Homesick for Ghana

It's been about two months since I've returned from Ghana, but a large piece of my heart remains there.  Almost every day I get texts from my "family" in Ghana.  I miss them all so much.  I have been meaning to write more posts about my transition back home, but, to be honest, it wasn't much of a transition. It was definitely nice to be back home.  I missed my family so much, missed my bed, missed my shower, etc.  But, I was able to get right back into the routine of life here fairly easily.  It helped that Kevin did an amazing job keeping the household running (and all living creatures inside said household alive and well!). I read that it can be overwhelming coming back home from mission or volunteer trips oversees, but I didn't have that experience.  I think because this trip was such a necessary part of my soul's purpose, everything seemed to flow very naturally.  I can't really explain it.  As I've told some people, I never really got "homesick" while I was away, and I never really felt like I had to get "readjusted" life back home.  To me, that is just confirmation that this was the right thing to do.

When I did get back home, though, it was glorious! The girls and Kevin came to pick me up from the airport. It was late, about 10:30pm, so the girls were falling asleep, but they were very excited to see momma again! When we got back home, they wanted to snuggle in my bed with me (though Evelyn told me to take a shower first--ha!).  It was amazing to snuggle next to their sweetness and kiss their faces. Evelyn said to me, "Momma, I'm glad you're home. Now everything can return to normal." LOL!

Now that I've had some time to think about and process my trip, I'm ready to move forward with next steps and figure out how I can help continue to support the school and library in Sekondi. I don't want this to be a "one-and-done" thing.  My thoughts have always been to start something that can continue.  Something small, but full of greatness!  I bonded with this community, especially with the kids, and I want to continue to support them. There are some tentative plans in place...stay tuned!

I have been asked if this trip "changed" me.  That's been hard to answer.  I don't think I've necessary changed.  I think I'm still the same person with the same world views and ideas.  I think the "change" in me happened over the last year when I began getting that nagging feeling that something was missing from my life.  I think the change happened gradually, slowly, before I even stepped foot in Africa.  I don't think I could have made this trip if I hadn't changed, in some way, before going.  I'm starting to get why the term "older and wiser" exists--I think as you get older and are constantly re-evaluating your life, you gain a wisdom that is almost impossible to gain without making mistakes as a young adult.  I feel more confident and self-assured now than I have ever felt. I am beginning to understand my purpose in this life and keep an open mind about opportunities that present themselves to me.  And I think I'm constantly changing.  I don't want to get to the end of my life and have too many regrets. I know I will have some, but I hope I can continue learning from my experiences and grow into a wise, old woman who can inspire my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren to live their authentic lives.  I don't want to limit myself out of fear, and I think this is the biggest change over the last several years.  I have two precious souls watching my every move--my daughters watch me and study me and I want them to see a strong, self-assured, kind, generous woman who isn't afraid to step out of her comfort zone.  I want them to follow their hearts and listen to what their souls are telling them. I want them to be smart and make wise decisions, but I don't want them to limit themselves out of fear.  I want them to do small things with great love as well as great things!  

 

It's so hard to say goodbye

I'm sitting in the airport in Takoradi, waiting to board my flight to Accra. I'm thinking about all of the people I'm leaving behind here and how I really don't like goodbyes. I never like saying goodbye, but especially to kids who don't fully understand that I have a life back home that I need to return to. The kids at the school were sad, especially the older ones. They kept asking when they would see me again. I told them that I hope I can come back next year, but they didn't like that answer! Lol! "That's too long!" they said.

At the school, I was presented with two beautiful African dresses and a necklace. It was such a thoughtful gift! I can't wait to wear them proudly once I get home. 😊

It also was hard saying goodbye to the family. I feel like I've been here forever yet not long enough. Of course, I expected that to happen, but it isn't easy anyway. Manny's sister was in from Virginia with her three young children, so I bonded very quickly with the kids. I hated saying goodbye to them, especially. I could hear them crying as the car was pulling away from the house 😢.

As much as I hate saying goodbye, I cannot wait to get home and see my own family. I've been lucky enough to video chat with them most days, so that helped.  But, in the words of Dorothy Gale, "There's no place like home!" And I can't wait to get there!

So long, farewell...

Today was my last full day at the school, and my last day at the library. I spent the day at school visiting the kindergarten classrooms and taking pictures of each class and teachers with my instant camera. This camera was a huge hit, as I expected it would be. It was quite a feat getting each of the classes organized into a group, though! The rooms are hot, small, and crowded; throw in the fact that  the kids still are extremely excited anytime I walk into their classroom, and you have a situation that most teachers would run from. However, all the teachers were so calm and gracious. I was happy I could leave them with a very small parting gift (though most of them wanted my camera instead, ha!).

