In Kumasi

Trying to get a meal in Morocco before sundown during Ramadan…not gonna happen. A glass of sweet red wine, yes, but actual food? Nope. Turns out one of my group mates is a tai-chi instructor, so while we were waiting for the restaurant to open, she gave us a tai-chi class. It felt so good to stretch out. She has decided to offer a free tai-chi class, for all levels, every morning before we start our day. After tai-chi we waded into the pool to stay awake. The exhaustion is palpable. Then we went back to check on the status of the restaurant. The bus arrived to take us to the airport, but we still weren’t allowed to get any food (though we had already paid for it). First they said it would open at 7:30pm, then 8:00pm and at 8:05pm Alice B. (tiny grandma) started banging on the doors to the restaurant because she was determined that we should get the meal we paid for. I thought we were going to be asked to leave, but they did open up. I’ve never eaten so quickly before in my life. Still we barely made it to the airport by 9:00pm, and our flight left at 10:00pm. Thankfully security in Morocco isn’t quite as rigorous as in the US, so we did all make it on, but it was a close call. 4 hours later we arrived in Accra where we went through the long process of getting our luggage and caravanning to the hotel. By the time we got into our rooms it was almost 4am and we were told that Breakfast began at 7am and we would be leaving for Kumasi at 10:00am. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so tired, and yet I couldn’t sleep. I just lay there feeling the ache in my body. Having been in perpetual motion for the past three days, even when I’m not moving it feels like I am. It’s like closing my eyes after swimming the ocean, the waves echo through me.

I was up around 7am to shower and dress. Then I had breakfast and reunited with Benjamin, a friend from my previous trip. It was nice to see him, however briefly. A troupe of dressmakers were holding a clothing exhibition for our group, so Benjamin and I shopped for a bit. We’ll see if this tailor gets it right. I am getting a dress made…just one. After the negotiations, Benjamin and I went to sit by the beach where we had our third date last year. We caught up on each other’s lives and he showed me some of his new art. He is a painter with dreams of attending school for electronics.

Then it was back onto the bus for a long ride to Kumasi. Before we left Rev Michael and Brother Tete came to pray us into our day. Rev Michael will not be joining us until we get to Cape Coast. He has been invited to meet with the Vice President of Ghana over the next few days. As we held hands across the bus seats, I felt this amazing sense of connection. Every day here is like a month. Even though we are virtually strangers, I already feel like I’ve made some good friends. The bus barely made it out of the city before I fell asleep and I didn’t wake up until half way through the trip. We stopped at the exact same rest stop as last year. There we joined up with the other Agape group (they are only going to Ghana) for a nice leisurely lunch. I sat next to Ricki BB, her mother Doris, and several other elders in the Agape Church. They were so welcoming. Again, I find it difficult to explain this deep sense of community I feel. One of my entry questions has been how did you come to new thought? And the answers have been so unique. I met one woman who, while driving to her son to his first day of college, had a horrible car accident that paralyzed her from the waste down for two months. Her son walked away unscathed, but during her extended time in the hospital she ended up reading the Secret and learning how to mediate and vision. She credits her mental shift as essential to her recovery. I’m learning so much from each conversation.

As we got back on the bus, and started rolling down that road again, I missed my mom so much it hurt. I wish she were on this trip with me too. It seems strange that she’s not, but I guess there are some journeys I will have to take alone…surrounded by people, but always alone…isn’t that the paradox of the human condition.

We arrived at the Kente village an hour before sunset. It was just as overwhelming as I remember, children begging for pens or candy, vendors demanding you come to their store and in some case physically trying to pull you along with them. I bought two bracelets then got back on the bus and watched others come back with yards and yards of cloth. Then we continued on and arrived at our Hotel shortly after sunset. Tomorrow we’re meeting wood carvers, going to the Asanti palace, the Cultural Arts Center and another Kente village.