Such is life...

“True grace is in forgetting; yet if pride could die in us, the supreme grace would be to love oneself in all simplicity as one would love any member of the body of Christ. Does it really matter? Grace is everywhere.”
-George Bernanos

10/24/07

Field trip.

Amazing.

That’s really the only word I can use to describe it. Actually, I can use many words: serene, beautiful, comforting…really I could go on but there’s no way words could justify. What is field trip? Basically it was just another chance to visit an existing health volunteer and experience day to day life along with various other activities. We left last Saturday for a town called Brekamonso. We arrived in the evening time and ate dinner and then proceeded to go to our place of residence for the next 5 days. We knew we were going to stay at a bed and breakfast type place but I’m not sure any of us were prepared for what was to come. We had to walk about half a mile to the actually residence because it was hidden in the mountains. We arrived in the main open aired bungalow that would come to be our place of hang out and saw hammocks, a wooden table, drums, and all lit up by lantern. The shelter looked out into the lushness of Ghana and the sound of waterfalls was a constant compliment. Because we were somewhat elevated the view was breathtaking, the breeze new and the stars were like I’ve never seen before. We all stayed in circular bungalows that were surrounded by vineyard flowers and palm trees and each night we sat by lantern and played drums with the couple who owned the bed and breakfast. It was not a big place, in fact, the ten of us filled it up and because there was no electricity we took showers by moonlight every night. It felt like something out of a movie, only we were really there. Our time in Brekamonso consisted of playing soccer against the village soccer team, teaching about malaria, visiting the clinic, planning lessons to teach at the school, eating orange marmalade, falling down waterfalls, good conversation, and for the first time it seems, actually being completely in Ghana.

10/29/07

Now we are back in everyday training. I’ve been a little more motivated in my language sessions and my family is having me do much more around the house, which is good to learn. It’s crazy that training is already half over. There is a project called SCOP that we’re all having to work on. Basically is it an event that small groups plan to help the community in which we’re staying. My partners are Alicia and Niall and for our project we are doing a play promoting acceptance for those living with HIV. The play is an adaptation of “The Point” by Henry Nielsen that Alicia came up with. Despite my hesitance, everything has gone incredibly well. Most of those who are involved in the play are JSS 2 kids, which are about 14-16 years old. They understand so much and are incredibly willing to try new things.

And they can dance.

Very well.

Needless to say, working on the play has definitely been a highlight.

Our next big event is site visit, which I believe comes up in about a week in a half. On this trip our counter parts (a person from our future village who is essentially assigned to work with us for the next two years) will travel to pick us up, and then take us back to our almost sites. It’s a very exciting time because most of us have not seen where we will be living; we’ve only heard small.

Small small.

Akrakakra.

Only a little.

Just a side note, English is fleeting here. Especially the English we speak in America. In a lot of ways it’s incredibly more correct and proper yet on the other it’s a little quirky and quite foreign. There is a certain accent one must obtain in order to be understood by a local and sometimes this “broken English” carries over to two Americans talking, which is quite funny. I write this only to pre-apologize for any future phone conversations in which you and I may have. I’m sorry for this.

11/1/07

Halloween was yesterday.
I feel that this is how holidays (if you can consider Halloween a holiday?) are going to go overseas. I’m going to sit down to write or perhaps look at the date on my phone and some little twinge will remind me that this used to be a day that at one point in my life…I celebrated something.

We did, however, have a sort of cook off shindig. Throughout training we have certain things that we’re evaluated on; one of these things is our ability to cook with local ingredients and in a way that will be applicable when we go to our sites, such as being able to cook over fire. So my group decided to bring a little taste of America to the black star country. Our dish was called the magical mystery melt (not to be confused with the magical midget that frequents this little town of Forikrum…another story) which consisted of tuna, mayo, cheese, vegetables, and spices all grilled to a wondrous perfection between two toasted pieces of sweet bread. For our desert we made a fruit salad consisting of papaya, pineapple, bananas, and oranges with cinnamon and dare I say it…a la mode style.

We rocked it out.

The deprivation of familiar foods is something I think we’re slowly getting used to here but it’s days like yesterday when you remember the beauty of cheese or the simple style of a sandwich and you vow never to take such foods for granted again. It was a good day.

It’s crazy the other things I’m finding myself appreciating. I love music. I always have. I brought a lot of music from home and I’m finding that I like it even more in Africa. Andrew Peterson for instance, you can’t really get enough of him here. Anyways, the other day we were watching a video at a home for children with mental disabilities. The place was founded and ran by a Dutch woman and her Jewish husband who is a retired actor and musician from Chicago. It was a great place and very unique to a culture that tends to shun those suffering from mental disorders. I bring this up in the music aspect of my blog because accompanying this video was sort of a collage of jazz tunes. I can’t say that I’m learned on my jazz really at all; but sitting there listening to the jazz piano and bass brought on this feeling of almost euphoria. I realize it’s a little odd that I’m writing about this, but this is only one example of something that seems just a little bit better in Africa. Somehow things seem more possible here in Ghana. Things that I would never consider learning about or trying suddenly seem in reach and fascinating. Maybe it’s because no one really knows me here; the things that defined me in America no longer have to be my vices and those things I feared to try could suddenly be things that I love to do…and perhaps am even good at.

And really, send me jazz music. Please.


Be well.