Page 17 - Obruni In Ghana | Amber Lockridge

OBRUNI IN GHANA 15
broom and head for the living room. Then, like every morning, I bend over and sweep the floors in all the rooms of the house and the outside steps. Afterwards, I dust the windows and chairs. When I first arrived, this took me forty-five minutes and left me panting. Now I do it in thirty without skipping a heartbeat, the muscles in my arms standing out as they never have before.
At 6:00 I drag a bucket of cold water into the shower to take my bath. There are taps in the house but the water runs sporadically, never heated, and never in the morning. So bathing consists of cold water, plenty of soap, and a cup. On a good day, I've cleaned and primped and ironed my school uniform by 6:30.
The rest of my family is now up and about. My younger sister, Boatema, has left boiled oats on the stove and is probably out buying a loaf of fresh bread. My youngest sister, Abena, is a vivacious two years and is generally walking around screaming for my nineteen-year old sister, Maameaba, to come and bathe her.