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7/17/07

I am home (my mamma’s house) as a matter of fact I have been home for about a month now…my brother came to visit at the end of may for about 2/3 days - we went to cape coast, medie (the village), the market, osu…we definitely fit a lot into the time that he was there… he really enjoyed himself

He was so proud of me and it made me feel really good and actually see what we were doing there which was living and integrating into the society…

While he was there my throat started hurting and by the last day I had a serious fever…I got sick and after he left I went to the hospital…they said well we don’t see any malaria parasites or typhoid but your blood looks just like malaria…so he said that he would treat me for malaria and upper respiratory infection….the fever would not go away and I kept feeling worse so we went back to hospital and then they gave me malaria injection and some medicine (pills) for malaria that were so strong that … well lets just say that they were VERY strong…then greg got sick same fever and stuff …by this time we were calling home for prayer…and honestly afraid…the docs treated him for an upper respiratory infection –they saw no malaria or typhoid..and then changed my medicine from the strong stuff…so by the end I ended up taking 3 diff types of malaria pills and the injection that I received ….then adom got sick…fever and they really didn’t want to test him for malaria or typhoid because they figured it was an upper respiratory infection so they gave him augmentin and fever reduction medicine and sent us home….well his fever would not go away…it was terrible I think up to 104 well by this time it is time for greg to leave to return back to the states…the plan was for him to leave in june and adom and I would leave in july…and that is a whole diff story…to make it short…they (british airways) told him he couldn’t leave until he found the paper ticket bcus when his ticket was issued it was an e ticket but when he initially traveled someone (british airways employee) switched it to a paper ticket and even though they knew it had not been used he still needed to find the paper one and if he didn’t then - well he cant travel…sooooo he couldn’t travel on his appointed date …the next day we went to the dr’s office who owns the house we were living in and just had him run tests on all of us…come to find out adom had malaria and greg had typhoid….so he gave adom an injection and some rectal pills ….that he HATED…and gave greg some cypro for the typhoid and for me well some augmentin to completely remove the upper respiratory infection bcus I was still coughing….from there we went to the airport thank GOD that we found greg’s paper ticket in my bag and greg was off…. Well by this time I am realizing that adom is no longer in school…I am finished with my research…in all actuality my research could have continued for …well forever but inside of myself I was finished….and we were just spending money-that we really didn’t have…so after and through much prayer I went and changed our ticket and left the following Tuesday after greg left…..i had been missing this place for a while as those of you who have been reading my blogs know….i actually didn’t tell adom until we were about to go to the airport and he was so excited … he did express concern about seeing his friends in Ghana and I told him that we would have to go back and visit…it was a looooong flight and when we arrived in U.S. we were met with several delays concerning our connecting flights…but God was faithful in bringing us home…we ended up traveling for about 24 hours to come back…gruesome!!!

When the plane touched down on u.s. soil everyone on the plane started clapping and adom looked at me and I had tears in my eyes…what’s wrong mama he said…I just told him that God brought us home….i had begun to feel somewhat trapped there and missed my family and childhood home so much
The airport was another battle within itself just imagine…I had 7 bags and no help…all of the skycaps were busy and none could come and help me so adom and I fit all of our bags onto a push cart and wobbled our way through…it was very interesting to see all the people and attitudes…I was literally in a daze just trying to take it all in…on one hand everything felt extremely familiar but on the other I felt in quiet shock …the funny thing is when I was trying to manage with all of our bags there was a Ghanaian there and he smiled and said to me you see we are in america now it’s not like it is in Ghana where someone will come and help you or you can pay someone a couple of dollars and they will help you …here you have to pay a lot of money and no one wants to help you…I was kind of surprised that he actually thought that I was a Ghanaian but then not really, I mean I am right? Mmph Ghana was kind of mean to me maybe she was angry with me for something that I did …deep inside I think that maybe she didn’t want me/us to go back to U.S. but the more I thought about it I realized that coming back is my right…my birthright and that I cannot be denied that…God saw us through and if it had not been for prayer, fasting and faith maybe we would not have made it…I later found out that while I was sick another fulbrighter got sick with what sounds like the same illness only her fever got up to 105!!!!! Just recently I found out that 2 other friends of ours got sick with malaria around the same time that we were ill and one almost died and that one of the co-founders of ONEAFRICA located at cape coast…a guest house started by African Americans who moved to Ghana 17 years ago from Brooklyn died …Nana was hit by a tro tro in a hit and run….

I cant begin to tell you how all of my experiences in Ghana made/make me feel …I do feel like it has all been surreal and very spiritual and well let’s just say that I cant explain it to you and leave it at that…maybe I could dance it…dance has always been my medium of expression anyway…what I cannot say with words I tend to dance better…that way you can feel me and what I am saying…

Once we arrived I took a long shower/bath the combination of the both has always been very therapeutic for me (try it) and adom took a bath….with a tub full of water …instead of a bucket bath ;-) we then went to bed at least I thought adom went…he actually stayed up all night he was enjoying all of the cartoon channels…and he stayed up all night watching cartoons…

Being back has been interesting to say the least … I was surprised to see that mc donalds still had the same $1 menu…some things may never change ;-) surprisingly everything seemed to be pretty much unchanged …

Funny how so many people feel like Africa is this terrible place where so much bad can happen and honestly this is actually true….but the truth is life can be challenging wherever you are…when I got back I heard of all the flooding in texas and also about a man who was shot in the chest while driving on the freeway… no evidence of where the bullet came from his truck just swirved a little and then it came to a stop and he was the only one in the vehicle…I also heard of a texas a & m girl who apparently broke up with her boyfriend and he couldn’t handle it and asked to see or talk to her or something and ended up killing her and bar b que-ing her body for like two days on two grills on his balconly…he lived in an apartment complex and his neighbors noticed the smell…

I don’t regret going because I feel that the trip was supposed to happen…what I have gained is a stronger knowledge and affirmation that faith is something that you can take with you wherever you go and when all else fails God will definitely see you through as He did for us…so I don’t feel that taking the safe and comfortable route in life is best…rather I feel that whatever the passion is and purpose is burning inside that will not allow u to sleep at night is the very thing that you should pursue …. No matter what the costs and risks are…after all it is your reason for being here –on earth- right?

What’s next for me? I really don’t know…as you may have guessed many people have suggestions …which is good …but understand I have been working since I was 15 and I know how to go and get a job just because I need one…now is the time to do what is right and to move in the right direction … therefore that is what I am waiting on…

Peace blessings and love….thank u for being on my journey with me…at least this part of it…I know that there are many who have journeyed quietly and some who have let me know that they were with me every step of the way….

Now I am healing … day by day I am healing and still learnin and still laughin and still lovin and by the grace of God still LIVIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Angel…please continue to check back for updates