Assalamualaykum: with love from Ghana

Assalamualaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatu. Alhamdulillah, Another ramadhan is here; a time to ask for Allah’s forgiveness and mercy. I am spending half of my ramadhan in Ghana this year which is why I haven't posted anything in a very long time. Ramadhan here is interesting and although humid, I don’t think it is any different to fasting anywhere else in the world as everywhere has its own challenges. But before I tell you how absolutely beautiful it is down here, allow me to seethe a little about the food I had on the plane.

If you don’t know or haven’t guessed by now, I do not just eat anything. Add lactose intolerance to halal and I give anyone who has the courage to offer me any kind of food a dilemma. So, I didn’t think it was asking too much if I requested a halal meal from the airline I was flying with especially since it was going to be a while before I was guaranteed another proper meal. Considering the flight was from London, you would think this would be easy (and maybe even cheap); but I was mistaken. The meal which turned out to be vegetarian (or even vegan) would probably make it to the top 10 list of the worst food I’ve ever tasted! Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against vegetarian meals but the only reason I never bother with them is because they almost always contain cream, cheese or both which I can’t have. However, this wonderful meal (meant to be rice with dhal) we were served wasn’t even salted. I wonder who made this food or what they were thinking, one thing is certain, that food was not tasted! The only explanation I could come up with was that the person added all sorts of spices(probably randomly picked from international aisle at the supermarket) that made the food inedible. I love spices,but when added to the meal appropriately and in proportion. It tasted like the herbal concoction they have in Africa that is supposed to be used for illness, because this food was bitter. If I wanted medications, I'd head to the pharmacy. I even persisted and tried salt & pepper but that had no effect whatsoever- may have even made it worse. It was not just my pickiness as another person who had the same meal would not even touch it again once she had tasted it. As I didn’t want to be sick before I’d arrived to my destination, I asked them to take it away.

Ranting over, simply put, Ghana is beautiful. Everything in it just reminds me of Allah’s Greatness. The town I’m currently in is a little town in the Eastern region  known as Koforidua pronounced "koforidia" and is surrounded by mountains which explains why there isn’t much sun. But the view is just breathtaking and no words can describe it and no camera can capture the beauty. You’d really need to see it to understand what I mean. The whole country has quite a number of water bodies with the different Volta rivers coming together to form the largest manmade lake, the lake Volta.

They have sea food in abundant here. They seem to have something special going on with tilapia fish as every restaurant whether local or international will have it on their menu either roasted or fried. You could imagine how hungry we were after about 30 hours without proper meal. So on getting to Koforidua we went to what was described as the most reliable and moderately priced restaurant in town according to a guide book. On the menu was a combination of local and international food; they even have the Ghanaian version of Jollof rice. I was not completely convinced about their fried rice though so decided to order the popular local dish called Banku (fermented corn & cassava dough) with fish and spice ( made of raw tomatoes, chilli and onions) which isn’t for the faint hearted due to the chilli content. The food although really spicy was very good except you could see the full set of the fish’s teeth which didn't deter me. One meal I’m still reluctant to try is their fufu (cassava/pounded yam & plantain). My aim is to learn some of the recipes so I can share them when I get back. Pictures will come when I get back also because for some reason, I can't post any.

So insha Allah we will all have a very productive ramadhan and may Allah accept all of our dua’s. May He forgive our sins and bestow his Mercies on us. Remember that although you’re fasting, it is important to still eat in moderation when you break your fast and not to spend the whole evening cooking or eating. A reminder that whilst you already know what you’ll eat for Iftar, some are starving to death. Remember the horn of Africa in your duas and if you’re yet to donate, then use ramadhan to get even more rewards by giving during this month as a appeals are still ongoing. It is also a very good time to think about some things you have thought to give up such as smoking as analysts have found that to make something become a habit; it takes approximately 30days which would make ramadhan the best for breaking or making habits. May Allah make it easy for us all (Amin).