A RELATIONSHIP OF 9 MONTHS

9 months

Forgive me my fellow bloggers and readers alike for not being able to continue to write as often as I can. Now that I’m in school I can’t even continue my MBJ. Learning has taken a majority of the time but that is not the reason for my coming here today. Something big drew me to my laptop this morning, the 18^thday of September. I’m sure I will not be able to post this tomorrow. LOL

     A relationship that started months ago, a wonderful relationship between Vida and I and today we are 9 months into it. We celebrated each month as they came by. 9 months is surely not 50 years but surely we‘ll get there, one step at a time, poco a poco. We are glad however that the relationship didn’t break during the formation period and it only got stronger. 

    This ninth month in our relationship marks the birth of a baby (love). The outcome is beautiful but it went through lots of birth pangs, labour pains, shouts, kicking in the stomach, happy times, carrying that love for 9 months and today we carry our new born baby. I said 9 months wasn’t easy , neither is nursing and caring for the baby itself but surely we will watch our fruit grow into maturity and old age.

Vida and I couldn’t have grown closer during these months. A lot of times have happened for us and a realization which no-one can change or destroy except God for He brought us together. I have grown to love a woman who I first knew nothing about, only jokingly quarrelled in class week after week. I’m sure you’ve heard the story a 1000 times over. She’s the best decision I could ever make and I thank God for that.

Ok! Ok! Ok! I’d reserve the story this one time, because I need to tell you something. If you are in a relationship and it gets to 9 months, you know you have got something going  (a baby) that needs to be cared for. It is better to end it in the beginning stages than to wait for long. It wouldn’t be too late if you wait for long but you will cause a lot of pain. I have said before Love is not an event but a process. Most people don’t have love at first sight and even if they do, they have to take their time to allow their love to mature more slowly and more sure otherwise you risk an early divorce on grounds of not knowing what you were getting into and saying ‘I didn’t know that was how he/she was?’ Love is a whole new challenge but it is fun, love stays during the thick and thin, during the bad and good, during the hurt and the uplifting, during the annoyance and the motivation, love is very patient and generous, love is mutual and not selfish.

You may be probably looking for a dream person, a beautiful out of this world princess or a handsome strong knight…I’m here to disappoint you a little bit. When you are young they tell you it is a fairy tale, or you only see that aspects of it. If you want your love to be a blissful one, realize that there are times when the going will get tough but that is where the work is, not giving in. Challenging times will come but know that it doesn’t last forever.

I love her so much; being away from her for a period is a whole undesirable thing. I’m glad I have someone like her close to my heart. There’s so much to say because we virtually do everything together. They say being in the same school with your girlfriend is bad, you won’t be able to study and what have you…but that’s totally untrue, you get what you want. Strangely all our classes are alike, the time tables are the same and mind you we tried to separate our lecture times but it just wasn’t feasible, even courses we registered at different times and for which a computer will randomly group students into various classes put us in one class so our schedules are alike. Who said it was bad? It is good! Because we study together, when one doesn’t want to study or is being somewhat lazy, one drags the other to study. It is a whole experience, we go to the market, buy foodstuffs together (both financing…who said the guy has to be the one to bring money, when you both do it you value each other the more), we cook together ( oh sure I know how to cook)…

I’m sure I’ll write on the blog when our baby (love) reaches 50 years and we’ll be celebrating our golden jubilee. All the best in your love life.

 