Speaking of asking for what you want, one thing I noticed about Ghanaians is that they are very direct, and they are not timid or shy about asking for things. They will say, "I like your dress. Give it to me," though not in an intimidating way. Most of the time, I laugh and say something like, "This is the only dress I brought!" That's usually enough to let them know I don't tend to give it to them and they won't ask again. But, today I brought bracelets--that I packed to wear for the wedding--to the school to give away to the lunch ladies at the school. They would have fun asking me for things everyday or asked by me to take them back to America with me! Lol! They were so sweet and fun, so I was happy to be able to give them each one of my bracelets.

One of the teachers told me last week that she wanted to sew me a dress, so she took my measurements. Today she presented me with the dress she made--it was perfect and gorgeous! I changed into it right away (then asked if she would like the skirt and shirt I was wearing, which she did, so I gave them to her)! When I walked back out of the classroom in my new African dress, all the teachers and students were excited to see me dressed like them 😊. It was such a great day! What an honor to be given such a beautiful dress!

Today was my last day at the library. The older girls waited around to get pictures taken with me.  They also asked for stuff! Lol! So, I gave them the gum I had left in my purse and some note cards (Side note: gum is a hot commodity, apparently. That's the thing the kids, especially the older ones, are most excited to receive. I told Manny's nieces and nephews that next time I come, I will pack a suitcase full of gum!) We also tested out the librarian's ability to video call me through WhatsApp so that the girls can call me when they are there. I like forward to those calls 😊.

Tomorrow I will go to the school one last time in the morning. The head teacher said they have prepared a presentation for me, so I will go there for that. I will be flying back to Accra tomorrow evening, so will spend the late morning and afternoon with Manny's niece Portia, who will take me to the market to buy some things to bring home. Then it's home I go on Saturday! It's a bittersweet farewell. I am definitely ready to go home, but feel like I have so much more to do here. But, I know this is not the end. I feel like I'm just getting started! 😀

My multimedia debut

Today I was interviewed for local tv and radio. Because Andrew is the new member of parliament (MP) for this region, he wanted to make sure people knew what I was doing here and that I brought supplies with me. It was a bit uncomfortable for me, but went pretty well. However, the people who were interviewing me did not arrive until 2:00pm (it was supposed to be 10am, but I already explained the reality of African time, right??), so I was looking a hot mess, I'm sure. Oy. Anyway, they got some footage and pictures of me teaching the kids a song and passing out books. Hopefully, it turned out ok.

Aside from that, I spent more time with the older classes. I arrived at a class this afternoon without a teacher. I thought the teacher would be arriving any minute, but an hour and a half later I was still in charge. 😯 So I did the same thing that I did yesterday--taught some songs, read some books, answered some questions, and sang the national anthem. Overall, another successful day. 😊

Teacher Ewurama

Today I was asked to fill in for a teacher in a 6th grade class. Another teacher was sick so went home early. One of the 6th grade teachers was asked to fill in for the sick teacher, so he had me take over his class. Fifty 11-year-olds in one hot classroom--what an experience! These teachers have such large classes and very few resources. It's amazing what they do and how the students learn given the limitations that they are faced with. Because I was prepared to work only with the preschool kids, I really had nothing in my "bag-of-tricks" for the older classes. So, I taught them some of the songs I taught the younger classes and read some books. They didn't seem to mind; they were just excited to have me there. After I exhausted the songs and books, I said I would answer any questions they had about me or America. They asked the typical questions: where do you live? How old are you? What are the names of your children/husband. Someone asked if I've seen Donald Trump! Ha! Someone else asked me to sing the national anthem, so I sang it in my very best, baseball-stadium-worthy voice 😂. After that, they sang the Ghana national anthem for me 😊. All in all, it was a successful day. They call me "teacher Ewurama", which means I'm a lady born on Saturday.

After 2 hours of standing in a hot classroom and basically yelling so everyone could hear me, I was ready to call it a day. However, they were expecting me at the library. So off I went. More students showed up today, so it was crowded. They kids crowd around me, which makes it even hotter, which means I am dripping with sweat every time these kids see me. Not a pretty sight.

Hate cut this short, but I can't keep my eyes open any longer! Good night!

Another day to write home about

Another day has come and gone, and I'm still causing quite a scene at school. Today was spent going from class to class and teaching more songs. I also read a couple of books. However, because the teachers in the upper grades were marking essays in preparation for exams next week, there were a lot of children that were just hanging around not in class. Therefore, whenever I was in a classroom, there was a large crowd of children trying to see in the door or through the windows. The teachers had to keep swatting them away! Lol! It was exhausting trying to sing/talk/read over the noise of all those children.

