While I was in Cape Coast, I had teammates who loved Ghana and vowed to come back. I was not one of those people; sure, I enjoyed Ghana, but I was not planning on returning.
But here I am, wrapping up my 9 month experience in Kumasi. God's funny like that.
I must confess that when I signed up to intern in Ghana with Cru, I assumed I would be back in Cape Coast. I was a little disappointed (but still excited) when I heard that my team of 8 would be in Kumasi.
The majority of my teammates this year were able to visit Cape Coast for various reasons throughout the year. Another confession: I was openly jealous and/or bitter that I wasn't able to go when they did. Fortunately for me, two other teammates hadn't been to Cape Coast either. So the three of us decided that we would use our "weekend" (Monday and Tuesday) and take a vacation day on Wednesday to visit Cape Coast.
To say I was excited to go back would be an understatement. Even though I spent only three weeks in Cape Coast and didn't voice any desire to return, Cape Coast somehow became "home", or rather "a home".
After I left Ghana, I talked about my adventure for a few months, but then I stopped. I just don't make an effort to share stories with people. I'm terrible at telling stories, so I just don't do it.
When I returned to Cape Coast this week, I realized I had forgotten so many things about my experiences there simply because I never share it with others. Yet, God was gracious and allowed me to go back to so many familiar places.
On Monday, Emma, Marie, Lynda (a Ghanaian staff member), and I took a bus from Kumasi to Cape Coast. Before we arrived at the bus stop, we drove past the Sanford World Clinic. (Isn't it fun that a hospital in South Dakota somehow made it's way to lovely Ghana?) When I came to Ghana in 2009, the clinic was operated by Micro Clinics.
The fun similarities continued. Lynda's fiancé Isaac (who also works with Cru) picked us up, and we went to Han's Cottage to see the crocodiles! As soon as we pulled into the place, I realized that my summer project went there for our last hurrah in Cape Coast. Here are all of the women from that night:
This time around, it was all fun - no goodbyes; fun is more of my thing. We just got to look at and pet the crocodiles.
After that we went to the Kakum National Park to walk on the canopy walkway which is also something we did while on summer project. It was lovely. Isaac and Lynda were delightful company. We enjoyed their fear and excitement as well as the view.
As we drove back into town, Lynda and Isaac took us to a cheap hotel, but it was unfortunately full. Our plan A, plan B, plan C, and even plan D for housing fell through. Thankfully, we took it fairly well; our nine months in Ghana helped us be fully confident that we would find a place to sleep. It was just going to take a while.
We ended up at the Jangels Hotel. I laughed a lot because that's the hotel my summer project team stayed in while we were in Ghana.
It looks the same. Home, sweet Jangels home. As we walked up to the reception desk, I thought, "Wouldn't it be crazy if we stayed in the room I stayed in?" The man working the front desk took us to look at a room, and it was 210: the same room I stayed in four years ago. Even though it's the same room, a few things have changed: there's a desk with a chair and a wardrobe, but the shower curtain has disappeared and the beds moved closer to the door. God has such a beautiful sense of humor!
The next morning, we went to visit the Cru staff team during their meeting. We went to the office. It's the same office our summer project team helped paint (with the help of all the random children who stopped by)! In case any summer project friends are wondering, it still looks lovely. They're keeping up with the necessary painting.
We were able to visit with Clemence and Gifty, two staff members my summer project family met, and other staff members whom Emma, Marie, and I met at our Easter weekend conference.
After our stop at the office, we went to Coconut Grove, a resort where we could hang out and enjoy the beach. When we pulled into the parking lot, I realized that it's the same resort our summer project visited to hang out at the beach. I didn't recognize the name, but the view brought back all the memories.
As I walked along and later sat and stared at the beach, I talked with God about those two days and our trip down memory lane. I loved it. I loved it all. I missed it. I wondered why I didn't love Kumasi as much as I loved Cape Coast. To say I was confused would be an understatement. I asked a lot of questions including
- Why did I resent so much of this year but still love this place?
- Why is so much of this trip a repeat of summer project?
- What are you trying to teach me through this?
- Are you going to call me back to Ghana?
- How do my feelings about home and grad school relate to this?
I didn't get any audible answers, and I'm okay with that. Instead, I got some peace. I'm still confused, but I know it's all going to be alright. God has a plan for my future, and if it's Ghana, great! If it's not Ghana, great! My trip to Cape Coast made me realize that Ghana will always be "a home" of mine. Always. And I may be back. I'm scared that I might come back for more than 9 months, and I'm scared that I might never come back. But as I sat on the beach listening to waves crash and feeling the salty sea breeze, I had peace. And during my upcoming transition, I will remember that moment and cherish it.
After the beach, we had the best pizza I've had in Ghana. I like to think it was preparing me for quality pizza at home. We also had ice cream. Dairy overload - yes, but it was worth it. Then we slept (after lots of laughter). I love sleepovers.
The next day, we went to the historic slave castle in Elmina; it's also known as St. George of the Mine Castle. It's also a place my summer project visited. The castle is full of rich history - tragic history, but still rich history. I was surprised about how much of the tour I remembered. There are just some hard things that stay with you like that I suppose.
Once our tour was over, we had lunch, said goodbye to our staff friends, and went to the bus depot. While we were waiting for our bus to fill and leave, we made friends with the children sitting in front of us. There were three siblings. The oldest boy was somewhere between 8 and 10 (the children are smaller here, so it's difficult for this Midwestern girl to guess ages), the younger boy was 3 or 4, and the girl was somewhere in between the two. Marie and I got to tickle their hands, play peek-a-boo through the cracks between seats, and even hold their hands.
Our bus started to roll out of the station, and my heart was sad. I was still trying to figure out what I should think about the trip down memory lane. I wanted to remain in Cape Coast. I wanted to figure out all of my thoughts and feelings before I left. I wanted to go back to the beach to do my figuring out business. I really just wanted to cry. I think I would have cried, but the older brother sitting in front of me was holding my hand.
The sweet boy didn't know it, but he was giving me the comfort I so desperately craved. Even though the boy didn't know my hurt and need, my God did. He provided for me. He placed me on that bus behind little loving children. He knew I needed comfort, and he knew I wouldn't ask my friends for it.
Holding a little child's hand was like sitting on the beach: I had peace. I was hurt and confused about my life in Kumasi and my future, but I had peace on a deeper level. I knew no matter what happened, God would take care of me.
And I'll cling to that knowledge as I return home. My God is good. His plan for me is good. It's better than I can imagine. I just need to trust him.
I also need to be willing to share stories about my life. Thankfully, blogging has helped me do that. Now I just need to start speaking those words. Small steps, my friends. Small steps.
My time in Cape Coast was great, and even though I miss it, I'm happy to be back in Kumasi. I will miss the ocean, but I am thankful to have the opportunity to spend more time with my friends here. There are more memories to be made before goodbyes must be said. There are opportunities to receive a deep sense of peace from God in this place. And there is a very significant need for me to clean my room... No more travels for this girl until it's back to the good ol' U.S. of A.!
No comments:
Post a Comment