THROUGH MY IVORIAN DIARY 2

Ok! Ok! People my girlfriend just reminded me that I have to write about the second part of my diary. Remember my first one
I miss the food. I remember the second day I got to Ivory Coast my Uncle Isaac & I went out to buy this Ivorian dish, ‘Atieke’. I hesitated on seeing the food looking at the location and the kind of hands handling the food. OMG! It was gooooooooood. I just can’t explain the composition. When you travel to the place one day and believe me you should. Try the Ivorian dishes but not too much though. You see Ivorians love sweet things and so much, in fact almost all their dises have a lot of sugar, oil in them. That makes them so tasty but bad if taken over repeated times. Yuuuuuuuuuuuuum-yum! Ok I’ll try to explain, it is like cassava that has been gotten to look like ‘gari’ (do you know gari…oh boy don’t get lost) you just have to come to Africa or maybe lets use rice then green pepper, onions, and tomatoes are sprinkled over it. it is so good! I realy feel for some right now. LOL. And you I miss their fufu although I don’t really like it that much because they use ripe plantain, which makes the whole thing sweet. Normally in Ghana we use the unripe ones and that was what I knew. This new one was different but then again I was all in for different. They usually had both people making the dish sitting down or then only one person did it. The sitting down part really didn’t go well with me because in Ghana the pistil was heavy, theirs was very light. Someone passed a comment and said, Ivorian didn’t ike to work too much and so tried to make everything easy hence the ripe plantain which was easy to pound and the light pistil, makes it all easy. Then there was this meat being sold all over the place, roasted meat…gosh! I miss those so much. It was so good! The first day I was like, ‘what is this?’ and before I knew it I was saying, ‘can we buy ‘meat’?’ like I said, go to Ivory Coast. Well as for eating, I ate a lot, I grew big when I was there.

I miss the teachers and workers who names I can’t begin to mention. There was Micahlord who came later when I was there, Richmond, Elizabeth (who left later), Aunt Cecilia (the assistant headmistress- she was like a mom and a fried at the same. She was one of the very first people who helped me get familiar with the place), there was Aunt Mercy, Xavier (I don’t want to say weird but yeah I said it and still coming up in the English language), Uncle Parkis (I didn’t really see much of him there except during exams because of the photocopies), there was Uncle Joe (I miss that guy, very funny, very welcoming, open, like a brother and he will tease you, I mean T.E.A.S.E!), there was Aunt Mary (omg I heard she’s married! IS that true? I use to work with her and Aunt Dorcas (another mother, always looking out for me) and Araba and the other lady I can’t remember her name in the canteen, there was Sylvester (the hard-working, no-spending funniest grade 4 teacher), and there were the two we-will-worry-Edwin-Liberians or is one Sierra Leonean,Jack and Taylor (those two are a pair), Aunt Louis, there were the hardworking drivers, Konan, Ambrose, Bartholomew, Francis, so many! There was Jules (who worked in the library, I loved his company, loved talking to him about everything, I miss him a lot maybe because he was working in the first lace I worked when I got there but he left when I was there, there was uhmm so-so-so many workers, yeah the nurse, she was always very nice and very persistent. I miss you all.

I miss my uncle Isaac. If there any one on top of my I miss list. He would be on top. He encouraged me to come the first time and he always made the place interesting for me. there were times I so left like going home back to Ghana but he always made me feel at home and now I’m actually missing the place today. Hmmmmmm. He is the main architect. He is one in a million, no a gazillion For all he has done for me, taking me round, helping me with the French, taking me to meet people, going place, shopping, eating lots of meat. LOL. He is the best. He is soon going to marry, I wish him all the best and a blissful married life.

I especially miss the family I lived with- the Takyi-Mensah’s. I loved that family so much. They are so generous and I know that God keeps blessing them because of that. They are dedicated to work, to God, to helping people, etc. My Aunt Vivian and her husband the big Uncle Dan made the place a warm place always. They didn’t make me miss my parents to much or feel too free to be far away from home because they were my parents, always watchful. They placed the cherry on my stay in Abidjan, they made the place feel warm for me and welcoming. Always a pleasure to be in their company, always! And I will always thank them for making me experience my first air flight trip. Thanks!

I miss bugging my cousin Adom the most. Oh did I tell you that Adom, the graced is with me on the same campus. Amazing huh?! I miss bugging my cousin all the time, everytime, so much so that my Uncle Isaac also kept saying jokingly, ‘you people are cousins oh!’. Uncle we knowwwwwwww! I used to bug her for food and when it came to washing dishes after meals, she wasn’t really a fun and I didn’t mind washing and so I did them or started and then Aunt Vivian came and told her to take over and stop making me wash and then Adom will later get a little angry at me for always washing. ‘ as if she didn’t like, I did then anyways. She tried to be pissed! now she’s here, I haven’t really started bugging her but I will, soon!

I miss Tonton Jean and Tante Christie. They are an amazing couple. The man is the administrator of the school and he used to live in the same house with the Takyi-Mensah’s but they later moved out to their own house and that was closer to their workplace so it was cool. Tante Christie and I always used to quarrel over who was her first born, me or Adom. She always sided with Adom saying she got to know Adom first. She said, “Adom est mon premiere bebe’ and me the second. She was like a mother too. Hmmmmmmmmmm I miss them so much, I haven’t been able to call her since I got back. I know they are fine. I pray that all their prayers come to pass.

