Everyday life

“For he is not known by argument but by what we do and how we love”
-Richard Rollie














-Does charity involve feeling?
Maybe I fear for my soul
When all I long for is emotion.
I wonder why we were given such vices when assumed salvation
Lies in deprivation,
Or at least that’s what I read.
Perhaps it’s the path set for each,
Some solitude, others communal.
Although I anticipate the absolutes,
I wonder if some were meant for egos
Because I cannot deny the freedom that partakes me
When I stand under the rain
That is mercy.
So take away my feeling
And in that deprivation I will only feel more
Of what we all long for.
I do not believe in a heart absent of its palpates,
Nor a God void of tears.
For only love can so move humanity to vigilance
And a God to create such as that.-

Hello everyone. Or I should probably say Akwaaba (“You are welcome”) since I’ve been in Africa for three weeks now! Things are going well. Language classes have been intense but I’m thankful that our sweet instructor is patient with us. It’s also nice that my host family speaks the language that I am learning; they were right (whoever they are) when they said the best way to learn a language is to be submersed in it.

I suppose there’s not much to update although I feel like that explanation is inadequate. Many things have happened, I suppose I just don’t know where to start. Things have calmed down into pretty much an everyday routine, which is becoming normal for me, which is still no explanation to you. So I suppose I will take you through an average day here in the town of Forukrom where I reside.

Wake up: 5 am.
If you are ever thinking of coming to Africa you need not bring an alarm clock. The world wakes up here about 4:30 am, although the roosters usually rise around 2am. I can be awaken by a number of things: sweeping (yes, the sweeping of the dirt), the goats, the “where do you go” song my brother likes to listen to every morning, known also as the night at the Roxbury theme song, my mother (who stands at my door and yells my name, it usually comes out in a sort of one syllabal noise that sounds a little like “Brea!”), the clanking of pots and pans, chanting, the rain (my personal favorite), the churches singing, people yelling, or lastly, all of the above.

Contemplation: 5:10-5:30 am
This is when I lie in bed and decide what I should next. Do I run? Do I try and go back to sleep? Do I read? Study? Yoga (yeah right…but I think about it.), Laundry? Usually I decide to run. I’m not usually a great morning runner but I have a route I go that takes me directly into the sunrise, so it’s worth it.

Bath: 6:30 am
So I wouldn’t normally talk about this but taking a bath here in Ghana is a bit different than in the United States and I get a lot of questions inquiring about the process. Basically you take a bucket, put water in it (and I have amazing sisters who heat up the water over the fire), take the bucket to the wash house, and then splash yourself. A lot. I’m sure there are other methods to this. I’ve heard of some lifting the bucket over their head and doing the pour method, although then you take the risk of dropping the bucket on your head and frankly, I’m not willing to go out that way. Others have a cup that they dip into the bucket, and then proceed to pour in smaller increments, I believe this is how most do it and I think it’s generally a good way to go about it. I don’t have a cup to use though. Which is fine. So I splash.

Then there’s breakfast…
Food in Ghana…now this is a whole other issue. The food itself has been great. The portions on the other hand are outrageous. People here can eat pots of rice, a whole chicken and perhaps an entire yam in one sitting. The only thing is that no one is fat here. Because they are able to accomplish this they think that white people should do the same. They feed me and feed me and when I can’t finish they take it so personally that I’ve begun to hide the food in my room to eat later. When they see that I’ve finished what they’ve given me they clap and clap and say “You have done well.” I like it when they tell me this. Breakfast is probably my favorite meal and where I eat the most. I usually have bread with this peanut butter like substance (not as sweet and sort of crunchy), carrots, an orange, and two hard boiled eggs. They have this stuff called milo here that tastes like hot ovaltine. I’m a big fan of this so they bring a thermos of it in the mornings.

School: 8-5
This consists of lots of things. Four hours of it goes to language, the other part goes to more technical lessons (pardon the lack of excitement). Good stuff, but I don’t really want to write about it. We either stay in our communities or we go to Techiman for this time.

Home time: 5-Bedtime
This is the really fun part. This could consist of anything from playing soccer, learning how to cook, dancing, hiking, or pretty much anything else one feels inclined to do. I find that my family and I usually have the best conversations right after dinner when we’re hanging out on the porch. I really like these times. Sometimes my father takes me around to greet people, and by people I mean everyone in the village. Sometimes we just remain in the courtyard. They have many questions about America and some are very hard to explain given the cultural differences. Last night we went into a discussion about divorce. My father asked me why anyone would divorce in America. I told him there were a lot of reasons but to put it as simply as I could I said “I guess they don’t love each other anymore”. My father was very troubled by this and my mother even more so. He thought about it for a long time and then looked at me and said

“But love doesn’t end.”

And these are the moments you wish others were around. Moments where the simplicity of translation describes in four words what authors and poets have been teasing for centuries. As much as I miss icecream and a decent pillow I'm learning to recognize other things that suffice and as much as surpass. Things like kindness and conversations, the breeze in the mornings and my family's greeting when I return home for the evening.



There are difficult things as well. Very difficult things that sometimes seem like the only reality. But again, it's sort of a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute mindset that sustains sanity. I feel that I've talked enough for this blog. I hope all is well for you who are reading. I appreciate your encouragement so much, thoughts from home are amazing to read.



Be well