Busy Bee Tree Canopies

A banana conversation I had tonight at the night market:

Me: How much are bananas?

Vendor: 1 cedi (.50 cents) for 4 bananas

Me: where do you get your bananas

Vendor: From Volta (5 mins away)

Me: who makes the bananas? (assuming that it was Dole or a company)

Vendor: the trees.

How do I even start a blog? I’ve been trepidatious to initiate due to the fact that I feel a mental stutter when I start to describe Ghana. Multiple times during the day I find myself gushing, “I live in Africa” or “is this real?”

I guess I’ll start from the beginning and share some highlights. They of course are scattered, just like my thoughts right now.

After a my loooong flight to Ghana I carried my suitcases which together weighed over 120lbs into customs I expected to get a thorough interrogation in customs, so I told my inspector that she should tell me what to do because I was, “new to Ghanaian customs” in which she replied, “okay! You should give me a hug!” I embraced my customs officer and was dismissed into the greeting terminal.

Ghanaians are truly the friendliest people in the world and I was lucky to be paired with some of the most open and loving spirits I have ever met. The ISEP crew is such a blessing. We’ve quickly banded together to form a loving family.

My first days were filled with an almost forceful acclimation into the Ghanaian culture. I went to the market and experienced an Indian like sensory overload. Disorder in order. Fresh fish and ceremonial waist beads for purchase were haphazardly organized in adjoining venues.

The Ghanaian accent was overwhelming at first, but as stated earlier the people are so friendly that they are happy to repeat their inquires over and over and over and over again.

ISEP was divided into small groups: Shadrack who lovingly refers to my group as his children has been my cultural guide to Ghana. He’s answered all of my ridiculous questions. Shadrack is a Pentecostal preachers son, he is taking us to church to meet Grandpa tomorrow.

Every Wednesday night in Ghana is reggae night, in which the beach transforms into a rastra soul dancing Utopia. Hundreds of people gather to dance and drink beer by the beach. At one point in the night I was standing on the beach, reggae music in the air and my feet in the water and I realized: I live in Africa. I spent the remainder of the night dancing until my feet fell off.

This weekend ISEP sponsored a trip to Ghanas Cape Coast, historically noted for slave trade castles. Have you ever stepped inside a structure and the walls seeped negative energy? The castle had slave dungeons and punishment cells. Hundreds of years have not washed the walls clean of radiating the pain of slavery. Visiting the coasts slave castles was so visceral I felt a heavy weight on my chest that was only alleviated by doing some Nina woowoo breathing.

After the Castle we checked into our, “botel” the Ghanaian term for a hotel peninsula. A crocodile lake surrounded the botel and during breakfast I watched some crocs swim in the water. The ISEP kids drove a bus into the rainforest. THE RAINFOREST! The national park is home to treetop swinging bridges, I scaled 5 brides at the tree tops. So beautiful.

Classes begin Monday.