A Spirtual Journey

I realize that I have not posted in awhile, but it has gotten increasingly difficult to take the time to sit down and write these past few weeks with all my activities and the internet not functioning often. In fact, I have not used the internet much at all except to check and respond to emails since that is my first priority, and it is actually very refreshing. I like not being dependent on it all the time and being forced to find other ways to occupy my time such as going out to a market, reading and drawing, or spending quality time with my new friends cooking, watching movies, or just talking. I am definitely learning to better appreciate the most important aspects of life; the things that make me happy.

This past weekend was probably the most amazing experience I have had since being in Ghana thus far, though I am afraid that once again I will be unable to explicitly describe how it has affected me since I am still trying to figure that out myself. I just know that my spiritual and belief systems have shifted greatly and that I feel much more inspired to make a positive impact on the world before I die. We took a 12 hour bus ride to a town in Northern Ghana called Tamale that was actually very different culturally than the southern region where we live. I won’t go into details, but I found the people to be less obtrusive and more genuinely friendly while in Accra they only seem interested in us because we are foreigners and can offer them opportunities and large amounts of money according to their conceptions. We left Accra at 4:30am Thursday morning and arrived in Kumasi 5-6 hours later for our halfway stop to stretch, use the restroom, and get some snacks before continuing up another 6 hours to Tamale where we arrived at about 5pm. The women at the guesthouse where we stayed had prepared us a simple meal of pasta with tomato sauce when once we rested about an hour in our rooms, which was a very nice change from jollof rice and plaintains that are always served here in Accra. The next morning we woke early for a breakfast of warm baguettes and then went to a Muslim mosque where we were given a tour and had the opportunity to ask about the customs of Muslims in Ghana, which was very interesting. After that we went to a medical clinic started by this doctor who was the only surviving child of a very poor family and had the most inspiring personality and philosophies on life. Just listening to him speak about how he loves helping the homeless (who are typically shunned in Ghanaian society and thought to be “mad”) and how he relies on the charity of others for his funding rather than asking for money from those who are not willing to give it. He also explained how he feels all religions are related and have common beliefs, which after thinking about it myself, I also think is very true. I cannot explain everything he said or how he said it, but he was the most genuinely selfless and happy person I have ever met and was an inspiration to all of us. Whenever I start to lose faith in humanity, I will always think of him and remember that those types of people actually do exist in this world.

After that emotional and spiritual activity, we went in three different groups to visit Diviners, which are like psychics or fortune tellers, but much more respected here in Ghana. Each person in my group of 10 was “divined” separately, yet most of us received similar fortunes and advice that could either be very vague or very specific but not be attributable to that particular person. For example, Daniella was told that she would fall in love with an African American man when she returns to the U.S. and move with him to another state, when anyone who knows her well enough is certain that she will never leave New York, especially for another person since she is very independent. I was basically told that I am very healthy and will live a long time, but that I worry too much and it is affecting my studies. However, everything will turn out well as long as I pray and perform this ritual he described for me: I have to find five different grains (rice, corn, etc.), four cocoa nuts, a piece of cloth, and some mutton and give it to a pair of twins. I had some trouble trying not to laugh as I was told this, especially since the translator who transmitted the information to me did not believe in anything the Diviner was saying and basically spit it out at me quickly as though it had no value. That definitely ruined the experience for all of us, so we exchanged stories afterward and had our laughs then. It was an interesting experience, even if I felt it was a waste of time, because those spiritual men are so highly regarded in this society and a major part of the culture in Ghana.

The next day we took a 2 hour bus ride east of Tamale to a slave camp where many slaves were captured by different African tribes before being transported down to the coast. It was a very emotional experience looking at the beautiful landscape and imagining all the horrible things that happened there, especially since it was extremely hot and humid as well. I do not feel like delving into my feelings on this topic at the moment, since it is still fresh in my mind and very sensitive, but at some point I would like to tell all of you about it who may never get a chance to come here and experience it yourselves. We then took a trip out to a rural village where a group of widows (who are very badly treated in Ghana because they are usually thought to have murdered their husbands) get together to weave baskets and fans and other beautiful objects in order to make money and help raise their children. They were all extremely friendly and lovely women, and it was wonderful to spend time with them and their children as we know that they receive very little generosity elsewhere. We all purchased some things from them and then made our way back to Tamale for the night where we brooded over the fact that it was Halloween and we were missing it entirely. A member of our group did perform a ghost story on the spot for many of us that did scare us quite a bit, but that was the extent of our Halloween celebration this year. We are hoping to celebrate some more this week by watching scary movies and making candy (since most American candy is not available here), but otherwise we will just have to live without a major holiday for one year.

On Sunday we left again at 4:30am and arrived back in Accra before 5pm, which was surprisingly nice, so many of us just relaxed before going out to dinner since we did not have much food to make at home. I went with Daniella and a now good friend Joey to an Italian restaurant called Leonardo da Vinci’s, which was a wonderful experience after not having gone to a good restaurant in a long time. The service was great and our pasta dish that we ordered was delicious, plus we were given bread and bruschetta free of charge when we sat down. The three of us are hoping to go back there again soon, since it was almost like being back in Italy but without even leaving Africa.

This weekend we are throwing a big birthday party for a member of our group, which should be very fun and a nice break from all this traveling. Otherwise, I am just keeping busy with my classes and volunteering and spending time with my wonderful new friends here, so there is not much else to tell for now.