Easter Season and tailoring.


Last week was Palm Sunday.  There are many palm trees in the southern part of Ghana that receives a major and a minor rainy season.  But up here with one rainy season and a long dry season on the savannah there are only a few palm trees.  Still, there are enough to celebrate palm Sunday.

Palm branch woven for Palm Sunday

Palm ceremony under a mango tree by the procession to the mass.  Palms being waved by the people

The locals weave the palm branches for use at Palm Sunday mass.  Last Sunday we had mass in the village.  It was nice.  Today there will be Easter Mass in the cathedral.  Happy Easter to all.


Tailoring


 Tailoring is one of the jobs that people do in the area.  There are many tailors and seamstresses in town.  I have one pair of pants and ten shirts made locally.

One of Roger’s sons is thinking about training to be a tailor.  The typical way to learn the trade is to sign up as an apprentice.  A local tailor said he would train the kid for 300 cedis (about $80), two large spools of thread, and a bottle of schnapps.

I think maybe half of the sewing machines in town have an electric motor with the rest manual.  But that may be overstating it.  All are older models.  Some of the manual one use the treadle and some have a crank and flywheel.  I've seen motors mounted on a sewing machine originally designed for a treadle.  (I remember one from my grandmother's house like the ones I've seen used in town.)

The tailor (seamstress sitting in the back left) in her shop with four students.

One of their sowing machines.  The ones they use have the crank one the side.

A charcoal iron - just like grandma used I suppose - all the tailors I've seen use the heavy charcoal irons.

Health


I’ve started to develop a deep cough this week.  It is not my first time with a deep bronchial cough since I've been in Ghana.  It is not fun and it makes going to sleep difficult, but there is little I can do about it right now and it is not really serious at this point.

 I’ll see the doctor in about a week when I’m at the All Volunteer Conference.  This follows the typical Ghana Peace Corps doctor approach to give something two weeks and see if it goes away before coming all the way down for a checkup.  I don’t have a major problem with it, but it would be nice if I could just go to urgent care and then the grocery store for medicine.

Everything else is fine.

 Again - Happy Easter!  

Love always,

John

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