I’ve been mentally preparing myself for my 10/16 departure for a while, but it’s barely sinking in. They’re telling me the eastern seaboard of the U.S. has received heavy snow lately, and just yesterday my dad said he woke up to 23°F weather! I haven’t worn long sleeves since March, so I’m having trouble visualizing what the New York climate really has in store for me. But enough about that.
This past weekend, I took my second trip back to the Volta Region, the area on the Ghana’s Eastern border. I heard that my friend from the Int’l Hostel was headed there with some friends, so the night before our departure I accepted his invite to join them. Since it’s exam period, the people I usually travel with were unable to join us, and I ended up going with a group of about eight people from another exchange program. For those of you who have kept up with my posts, you may remember Dagbe, the cultural center near the Togo border where I took some amazing drumming and dance classes. Well, since “my money be small small” (I’m broke) I decided I’d head back up with the crew, but opted to stay in an neighboring village for free instead of the center’s pricey guest accommodations. That decision turned out to be one of best calls I’ve made all semester, and my friend James was more than happy to accommodate. James is one of the center’s many drumming instructors, and after I met him during my first round of classes he said I would always be welcome to stay in his home. After a pleasantly uneventful 3 hour ride in a tro-tro (mid-sized van/gypsy cab), I split from the rest of the group and settled into my quarters in the village.
Although I’ve studied Asante Twi and can get by with my basic skills, my rudimentary abilities were useless during my trip. While it’s the most widely spoken non-English language in Ghana (about 44% of Ghanaians claim it as their first language), it’s only one of about 40 of the nation’s languages. The Volta Region is home to the Ewe, and these people speak a language of the same name. If any villagers spoke a second language, it was usually French (due to the proximity of the Francophone Togo). This made for an especially interesting experience, as only some of the educated children and the Dagbe instructors spoke any English. Despite the language barrier, many of the children remembered me from my previous trip. As I walked around the village after unpacking, I was greeted with a few excited shouts of “Kwame!!” from the friends I made some weeks back. Despite limited communication, I was received quite warmly by my extended family in the village and oftentimes the kids were able to translate for me.
The three days and two nights I spend in the village consisted of some of the most memorable, emotional, puzzling, and rewarding experiences I’ve had in Ghana. There are many vivid snapshots and moments frozen in my mind that I’m sure these memories are going to stay with me for long time…
The exuberant welcome bear hug from Selorm. The impromptu barefoot, bare-chested race through cassava fields with Felix. The amazing jog on the beach that culminated in a dive into the refreshing Atlantic. A dizzying motorbike ride through the darkness with two companions. The hollowed out shell I used to draw bathwater from the well. The countless coconuts that provided perpetual refreshment during the hot days. The calluses on my fingers from playing the Gatingo, Sogo, Kitee and Master Drums with my brothers. I don’t even mind the contaminated stew that left me out of commission for the last 24 hours.
There’s no way I can do justice to the experience through text, let alone verbal expression.
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