Canopies, Castles, Commercialization, and Chronicles

Yesterday was our tourist day. Since half of the team will be heading home on Friday, we wanted to have a good bonding session and see a different part of the country. So we headed west along the ocean to Cape Coast. When Obama was here a couple weeks ago, he went there, too. There is an old castle that was used to hold captured Africans before they were taken away to work as slaves. It is also the sight of a major national reserve, Kakum Forest.

Cape Coast was about a three hour drive from Accra. I'm really not sure if it actually took three hours or if it was significantly more. I slept through most of the trip and time is mattering less and less anyway. So the moral of that story is that it doesn't really matter how long it took. We went to the forest first and it was pretty intense. There was a little museum at the entrance that explained the area a little bit and some of the animals that live there. Apparently there are forest elephants that are a lot more sneaky than regular elephants. You're more likely to see them at night or in the early morning (and when there aren't large groups of screaming schoolchildren there), so we didn't see any. We entered the forest with a tour guide and she took us up a path and eventually to a little hut. The hut was attached to a rope bridge that stretched to another treehouse in the distance. One by one we went out on to the bridge and it would sway back and forth with each step. At first it was fine, but as we went from tree to tree, the bridges got progressively higher from the ground. We were way, WAY up in the canopy of the forest looking at the beautiful thing that God created. Terrifying, yes, but beautiful. Finally, after seven bridges, we reached another hut that took us to the ground and to the path.

From there, we got back on the bus and went to the slave castle. It was getting later, so the castle was no longer open, but we still walked around it and climbed on the rocks along the ocean. It was sad to look at - gorgeous scenery spoiled by a building representing one of the great human cruelties of the world. Things like that are important to see, though. It helps us to remember so that history will not be repeated. The tragic thing is that slavery really does continue to this day; it just looks different and has changed locations.

Climbing along the rocks, we all got some pictures of the water, the beach, and each other. Four of us, Matt, Tom, Briana, and I, were standing on a rock that was at a pretty high point. We were getting shots of the waves crashing into the lower parts of the beach and splashing up onto the rocks. Suddenly we noticed a larger wave coming in. I knew it was going to be a great picture when it hit. Then I think we all had several realizations at once, though some of us more quickly than others.

1. The wave was coming very much in our direction.
2. The rocks we were standing on were wet.
3. We were about to be very wet.

Matt and Tom booked it and escaped with only minor splashes. Briana and I did not. Briana managed to turn enough to just get soaked on one side. I was still taking a picture when the wave came up and the camera finally snapped about 13 milliseconds before I got soaked, so I have a pretty sweet shot of a wall of water. We all had a good laugh and I enjoyed the trip back to Accra without a dry spot on me.

Today, some of our team that had not been out exploring quite as much as Matt and I wanted to go out and get some gifts for themselves and for people at home. We met at the Navs Office and from there got into two taxis to go to the Accra Mall. This was a slice of the western world on the African continent. There was still a good amount of Ghanaian paraphernalia, but with the movie theater and Nike store, traces of American life were there. I did peak in the pharmacy while I was there and compare things a little bit. There were some things that I hadn't heard of, but for the most part, there were a lot of the same products, just with different brand names. At the mall, Matt and I did score a couple hot Ghanaian shirts. So be excited for those to make an appearance in the US.

I had a couple more stories from the last two weeks to share, so I thought I would pass those along to you now, too.

Paul the Security Guard
Matt and I walked to the football stadium one day to see if we could find a schedule of games. We were peaking around the building and not really finding any type of schedule. Eventually, we found our way to the main entrance and there was a security guard sitting there, checking cars as they passed through. We walked up to him and asked about a schedule. He said some things and I honestly didn't follow very much of it, but he was very friendly. He introduced himself as Paul and we gave him our names. He did say there would be some kind of game/event/celebration on Sunday, and we thanked him for the information. He then asked if we would be there. We weren't sure so he asked a few more questions to try to pick a day that would work for us. Finally, he decided it would be easiest just to give us his cell phone number and we could call him any time we had questions. We took down his number, thanked him, and left laughing. Can you imagine a security guard doing that at home? Ghana is great.