I miss the French movies and television. One thing that will definitely help you to study a new language is to watch a lot of their television programs and movies, specially those with subtitles to begin with. It helped me a lot. In a situation where I couldn’t get English and everything around me was French. The first day I got there and put on the television and they started speaking French and I switch the channel and the next too was French and I didn’t understand a word. Maybe because I was too busy sayig, ‘is this what I’m going to be hearing all the time’. The most annoying part was that there had only two channels, all French and when one was boring and the other too was boring, you were stuck. For DVD French movies I had a sturdy collection of those. I miss then. Now sometimes I watch movies with French subtitles and even French audio, if it was an original DVD. You could always switch the language. Over there in all French land, I missed English a lot several times. I thank God I was living with an English family and then I grew to love BBC in English and French (with French I had no option than to listen)

I miss the students. The students were one of the best part being there, from the little ones to the big ones. Of course they are students, you will definitely have a couple trying to be stubborn. It was really funny sometimes seeing some students trying so hard to be stubborn…and of course the nerds, the brainy, the average, the not-so-want-to-school-type, the-my-parents-forced-me-to-come-to school ones, every kind. I really liked being in their company, especially in the canteen. I can say that now because I miss them. Certainly not when I saw there. Come on! Seeing those kids do running around, and not listening to instruction was so frustrating sometimes. I even wondered whether I was like that sometimes. I don’t think so. I was a very good kid. What?! LOL I sure can’t wait for you to blow my horn. of course I had favourites with the little kids, there was Nadia, Cecilia, there was Rohit, Faikat (she was the first kids I had conversation with. She was in grade 4 then in summer school. She came to the library and I asked her to help me with French. She said okay but never really helped. Of course she was a kid, shy and all), there was Aurelia (always couldn’t stop searching for me, she practically asked me not to go back to Ghana but stay with her in Abidjan. I promised coming to see her some day. She didn’t like it but she agreed.), there were so so many Marie-Christie and all the many others. I also miss most of the big kids, I can’t say I do miss the stubborn ones that much… I can’t mention names, otherwise I won’t be able to finish.

I miss Saturdays. Those days were somewhat the laziest days for me, of course if I took Sundays out. On Saturdays I always started by washing my clothes, then after a while Uncle Isaac and I went to work. Some parents loved coming on Saturdays to find out about the school but the number wasn’t too much. Many times you could get only one or two and so browsing the internet almost 24/7 was so on. I miss browsing all the time so that I even got tired of the internet a number of times. Did you hear that? MEEE, got tired of internet, totally untrue! lol. And then some Saturdays after work we didn’t go straight home, we went to shop, see around Abidjan, complain about my uncle speeding (you can’t blame the man he loved to speed) I seldom sat in the house on Saturdays to watch movies and eat lot.

I miss the public transport. OMG! Their day-to-day buses were like a death trap. The buses’ bodies were locally manufactured. I remember seeing, AFRICAUTO on almost all of them. I began to wondered if it was a company that manufactured the bodies. They needed to be checked. The bus so light that I felt it could topple over and coincidentally the drivers of all of those buses loved to speed. I don’t blame them it had big roads and few cars. Those we need in Ghana! (anybody listening?!!!!) I miss having to play over what I’m going to say in my head in French the moment I got into the bus, where I was going to get down, how much? I did that all the time when. Of course you still had your normal rowdy bus conductor jumping on board the moving car and the fairly old tattered clothes. You just need to see the bus. They called them ‘Gbacar’ Is the spelling right?
I so miss that place. I have to re-visit that place. I miss Abidjan.
THE END!

 

WHICH PEOPLE MAKE YOUR DAY?