In one of the classrooms, the kids were asking me all kinds of questions about my family and (of all things) my hair! They were curious how I wear it in America. I said sometimes I wear it down or straighten it out. They asked if I wear my own hair (as opposed to a weave), and were shocked to know I "wear" my own hair. One of them reached out to touch it, so I let them feel it. They were surprised at how soft it was. Good thing I didn't tell them I haven't been able to wash it properly in over a week! 😜 That's probably why it feels so soft, though! Ha!

During the morning break, the head teacher took me to the home of one of the supervisors of the school district. I had met this particular woman last Monday when she came to do a site visit at the school. She was showing me pictures of a new day care center she has opened in her home. She wanted me to come and see it, so we did that this morning. It was a nice facility; very bright and clean and airy. There are only a couple children enrolled right now, so it was quiet. One of the babies was frightened of me.  Another one was apprehensive at first, but ended up cuddled in my arms and almost fell asleep on me. She was the sweetest thing. I really enjoyed the visit. Also, the woman gave me lunch to take back to school with me. She gave me steak, mashed potatoes, and veggies--a good "American" meal! It was very thoughtful of her, and I was so touched. And the food was delicious 😋.

The library was a little less chaotic today. Older students were there studying for their exams, so not too much happened there. Helped with some homework (adding fractions, which I haven't done since whenever you learn to add fractions in school!), and helped with some reading lessons. Then it was time to go back home. Another day over!

Going with the flow

Yesterday was another busy day. It was the wedding ceremony, with the typical reception that we are used to in the States. The wedding was at a hotel in Takoradi, the next town over. The morning was busy for the household as they were doing last minute preparations and receiving visitors. I just tried to stay out of everybody's way. I mostly played with the children, sat out on the balcony watching the activity, and rested. In the afternoon, I got myself ready then waited to be told what to do. One thing that I've noticed (and was warned about), is that there really isn't a urgency to do anything within a set timeframe. They joke that it is "African time", meaning if someone says they'll pick you up in an hour, it could be 2 or even 3 hours later. It's a little annoying for me because I am someone who likes to be on time, if not early. It drives me nuts to be late to an appointment. But, I've been trying to just go with the flow and not get too stressed about it. I'm at the mercy of others here, so it's not useful to stress myself out over it. It's just how it is here. 😀

The wedding was a lot of fun! It was fun to see everyone dressed up, too. There was a lot of good food, freely flowing drinks, and great music. I felt like I was among family; it really was a great evening! I think I surprised people with my moves--they were shocked a white girl could have so much rhythm! Lol! One of the servers stopped me as I was leaving the dance floor to get a drink and asked if he could video tape me dancing! Hahaha! Hope I don't end up as a viral video on YouTube or something! On the other hand, they may have thought I looked like Elaine Bennis when I dance (if you don't know Elaine, search "Elaine Bennis dancing" on YouTube). 🤔

I felt like the wedding was a turning point for me in terms of my comfort level here. Because I've been around for a week, there are a lot more familiar faces. I feel much more at ease and less of a burden or intruder. It's not that I feel/felt like the family saw me as a burden or intruder. Quite the opposite--they've been so hospitable and welcoming. But, it's a lot to have a guest in your home, especially for two weeks. A lot more food, water, etc., to dish out. I am so grateful, but also aware of the extra work that goes into having a guest. However, last night felt like I was among family, and so I'm feeling a lot more at home. Two weeks is definitely a long time to be away from home, but I think it was a good decision to make this trip two weeks. The first week to get acclimated, and this week to really settle in and build relationships. 

Today was a day to rest and enjoy the sights from the balcony. It was a little less humid today, so it was very pleasant sitting on the balcony feeling the sea breeze. I love the ocean, and being so close to the ocean here is such a blessing. I feel most spiritually connected to God when I'm in nature, but especially when I'm near the ocean. It's easy to forget to just "be" when you are busy with the day-to-day stresses. I try to practice mindfulness, but it's hard to do when there are a zillion things to get done in a day. However, I find that when I'm near the ocean or on the beach, my body relaxes and my mind clears and I can just "be" in that moment and enjoy it. My favorite place to pray is on the beach, especially on a quiet, calm beach. The openness, the sound of the waves, the movement of the sea--they make me feel close to God. So although I did not go to church today (and I feel like I had a pass today because Manny didn't attend, either, and he's a priest!), I attended my own special, private service as I sat on the balcony looking out at the sea.

I ended the afternoon with a walk to the beach to collect shells with Calvin and Joe. Calvin and I were waiting all day for Joe to finish up around the house to take us shell gathering. I think I started a new obsession for Calvin 😀.  Joe finally finished around 5:15, so off we went. Today, we collected a ton more shells, as well as some stones and sea glass, so I told Calvin that later this week, we will spread out all the shells and divide them up between us. My girls are looking forward to getting some shells from Africa, and they won't be disappointed!

Well, now it's time for me to get some sleep. Another busy day at the school and library tomorrow!