Empty Coke Bottles
One day, Matt and I were in Central Accra, where the business district is. We had gone just to look for a bookstore and familiarize ourselves a bit. Before we left, we decided to get a couple Cokes. So at the first stand we saw, we stopped to buy two. The lady said, "twelve thousand," which really threw me off. You have to understand the currency in Ghana to follow this. The currency in Ghana had become so high at one point, that it was ridiculous. One dollar would equal about fifteen thousand cedis. So, to make things easier, they changed their currency by making ten thousand old cedis equal to one new cedis. But people still use the numbers interchangeably, so you have to think about it sometimes. And, when I do it in my head, sometimes I forget that it's a ten thousand to one conversion, not a one thousand to one. So, making that mistake, I gave her twelve cedis (about eight dollars) for the two cokes, all the while thinking, "Wow, this seems kind of steep, but she already opened the bottles." Graciously, the woman explained my error and returned my money to me. She gave us our two glass bottles of Coke and we walked off. We got in a taxi. We arrived at home. We went in to talk to Gina. Her eyes were big when she saw the bottles. She asked, "How did you get those bottles?" We told her, somewhat confused, that we bought them in the city. She said, "Yes, but they let you keep the bottles?" That's when I remembered that they usually take your bottles when you're done, because they get a significant return on them. The whole interaction with that woman had been full of grace. Not only did she return what could have been a big profit for her, but she let us take a large chunk, if not all, of her normal profit by letting us keep the bottles. I know it seems small, but that's a pretty big deal here. I'm not really sure why she decided to do that, but it was nice.

Water On, Water Off
Bathing, brushing your teeth, and flushing the toilet are games of chance here. I'm not complaining, I just think it's a funny scene every time and a good bit of perspective for us with constant and abundant access to water in America. The water turns on and off without notice here. And I'm not really just talking about a couple hours here, a couple hours there or on this day, off that day. Often, when I take a shower, the water turns on and off about three times. So, most times, I just use the bucket method that we learned in Swedru, although the accommodations and lighting are significantly better. It's actually a very fun and refreshing way to shower. And to brush your teeth. Flushing the toilet isn't always as much fun or as easy, but hey, it's a mission trip.

Snapshots in My Mind

We just got back from a fun weekend at the youth camp this afternoon. We had a great time hanging out with the high schoolers and university students and really got to grow close to some of them, which was awesome. The camp facilities were a definite luxury. It reminded me of the place we stayed in Guatemala; the dorm facilities had these great courtyards in the middle of them where we could all just hang out and talk in our down time. And the showers were excellent :)

We played more of a participating role in the camp than an official leadership role, since most of the camp was planned out before we even came. But in the Bible studies and workshops, we got to share a lot with the students and they with us. A few of us, myself included, shared some experiences from our time in Swedru and some devotional thoughts with the group, so that was cool.

I realized the other day that there have been a lot of little stories that haven't quite made the posts as of yet, but definitely deserve mention. Some of them are kind of funny, others not at all. Since I have some time now, I wanted to share some of those.

A Walk on the Beach
Part I: Goat Face
Matt and I went for a walk the night before we left for Swedru. I was thinking we might just go around the neighborhood, but we soon decided to cross the main road and see what was on the other side. Turns out, the ocean was on the other side. After climbing down a small, trash-covered embankment, we were on the beach. It was a fairly humorous scene. Two white guys climbing down a hill of refuse amongst pigs and goats, all to dip our feet in the ocean. All the while, some nice old man trying to explain to us the best way down. Pretty funny. We got to the water and it was relatively warm. We walked along the beach and came upon an even funnier sight. A boy, probably about 14 years old, was dragging a goat by its hind legs down the trash mountain. The goat was very much alive and was being dragged on its face. I like animals a lot, but this was too funny to feel bad about. The boy and his goat reached the ocean and they both went in together, the goat face first. I have no idea what that was about. A bath maybe? Either way, hilarious.