I can mention a thousand but the thing is some make my day today, tomorrow they don’t but these two make each day for me a lovely experience- God, my creator and Vida, my girlfriend. I don’t know if there are people in your life who just make your day even when they are rebuking you or loving you. Surely it has always been God first who makes each day beautiful for me. They are the persons if I go through my day without talking to my day is not complete. God is always first, Vida knows that and no-one can take His place. Let’s say there’s a day I haven’t talked to Vida (hmmmmm has that happened before? ) it is a not that easy but I can manage to go through the day but God, I can’t, it is a struggle. A great struggle! It’s like I’m not living, just existing. I feel so empty. I can’t go through my day not talking with God, not even having a thought about God. He is there always for me. He’s always talking to me, directing my every move, every step and every action. A day with my God is a wasted day. As much as possible if I wake up at dawn I talk to him for about 45minutes to an hour thanking Him and asking Him for my day’s agenda. Sometimes He tells me to go further for additional minutes to stay and talk with Him. There have been many times when it’s difficult to get out of bed at dawn so Vida and I pray over the phone to Him. I have tried days without talking to Him, I felt totally useless. I’m saying I couldn’t make it through. Oh trust me the day will surely end and you would have done something but not your best. You might feel ok but deep down you know it is not good enough. Pal, maybe there are some things you can do without including God but trust me it is the best option to include in everything you do. EVERYTHING! He just makes it simpler. Look, you have tried days without God, but I want you to try just one day with God and see the difference. Don’t only put God in the beginning like at dawn or when you get out of bed. Talk with Him through the whole day. “I know God is there and all but I don’t believe I can hear Him speak,” you say. Right now stop reading ok and say a short prayer. Come on! It isn’t difficult. Tell Him if He really speaks, you want to hear me speak to you. Tell Him you can’t go through a day any more without Him but He should open your ears to hear His voice to direct you, not just once but always. Sometimes you don’t need to hear a clear voice (although He speaks in that way too) you have an inner feeling, an intuition, or an open mind concerning something. That will be God directing you. I’ve said it several times, don’t limit God to church and a certain hour, take Him everywhere and talk with Him, on the bus, at school, in the office, the kitchen, the bathroom. You don’t have to close your eyes, just talk to Him. He’s always listening and talking back. It’s now you turn to listen after all the talking. I have come to listen and talk to Him all the time. I’ve made it a habit to talk to Him. When you feel like you can’t go on, you feel it is too difficult, the job is tedious, the problems are weighing you down, what is before you is unknown and rare, you just don’t know what to do, say a prayer to God- talk to Him- anywhere you find yourself. Remember He’s always there. He is there to make life easy for you. Why go so far by yourself and then you lose your energy before you come to Him? Start with Him and take Him along, He can show you a simple and less tedious way to do it. Without God my day is never complete. Someone said, “There’s a God-shaped vacuum in us that nothing else can fill except God.” You probably have everything going for you but still fill unfulfilled, empty…look no further, God is what’s lacking. You either never started with Him or you left Him half way. Either way my friend, it is never late with Him, just talk to Him and say you’re sorry for not taking Him all the way. If you haven’t accepted Christ as your Lord and Personal Saviour then you have to, ask someone to direct you. That’s all you need, and that’s what’s lacking. Believe me you’ll fill most fulfilled. Now the second person, you makes each day a lovely experience. Vida’s someone I can’t also go through the day without talking to. She’s my inspiration to continue doing what I do. It doesn’t what goal or aim I present to her, she believes in me and knows I can do it. Onetime she said, “sweetness you can do anything you want to do in this world…” I have written many blog posts and other things because of her. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be any inspirational thing she’d say (as a matter of fact it never is any inspirational thing she says) it is her nature. Every part of her sends a signal of inspiration to me. Sometimes I just need to hear her voice or receive a message then I’m at ease. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all rosy! We go through difficult times of misunderstandings but we come out as quickly as we go in. You don’t always have to wait for the one at fault to say I’m sorry, you do it. Vida is so quick to say sorry for anything she does. Sometimes I even complain about the number of times she says it in a day. Look pal if you ever wronged someone in any small way, be quick to say sorry and let go. It isn’t worth fighting for a long time, over what? No one really enjoys fighting and quarreling, just that everybody wants to be strong headed and strong hearted waiting for the other to admit fault, so go ahead and admit fault even if it isn’t you. The one who knows he is at fault knows himself, he just can’t admit it so when you accept you’re wrong, over sometime the other person gains respect for you, even if they don’t tell you, they do. I didn’t say stoop so low and be trampled upon, be gracious in admitting you’re wrong. You don’t want to send the wrong signal and say you’re easy to step on and go away. Next time they won’t wait for your apology, they’ll offer it. Then you can talk to them about their behavior and correct it. I can’t go through the day not finding out what’s going around her. It doesn’t matter if it is the minutest detail. I love to wake up in the morning and pick up her call, or give her a call right before I snug out of bed and say good morning and tell her how much I love her and just listen to her. My day sky rockets after hang up. Let’s say my day is gloomy somehow when I wake up, one hello from her turns it all around. Oh boy and then there are times when she just ‘frees her mind’ about me, people and other things to me. There are times when she talks against certain of my actions and behaviours. Hey sometimes it isn’t pleasant coming from my sweet girlfriend but it is better because she won’t lie to me. I’d rather prefer her telling me what I did was wrong or what I’m about to do isn’t the best than someone else because she knows me better. It is straight up front and then she would take her time to advice me meanwhile watching my man ego carefully no wanting to inflate or deflate it such that when I tell you she is 6 months older you won’t believe it when you saw us together. I mean come on! Isn’t far better to have someone who loves you so much and knows you well enough and isn’t afraid of your reactions to tell you in your face when you’re fault? She knows even though it is hard I’ll think about it and accept it. A day without Vida isn’t a lovely and motivating one. Do you have the two people like I do who when they talk to you and tell you know how much they cherish and love you, advice and rebuke you, it doesn’t matter the disaster or obstacle comes to your way, it becomes a walk over? I’m sure you do. Well for me they are God and Vida. They always make each day for me a lovely experience.

