On 28^th November, we went to Kumasi, again. This time we went for Dr. Oppong’s 106 Year-Old Mother’s Funeral. There were about 20 people planning to attend from Winneba. The department arranged for a UEW bus to transport us all to Kumasi. We were told we should be ready to leave by 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning. The bus arrived early! We were not quite ready when it arrived at our house at about 3:45 a.m. The bus filled with about 14 people from UEW and about 6 who attend the Presbyterian church with Dr. Oppong.

The funeral was an interesting experience. First of all, the deceased passed away almost one month before the funeral. We learned that when people die, the arrangements usually take at least a month and can take up to several years. So the deceased lies in the mortuary for that time.

Funerals take place over a period of about three days, beginning Friday and going through Sunday or, even, Monday. On Saturday, the public part of the funeral that we attended took place in a huge courtyard of the Catholic Church in Kumasi. There was another funeral happening at the same time in the same courtyard! It was so loud. There were giant speakers blaring from two directions towards each other. I could not understand anything.

The funeral for an older person, like the 106 year-old, is seen as a celebration and a send-off. The mourners wear white and black. The other funeral was for a young mother who died early. This funeral is quite sad, because she has gone before she should have. The mourners wear red and black.

The coffin for Dr. Oppong’s mother was a model of a house. It was so big that it did not fit into the hearse.

So, the pall bearers hefted it up on their shoulders and carried it to the cemetery about a mile away from the church. We walked over, too, and saw the cemetery.

After that, we had lunch provided by a group from the Presbyterian church. I tried kenkey, a fermented maize that is pounded into a firm square and folded into a plantain leaf and/or corn husk. The kenkey tasted much like tamale, but much firmer and more dense. I had it with pepe sauce. It was served with fried fish, but I gave that to Frank. The kenkey was quite filling!

After lunch we went back to the courtyard at the church to meet and greet the extended family who were arriving from Accra and other places far from Kumasi. They did not arrive until about 2:00. We had made a collection from the UEW group and offered that to the family. The church group also made a contribution. Money always seems to be exchanging hands here – at weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies, and church services. Once the greetings were made and the money was contributed, we did a little dancing with Dr. Oppong. After the dance, we were able to take our leave and head back to Winneba. Frank counted 24 funerals on the way back! The bus ride was about 5-1/2 hours each way with about four hours in between sitting outdoors on plastic chairs. The UEW bus is no VIP bus, so our backsides were tired by the time we got home at 8:30 p.m.

On 21^st November, Frank and I went to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region to attend graduation. We were serving as Elijah’s “Godparents,” because his parents were unable to attend. Elijah came to Winneba on Thursday to make sure that Frank and I made it to Kumasi safely. On Friday morning, we caught a trotro to Kaneshi Station in Accra, a taxi to the VIP bus station in Accra, and a VIP bus to Kumasi. The VIP bus was quite a treat. This bus was roomy and stopped at a “rest area” on the way. This was a 4 to 5 hour bus ride, so that stop was nice. We were able to use the restroom, which cost 20 pesewa, and buy something to eat. This was the most comfortable public transportation experience I have had in Ghana. They do show a Ghanaian or Nigerian movie on the way and the volume is quite loud. Nevertheless, I was able to get some work done on my laptop on the bus, something that is nearly impossible on any other type of public transport.

Elijah has two brothers who live in Kumasi. We stayed with one, Aaron, and met the other, Daniel. We also met Daniel’s wife, mother-in-law, and three children. Aaron’s house was very comfortable and he was a kind and generous host. We had a large and late lunch, so we were not to hungry for dinner. Elijah and Aaron made us a lovely salad. Salads are not common in Ghana, so this was a nice treat. Aaron also has a car, so he was able to transport us from place to place.

On Saturday we went to the graduation. This differed from the one in Winneba, which was indoors. At the Winneba graduation, only the faculty, students, and special guests were able to sit inside the conference center. The families had to sit outdoors. There were tents and chairs set up for them. In Kumasi, the graduation was outdoors, because the conference center there is not complete. The graduation had a bit of a late start. There seemed to be many more people than there were chairs and tents. When the graduates would get up to go to the stage to get their degrees, people would take their chairs, so they had no place to return to after getting their degrees. Families were setting up picnics all over the campus and they were using the chairs for those informal gatherings. It was quite surprising and chaotic. The administrators were requesting that attendees please wait until the program was over before taking the chairs, to no avail.

Once the graduation was over, we went to lunch and then to the Ashanti Palace Museum. There is still an Ashanti King living in a palace next door to the museum, which was at one time, the King’s residence. There is a different price for foreigners and for Ghanaians. Because Frank and I have a residence permit, we were able to get in for GH¢4.00 instead of GH¢15.00. Perhaps, there are some perks to paying the $400 in fees to become a resident!

That night we treated Aaron and Elijah to pizza. They had never tried it. The pizza was okay. The dough was a bit sweeter than I am used to. We left early Sunday morning to catch the VIP bus back to Accra, the trotro to Kaneshi Station and the Metro Mass Transit to Winneba.

I arrived in Abujah where I exited the International Terminal. I had seen ATMs in the international terminal, so I thought that once I found my way to my next departure gate, I would be able to get Naira from an ATM in the domestic terminal.

