A World Away

I'm impressed by how different this world is. I've been blessed to travel across Canada, throughout Europe and to all four corners of Ghana within the past year and a half and I am awestruck at how diverse God's earth is. Not only are the landscapes vastly different across the globe, but the cultures and lifestyles vary even within one country. As I struggled to stay awake and remain comfortable on the 20 hour plane ride back to Canada, I watched "Arctic Tale," a movie that follows a polar bear cub and a walrus pup through the tundra for a year. That snowy kingdom stands in stark contrast to the green, hot, rainy climate of Asamankese. There are mountains on one end of Canada and red dirt hills on the other, all dotted with evergreen trees along the way, while Ghana hosts mountain ranges in the east, rainforest and palm trees in the south and dry savannah in the north, all dotted with plantain trees along the way. The Canadian culture (which finds it very normal to go doting on Santa Claus, our own pleasures and our vehicles) is entirely different from the Ghanaian culture (which finds it part of everyday life to be outside with the community all day, do things with your hands and work hard and not be selfish with your belongings). In France and Canada it is against the law to be paid less than minimum wage for your work, while in Ghana people are making ends meet on less than two dollars a day. If you don't have a savings account or a retirement plan in the West, there's something wrong. If you have a savings account or a retirement plan in Ghana, you're filthy rich.

So how on earth am I supposed to reintegrate myself into Canadian culture and all of its pressuring demands and sly suggestions after being immersed in a simple lifestyle, living side by side with Ghanaians? Yes, I am incredibly thankful for this country that I grew up in. I slid a slice of bread into the toaster today and marvelled at how bread can toast. I feel guilty every time that I flush the toilet without having to pour buckets of water into it first and when I turn on the tap to wash my hands in warm water with liquid soap and strong water pressure. Warm water hurts my body at initial contact since my skin has not felt it in a few months. I was only in Ghana for one semester and yet it is incredible how quickly another part of the world (and those who live there) can have an impact on you!

Peddle back to a week ago. I had one more night in Asamankese and I was writing the names of our literacy ladies on their graduation certificates. On December 4, we handed out twelve certificates to the women who have come faithfully and worked diligently to master the alphabet, the tricky spelling of words and the precise grammar of the English language. Karen, Steph and I sat at the head table with the other teachers and honoured guests during the graduation ceremony only minutes after balling our eyes out while saying goodbye to our children. A heavy, deafening rain pounded outside for the opening minutes of the ceremony and the women sang praises while the water quieted down. Smiles were secretly shared across the room as I glanced at my Level 2 ladies and all of our friends in Asamankese who had come to share in the moment. I stood proudly beside the ladies as they read Psalm 25:8 in English and they clapped and cheered after I struggled through reading the same verse in Twi. I smiled at each of them as they came up, one by one, to receive their certificates and a gift from Kujo and I. They have come so far and have desired to better themselves and their businesses. They want to be able to communicate with their English-speaking customers more effectively and they want to be able to read the Bible by themselves. After finishing my major in Religion and Theology, I cannot imagine not being able to read the Bible by myself! These people rely on whatever the pastor talks about during Sunday services to increase their biblical knowledge. Thinking for themselves and double checking if what the pastor says is true are not practices that these Ghanaian women can engage in without being literate. Many of them cannot read in Twi, their first language, much less in English, but they desire to come closer to their Saviour through reading the Bible. Their joy at making even small steps, or realizing even a single concept, is inspiring and graduation was a way to celebrate their achievements.

Everyone wanted to take pictures with the obrunis after the ceremony and I was pulled every which way to smile for people in pictures that I never got to see. We had to make hasty goodbyes before packing up the truck and fighting a headache and tears as we made our way, for the last time, down the bumpy road to Pokuase (where we stayed until we flew out two days later).

That was a week ago. I am now sitting on a couch in a fluffy sweater with Christmas music in the CD player and snow covering the ground under a dull, grey sky. I am a world away from the life that I have known and become accustomed to for the last few months. My literacy ladies asked if we would forget about them once we returned to Canada and my heart melted as I reassured them that nothing could make me forget the time that I've spent with them. Africa is a part of me now and I have become a part of Africa. I have left behind an influence there, as well as multiple memories. I may not have touched many people's lives, but it's not the quantity that matters. There are some kindergarten children there that want to be played with and picked up and spun around and read to again and there are some business women who want to deepen their level of literacy and have more conversations with their obruni friends again. I can only hope that I will have the opportunity to return to them one day and see how much they've grown and how far they've come. I can only hope that their knowledge of and relationship with Jesus forms wider, deeper roots. I can only hope that someday, beyond the borders of this big world, we will stand together, side by side, hand in hand, and raise our voices in one glorious language in praise to our God for the work that has been done on this earth. And on that day, I'm sure that God will smile with the language that needs no words and resound in our souls the joy of being one people, one church, His one beloved bride. Then the real graduation celebration will begin and the friendships we have made will be shared for all of eternity. It all started down in Africa.