Part II: A Year in Prison
As we walked along the beach, numerous people came up to greet us. We stuck out a little. Everyone was very friendly and all of them parted company with the same word of caution: "Do not take pictures of the castle. There is a big fine and you will go to prison for a year." This would be followed by a series of hand motions that would nonverbally reiterate the warning. We crossed a bridge (more of a balance beam) that passed over a sewage canal and found ourselves right next to said castle. By the way, we later found out that the castle is the current residence of the president, Atta Mills. Three fishermen, at least two of whom were drunk, were very happy to see us and kindly greeted us. They told us a lot about purchasing fish, and I'm pretty sure they offered us a ride on their boat sometime. Then they, too, gave us a lengthy warning about the castle. Admittedly, Matt and I both took pictures of the castle from a distance. Apparently there's a radius of safety. But try to keep that on the DL until we're out of the country.

Part III: Lost in Accra
When Matt and I left the castle, we found ourselves in a sketchy neighborhood. I wasn't really sure what to think about it, but there were a lot of kids out playing so I figured it couldn't be that bad, right? Of course, some of the six year olds invited us to gamble with them a couple times, but whatever. We had been walking for quite a while and we weren't exactly sure where we were in relation to our home by that point. So we stolled through the area, trying to find the main road. Along the way, we got several "Obama" calls. If you hadn't heard, President Obama made his first trip to Africa the week before we arrived and the country he chose to visit was Ghana. The whole country was and is very pumped about it. There are billboards everywhere that say "Akwaaba (Welcome) Obama." So we'd answer with a smile and a thumbs up and keep on our way. It was starting to get dark by this point. It's winter in the southern hemisphere, despite the 85 degree weather and 5000% humidity, and the sun sets around 6pm. So Matt and I were in a pretty rough place in the dark and, in all honesty, really didn't have a clue where the house was. We kept on walking in a direction that seemed right, relative to the ocean and went for a long time. We passed things that we recognized, but couldn't recall exactly where they were in relation to the house. After a little over an hour, I was feeling pretty confused and a little nervous, but never unsafe. For me, the main concern was just looking like an idiot if our host family had to send out a search party. People continued to be really friendly everywhere we went and I was confident we could get to the Navs Office, if nothing else. Matt and I were both praying that God would get us back. Finally, I recognized a building that was across from our neighborhood and we made it back alright. It was a little freaky, but a good adventure nonetheless.

Hands
Grandma McVeigh has told me on numerous occassions that I have very soft hands. Now, they may not be up to Alex Ogle caliber, but still, they're pretty alright. When we were in Nkum, the children would come up to us and just want to touch our hands (ok, so it wasn't just my hands). They were fascinated with us. I was told that it was a combination of our color and the softness of our skin that did it. In Nkum, life is hard, so much so that even the young children have rough, calloused hands. I was twenty years older than some of these kids, but our hands proved that they had endured much more in their few years than I had in over two decades of life. Theirs were hands that worked on their parents' farms in the jungle, that weilded knives to carve their own toys out of wood, and that lifted them off the hard floor each morning after a night's sleep. I'm OCD, claustrophobic, and not all that cuddly, but I'd put all that aside in a second for those kids to get a temporary escape in their captivation with our hands.

Crouched Around Bowls
I don't really know what it means to be hungry. I've missed lunches for Dental Care lectures. I've given up peanut butter for Lent. I've even fasted a few times. Sometimes my stomach even growls. So maybe I do understand what it means to be hungry, but I certainly do not know what it's like to go hungry. I have a picture in my mind that I will never forget and that I would never want to catch on camera. The third night we were in Nkum, I had some leftovers from my dinner. It was hardly anything at all, just the bones from my chicken wing and a little rice. So I went outside to scoop it into the trash. Godwin stopped me, though, and took my plate into the yard. There were children gathered there, as usual, but they weren't looking for high fives or a chance to be thrown in the air. They were hungry. Godwin gave one boy my bowl and told him to share, and then I watched as seven little kids crouched around my bowl to split what I was about to throw out. They shared. They were literally starving and there wasn't much food in my bowl, but they shared it anyway. There are starving children in Africa. I've heard that a lot. But now they have faces.