Contrasting Cultures by Mary

We arrived in Accra (not exactly on schedule) around 10pm last night. We were so grateful to look over from Baggage Lost and Found to see Manny waving to us from just outside the secure area of the airport. He helped us to navigate reclaiming Vicki and Todd's luggage from Customs and attempted to help me find mine (which Lisa Michelle discovered is in Chicago). Since we had missed the last flight to Kumasi, Manny arranged for two taxis to take us to the Accra Bus Station so that we could take the VIP bus to Kumasi.

The bus was awesome. Vicki mentioned that it reminded her of Belle and Beauty and the Beast. Manny suggested that taking a picture might make some of the passangers uncomfortable so I tried to sketch some of the window decor. Vicki peered over my shoulder and couldn't control her laughing at my poor drawing skills. Our laughs contrasted to the quiet of the other passangers. We alread stuck out -our party contained the only four light-skinned passangers. We were also terribly underdressed. The adorable little 3year old girl wasn't the only one in a bright fancy dress. In fact, Vicki and I were the only women in pants.

We drove through the night with our bus leaving at around 1am and arriving in Kumasi sometime after 6am. Manny's (aka E-Man's)dad met us at the bus stop and we traveled another thirty or so minutes to the guest house.

The long bumpy road provided lots of time for reflection. Contrasts abounded. Skin color, clothing, loudness or lack thereof, language characterized some of the difference between the people, but there were other contrasts as well. The beautiful bus had seats that far outmatched the comfort of any of the airplanes we'd spent the last two days on. The roads did not. We have learned since being here that the development and growth in Ghana is outpacing the ability to manage infrastructure. The people dress beautifully while doing work that we would put on our oldest jeans and stained T-shirts to do. The people are very alive and active. A route to the store to buy water, shaving sticks, and flippers involves stopping to visit people in houses, businesses, and on the streets.

It has been a wonderful day, and I look forward to sharing more of our experience after visiting Bedaasi tomorrow! Thanks for reading and praying!