Journal Entry 2 (Friday 4:15 PM Ghana Time)

Dateline: Winneba Friday October 19, 2007 4:15 PM

I just woke up from a great nap. The first sleep I have had since Wednesday night in C’ville. I feel kind of intoxicated from the lack of sleep but there is a nice cool breeze blowing in off the ocean. I have only seen the water from the air when we landed this morning. I have been told it is very close to the house, within walking distance. More on distance and time in a few minutes.

I was picked up at the airport by Joe Bami. What a character! Amazing man. He has done everything form help write the country’s constitution in the ‘70s to lead and plan growth projects for the country. He lives half of the time in the D.C. area where his family lives year round. Brilliant man. He walks fast, talks fast and clearly has a purpose or ten to achieve at a moments notice. He completely bucks the Ghanaian mindset of slow down, think about it, talk about it, then tomorrow we may do something about it. Right after we got in the car I thought I was with Jeff Gordon or Mario Andretti. He took me to a friend of his, Charles Huntington, M.D. (I think that was his name) He practice in the D.C. area for over 40 years and has retired back in his home country. He still goes back and visits the US several times a year.

The purpose of that meeting was two fold: 1. feel out my motives, goals, and the like, 2. Give me information I need fit into the culture and society. The one thing that was stressed was the slow pace of life. I met a couple from NY at the good doctors house that were here visiting. She is a native and he is from Buffalo. He pulled me aside and said just let the people come you to you. Don’t try and hurry. He said that I would probably not start seeing people for 3 or 4 days. It’s the culture’s way of bringing in a guest. Joe and Charles both told me that I would have to meet with the chief of the area in Winneba. I will not be able to address him directly, but will have to speak to his assistant and his assisitant will turn to the chief and repeat what I just said. The chief will never speak directly to me. This is when I will be given the formal blessing to begin seeing people.

The society here (in Winneba) has deep native cultural roots and a strong since of the formal nature left by the British. The two combine with a proud people to take me back two centuries to the way business/relationships were done. It seems odd to be writing about something as formal and old as these traditions on a laptop that was charged in NY.