The stomach retaliates!

I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. I've spent the last two days recuperating from a nasty flu, which I hope is the first and last I get in Ghana. Monday afternoon I was sick at work and proceeded to have a rather embarrassing ride home in the trotro. I had to stop the driver and get out so I could be sick on the sidewalk while the bus load of Ghanaians stared at me in shock. Luckily, my coworker Francisca was with me and was very patient and understanding. We caught a taxi back to my place and I was then taken under the care of my amazing house mates. I eventually called the doctor, whose house we've been staying at and he gave me some meds to calm my stomach and my fever. Monday night was indeed rough but I managed to fall asleep. Yesterday and today I stayed home from work to get caught up on rest and try and keep some plain food down. If anyone recalls my the time I got the flu in Grade 10 science class or the summer I got food poisoning from Tim Horton's, you'll know how I looked and felt. I'm happy to have the ordeal behind me.

Unfortunately, I missed one of the bigger festivals in the neighbourhood where I work yesterday and today. It's called Homowo and it's held annually for the Ga people. The girls went and ate something called, "kpokpoi" (corn-based dish), a word that I've been trying to learn to pronounce the last couple of weeks. It always comes out "po-poy" and Ghanaians think it's hilarious. Whenever I'm in the HelpAge van and there's a lull in conversation, I say "po-poi" really suddenly and Nat the driver replies with "kpokpoi" and we keep bantering back to each other like this until we start laughing. If anyone driving by heard us they would probably think there was something wrong with us. Hopefully one day I'll have the opportunity to eat it and maybe when it touches my lips I'll be able to pronounce it properly.