Happy Halloween

Well, unfortunately, Halloween is a foreign concept to Ghana, which a few of the PCVs tried to rectify in Ho- costumes and all. I, on the other hand, had other plans. Last weekend, I experienced my first funeral in Liati. I know it may sound morbid, but what better way to celebrate Halloween than with a funeral?

Maybe I should first explain that funerals in Ghana are a little different than funerals in America. As an outsider, looking in, one could easily be fooled that you are just witnessing a big celebration. Family members and friends from all over the country gather in the village, there is music, dancing, food, booze, and everyone is dressed to the nines, either in black or red. And some people do come out for just the social aspect and free beer. But most are there to celebrate and remember the people that passed.

A lot of the time, there will be several funerals the same weekend, I guess to help those that have to travel. So this weekend, we celebrated three men, two were older, but one was only 33 years old. As a result, our funeral was a bit more somber since the man was fairly young.

So, I'm glad I was a part of this cultural experience, but i think next time, I'll probably crash at a friend's site that weekend. As far as other celebrations go, I'm having the Hohoe crew over this weekend for pizza, with REAL cheese! So Exciting! And for Thanksgiving, the American Ambassador invited us over in Accra, which should be fun. I bet the food'll be amazing. So, I am sad to be missing out of my American holiday traditions, but I thought I'd reassure y'all that we are still having a good time celebrating our own way here in Ghana.

Cheers, Katie