Medasi Ghana

Last day in Ghana. So gotta start the day early. I woke up at 7 again to get some breakfast. I waited for the others until 9, so that we could go to Sekondi. However, I doubted that they would get up any time early since they had a long night yesterday. I saw Cooper who told me that he was going to an orphanage at 9:15 with a number of others to play with the kids there and donate some things. I felt like I should wait for Ben, Nick, and the others to wake up, however again I didn't think that they would get up soon, so I decided to join Cooper at the orphanage. There were about 20 of us and the orphanage was about a 20 minute taxi ride away (5 of us in one taxi). We got there while it was raining (as if the weather was symbolizing the pain these kids have felt). It was in the middle of nowhere within lush vegetation, and was a relatively small place. We all gathered inside the main room, where all the kids sat with us, and then we got out lots of paper and crayons and gave the orphanage two soccer balls that were made of some material that made them almost indestructible (and also relatively heavy for a soccer ball). For the next 2 hours we played soccer with the children, did art with them, blew balloon toys for them, and talked with them. It was quite an exhilarating experience. The kids were surprisingly good at soccer; kids 12 and younger were schooling me with some insane dribbling and juggling skills for someone their age). At the elementary school on the first day I had a fun time, but here at orphanage I felt like I was actually making a difference and affecting someone's life in a beneficial way. There was one child in particular, James, who was just so adorable and clung on to me for a long time. We did some art for a while, and then blew up a few balloons and played with them. His joy and satisfaction from the simplest of things made me jealous and reminded me of the beauty and innocence of a child's mind. The orphanage had some African drums, and one of the taxi drivers was really good at playing them. He taught one of the students a beat, and then the two of them and one of the older kids played the drums while we all danced for the longest of times. It was all good fun, and it was an amazing feeling to see the all the smiles and fun times we gave to this kids. Even  if it was only for a few hours, I'm sure we affected these kids for a lifetime. I know that this experience definitely affected me for a lifetime. Towards the end of our stay, one of the lady heads of the orphanage took us to the local church and village. The church was simple, old, and small, and yet had a certain beauty to it. When we came back out we met a lady who knew one of the orphans with us (Cecilia). Her name was Mary and from the conversation we guessed that she was her aunt. Like the kids, she was full and joy and energy and thanked us from her heart for helping out these kids and bringing some light into their lives. It was now time to leave (at least for me and by 4 other taxi buddies), as we had to get back to Takoradi to do some last minute shopping. We headed back to the city's market, where I was able to find a Ghanaian flag. When I got back to the ship, I only had three hours left before on-ship time and I still had to get soveigners and stamps. When I got back out the ship to the soveigner shops set up right next to our dock, I asked Samuel if he knew where I could find stamps. He said that unfortunately the post office was closed on Saturdays, something that I didn't take into account. I was let down because I wanted a Ghanaian stamp on my postcards (I could still send them from South Africa, but it wouldn't be the same as having a Ghanaian stamp on them), however Samuel promised me that he would buy some stamps for me on Monday when the post office opened again and send them to my home. This is what I love most about Ghanaians, they are always willing to help. With that stress off of my mind, I started my shopping. During this time, I met another one of the sellers whose name was Felix and was quite an amazing and friendly and understanding fellow. He described to me in particular detail the meaning of all of the things I bought, including the significance of the bead patterns on some masks I got. Around 5:30, it was time to get back on the ship. I bid farewell to Samuel, Kojo, Felix, and Ghana, and re-boarded the ship. This was in short, an experience of a lifetime, and I plan to come back to Ghana at some point in my life (maybe more than once). On the ship I got dinner and caught up with friends and shared experiences. When time came for our ship to leave, we all went out to the outside decks to wave goodbye to Takoradi. All of the shop people came our of the stores (which they were packing up to go back home) with their drums and instruments and performed drumming and dancing for us. I wish every port would bid us goodbye in this manner. Many people were yelling, "We love you Ghana" (I was among these people) and as our ship detached from port and headed out of port, we continued waving to every last Ghanaian we saw. I stayed out on deck for a bit longer, although the others went back in, and I reflected on my experiences and thought about upcoming events. I went back in when it was time for our post-port meetings. Afterwards, I went to Ben's room and watched Mulan (for the first time in years). After the movie, I was feeling quite time and I had things to do tomorrow. I decided to call it a night early so that I could recover from little sleep over the last few days. I will miss Ghana, but there are more countries to experience, and amazing locals to meet. We will see where this path takes me now. Medasi Ghana. Thank you for a great time.
-Nimish
September 25, 2010