quickly became completely soaked in sweat. At the end, our little group had bought so much that we needed to hire a little lady to carry our bounty back to the car. She placed a flat board on her head and had us stack it several feet high. Gregg had so much fun; he can't wait to go back. I asked him, what would you buy? And his reply was, "I'm sure we could find something!"

Collin Gregory Dunn has Arrived

Wouldn't you know it?  As soon as I arrived back in Ghana our daughter-in-law, Alison and son, Greg headed to the hospital.  Within 12 hours of my arrival in Accra, little Collin Gregory Dunn arrived safe and sound in Nevada.  He is 20" long (a fact his father is proud of), weighs 7# 5oz. and was born at 12:04 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2010.  Mother and baby are fine.  It is suddenly hard for me to be in Africa.

I'm back in Ghana

Gregg and I were invited to attend October Conference in Salt Lake City.  We enjoyed those sessions very much.  After some business meetings Gregg returned to Ghana Oct. 9 and I got to stay and play with grandchildren for 3 more weeks!

Gregg and I are so happy to be back together again!  The stars have once again aligned and all is right with the universe when we are together.  I was pleased to hear from our friends here in Ghana how much Gregg missed me (not just my cooking).  They told me he was moping around quite a bit.  He did take the opportunity to spend a week in Nigeria while I was away.

Our son Scott and his wife Melita, who live in Mountain View, CA surprised us and were there to welcome us as we arrived home for Conference.  Scott is a recruiter for his company at BYU.  What a well timed recruiting trip!

I flew to Albuquerque and attended the International Balloon Fiesta with my mother.  The balloons were as wonderful as I had remembered and the New Mexican food was even better than I remembered.  I brought a dozen frozen tamales back to Salt Lake City.

Next I visited Reno where our 3 granddaughters live with our oldest son, Greg and his wife Alison.  It was great to attend Lina's soccer game, go to a pumpkin patch and just enjoy being together.  In the photo the granddaughters are wearing dresses I brought for them from Africa.


I had a great opportunity to spend true "quality time" with our 7 month old grandson, Aiden while his parents flew to Rome, Italy for a belated honeymoon.  I now understand clearly why it is best to have children while you are young.  It just about wore me out.  I have a lot more compassion for our daughter and her interrupted nights of sleep. 

Vacation Time

I get to go home for General Conference in Salt Lake City!  Gregg and I leave shortly for Utah.  Gregg has meetings and then he has to return to Ghana.  But I get to be "Grandmother" for a couple of weeks before I return to Africa.  Our next blog post will most likely not occur until November 2010. 

Kente Cloth

I love Kente cloth! Kente cloth is colorful woven fabric, historically worn by royalty in Ghana. Kente derives from the word kenten which means basket. Patterns in the cloth resemble the weave of a basket.  Kente cloth was expensive to own because of the quality of work put into the making. Today, people of all status wear the Kente cloth. Kente cloth is more than mere clothing; it is worn on special occasions such as weddings and important affairs.

           

Traditionally the cotton is locally grown and spun into yarn by women and woven by men.

You must believe me when I say that the local ladies look stunning wearing Kente cloth and other traditional dress.  The colors are just amazing against their beautiful skin tones. 

 

           

Memories of Miracles

Gregg recently made his first visit to Liberia.  In 2003, during his first week as Managing Director of Security for the Church, a civil war erupted in Liberia.  This quick moving event caught a zone of African Elders behind rebel lines.  Gregg and his team worked with the Mission President and the Area Presidency to determine a way to get the Elders to a safe location and eventually evacuated. 

Arrangements were made for them to stay at a hotel near the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, if only they could get there.  The Elders had a cell phone but, as typical for young men, forgot to take the charger.  So they could only call periodically. They passed through check points controlled by both rebel and government forces.  They were helped along the way.  A member of a Stake Presidency escorted them part of the way and a Catholic Priest gave them sanctuary and a place to rest overnight.  At one check point, the guards took everything they had including the cell phone.  There was no contact with them for a day or so.  They eventually made it to the hotel but the rooms reserved for them had been given to others.  However, they were permitted to stay in the lobby where there was a phone, allowing them to make collect calls.

As a "coincidence," the wife of Pres. Charles Taylor, the First Lady of Liberia was at this hotel. She knew of the Church and seeing the Elders asked if she could help them.  She kindly arranged a military escort to get these 11 missionaries to Roberts International Airport.  After a day or so of waiting at the airport, the missionaries got seats on an airplane (with help from influential members in West Africa).  All safely arrived in Ghana where they continued their missionary service.

It was fascinating for Gregg to now see the hotel, the U.S. Embassy, and the airport.

Sadly, Liberia is still feeling the effects of this terrible civil war.  Electricity is not yet restored to many parts of Monrovia.  City power and water are still scarce commodities.  If you are lucky enough to have a generator, you can enjoy a reliable supply of electricity.  Many major roads are in desperate need of paving and repair.  But the Liberian people seem to be moving forward with the hope of a brighter future.  The Church continues to grow in Liberia bringing the light of the gospel to them.    

Mud Puddle or Opportunity?

It rains here! And not all roads are paved.  This makes for some great mud puddles!  These are truly some of the biggest I've ever seen.  Fortunately, around Accra most major roads are paved.  But when you get off the main roads, they are usually dirt.  

In his travels, Gregg has found the very best mud in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Niger River Delta area of Nigeria.  Mud holes can be deceptive, as you often don't know how deep they are.  It is very reassuring to observe others enter and exit the puddle before you try it.

In several locations, Gregg and I have observed that muddy roads can be an opportunity for the entrepreneur.  For example, on his recent trip to Liberia, a small pond next to the road was turned into a "Truck cleaning station!"  The locals would encourage the driver to drive his vehicle into the pond where several individuals would quickly wash the caked mud off the vehicle for a small price.  And for a very short moment, you could have a clean car.