A Good Day

Tuesday morning, I woke to the sound of strong male voices and the call of loud jungle birds. Out the window, my gaze followed the men in the neighbor’s yard. What were they doing in there? They were each carrying a long knife…aka a machete. There were children at their feet that were going in and out of the neighbor’s house. This seemed odd, since the neighbor had been away in the states for over a month. I quickly got dressed and met the Prof. in her house. I told her that I hadn’t felt well the night before and that I needed to be more careful with whom I chose to ride. She peered back at me like I was a silly child. Then, I asked her why there were men and children in the neighbor’s yard. Indignantly, the Prof. stated that they were just hunting and the children weren’t really going inside the house. I told her that I was nearly ready to go to the University and meet her friends. I exited the kitchen confident in my feelings for the Prof.
John, one of the Professor’s work hands showed up moments later ready to take me around the villages and show me how the taxi system worked. Excited for an opportunity to withdraw from my current social group, I left with John to explore. John is a very nice young boy. He is a highlight of my trip. John wanted to wait on me hand and foot. Instead we changed that dynamic and just met half way as friends. The first interaction that I saw between the Professor and one of her African friends modeled the elitist master/slave relationship that I had read about, yet never seen. It tore me up inside. No wonder she made the statement that everyone was racist. She was in fact racist and felt everyone must think and be like her. Back to John, we had such a great day visiting and watching the Ghanaians at their daily tasks. We went back to the school where I had met some of the children the Sunday before. It was a sunny day, and I love the sun in more ways than one. John and I snacked and chatted the whole day. By the time we arrived back at the University to meet the Prof., we had walked miles and the depth of our conversation had reached the heart. Over dinner, I recounted our day with the Professor. Her response was, “Wow, everyone really seems to like you.” It seemed like an odd statement. By this time, I was ready to get to my room and call my mom to let her know that today was a good day. I couldn’t get a hold of my mom. So, I called my best friend, told of my recent adventures, turned off the light, and wiggled my way under my mosquito net.