Funerals and hair cuts

So on Friday I went to a neighboring village (called Tamalagu) to attend a funeral ceremony.  The ceremony was for the chief who passed away. I asked when he had passed away and they said 5 or 6 years ago. In my head I was thinking "whaaat... are you serious? Why are they still have the funeral??" and out loud I said "Oh, sorry. God will help him to heaven." Classic Ghanian saying. And save for Diana!

Funerals last a week here so maybe I'll show back up again later. I'm not sure though because, once again, I was made to dance in front of the entire village. The whole "let's make the 'white' girl dance" routine is getting old. Still a lot of laughs were had and I survived with only minor emotional damage. No big deal.

I've come to learn though that while the funeral for the Tamalagu chief had just started, the funeral for the Tamale (capital of Northern Region Ghana, aka a big deal) chief was just ending. The chief for Tamale died 20 years ago. So apparently Tamalagu was ahead of the game. Sons and daughters take out loans to pay for funerals here! That's dedication man (and the culture of Ghana).

 

This is my morning running path. Check out my backyard!

 

So I cut my hair this past Wednesday haha...

 So here is your photo shoot of me. It was pretty difficult trying to cut my own hair for two reasons: 

1.I've never cut anybodies hair (other than my roommates pet dog twice) before.

2. I lacked a second mirror so cutting the back of my head was... interesting.

   

(In case you're wondering how/why I had the guts to do this, it's because I was growing a mini-fro. Sorry but I didn't take any pictures of that. Plus I figured if I really messed up I would just buzz my head again.)

 

Three people on a moto- common. I barely look twice anymore. I once saw 5 people on a moto (that time I looked 3 times). The father was driving and the mother was sitting way far back on the moto with their 2 children sandwiched between them. The mother was also carrying a baby on her back.

 Ghanian version of Mancala. Who needs a board anyway?

Also! If you want to see my village here is a link to it on google maps! Yapalsi Now you can see my roaming grounds.