Homemade Fufu

Well there is not much new to say today...maybe I should have spaced out all of the new information. :) Tonight we went over to the Vogel nest for some REAL fufu. Real refers to the fact that Charles smashed the cocoa yams with a long stick and a wooden bowl. It was wonderful, and I took pictures I will put up later when the electricity is working. Fufu is like a dough, but consists of smashed yams. They are large balls and are considered the dish of the area. The balls of fufu are in a large bowl with soup. Tonight the soup consisted of crushed peppers, tomatoes, some other ingredients, and tilapia that was bought at the market. The tilapia was dried, and the meat is very good! It does not have the fishy taste that I am not fond of. The soup has a consistency similar to what you would see with strained chili. Also, in the traditional way we ate the fufu tonight, we sat around a large bowl with the fufu and soup, took some of the dough with our right hand, dipped it in the soup, and ate it. The tricky part was that you do not chew the fufu, but simply swallow it whole. I was able to do this, but sometimes I would forget and they would laugh at me. The clinic is going well, we are still in the OPD, but tomorrow is one of our last days before moving onto vitals and consultations. Tomorrow is a national holiday known as African Union Day. I am not sure exactly what it is, but some people don't work. I don't mind working since I wouldn't know the difference anyways. Twi is coming with time, but still have a long ways to go. Gretchen and I are the only white people around the village, and it is kind of a weird feeling to walk and have small kids stare at you and yell abrunee!! (this is white lady in Twi) I also had a little girl at the market look at me, scream, and cry to her mom which was a little sad, but once again we are adjusting! Tonight I began using my filtering water bottle so that I can take the water, and drink it without constantly using up plastic water bottles. So far so good! I guess we will see how I feel tomorrow. Well, that is all I really have. The electricity is out again tonight, but hopefully this will not be a common occurance. I am learning a lot in the morning devotions at the hospital. The entire staff is to come to devotions around 7 am every morning, and I am enjoying the messages, even if they are shortened translations. There is great devotion spent on prayer every morning, and a faith in God's provision in guidance that is very inspiring to me. God is Love. Abby