In Their Bones

After breakfast, we (B, Becky, all four kids, Brian, Joyce's son, and I) traveled to Kwamo-- distant area of Kumasi-- to visit the home of Bishop Timothy and a school.  Bishop Timothy wasn't home, but his daughter Vida was there and several other family members.  Vida prepared a marvelous lunch for us, and we enjoyed exploring their property while the kids played with the dogs and puppies for a while.  We went to the school after lunch, and that's when the real party began!

The Kumasi school is built in an L shape and divided up into enough classrooms so that each "grade" (known as "class" here) has their own room.  Each room has a door that feeds directly into the open space outside the school, as well as a large window (without any sort of covering).  Roughly half of the classroom walls are completed, while several dividing walls don't quite reach the ceiling, leaving a large gap so that classrooms can see one another.  The school is covered by a tin roof, and each classroom is complete with wooden desks, blackboards, and hooks to hang backpacks on.  The spirit of the school is filled with the smiles and hearts of the children and their teachers.

When we first approached the school, children came running saying "Obroni!" which means "white person" (this is a very common thing to hear from children as we travel around), and they excitedly reached to shake our hands and ask our names.  Words can't describe how truly beautiful their smiles are!  We were soon led to visit each of the classrooms so that we could greet everyone and learn a little more about how their school is set up.  Later, it was dancing time!

The school gathered several of their younger students (probably around classes/grades 2 and 4) who performed a few dances for us, and they invited us to join in on the last couple dances.  It was so fun!  We of course didn't know the dances beforehand, so we carefully watched these young girls and tried to mimic their precise movements.  Their sense of rhythm and phrasing of dance steps was so spot on!!  I noticed as the rest of the students on the sidelines danced to the rhythm in their personal space as they enjoyed the performance.  It was as if the energy of dance and music was being transferred through the air and ground to everyone in the area so that they couldn't stand still.  Young and old, boys and girls-- everyone wanted to dance!

After the group of girls performed, things quickly evolved and I found myself dancing with the older boys (several of who just completed class 12, so they have graduated!), and that evolved into a mini dance battle!  We had fun showing off some of our best moves and praising each other for the things we brought to the dance floor.  The rest of the school surrounded us as they clapped and cheered along with the fun.

Soon after, we were then treated to another performance from the young girls, but this time they danced to the traditional drums of Ghana!  Young men carried out 4-5 different styles of drums, as well as a metal bell/chime of some sort (I need to learn what it is called.)  The dance they performed was the Adowa, which I was thrilled to recognize!  Before coming to Africa, my Ghanaian friend Nana taught me a few dances from Ghana which I then shared at the Africa Dance Nights I taught.  It was so satisfying to watch this intricate dance performed to the traditional music.  Again, they invited us to join in on the dance :)

To wrap up our time at the school, we enjoyed more of the traditional music, and one of the young men even invited me to trade in so I could play one of the drums!  I studied the rhythm for a moment before he offered me the sticks, and then I was in!  I was surrounded by many complicated rhythms accompanied by the singing and clapping of students and teachers.  It was a rich experience, and I couldn't wipe the goofy smile from my face as I tried to blend into the layered sounds.

It's in their bones.  Dance.  Music.  Rhythm.  Art.  Expression.  It's there, and it is strong!  As I danced and drummed with the students, I felt a connection with everyone.  What I spend my career trying to bring to the students in Utah is naturally born and bred here.  It's as if the Ghanaian people (and people of all Africa) have an element in their bones and blood that has been with them through all time, and that they have never lost it... While in the meantime, many people in the States have been drained of this element... They can't feel it.  And if they do feel it, they don't trust it.  It makes my heart sorrowful for those back home who say they "can't" and "won't" when it comes to dance and music.  Yet it makes my heart soar and every cell of my body come alive as I join in the rich heritage of dance and music with my African brothers and sisters.  I am so grateful they have kept this element in their bones!  I'm so thrilled that they share it with others!  I hope to share a portion of this energy with my students and friends when I return home.  The spirit which accompanies people who dance and create music is a type of medicine for the soul that many back home are sick for.  I pray that my efforts as a dance specialist back home can help bring this element back to the bones of those who have lost it, even those who may have lost it many generations ago.

