Location

On December 26^th 2009 we received a warm welcome from Ibi at the airport in Accra. On December 27^th we then departed on our journey to Kumasi. Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana and is the home of Ibi’s family. Kumasi has a population of 5 million people. That is nearly as big as entire Switzerland!

Our first challenge that we faced here was the adjustment to the warm climate. The average temperature at this time in the year is about 30° C (that’s like high summer in Switzerland). We are loving the warmth and enjoying the sun, which shines every day!

We have had the joy to meet Ibi’s family. They are friendly and open people and live a typical African lifestyle. First of all, most of Ibi’s family lives in the same house we live in, not only his mother but also one of his aunts, two of his uncles and his nieces. They live very differently then we do back home. For example, they wash all their clothes by hand and not with a washing machine. Also, Ibi’s family doesn’t cook with a stove, but over a fire (they use coal and wood). One other difference is that there is not always electricity and there is not always water coming out of the tap.

Buying food here is also very different. Kumasi barely has any supermarkets (meaning there are no stores like Migros or Coop). All the food we buy comes from the central market. The central market in Kumasi is the biggest market in all of West Africa. It’s huge and very crowded. On this market you can find everything you want. You can buy everything from DVDs to fresh vegetables to soccer shirts to art to food.