I had to go to a different building to get my boarding pass to fly from Abujah to Benin City. As I walked into that building, a well-dressed man grabbed my receipt and my passport and went up to the ticket counter. I thought he was with the airline, but quickly realized that I had been duped. I kept my eyes on him, asked the security guard if he was okay, and waited for his return. He did and then wanted a tip. Of course, I had no Naira, Nigerian Currency, and no U.S. dollars. All I had were Ghana cedis, so I gave him GH¢ 10.00. He was not happy with me.

I set off and found my way to yet another building, which was the domestic terminal. As I entered, my bags were x-rayed. Then, I found my way to the departure gate. I was six hours early. I wandered a little bit only to find that there were no ATMs and nobody took credit cards. Fortunately, I had some shortbread cookies. I ate those while I waited for President Tinat to arrive. He arrived a bit after 2:00. Our flight was to leave at 3:00. We chatted a bit about what was to come, what the workshop would involve, and what my role would be. After we boarded the plane and found our way to our seats, he took a selfie and sent it to the ASLAN secretary, who posted it on the ASLAN Facebook page <https://www.facebook.com/aslin.nigera?fref=ts>

The flight to Benin City was short. When we arrived, we waited for our ride. Two lovely women met us and took us to the conference hotel. I was shown to my room and told not to open the door to anyone or to leave by myself. I ended up with two nice fellows who called themselves my security team. They came for me to take me to the hotel restaurant for dinner. I had beans, rice, and chicken. Way too much food, as usual. I went to my room and checked email and Facebook with a borrowed mobile wi-fi modem. Then, continued to work on my contributions to the workshop. I found that I had less time than I thought, so I was reducing the content.

The next morning, the “Security Team,” Michael and Stephen, (sorry, my photos are sideways…)

came to get me for breakfast. They took my order and then went to order in the restaurant. President Tinat and I sat outside trying to Skype with the woman from Sweden who would be giving a lecture during the course of the morning. We were having trouble with the connection. The hotel did not have wi-fi or even and Ethernet cable. As President Tinat went to prepare for the day, I did some troubleshooting with the General, as they fondly called her. I suggested that she pre-record something while we checked the connection in the meeting room. The connection was very sketchy. We decided we would give it a try, anyway.

The workshop opened and I began presenting.

Once I was done with that session, we logged on to bring in “the General” (how the woman from Sweden is fondly referenced). The connection was poor, so we quickly adjusted. She was only able to introduce herself and greet the conference attendees. Then she logged off and recorded the rest of her presentation on setting up an interpreter education program. Meanwhile, I presented a bit more.

The opening ceremony took place before lunch. This session included a panel with two head masters from schools for the Deaf, the director of an NGO called Charilove Institute <https://www.charilove.org/>, a representative from the Ministry of Education, the President of the Nigeria Association of the Deaf, my self, President Tinat, and a woman who directs a children’s theatre for children who are deaf. The children danced and signed music, then did a skit. Some of the panelists greeted the participants. Once that ceremony was over, we had lunch. This time I tried three different types of carbs (one made from cassava, one made from maize, and one made from wheat). I also had fish, rice, and a few slices of plantain. I was stuffed!

After lunch, I continued on and then we had a group activity where participants worked on what type of interpreter education program they wanted to set up. We had several different groups working based upon the General’s outline. At the same time, the executive board was meeting. I wandered the room to check in with the working groups and, when all were done, I got the executive board back and the groups presented. They gave all of their notes to the secretary. Then we were done with the business for the day.

At 6:00, we had a cocktail party where cookies, groundnuts, biscuits, and fruit juice were served. This seemed to be a new experience for most. President Tinat announced that we were not to sit down, we must meet someone new, and we must dance. It was a fun evening.

When I went back to my room, I continued to work on my workshops for the next day and checked email and Facebook on the borrowed wi-fi.

On Friday, I wrapped up my presentation. There were presentations by ASLIN members on topics, such as strengthening access to medical services, language acquisition, and “the way forward.” There was discussion and celebration. I was dressed as a Benin princess. I was given two wonderful plaques, one was an award for presenting and the other was a traditional Nigerian woman.

Many photos were taken and people began departing.

On Saturday, I went out with President Tinat and my security detail –smile – Michael and Stephen – to a market where I could buy a few traditional things. Fred (standing between President Tinat in the center and Stephen in the beige shirt left upside down — sorry!) kindly drove us in his car. The man in yellow is the artist. I bought a wooden sculpture of hands raised up in praise to God for Frank and a shadow dancer for my daughter. I bought a few other trinkets, as well, such as bracelets and bottle openers.

Once that was done, President Tinat and I set off to the airport, where we waited to leave beautiful Benin City.

Some of the things I noticed about Nigeria that are different from Ghana are the following:

• Between Benin City and Lagos, from the air, the terrain is open and green with water running through it, almost like a Louisiana delta; quite beautiful
• Roads are wider, with red dirt, dusty, with bigger potholes
• No goats, chickens, or dogs roaming the streets of Benin City
• Once one begins entering the airport, bags are screened numerous times – upon entry into the airport, at check-in, passing through security, passing through immigration, passing through the gate on the way to the airplane.