I haven't even been here a week, but my soul is energized with life, love and laughter.  I feel a harmonious connection with my African brothers and sisters as we share with one another.  To any Ghanaian who may be reading this:  Thank you!  Thank you for such a warm welcome to your country and culture.  Thank you for teaching me and sharing with me.  I am so happy to be here with you!

A Child's Prayer

Adults often believe that they know more than children in all areas of life.  Sure, adults may be the ones to pay bills, drive, set schedules, perform difficult manual labor, prepare meals, and so on.  It seems to me though, that no matter how much adults may know about the temporal things of life, children often have better intuitive knowledge about things pertaining to the soul.

Today, B and I had the privilege of teaching Primary.  We had about 20-25 children present.  Becky directed the flow of our time together (and played the piano for all of our songs), and B and I taught the sharing time lesson and directed the music.  There were 3 particular moments that touched my heart:


The Opening Prayer.  The sweet little boy who offered the prayer kept things so simple and pure, yet also profound to me as an adult.  His prayer contained the following:  "Thank you for our life.  Please help us."  (He addressed Heavenly Father, and closed in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.)  Those simple phrases carried deep meaning to my heart.  Our life.  Our existence.  Our purpose here.  All praise and thanks be to God that we exist!  We wouldn't be able to thank Him for anything else if we didn't have this opportunity to live.  And because we live, and He is our Creator, we need help.  He is the one to send help.  If I could carry this simple prayer in my heart more often, perhaps I would feel more gratitude and wonder for all of God's creations, and I could maintain the necessary humility to always remember Him and seek Him.

The Power Fist.  When singing Choose the Right, I invited the children to do a powerful fist pump into the air every time we sang the words "Choose the right."  They LOVED it!  What surprised me even more was when one of the older boys (who was one of the more resistant and disrespectful kids) continued to use this strong gesture later in Primary while singing about about something that I could see he truly believed.  I will be curious to see if he continues using this motion the next few weeks while I'm here.

Visual Testimonies.  Near the end of Primary, we sang a song titled __________.  This song was fairly long, but the children knew all of the words, and they sang it with "vigor and vim."  Hearing the children sing this song about their Savior and their own personal worth was very moving.  They love this song, and they love Jesus.  The way they sat focused and engaged in their chairs; they way they delivered each word of the song with conviction; the way their eyes and smiles lit up the room with excitement and understanding... I could see that they know these things to be true.  Not only did I see this with their singing, but also with the actions that followed.  They shared books and crayons as they colored pictures, helped tidy the room before leaving, and they jumped at the opportunity to receive an assignment to help in Primary next week.  Yes, there was still some fighting, and a few small children had fallen asleep in their chairs (so precious!), but the overall Spirit in the room was tangible and humbling.


It's no wonder that we are told to become as a little child.



  

Akwaaba to Ghana!

I AM IN AFRICA!!!!!!!

It's almost as if I have to pinch myself every day to remember that this is real life-- that this is really me in my body, and that this is really me (in my body) in Africa!  This has been a dream for as long as I can remember.  I built up to this moment by learning about various African cultures, studying the map of the continent, watching movies connected to Africa, studying the music and dances of various tribes and peoples, looking up pictures, talking to anyone willing about Africa, etc.  It truly fills my heart to finally be here!!

Let's backtrack for a second though and go over the highlights from the travels here:

• Number of flights:  6
• Friends Made:  A Ugandan young man who was the first to welcome us to Africa (he was traveling home from a trip to China); Bilson Bright from Ghana who was traveling to be a student representative at a conference in Rwanda (about 26 yrs old); Sister Christetta, a Catholic nun from Zambia who loved visiting with us in the Kigali airport and made a little dance video with us!  (She has been studying at a university in Uganda, and she was traveling home for a break.)
• Greatest Adventure:  We had to camp out in the Kigali (Rwanda) Airport for 10+ hours.  During that time, we confused nearly all the workers with our strange flight plans so they didn't know what to do about finding our luggage (since we were switching airlines) and boarding passes for the next flight!  About an hour before boarding time, they successfully brought us our boarding passes, and they had located one of our two pieces of luggage.  Yay!  We are stilling trying to figure out what happened to the second piece of luggage, but we are still grateful for the help and patience of the workers in the Kigali airport.  I think we became the most well-known travelers in the airport by the time we left, haha. 
• Strangest Thing:  The large stuffed teddy bear in the Qatar Airport.  I mean really... Why??

