On Adventure

What's happened to me?  Something over the last few years has made me fearful and taken away my sense of adventure and excitement for the new.  I find myself afraid to seize the bull by the horns here: preferring to fall into someone's shadow who's done this before, asking questions I could go outside and find the answers to by myself, scared of taking a risk.  That's not who I used to be, and it's not who I want to be.

When I tell people in Ireland I'm moving to Ghana, they invariably respond, "What an adventure!"  And every time I'd hear that, inside I'd cringe while outside I smiled and nodded.  I took offense at the term "adventure," as if it's something dangerous and foreign, and I'd come back to the real world once my adventure was over.  But maybe they were right.  "Adventure" implies something totally other, something that's a huge change and does involve some big leaps of faith.  This is an adventure.  I'm jumping into a place that many others would never dream of visiting, and I've committed to move here.  It's time to claim that instead of shying away.

There's no reason I shouldn't like it.  It's warm, the people are friendly, there's fresh fruit at every street corner, and there are so many expats around - if they all love it, why on Earth would I not?  But it is different.  I want to meet some people and talk to them about what was hard for them.  I want to be shown why they love the place, taken out to some great places, and see things in the city.  This will all come with time, of course.  It's harder because I'm in a hotel - in Steffi's house in Addis, we were three steps away from a little "shop" stall, a coffee hole-in-the-wall, butchers and fruit/vegetable vendors.  We were woken up by the call to prayer at a local mosque.  But in Accra, I've already been to restaurants in Osu twice and recognized landmarks the second or third time I've passed them.  It's a start.

Jens is concerned about my worries, but I've told him just to keep repeating that he knows I'll love it.  Today, to help me out, he asked me, "Do you not like the warm weather?  Do you not like the fresh fruit?  Do you not like the people?"  Of course, I have to say no every time!  Today, I saw the reddest tomato I've seen in years, on a regular old lunch plate.  I can't wait to walk up to a roadside stall and buy a green coconut.  The vendor will hack off the top and pop a straw in there, and I'll sip fresh coconut water.  I'm excited about learning to haggle.  The fabric here has outrageous colors and designs, and I'll certainly buy token Westerner items like an over-the-shoulder purse in some awesome pattern.  I'll take pictures, and kids will be playful, not malicious and destructive.  The place hasn't had rain since September but the palm trees are still green.  I've met the whole Google Ghana team (all six of them) and all have offered suggestions and help with networking and contacts for jobs, as well as agents to help us find a house.  They say the American school's hiring - guess you were right, Mom, I should have contacted them!  Jens has blocked out Wednesday and Thursday mornings for househunting, and possibly tomorrow evening.

I'll make another post describing my first impressions.  This one's more about my own thoughts, and I'd also like to describe the scenery for you just a bit.