I have finally realized what is important in life.
I went to the home yesterday to see if they had prepared the room for me and if it was finally available and they treated me like I was coming to take something from them. The administration at Osu Children's Home is cold and rude. Passive aggressive is the correct word. Between the glares, and the eye rolling, and the heavy sighs, and cold silence they make me feel unwanted. You would never guess that I was trying to pay them to stay there. I won't get into too many details of what happened but the bottom line is that the room is available for me to stay in but because of the way the treat me I refuse to move in there.
Why should I move to a place that doesn't want me and will talk behind my back? Right now I have a family I stay with that loves having me around and take great care of me. Yes, I don't have any privacy and there are times when I get frustrated with not having space to spread out in but I will take the happiness they give me over my own space any day.
I feel unhappy and dark every time I walk through the gates of the orphanage and I can't handle that emotional weight every day when I come home. I know I have spoken about this before but there is a darkness in Ghana that sometimes I feel that I have never felt in the US...and I refuse to live where I feel that darkness. So I will choose to sleep on my small bed that has missing lats, without a fan, without a place to unpack my things, but surrounded by a family that loves me and has taken me into their home (without pay) as their daughter.
On a different note, I am trying to learn how to eat healthy in Ghana and let me tell you...that is difficult. I am not a footballer so I can not eat all the carbs that they have for every meal and the amount of oil they use kills me as well. So I think I will continue to have my egg and bread in the morning, try and eat fruit for lunch, and then for dinner it will vary...some nights I will still do rice but I will look for other things made with Engushi (a seed), beans, and egg. Dominic and I are determined to find a way.
My blood is thinning...I am starting to get used to the temperature. I have been cold the past two nights sleeping (it has been rainy though--unusual for March in Ghana).
Work is going well. My cousin Alex is amazing and helping me get a website started for All Hands on Deck for Africa. We have now bought our domain and are starting on the designing...VERY EXCITING!!!
I am so thankful for all the hard lessons here because in this I am continuing to grow and learn. My eyes are re-opened every day, and I am so thankful for that.
Me with Sarfo, wearing his boots (cleats) :)
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