These first few days in Ghana have been a delight!  Since internet is quite slow and unpredictable here, I will sum up the first four days as best as I can.  Also, pictures are having a veeeery difficult time being uploaded-- I will try to share them later, because they really are so cool :)  Here it goes!

Day 1:  Wednesday, June 6th

• We arrived around lunchtime and made it through customs quite easily!  After finding Becky Rogers (the woman we're staying with) and Brian (a Ghanaian who works for Becky), we took what they call the STC bus from Accra to Kumasi.  It was an amazing ride!  I loved seeing the vibrant colors all around me, people carrying LARGE baskets on theirs heads to sell things from, hearing the sound of Twi (the language) being shared poetically... my senses were alive and well as I tried to take in my surroundings!
• The bus had an assistant or guide of some sort who gave a MARVELOUS speech about how to survive our journey on the bus, complete with a sermon about how to use the toilet / wash room.  Perhaps I will be able to share a little recording we captured of her speech when I return home, haha.
• During the drive to Kumasi, I experienced my very first rainstorm in Africa!!  I looooooved it!  I could hardly believe how green the world was around me already, and having the rain mixed in was simply magical.  
• We made it to the home in Kumasi well after dark... Perhaps around 7 or 8 PM.  We met more of Becky's family:  her husband Tom, and the kids Josh, Thomas, Chamane and Miriam (Mimi for short.)  They have just the youngest four of their 10 children living here (although they had another who just left on a mission for India!)  Also living here are Brian and Nana, and their new baby, as well as Nana's "mother", Joyce, and her little boy.  (Joyce is Nana's aunt, but she is also her mother since she raised her.  By Ghanaian tradition, Joyce came to live with Nana to help for a bit with the arrival of the new baby.  Joyce came about a week before the baby was born, and she will be leaving in about a week or so.)  
• Before going to sleep, we enjoyed our first water bags here :)  

Day 2:  Thursday, June 7th

• We visited the Ashanti palace where we received a tour and learned about the history of the Ashanti Kingdom / Asante people in the last few hundred years.  The palace grounds had many peacocks roaming around, and an amazing tree that we enjoyed playing in!  
• After lunch, Becky took us to meet a few of the women we will be helping to expand their businesses.
• Helena Appiah -- She's the Relief Society President here in the Daaban Ward (the area we're living in), and she has a small sewing business.  B and I are excited to have her sew a few articles of clothing for us :)  Her husband (Francis) is the Elders Quorum President, and they have three children:  Vida, Hannah, and Francis.
• Monica-- She's an investigator (the missionaries have been working with her a lot), and she is possibly going to open a small hair cutting business out of her home.  She has two children:  Godwin and Blessing.
• Georgina-- She is also a member, although her husband is not.  They have 7 sons-- a set of twins are the youngest :)   The three youngest come to church:  Samuel, and the twins:  Junior and Senior.  What great names for twins!  haha.  Anyway, she owns a small store out of her house.  She has treats, little foods, soap, and so on.   

Day 3:  Friday, June 8th

• We visited a couple of the women again to go over business plans.
• After lunch, we took a trotro/ tro tro (a large van used to transport large numbers of people, which we have nicknamed Twinkie's based on their appearance) to the market.  The market was a fascinating place!  Everything is so packed together, and the streets and alleyways are swarming with people.  Helena and her daughter Hannah led us on our trip.  Since it was Hannah's birthday that day, we enjoyed surprising her and her mother with a gift of fabric so that they can make some clothes for the girls!  It will be Vida's birthday on Monday, so the timing is perfect!   
• The children in our neighborhood are learning our names :)  There is a lady who run's a fruit stand right next to our home, and her children love calling out to us.

