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Ghana Day #29:
Don’t Touch My Tabard

By 30th May 2018Travel

 

As a meeting was wrapping up, my (awesome) boss, Adwoa Beryl Agyekum (See Day#9 ), asked me whether the mosquitoes were not bothering me?

 

_______________________

 

Background:

 

For my first week in Ghana, I could not understand what the fuss was about mosquitoes. I had not come across a single mosquito.

 

But then it rained. And every puddle, in every open gutter, next to (both sides of) every street, in the whole of the Ghanaian interior turns into a mosquito factory.

 

And they all love me.

 

Their love intensifies, every evening, during my 5-meter sprint from the EchoHouse entrance to Richard’s car. During which time I am bit an average of 7.328 times.

 

And if I am not careful, they catch a lift and continue to show me love all the way home.

 

 

_______________________

 

In a nutshell:

 

Yes, the mosquitoes are bothering me.

 

_______________________

 

I told Beryl this. And she contributed my daily 7.328 bite quota to the swamp next door to our office.

 

There is a swamp next door to our office?!!

 

Which made me ask: “Has anyone at the office ever had Malaria?”

 

This was met by blank stares, from everyone in the room, followed by peels of laughter.

 

“What?…”

 

Turns out every single person at the office has had Malaria. Several times.

 

This piece of information made me levitate to my handbag and dig ferociously for one of my 27 Tabard sticks.

 

 

 

Because up to this point I had assumed that malaria could be found in Ghana. Somewhere. Up North, maybe. In the jungle. If one looked really hard.

 

But no, Malaria is as common as.. well, a garden-variety Charlie (See Day#15 ).

 

I wonder if one can eat Tabard..?

 

 

 

PS Thank you Lila for my cute little Tabard Guardian! X

 

PPS I asked Guru Richard (Knower Of All Things Ghana) what the first signs of Malaria are. Richard responded: “You know the other day when you said you had something (a fever blister) on your lip.”… O.M.G.

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