Beautiful Christmas Eve in Singapore time, and almost in Abu Dhabi. :)
I couldn't really sleep on the plane. And this afternoon, I just slept, waking up to find Kenji snuggled at my feet. π
The day has passed... The night has come, and as I sit down in the still of the night, I thank God for the Ghana travels.
I have returned from a one-week trip. We talked about it some time in August, and it actually materialized. I wasn't quite sure if I should make the trip, as really, I felt quite tired with so many trips (and it was just NYC 2.5 weeks ago).
But looking back, I am glad I did Ghana.
The Ghana landscape that greeted me when I first landed - a smattering of very busy traffic and the locals selling all sorts of wares weaving in and out of traffic (all sorts - toilet paper, books, peanuts, clocks, clothes, toys, food and drinks...), the sand and the dust, the noise, the plantains and the chips.
Thankful - that I could stay at Sabina's place and got to experience a very local way of living, with prepared meals, with fufus and bankus and tilapias and very thick sandwiches.
Her place is beautiful -big and with a helpers' quarters, quite a contrast from the streets surrounding it. Even though there was electricity and water supply cuts, I just love the whole warm and hospitable experience. I so enjoyed waking up at 5+ am, sitting at the balcony, doing devotions, watching the school children and the goats strolling just below. And watching Liverpool together and eating together.
The contrast. Sabina's house and the surroundings.
I learnt about the very very sad slave trade - how the whole slave trade was fueled by the Trans-Atlantic exchange between Africa, Europe and the Americas, and how it started in Elmina (one of the slave dungeons and castles we visited) where actually, the Africans sold their own people, and where the church was involved in it too. Above the slave dungeons sat the church and the governors - it is very hard to imagine the kinds of torture and slavery. It is really hard to understand how deep and dark the human mind can get to. Reminds me of Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, and Steve is just reading this book - we discussed alot earlier during dinner.
The dungeons at Cape Coast and Elmina. At Cape Coast, 1000 men and 300 women were holed up at any one time and there was no way out. Those who survived were sent to places like Portugal, Britain, France and the Americas in slave ships.
The governors lived in these much nicer buildings built on top of the dungeons. This is a random candid shot of the R family - I didn't know I captured them in this picture too.
And the coastal fishing region now - picture taken at the place where the slave ships would take the surviving slaves to their destination.
And, I found MacRitchie at Kukum, their nature park. We took a hike and canopy walk. It was a great way to spend the morning. There was a school excursion outing too. I love the times spent just walking in nature, and also spending time with Robert's family and Nana. They are just really lovely folks.
I've also heard so much about the African church and got to experience a service for myself. Boy oh boy - there was so much singing and dancing. There were 9 separate "lessons" of bible verses and with each lesson, there was singing and dancing, and then finally, the sermon. I felt the church service was like physical exercise and later we learnt that this was a special service because it is building up for Christmas. And... they called all of us out to the front to pray for us too, and sang a Happy Birthday song for us (Happy Birthday because it was our first time at their church, and hence, the birthday for us at the church).
What exuberance and celebration inside the decrepit building. I learnt that 70% of Ghanaians are Christians and that church is big business here.
I enjoyed the deserted Bojo beach too. We took a small boat ride to the beach. The gals spent their afternoon in the waters while we adults chilled and talked about life while eating tilapias in the sand. Kinda chillax afternoon. The beach was really quite quiet, and there was a Chinese-looking couple doing their wedding shot. :)
I enjoyed the laid-back and non-rushed time basking in some sun, letting time slow down, watching the waters and the waves.
And with such coincidence, I got connected at the last minute to ESG colleague Ian in Ghana through ESG Dubai. He's been living in Ghana for 6 years, and we met at the most modern mall in our vicinity and had coffee. It was nice. I never thought I would meet a Singaporean here. He said there are 4 Singaporeans living in Ghana and he's one of them. :))
Certainly, this trip started with me wanting to see Sabina and her clinic. And I saw it for myself. Their healthcare, their midwives, their nurses and the staff. It was like a journey back in time. I also visited Sabina's father and had tea in the grand-daddy's house. :-D It was there that I met beautiful Nana, who told me that cooking is the way to the African's man's heart.
Of healthcare and nurses.
Tea with Sabina's dad, who lives in one of these units in the land.
And beautiful Nana. Nana means Queen in the local Ghanaian language.
And lovely Cheyenne, the youngest girl at 9, who started giving me hugs mid-way thru the trip.
Super thankful for beautiful Sabina and her hospitality. Unglam picture, but so what. :-D
Beautiful family that I thank God for. If not for them, I wouldn't have been on this trip at all. :) God is good.
Overall, this trip was so enriching for me. I had decided to on the trip only after NYC. I was tired. Maybe I was also a little stressed out after hearing some folks talk about how it could be unsafe in Ghana... but... I am so glad I did the trip. I found that race really did matter - it matters so much that discreetly (or indiscreetly), we found conversations even among ourselves during the trip to be about race and racial prejudice. I found myself, for the first time, so aware that I was different, from all the Africans, right from being in the plane to being in Africa. I found too - that because I was the minority, when I meet an Asian person, there would be that subtle acknowledgement. Many thoughts run through my mind - God's creation has been this way - the creation of the human race made in His likeness and image, yet so different in our outward.
I enjoyed the change in the whole environment very much. Getting stuck in super heavy traffic and getting stranded at a gas station one time without knowing when the next bus would be to take us back .... and at the same time, enjoying a hard-boiled egg. This kind of travel experience is very different from the likes of bustling cities like Tokyo and NYC. Without the conveniences and comfort, we can still be very happy and thankful. From my point of view, it seems that many of them are living in poverty, but as our vehicles bring us through the crowded streets of this coastal town, I still see them living life, doing business as usual, hear the radio blasting with loud music, see them sing and dance.
It's been a long write...
As the clock starts ticking, I know Christmas eve is round the corner. It is the best time of the year. Whether or not there are differences in mankind, there is still love, peace, hope and joy. In the darkest of all seasons, the love of Christ enters. :) This is why we can still celebrate mankind, we can still hold on to a hope of a better future. The greatest of all is love.
