looking back

I was looking back through some of my older posts just now. I was so nervous about going to Ghana. I was worried about lots of things that I had no control over and I look back now and realize how foolish it is of me to worry about things that I cannot change. I feel like I've grown a lot in the last 6 months. I still probably worry about things that I can't change, but I think I've gotten better. Coming back the to States has been challenging to me already and it's only been 10 days. In just 7 months I got very used to the kind of life I had in Kumasi. I got used to very disciplined children that are polite and nearly always do what they're told. I got used to people in general being kind to each other and not being sarcastic (for the most part) or hurtful. I got used to living with people that are very different from me and we all worked on accepting our differences. I got used to having family devotions and family night and "hippie" night and talking about spiritual things and trying to encourage everyone to our higher calling as Christians. Coming back, is culture shock to me. There have been quite a few times in the last 10 days that I have felt very uncomfortable. I don't really want to be too specific because I know that some family members and friends occasionally look at this blog. Suffice it to say that I have grown up in a world that is VERY different from that of the children I've been working with in Ghana. Children here have so many more opportunities available to them. To see parents that don't discipline their children really worries me. What will happen to those kids when they're 16-18 years old and suddenly they're expected to "act their age" but they've never been properly disciplined? It worries me to see Christian parents that don't stress the importance of getting in the word and Bible study and prayer to their kids. Forget about memory work since in the States that's pretty much reserved for Vacation Bible School. My nephews and niece don't even have chores. They're 13, 8, and 4 and they basically have no responsibilites. I don't know if this is typical of American children today, but they watch TV and play computer games or listen to music almost constantly. I just don't know what's happpened to the values of this country. There are so many things I want to say to so many people, and I'm afraid of saying them. I know some of them would get extremely angry........but what if I still need to say it? I might totally lose the relationship I have with some of them. Am I willing to give up a good relationship with a friend or relative if they really need to hear what I have to say? I don't know......it's hard to think about. There are so, so many things going through my head lately. Family issues, personal growth issues, spiritual issues, so many things. I sometimes wonder if Ghana is so appealing to me because it sort of offers an escape from the life I had gotten used to here. Is that a bad thing? That's enough ranting for now;


Here are a few things I learned over the last 6 months......
>"Fufu" is not just a word used to describe a fluffy dog
>Food just tastes better when you eat it with your fingers
>When white people eat Ghanaian food with their fingers, the Ghanaians love it
>If a Ghanaian tells you that something you're eating will "make you run" they don't mean it will give you lots of energy
>spoons are not necessary for eating soup
>Hamburger Helper made with tuna instead of hamburger, is not that good
>canned beans with canned tuna added to them.....also not that great
>you will eat anything when you are really hungry, and you'll enjoy it
>Children should appreciate the discipline they get.....and thank you for it
>Memory work is not as hard as most people think.......just think of all the songs/movies etc that you can quote lines from
>in Ghana you can "look like someone who will get married"...whatever that means
>If you never eat, you're always invited
>If you never eat when you're invited, people will get annoyed with you (at least taste it)
>Sarcasm is usually not that funny.....and usually mean spirited
>I do not need air conditioning......even when it's really hot
>People are beautiful
>I am talkative, when I'm around the right kinds of people
>I like okra.....even when it's slimy (who knew?)
>You can walk a lot longer when you have someone to talk to
>Homecooked food is exponentially better than ANY other kind of food
>Learning another language is hard, especially when mischevious friends teach you a word and you later find out that it means something totally different.....
>Lifting weights is fun....even when it's really hard
>Your friends can convince you to do things that you would NEVER do under normal circumstances
>When Christians actually act like Christ, it's an amazingly beautiful thing
>Animals are not as important as people's souls
>You can't blame who you are now on "the way I was raised".....grow up & take responsibility for your actions
>Forgivness is totally necessary and sometimes totally unfair....it's called grace
>most Americans have NO idea where Ghana is
>most Americans think all Africans live in mud hut villages and worship idols and don't have shoes or cars or computers......
>most Africans think that all Americans are rich....although, by African standards, we kind of are
>When your friends love you, they don't care about your shortcomings, but they'll try to help you fix them anyway
>A lot of people don't really care when they ask you how your trip was.....they just want you to say "oh it was great....I saw an elephant"
>The people that really do care, don't care that you saw an elephant
>No matter how many times you tell your grandma that you're going to WEST AFRICA, she will still believe that you're going to some terrorist state where you'll be kidnapped and beheaded on television.
>It is too easy for me to forget about people when I am away from them......I need to work on keeping in touch.
>When you're out of the country for 7 months, you find out which friends/family members really care about you & which ones don't.....for the most part

Lastly I learned this.....I am really Ghanaian at heart.

Shine like stars
BAM