 

THE LOVE TALK

Ever had someone (human) in your life that is so special to you that you always wanted to be with and never dream of ever losing. I know usually that person is probably so close to you and could tell your every mood, move and every action when others would not be able to determine. I don’t know about that person or people for you but I know that my girlfriend is that person for me. Yea, yeah, yeah go about the “ohh young people in love, you’ll know when the harsh realities hit your face” speech. I know bro. I know harsh! Difference is…when they come, are you willing to go over them or let them go over you. Are u still with me? Better stay with me on this ride.

So I met this wonderful, outwardly-shy, inwardly-outspoken beautiful, warm-hearted lady in the university. Started out as friends and you know how they roll out. Everything of course cannot be that rosy and all that but I said, ‘are you willing or are you not makes all the difference’. Of course we love each other to bits. Sure I say that boldly hitting my chest If you want all to be rosy, it would be a fairytale but amazingly we don’t live in a story book where the story is written, we write the stories in the one, this LIFE. Vida and I (prefer to call her Videy. She said her name Vida sounds too raw and not nice) sometimes do fight. Opps! She says we are not fighting…technically we really don’t. If you’ve watched the Matrix, I’d say we just free our minds about things. Of course we can’t agree on everything but we respect each other’s view on things. We have this thing: actually she brought it up. We don’t get angry at or with ourselves past midnight. Everything has to be settled before another day. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez! We definitely don’t want to carry old stuff to a new day. And since Videy brought up that idea, of course we certainly do argue but then again we certainly don’t argue past a day.

Now it has become so difficult to hold anger for even an hour, because like for me it is not easy staying away and not talking to her. Damn! Just for a sec I miss her so much. Then imagine not talking for a day. Whoooooooooooosh!

Hey I know love is a whole subject you can talk about for days and days because everyday is a new experience but how willing are you. Everyday is like a new lesson. Hey ladies if have a guy who loves you more than himself, don’t blow it! And guys if you got a lady loves you in spite of yourself- your ego, behaviour, flaws, background- DON’T BLOW IT! The rest is up to you to work out the maths. If anybody has someone who makes them better than they were before, don’t let them out of your life. Better to have them as friends than nothing because they add to. Love should also add to you. I don’t know for what reason you’re in love whoever you’re in love with but I know this: one reason should definitely be that they make you better than you were.

I remember once, Videy made a statement when we were watching a movie. She said, “is like we are not even shy of each other any more.” I hadn’t thought about that though but it is true. Love is being yourself around the person who means so much to you.

Being you + Being me = Being Ourselves (basis for love)

Well varsity is not vacation and every time I think of her since we don’t get too see each other that often. LOL don’t get me wrong…it don’t mean when she around, I don’t. We talk but I don’t really get to see her as much. We live far apart but once a while I go there. I’ve been there recently and I’m still planning to go.

