At the Wire!

What a nice day. Did little work as I chatted with various staffers saying goodbye. Kwame' came in and we had a final discussion. Then on to dinner at the African restaurant where we had guinea fowl (which tastes like pheasant only slightly smaller) so a good choice. Tilapia was also served and I had one last taste of that.

Attached is a pic of our dinner as I accepted a gift of an African shirt which the staff got for me as a going away present. I appreciated their kind words and their help during the last two months.

As I reflect over the last two months, the privations involved and endured were certainly tolerable. As an older NGO, I doubt that I could handle those difficulties that I hear the younger ones describe,i.e., no running water, no elecrticity, no a/c.

As for accomplishments, I have definitely advanced the free press, free speech agenda in various countries, the extent of which, however, will or will not be realized in the next several months and year.

I now close down my laptop and pack it for my trip home tomorrow. Sometime over the weekend I hope to make another blog. Till then....

Heading for Home

One more day in the office and that is it. Tomorrow the staff is having something at the office for me, then Kwame' and a few are taking me to a fine African dish restaurant to celebrate and have a few toasts, or at least I will do a toast to their generous hospitality during my stay.

Went to dinner alone tonight as my cook's last day was yesterday. Just as well... I told her to fix me a special African dish for last night so she fixed me Tilapia (three of them instead of the usual two) so I had six eyes staring at me while I washed it all down with Star beer.

And so it goes out here, as Linda Ellerbee used to say. Just another night on the obverse side of the planet. Can you here me Tommy across the ether? I am coming home.

Down the Stretch They Come!

One day closer. On the way home today the Accra DJ on the big radio station here announced that he was playing a song that signified a revolution in America; then the song "San Francisco" by Scott Mckensie came on and all of you who remember the late 60's will remember the tune. I do not know if one could say a revolution but things did start turning politically and in many other ways. The drug culture seems to have begun and unfortunately we have not figured out how to combat the terrible results that drugs appear to have caused. Well, thankfully, that issue or concern is not on my plate. I am trying to get all loose ends put together for my departure and am in good shape in that regard.

An observation...it has only rained twice since I have been here, once for an hour and once for a few minutes. I am told that the Dec weather turns even hotter and with more wind. In that connection, there is a wind on its way that is called the harmentun (phoenetic spelling) which they tell me is an orange mist coming out of the north, from the Sahara Desert. The orange color is due to the fine desert sand that comes in with the wind and gets on your face, on your clothes. and in your hair (not to mention,I assume your lungs). This maybe means that I came here at an ideal time weather wise.....See you in cyberspace tomorrow.

Dinner at The Dynasty

Rounding the Turn

Quiet day...I continue to enjoy the comments made to my blog as I get closer to going across the big pond. I went out to breakfast this AM, walking all the way. By the time I got there I was drenched, more as a result of the humidity that the 85temp. But the exercise was needed and a good way of getting it.

Tonight I am going out with the Betz and several other NGO's to the best Chinese restaurant in the city, The Dynasty. This couple has been a nice oasis for me and others and they will be missed by many, myself included. I hope to get a pic tonight at the restaurant to share with all of you.

I have something I need to say about the U.S. Embassy. It has been very helpful in getting our witnesses in the impunity cases into the U.S. by visa so that they and their families can escape a terrible fate here and look forward to a new start in the U.S. Now my hope is that we can get our Iraqi interpreters and those helping our journalists over there to be given entry to the U.S. without real further delay. Anyway, over here I appreciate what our embassy is doing for our witnesses.