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| My residence in Korle-Bu at the University of Ghana Teaching Hospital. |
WARNING- This post may read like a journal entry, so beware the inner workings of a mad man in Ghana. That being said, EnJOY!
Growth- It’s all the rage! Everyone is doing it….consciously
or subconsciously, it’s happening. Which side am I on? Which side are you on? I
know that my inner-self has been experiencing this internalized process since
birth because I have always understood this world intuitively, but being here
in Ghana, I have witnessed a change externally. My thoughts have shifted from a
professed selfish focus to a more sublime tethering to humanity. It’s weird
actively engaging with one’s ethos, finding solace in life’s simplicity. I have
tacitly engaged my mature self and sought permission to abscond with values
only imagined by my precursor. Sproxil (my workplace) wasn't meant to
authenticate one’s being, but somehow, this anti-counterfeiting endeavor has
reflexively validated one of its arteries. (I throw in the medical reference in
honor of my current accommodations in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital). The sweet
irony is that in my youth, including undergraduate tenure, my singular aim was
to become a doctor. I mean, who didn't watch Heathcliff Huxtable engage
pregnant women with the charm of a toothless barracuda and day to him/herself,
“that’s what I want to do!” Regrettably, I won’t be Kedon Wilson, M.D., but I
can still embody the spirit of the Huxtables. Looking back on life, I guess
that is what I really wanted.
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| Little girl and her brother asking for money in the midst of a traffic jam. Poor in dollars but rich in spirit.Here’s to growing up and celebrating life…. |
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P.S- I wrote this blog entry before I went out for an
evening at one of Osu’s local hotspots- Shisha Lounge. I sometimes have these
random musings that I feel the need to capture. Because this is a
travel/educational blog, I am going to close this by saying, when in Osu,
definitely visit Shisha Lounge.
Oh, and by the way, this past 4h of July weekend I took a
trip on to the northern region of Ghana (where all the good stuff is, lol).
This was a seriously interesting trip that was to see a group of us Michigan
students visit Kumasi, center of the Ashanti peoples and culture, a Kente
weaving village, and Mole National Park, one of Ghana’s pristine pleasures .
Kumasi is the home of the Ashanti king, whose palace is located in the center
of a bustling quasi-city atmosphere. With the trip being planned, there were
expectations of seeing the king in full regalia, fully adorned with what
happens to be pounds of gold. On top of that, we were primed to experience a
real African safari with lions, tigers and bears (oh, my)! Well, actually, there are no bears in Africa, that I know of, but we were excited to see some of the local wildlife, and we did in fact get to see some elephants, antelope (kop), warthogs and baboons. One baboon was actually daring enough to venture towards our open van while we were standing outside (pre-safari) and attempt to steal our belongings, while carrying her baby on her underside. Being a group of Americans, we were all naturally startled, but a quick thinking, and acting, worker at the lodge chased her off with a broom- talk about getting up close and personal with nature. Speaking of getting up close, our safari tour guide allowed us to come down off the safari jeep and take some pictures near three feeding elephants, two of which were male bulls. Check the pics below....
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| Elephants galore! Inner thoughts- "Please don't run me over Mr. Elephant" |
Aside from the safari, we visited a small village on the way to check out a monkey sanctuary, where we could feed the monkeys and engage the local culture. Being the softy that I am, I naturally gravitate towards the kids, so we had some fun learning some local dances and just having an all around good time. I think they had as much fun with us as we did with them.....
Until next time, challe (local word for brother/sister informally)!
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