HANDSHAKES! (Don’t worry there are only two people in the world who understand this) lol.

 

Trip To The Mountains

As a sit here to write this early morning on Monday which I gladly welcome, I must tell you the truth the weekend for me has been hectic, amazing and interesting, all packaged in one.
This weekend was when my grandfather, the late J. K. Koppoe was buried. All through the laying in state, burial and thanksgiving, it was great. Great to see all those family members of old who assemble only at times like this. Hey! I even had the chance to see my mum’s elder brother who arrived from the States to bury his dad, my grandfather. Sometimes you know what I dislike about occasions like this. I’m sure you know. When the old folks see you all so grown up and manly now they keep recounting your baby days and never let you stop hearing it. People who took care of me when they came to visit back then when I was a baby see me and ask whether I know them, of course I don’t. How could I? They send me on assignments to find out who they are. When it is one person it could be very annoying then imagine several.
Anyways that’s not what I came to talk about…because this has nothing to do with trip to the mountains. Ohhh my grandfather was buried close to the sea and it was nothing to do with mountains, I know!

On Saturday which was the same day for going to bury grandfather finally was the only day in the month too when the family could go visit my sister at school. It’s an all-girls’ boarding school and visiting is allowed once a month, so if we missed this one, my sister would have to wait till April to see a family face again. Everyone was tied up in the funeral so I volunteered to go see her and send her things to her. My cousin Ben joined me. I know what you thinking. Why should my sister be at school when it is her grandfather’s funeral? Well, there’s this strict protocol with those schools: if it the child has to leave for a funeral it has to be someone very close, either her siblings or her parents. (period) nothing more so she couldn’t make it.
What was interesting about this trip was that was that my girlfriend always wanted to go see my sister, her school and just get out of the boring campus on weekends…lol. So knowing well she’ll like it I invited her. She initially didn’t want to go because I was going with my cousin but everyone in my family’s cool so she later decided to tag along. Even my cousin also didn’t want to go because he said we would put him in the back seat but he changed his mind…hmmm I wonder why?
My sister’s school, Aburi Girls is on the mountains. The journey there was nice, we were all talking and eating and laughing in the car. I was so happy Vida decided to join us, trust me it was worth it; having your woman sitting by your side on a long distance journey, oh boy! It’s good! You know the thing with travelling on the countryside in Ghana; no traffic and lots of free space to speed on but mind you; it could be dangerous with the sharp curves on the mountains so watch it!
My sister was so happy to see us since she was expecting us let alone three people. She came running and jump on me but no way, the girl had become too very to carry. I wonder what they feed them with. I though confinement in school and bad food coupled with the so many learning hours makes you skinny, (it made me) but…ohhh no, not for her! She hadn’t meet my girlfriend before and vice versa…long story short the two of them walked to my sister’s dorm laughing and talking, I wonder what about? Hmmmmm on the first day…well I’ll let you be the judge of that. When I asked them what they were saying they all declined to say something. The game is on now, huh?! We took pictures and all with some of Edwina’s friends. (Yep! Edwina is my sister’s name. I know don’t let us fool you, we aren’t twins. It represents more than that, A BOND) the picture taking was good for me because Vida always had excuses for not taking pictures, and my sister asking her to join us…sure she couldn’t refuse. LOL
It indeed turned out to be a great time for all the four of us. We meet so many of Edwina’s friend and yeah her school mother too, Lily. Oh I miss my sister’s loud voice. Anytime she saw her friends and wanted to call them to introduce them, shouting was no problem. I teased her that in a program she wouldn’t need a public address system. It was also great because my girlfriend finally met my sister and saw Aburi. Trust me if I hadn’t gone with her, she wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. I still remember the previous one…oh boy! My cousin also met up with some of his school mates (my cousin is in Senior High, but with his school its different. He took permission to come home for the funeral).
My sister really wanted to meet all the uncles and aunts. I guess they would have to pass by and see her. Then again that will be a whole string of permissions and signings, maybe sometime later. Sorry sis.
Could you imagine? I asked my sister to give me a peg and she declined saying Vida will give it to me for her. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeees! Now they are pulling stunts too on me already! Opps! We had to be getting back to the funeral. I was sure they had finished with the burial, dad called to confirm and we had to say bye to the girls and leave. You know that’s one thing I would remember this hectic weekend by, the string of those moments. With me everyone’s happy, I’m happy! Then we are back on the road, and my painful thigh had to drive too soon and Vida reminding me that when I wear my seat belt means I’m about to go turbo fast and then she buckles hers. Care to join?!

