User Profile

Hi! My name is Barbara and I am the mother to three beautiful bi-racial children. Their Dad is from Ghana, and I am a white American. We are living in Ghana for almost 3 years now. Before moving to Africa, we lived in Maryland for over 10 years.

Sean is my oldest at 11, Michael is almost 8 and Alexandra is 5. They attend school here in Ghana, where Sean is in class 6, Mike in class 2 and Alex in class 1. The school system is very rigid here, and the curriculum and standards are much higher than those they would have received in public school in the states.

We all miss certain aspects of life in the United States. For myself, it's my family, my Mom, and sisters and brothers are all in the States, mostly New Jersey, where I'm from originally. As for the kids, they miss.... constant TV and cartoons, fast food, Chuck-E-Cheese, Toys-R-Us, Nintendo, etc., etc.

Life in Ghana is not always easy. Right now the country is experiencing a power shortage problem, due to the low levels of water in our dam. Consequently, every 60 hours, the electricity is turned off for 12 hours at a time. Food is a bit different than we're used to, but the kids have adjusted fairly well, and I supplement with my own American style cooking. One thing I've had to adjust to is making things from scratch. You can't always find what you need, and substitutions stretch your imagination. But I think I've become a better "chef" as I make home made spaghetti sauce, with fresh tomatoes, herbs and wine, and home made corn muffins and cinammon bread and even pretzels!

My husband is supposed to be retired, but he never could stay home and do nothing, so right now he is a lead consultant for a governmental committee that is studying ways to improve the salaries and emoluments of the President, VP and other high ranking members of the Public Service. I am an ex-banker, with a degree in Finance, and I help him in his consulting, usually by being a sounding board, as well as the unofficial editor of his documents. It's all very interesting, but sad to see that the governmwent pays their elected officials so poorly, as it definately does not discourage corruption.

Anyway, this is just a little blurb to let you know about us. I found this website by accident, but am very happy that I did. You all seem like a wonderful group of friends, and I hope I am able to contribute in some small way.

Barbara