Taking It All In

Without struggle, no progress and no result. -- George Gurdjieff

Some blood, a police checkpoint, and a stroll on the beach. Essentially sums up the past weekend. A visit to the doctor for a physical proved to be absolutely no different from a visit to my doctor in Chicago. A young doctor examined us all and expressed his strong interest in coming to the U.S. My previous 1-month visit to Ghana marked me as a Ghanaian according to this man, and I, again, felt warmly welcomed to this nation full of kind and content people. Now regarding that police checkpoint. Sonia’s friend drives us to dinner. We eat, drink, and feel merry. The merry feeling was soon interrupted though by a drive through Legon, a higher-class neighborhood in Accra. Periodic police checkpoints line the road, and our stop resulted in a longer pause than was anticipated by any of us. Our driver was requested to leave the vehicle and open his trunk for inspection. He obliged and was then asked for money. Apparently, such bribes are common practice at police checkpoints. Upon returning to the driver’s seat, our driver told us that the police were primarily jealous of the fact that he was in a car with five women. And 10 cedis was apparently going to appease him. Thankfully this story had a happy ending and we went on to hear some music in Osu, and safely land in our beds later that evening. Sunday was a day full of relaxation at Labadi beach, hanging with and better getting to know my colleagues.

Exploring Accra is an intriguing, but somewhat disturbing lesson in contrasts. All around are buildings in the process of being constructed. People pay cash for everything here, even the $400,000 homes across the street from our hotel. One year the foundation may be paid for, the next the first floor, and so on and so forth. All paid in cash. Hence why a large home may take years to complete. While America lives on credit, Africans seem far more financially responsible. Who needs Suze Orman to teach you about saving money? Come to Africa and see good financial decision making in action. While large mansions are being constructed in one area, just down the way you may see families living in broken cement buildings or small huts. On one side of a street you will see banks filled with men in suits, while on the other side you will see a woman carrying used bottles of nail polish on her head for sale. At the local mall you can shop at Game for $20 bath towels and stop at the next store for a new blackberry followed by a delicious coke and juicy chicken dinner in the food court. In contrast, just twenty minutes down the road people are using a hole in the ground as a toilet and are sleeping in a building with an incomplete roof. Though the uneven distribution of wealth exists everywhere, it is exceptionally apparent in Ghana. Development of a nation is a process. Baring witness to it is exceptionally powerful and encouraging.