QUOTE OF THE DAY: " I see black people, I see white people, and to me we are all the same. The only difference is color. The blood that runs through us is the same." - our cab driver
Today we visited the Manhyia Museum, which originally served as the palace of two of the Ghanaian kings, before one decided to convert it into a museum and build a new palace. To be honest, I was feeling not so stellar during it, so I didn't catch a whole lot of what was being said. Nevertheless, the artifacts were beautiful and it was really nice to learn more about the culture, tradition, and history of Ghana.
After a long lunch break, the FM girls, plus Blalock and Dr. Lowe headed into the Kejetia markets. I was expecting large, because they said it was a huge place, but I was in no way expecting the actual magnitude of the place. Just WOW! We hopped off the bus and immediately started moving and meandering through the markets so that Dr. Lowe could get to the shop to order the school uniforms for the children. (He ordered 100, and I'm so excited for us to be able to give those to the families.) When we got to the top of the staircase we met a woman named Hagar, who would be giving us a tour. The first thing she said to me was, "You resemble a Ghanaian." To which my shocked response was "Really?!" And she responded, "Yes. Really, really. You have a strong, thick voice." So that pretty much made my day, to be completely honest.
After loitering for a bit, we started our walking tour, venturing deep into the markets led by Hagar. It was such an assault on the senses from the moment we stepped off the bus and it only intensified. Sounds, smells, sights, touch - every part of me was engaged. It was absolutely thrilling. I'm not sure I really remember a whole lot of specifics, it's sort of a blend of sensory overload. I just had a really great time looking at the seriously ridiculous array of products people were selling and smiling and briefly chatting with people as I followed the group through the little pathways. I think that this market pretty much embodied the stereotypical expectations of "Africa." It was bright and colorful, loud, pungent, wonderful. I really do hope we visit again as a group because it was just such an exciting and unique experience. I feel like a second round might really expose some things to me that I missed in the madness of this tour.
One of the stands Hagar led us to was a stand that sold waist beads (as well as some other clay beads.) We were all super excited about that. It's really awesome to read and talk about something and then actually see it. We all had a great time looking through them, although the shop owners were really unwilling to compromise on prices so that was kind of a downer. I ended up not getting one of the ones I really liked because of it. Regardless, we all walked away with some really great stuff. As we finished up the tour and were waiting for our taxis a group of Ghanaian women stopped us and asked us what we were doing with the beads around our wrists (we had all wrapped them like bracelets) and if we knew what they were supposed to be for. It was just absolutely hilarious and we both had good laughs and a great time messing with each other over them. But like Katie said, it's probably am similar reaction to if we had seen someone wearing a garter as a bracelet or a bra on the outside - really strange and hilarious. I loved it.
SEEN: clothes, shoes, fabrics, beads, children, men, women, jewelry, raw meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, grains, decor, toys, Jesus, electronics, appliances, workers, seamstresses, trash, pretty much everything; SMELLED: dirt, waste, detergent, raw meat and fish, freshness, foods, spices; TOUCHED: beads, hands, wooden stalls; HEARD: various languages between Ghanaians, English directed towards us, compliments and questions, introductions, inquiries, children
On the way back from dinner (delicious Lebanese - YES!, while listening to Christmas music played by an organ -WIERD!) I talked to Jennifer for a bit and I really enjoyed that. One thing that we talked about that I really liked were the billboards and advertisements here. I thought it was something that only I had noticed, because I hadn't heard anyone else say anything about them. So when Jennifer mentioned it, I was really excited. Basically, we discussed how awesome it was to see blacks on every advertisement. In the states, that just doesn't happen. Blacks on ads are kind of an exception but here it's the rule, and it's just really ... empowering (?) to see people that reflect my own image on mega billboards. We also talked about just being surrounded by people of the same coloring and us not being the ones who stand out for once. Pretty much my entire life is spent in the company of white people, and while I've never felt like an outcast, it really has been quite different to realize that here, I get to be part of a majority. It's something that I've never experienced and probably never will again. It's kind of wonderful to have people saying things like "Black sister!" and pointing to their skin and my own saying, "We are the same." I honestly don't think about race much, but this has kind of opened my eyes to the idea that black doesn't equate minority. It's all a matter of context. I really like that and I will have to remember it.
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