Ghana – On the Receiving End

 The Navigators

The goal was to be on the road by 10am. We finally left at 1pm. This was my first experience in “Ghana time,” but the relief when we arrived at Swedru after a long trip was tremendous.

Swedru is the closest city-type area to where we were staying. Our village was about 30 minutes from Swedru, a place called Nkum. We slept on pads laid out on the floor and used buckets of water to wash ourselves in the bathing area, so it all took a bit of getting used to. The people that were hosting us were so generous; they did anything they could to make our stay comfortable, and we were very appreciative.

In fact, that’s the thing that keeps hitting me—the eagerness of our local friends to help us in any way possible astounds me. There was a girl who lived in the home where we stayed who insisted on fetching water for me every night so that I was able to shower. She gave me her flip flops to wear in the shower because I didn’t bring shower shoes. No matter how much I’d say that I could take care of it, she would insist on helping.

I was deeply humbled by her generous and giving spirit. I’m meeting more and more locals everyday who live in that same selfless spirit. It’s never an obligation to serve visitors. Rather, it is a true privilege and I am the grateful recipient.