Lazy Sunday

Tiffanie was having a hard time sleeping in our hot, stuffy room so she bought a fan yesterday! I slept so well with it. I usually don’t like air blowing on me when I sleep, but in Ghana when it’s hot, it’s heaven!! The weather has changed so much in the past couple weeks so I'm thankful for Tiffanie's donation to Isaac's volunteer room. J

I can’t sleep in here. Part of the reason is I’m always in bed by 11 pm at the absolute latest. I woke up wide awake at 6:45 am. I read in bed for a while. Then, I had some breakfast. Next, Patience, Grace’s niece, helped me do my wash. I hope it was my last time washing clothes in Africa. It is hard work. African women are strong ladies!

Once Tiffanie woke up, we took our time getting ready and then walked to the market. Today was a market day. I wanted Tiffanie to experience it on a market day. It’s quite the experience. A lot of people were still at church so it wasn’t as crowded as usual. I have been buying a lot of fabric. It’s so beautiful, and it’s cheap by US standards.

It’s been interesting for Tiffanie, as we’ve been walking through town. Tiffanie is an African American. The Ghanaians stare at her because they know she isn’t white, but they also don’t think she is African. Many people have been asking her if she is a black American. Celestine called her a yevoh, the name for a white person. I think it’s the first time she’s ever experienced that. I told Tiffanie that she is going to have to lie in the sun with me at Cape Coast to get a tan so the Ghanaians aren’t so confused by her. J

It just makes me realize how stupid racial divides are. Yes, there are genetic differences between us humans based upon who our ancestors are; however, race plays no role in our intellect!! It’s the differences in our culture that creates conflict. I think if we spend time as a minority, it takes away your egocentric point of view. There are some great things about American culture, but there are a lot of bad things. The same can be said about Ghana’s culture. My hope as our world becomes more Global, we try and adopt the best of every culture and discard the bad. Obviously, that is very idealistic, but I will dream!

Love, Kari