Tuesday 19 April

Feeling a little nostalgic

I wake up this morning missing family, friends and London.  I update my facebook status to ‘Missing London’ and receive lovely messages from friends throughout the course of the day.   I browse yahoo news.  Scorching weather for the bank holiday weekend is predicted.  Timings for the Royal Wedding have been revealed.  Ah! I’m not on the guest list for the Royal Wedding, but I will miss the great party atmosphere which will be milked by Londoners no doubt.

Muzungu or not

There’s also one other thing on my mind.  It’s about my expenses here, and the need to be frugal as I only have myself to depend on when I’m back in London.  Much like the perception of Muzungus here (ie that all Muzungus are rich), regardless of colour, I fall into that category as I’m volunteering (forget the fact that I’ve worked hard and saved over several months).   I mull this over and all I can do for now is to be alert to others’ perception of me and be aware of their expectations.    As to whether I am willing to meet these expectations or not is another matter. 

My 'African' domestic skills are put to the test

When I get home today, Fiona my host mother asks me to cook.  She has bought some tilapia and wonders if I can make something with it.  In true African style, she assumes that I can cook.   Thank goodness I can.  Still I find it daunting in someone else’s kitchen and not being in control of ingredients to use.  However, when I start cooking she seems very interested in what I’m making and how I make it.  I realise now that that it’s an opportunity for her to experience a different cuisine from what she normally makes (which is varied and amazing food by the way).  I think she was hoping that I’d make a Ghanaian dish but that would entail me shopping for specific ingredients to make anything truly Ghanaian.  Instead, I stick with a modern European dish of fish and tomato sauce with onions (with an Asian twist spice-wise) which we have with homemade fries.  Cooking turns out to be a pleasant experience after all.   Fiona makes a massive salad with avocado and an amazing dressing to go with it.  We have dinner together with her son Nat.  They think the dish is lovely.  After feeling a little nervous about cooking earlier on, I’m happy with the result.  

A week later however, when I make this dish again, with slightly different ingredients, it doesn’t go down as well as the first time.  It's a lot more savoury and fishy, and not quite to my host mother's taste.  I like experimenting with food, so I'll try something else next time.