Praise Jesus!

“There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela

My African Sunday best. You got it. I attended a church service. A rare occurrence for me. Not because the Christian minds of Ghana have reformed me, but simply because I wanted to have the experience of attending church in Africa.

Upon entering the church, the grey cement floor was covered with long brown wooden pews. Set off to the side in front were pews for the choir and next to them was the band with an electronic keyboard that served as the organ, and a full drum set. Men and women dressed in their authentic batik scattered the pews. Small children stared with complete fascination at me of course. An obruni in church? This was brand new territory for those little people. No African time in church world. At exactly 9:30am, just as posted, the service began. Of course the majority of the service was done in Twi, but I’m pretty sure the main idea here was that Jesus is coming back. An idea that I simply cannot wrap my head around, but here, the true believers are convinced that he is returning at some point. The sermon topic for the day was Watchfullness, and sporadically, the Reverend would throw in some English, which gave me a tiny glimpse into the minds of the congregation. When the Reverend finished, any guests of the church were asked to stand. I obliged, and was then escorted to the front by my roommate, and two other staff members from the college. Rather than me babbling on in the microphone, my roommate introduced me to the people and explained my purpose. Afterwards, she told me what she said. Turns out, she lied to the entire church and told them that I asked her to bring me to church, when in fact, she invited me, and I awkwardly said ok because I couldn’t think of a good enough excuse to get out of going. Can’t promise that I will become a regular attendee, but nonetheless, it was a good morning overall.

On a more sour note…..pun totally intended….I think breast-feeding is disgusting. Don’t get me wrong. I totally understand the value of it and think it is a healthy activity for babies and mothers alike. However, I think it is terribly rude and inconsiderate to do it in the presence of others. I don’t need to see any of my friend’s or stranger’s breasts, but this weekend, I did. While in my kitchen with a student who was showing me how to prepare Red Red, a most delicious African dish, a former student of my roommate’s was visiting. As we were preparing food, this woman sat down and unveiled her goods for all to see. Needless to say, my level of discomfort rose significantly, but I just went about my business as if there wasn’t a large brown breast exposed in the room. Difficult to do in case you’ve never tried it. Several times while walking through town, I have seen various women sitting outside their homes or stores with exposed breasts feeding their young babies. These women have no shame. In Ghanaian culture, it is frowned upon to wear too short of skirts or shorts, or to have a very low-cut shirt, but women can freely expose their breasts in public? So, I am expected to wear my Bermuda shorts, but African women can flash me at will. Seems mildly contradictory to me. Again, I know that these women are providing for their babies and are simply taking care of their offspring. Of course they should do that. I would just prefer if it didn’t occur next to my stove while I’m stirring beans and frying plantains.

As my stay here progresses, I find myself falling more and more in love with America, and less in love with Africa. It is beyond frustrating to sit back and watch people do nothing about problems, especially in the education system. Being single for the better part of the last 10 years, and being childless, my passion in life has been my career. And if you get me talking about education, that passion is clear as day. It’s painful for me to see what is considered acceptable around here in these schools. My voice here is so small and insignificant to most. If nothing else, this Africa gig is motivating me even more to pursue a leadership position in a school and make my voice be heard.

Tomorrow I head to Accra! More than ready for some big city action with some good friends.