The rest of the workday on Tuesday passed easily as one of the workers had brought out a radio. The station played a mix of "Hilife" (basically Ghanaian rap/hip hop) and old school jams like Milli Vanilli. After work, NaNa asked us to come straight from the worksite to the funeral that was happening in the village. We were filthy, grimy, sweaty and gross but we went anyway. Our famous plastic chairs from the house had appeared and we made the rounds shaking hands and then sat in the chairs. Jennifer had to get up again and make a speech. There was music blasting over some loud speakers and everyone got up to dance. They have a very specific style of dance for funerals and it was really cool to see how grief here is such a public affair.
When we got home from the funeral, I was sitting out on the back steps and some of the girls from the village came up and stood around. I pantomimed writing in my journal and showed it to them. The girls were probably between 10 and 13 and two of them started to read my words. It is obvious that they don't speak much english, and they labored over each word (probably at the rate a 2nd grader would read) but I was SOO touched by hearing my thoughts read aloud to me in English!
Later that night NaNa stopped by @ about 8pm. We offered him some of the local gin/moonshine but it turns out that he prefers Michelob!!! Luckily we had one on hand and served him up. Well, truth be told, we had a few... and we served him all of them... by the time he left, I think he was completely wasted and one of his poor wives had to help him home :) Can you imagine if all diplomatic meetings ended with the president getting drunk and having Michelle Obama carry him home? :) The chief also shared tonight that he has been chief for 33 years and that when they offered for him to be chief (it is passed on the mother's side of the family), he turned it down! I look at him now, and can't imagine a better chief for this village. He is regal, wise, thoughtful, happy and approachable... what more could you want in a chief?
Tonight was Andrea's turn to do a reflection. She asked each one of us to go around and say one thing we are grateful for. I said "I am glad that Jennifer didn't give up on me when I told her I didn't want to go to Ghana!" Ashley became emotional when discussing what she was grateful for... she said "The children's smiles and how, eventhough the are wearing the same thing as yesterday, they seem so happy with the smallest things." AMEN!
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