 

Veracious Vida

She’s like a pearl you find in muddy waters which on first sight you might not realize and ignore as ‘dirt stone’ in the mud and forever lose the value of a wonderful experience. I always thank God I found her. The way the whole thing happened was…was…:P I’ll let you be the judge of how it started. I can’t find the right words yet.

It was a bit tricky for Vida and I when the issue of relationship came up because she wasn’t really sure I had gotten over my ex-girlfriend. Honestly I knew I really hadn’t and I didn’t really want to get myself involved immediately but I defied all odds and asked her out. I know normally people would claim it as wrong because nearly a month after my ex-girlfriend and I broke up I met Vida. Not to say I hadn’t seen her already? I mean come on she’s in all my classes…we were not that close and if you know me, you would know how easy going I am with people. We were always annoying each other bit by bit.

The climax was when one time when at home for the weekend, I had a message from Vida. Mind you I had never called her before and we never had messaged each other. I had always said I would go and see her when I met her on the campus but never really went. Then I received a message from her saying, “Edwin where are you?” I don’t know why but I got worried. Don’t blame me…:) you probably would have done the same thing. Someone you are not that close to, sends you a message on a Sunday morning asking you where you were? I got worried, I called and there was no answer for several times and that made the whole thing so serious. I got back to campus the same day and went to her place immediately since I still hadn’t had any reply but she wasn’t around. Guess what I found her smiling when I was descending her block. Immediate thought: so as least she’s feeling okay! Of course she was surprised to see me there since I hadn’t gone to her place before and she asked what I… No! I didn’t wait for her to ask, I told her I was just from her place and wanted to find out how she was doing. I escorted her back to her room, she grabbed something of hers and she said she wanted to walk around. She loves walking, amazingly something that I do so often on campus because I never had the time or maybe I hadn’t thought about it.

It’s an amazing walk; we started by annoying each other, rather funny sort of. We always do that! Before anything I asked her what happened and she sent me the message that morning. You know what I vowed never to overreact to any message again. She had just sent the message to verify if I was on campus and wanted to know if I was at the Joint Service. Ohh you should have seen my mind to know what I thought. LOL. From then we sat on what people like to call ‘lovers bench’ and talk the whole night off. I really talked about so many things she couldn’t believe she was telling me but she told me anyways. There’s a lot of opening up and all… that semester I had raised up the topic of going to pray with so many of my female friends, some denied, some just said, they can’t go with me, others, time factor. I asked Vida expecting the same response like the others and she agreed just like that. She didn’t know how we were going to do it but she agreed. I pray on my own almost every night on this field on campus most people go to pray on in the night and I just wanted to make another person prayer conscious, that’s all. After that first night that we TALKED, Vida confessed that she couldn’t believe that I actually came because of the message she sent…and that, it was sweet. Well I went to her place every night and called her to go and pray and up till now all those who know us know we still do. If you actually called around that time I won’t pick up…send a message.. the miraculous thing about us praying was that Vida had pray to God that He should send someone to her to help her get her prayer and spiritual life back on track so… ok ok time to sleep…

To be honest, I hadn’t really gotten over my ex-girlfriend when I asked her out, we both knew that but a strong woman she was, she gave us a chance after careful thought. Say it was the stupid thing to do but I found happiness and true love again and everyday I love her and would die everyday if I had to prove it. ohhh before I forgot we still take the walks and talks always!!!! Te quiero mucho!

 

Got Lost Before?

This Monday turned out to be the most unplanned, annoying, fun-filled day. Just relax a bit; I’m going to let you on it in a little bit. It’s crazy, it’s big… You ready? Ohh come on calm down ok ok…I SAID calm. Ok just teasing you a little bit.