Day 4:  Saturday, June 9th

• Once of the projects we will work on here is Literacy Classes.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has produced a wonderful pamphlet to help people become more literate.  Today, we went to our first Literacy Class with Becky and Helena.  It was an introductory class for a woman named Janet, a member of the Church here.  On Tuesday, we will start the official class with her, Sister Pats, and a couple other people in the area.  I'm looking forward to it!
• After the Literacy Class, some of the women took us on a tour of the neighborhood where we saw homes built on and around large rocks.   Imagine laaaaaarge boulders.  It was like the Primary song:  The wise man built his house upon the rock.  It was incredible to see how the people had created these unique living space.
• The rest of our day was spent on a glorious adventure in one of the forests here-- the Bobiri Forest Reserve.  Helena's kids (Hannah, Francis and Vida) came with us!  In the forest they have a butterfly sanctuary, so we saw hundreds of butterflies pollinating and flying around!  A man and his family live there, and he took us on a walk through the forest.  As we walked, he taught us about the trees (my favorite being the Three Sisters Tree), including any medical or spiritual purposes for the trees.  We saw large centipedes, a crazy big spider, beautiful moss, shoots, large mushrooms, and I noted the four main layers of the rain forest:  Emergent, Canopy, Understory, Forest Floor.  (Utah 3rd Grade Social Studies Curriculum.  Wow, I am such a teacher nerd!)  Ecosystems.  Cool.  But really, the forest was an incredible place to be!  I would happily return there every day if I could.  Although I admit, I didn't love the bugs, haha.  We were told that there are plenty of snakes there as well, although they tend to avoid humans as much as possible out of fear.
• Our car broke down, so we spent an extra couple hours in the forest waiting for it to be fixed.  The man who led our tour took his motor bike into the closest village to get a new battery, and he brought one of the village men back with him to help install it.  Even though this could have been a stressful situation, everyone remained calmed and enjoyed the extra time in the forest.  Being there offered a great opportunity to reflect and play.  We even made a little dance video :)

It has only been four days, but it feels like I've been here for much longer-- in a good way.  I think a part of my soul has been residing here, waiting to be found, and I know that I will leave a piece of my heart when I go.

Let's all cross our fingers that I will have some good internet connection soon so that I can share some pictures!!

Best wishes!

A Perfect Landing

Picture this:

The plane begins its final descent, and gradually floats down through the dense, fluffy, white clouds.  You close your eyes for a moment (due to exhaustion from the long journey), but carefully track the passing time so as not to miss the landing.  

You open your eyes.  And there it is-- the beautiful land of Uganda!  This will be the first place you touch African soil-- yet this is a temporary stop.  As the plane reaches the runway, you soak up the view through the tiny window.  They sky is a grayish-blue.  A light rain trickles down the window, as well as onto the lush-green land outside.  A dirt road runs along the outside of the airport fence.  Lake Victoria spreads across the horizon.  A few people are working in field close by, and several others are riding bikes and driving small cars along the dirt road.  Then, as if cued from the graceful swish of a wand, dozens of large white birds (possibly egrets?) take flight out of the field.  The birds swirl around in the sky, dancing above the treetops.  Everything is perfect.  Several tears appear in your eyes for the joyful occasion.  You have arrived in your dreamland at last-- the place your heart has longed to be.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It's been a long, wonderful journey... And we're not quite done yet!  Salt Lake >> New York >> Qatar >> Uganda >> Rwanda (where we are as I write this.)   In about 6 hours, we will complete the journey:  Nairobi >> Ghana!!!  I've never taken so many planes to arrive at a destination, but I have no regrets!  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hey hey, B here! This is my small side of the story. Imagine being so tired your body physically cannot keep itself awake when suddenly tiny hands grip your arm and shout "LOOK" in your ear. Ok ok maybe not shouting but like joyfully exclaiming it. I pop up almost scared of what's happening to see the beautiful picture painted for you above and then look at Rach to see how happy she is. I think her smile might burst. Then she just says "oh wow" and is crying with gratitude joy and accomplishment. We made it to Africa.

Here I Come!!

Bags are packed.

Hugs and kisses have been given to loved ones.

Bedroom is clean (mostly...)

Funds have been raised and graciously accepted.

Studio concerts and school projects are complete.

Flight itineraries have been confirmed.

Passport/Visa's are ready.

Best friend is with me.

Africa shirt is on.

Africa, here I come!

The well-known Africa Fund jug

Created in 2009, Used through 2018

(No, I did not pack the jug like this with me, haha!)

Africa Lion Shirt!