              It started all last week, no probably even the Friday when I ended this semester and she asked me whether I would be able to come meet her. Well, I would have just I hadn’t thought of it yet. Opps…my bad! She? She’s is my girlfriend…who else? Anyway, she even initially felt I would probably not want to come see her because of the distance but trust me with the experience I had on Monday, distance isn’t going to be a problem anymore, I’m damn sure of that!  Well she kept wanting me to come see her especially last week, she had moved to her Aunt’s place at Spintex, a little closer to where I’m staying. I live in Dansoman. (The places are tows in Accra, Ghana. – if you are familiar with Tema, Accra, Dansoman, Spintex places in Ghana, this one will thrill you but I promise it will be the same even if otherwise)

               I called my friend, Plange from school, we were what you call room-mates back in high school, and his birthday was Friday. He said he was going to have a little get- together of some few old pals back from school and some of his friends on this very Monday I was going to see Vida.

               Normal day, normal life on Monday: I had to go to the bank earlier to get some money to buy petrol for my car. You ever had the feeling before on the road that you were supposed to use one road especially but everything points to use another tough you don’t really know where you are going, and a bit confused with the directions given. I’m I making sense. Ok, I’m saying, that Vida, my girlfriend, was directing me to her Aunt’s place, right? And then with the directions she gave me pretty matched with what I already had in mind but was all wrong. You know what she said. I should pass by the Accra Mall and just follow the cars. You know where I ended up? In Tema! I hadn’t been there before, Tema I mean…but you know the signboards too I saw pretty much agreed with her direction and my assumptions, and went on the Tema motorway instead on going to my right to Spintex and you know the damn thing about motorways they are so long that you have to be driving at 100mph if you really want to get somewhere. Somehow I felt I was lost…when I had gone through three roundabouts instead of the just one she mentioned. I called her and I told her I was at VALCO roundabout and she told me to go a little forward to KPOGAS… Ok…a little revealed nothing like coming to KPOGAS, I called later to say I have ended up in some Presbyterian Church in Community One. Guess what she said, “ohhh Edwin you’re in Tema.” Darling please…as id I don’t see that written all over. “Wait, a sec. did you pass in front of Accra Mall or by the side.” Ohh I pass the front. “But I meant the side, I told you to follow the cars.” Now, tell me guys how the heck I’m I to think the when someone says passes by a building, you pass the side and not the front, the front is more logical, right…and ohh the cars in front of me were all going to Tema.

                  So I’m like, “ohh boy I’m going back home, that’s if I even find my way back.” Bida, goes like, “you’re going home.” I was so pissed that was so lost, and not that but soooooooo far away from where I had to go to. I mean if you get lost near where you are supposed to go meet someone, that’s ok but this was way off course.  The craziest thing too was I was coming back trying to get back to the Accra route and hey I seek, to Akosombo, and I was actually on the road…Jeeeeeeeeeees! I could take that being lost this far out but on the road to Akosombo, that’s hopeless. At least turning back abruptly through the traffic, a sign board led me out. You know what, an advice, always, always, look at those one too many signboards, IT HELPS!

                   Back on the motorway, I resolved anyway to go see her…I don’t like failing at anything when I can make t right…but that right didn’t come easy. It meant I had to top up the tank again. Yea sure, I mean come on! Tema-Accra…I had to get petrol again. If you in Ghana you would know that most people will consider Accra-Tema as travelling! Anyway, I managed to come down before I saw her in the long run and of course the road to her house was so shorter then Tema, certainly!

                  Seeing her, her lovely face and all that brought a sudden calmness…although she could be annoying and sweet as well…love that! She had redone her hair, now some light brown colour now (you know me and the hair)…she looked beautiful but she was always like that…nothing taken. Well after some time, she agreed to go with me to a friend’s party…Plange’s? remember? At least she met some of her old school mates. Party was small but was full of laughter and much talking from me and pictures, tons of food…still wish I could have finished what I was given. (I hate those things with parties, you just can’t eat a lot, your stomach miraculously is full though you know normally, you eat more than that ) In the long run the day was fun for me…I mean hey a day spent with friends is cool but Vida alone is incredible now add that to the equation of friends!

 

You know what being lost, now thinking about it was actually fun. I remember this guy who was selling in Tema, I asked him where KPOGAS was and he said, “not far from here, just go straight and it near ECOBANK” Dude I was lost in some place KPOGAS couldn’t have been…and mind who you ask for directions too, huh?