Gratitude

My water bottle at home is labeled "Journey to wellness...body, mind and soul".  PKH commented on it one day saying, "good for you"...I told him I didn't yet know which one needed the most work, the body, the mind or the soul. " :-).  But today, I think I'll work on the "soul" given that it's Sunday.

Gratitude...The more I experience different cultures and see the haves and have nots of our world, I realize I don't spend enough time being grateful.  Perhaps it's also a sign of maturity, or should I say the age that I'm getting to?  There's a phrase I saw today on the back of a van that said "The young shall grow") See right.  In all honesty I think there's room for all of us to grow our souls…it’s an endless journey.  But, it's so easy to take for granted things people do for us each and every day, whether its meals that are prepared, laundry washed, helping with homework or the simple gesture of bringing home a Tim's coffee early on a Saturday morning so it's ready when I get up.  You thank the person the first few times but it all becomes routine rather quickly and turns from gratitude to expectation.

The Ghanaian people are very gracious, very polite and the smallest gesture of appreciation is well received.  For example tipping for meals or service is not expected here and this is something we westerner's have had to get use to.   Our CFO, Francis has been helpful in communicating what is expected and reasonable in various situations and we're lucky (grateful) to have him with us daily. 

Our client prepared wonderful lunches for us last week.  We had quite a range of local dishes and the formal way in which they are presented to us (china dishes and lines) made us feel welcome and demonstrated their appreciation for us being there to help them. Meals are prepared fresh (not prepared in advanced and warmed up) and thus take time to make.  It is expected that the meal is eaten slowly and appreciated.  It's an important part of the day and we're finding that eating at your desk while working is not such a common practice.  Showing gratitude for the food and the hands that have prepared it is important.

Our meetings always start with exchange of pleasantries before we get down to business....to directly talk business without the exchange of pleasantries is considered rude.  In one very formal meeting with the entire Sr. Executive of our client the Managing Director opened the session with a prayer of welcoming and gratitude not only for us being there, but for the well being of everyone in attendance.

On our trip today to the Canopy at Kakum National Park we passed many villages.  Being a Sunday, people are dressed in their best clothes heading off to church although there are pockets of boys playing soccer even on a Sunday morning at 7 am.  Sunday is a formal day of worship and family time and reminds me of when I was young when our family would go to church, followed by a drive in the car to see local sites and a quiet afternoon at home before a family dinner of roast beef, potatoes and some fabulous dessert.  I miss the days of pre-Sunday shopping when Sundays were truly a day of rest.  The Ghanaian people have been fortunate to maintain this important aspect of their culture where family and religion are of fundamental importance.  It's a day where they give thanks.

People headed to church early on Sunday morning.

There are churches everywhere here.  Some are large buildings with steeples while others are open areas under canapes.  We're hoping to visit some of the churches over the coming weeks with some of our clients who are more than happy to share their experiences with us.

We've also come across a number of funerals which seem to be held on weekends only here.  The dress for a funeral is generally white with black or black with red (depending on your religious background).  And most often the funeral is a celebration of life (especially for someone who has lived a good long life) and there are parades, parties, laughing, dancing and singing.  They give thanks for life rather than focusing on the mourning for the loss.

A very difficult part of the day today for me was the trip to Elmina Castle.  Also known as St. Georges of Mina Castle, it was founded in 1482 by the Portuguese.  It was the first European slave trading post in all of Sub Saharan Africa.  During the time of slave trading the slaves were held captive in the castle before exiting through the castle’s infamous “Door of No Return” (see picture to right) to be transported and resold in newly colonies overseas.  That's all I'll say about it for now.  It will take me some time to be able to put into words the horrific conditions these people lived in.  I'm so very, very grateful for the freedom I have.

As I absorb the different ways in which the Ghanaian culture shows gratitude I'm reflective of the things I'm most grateful for in life...my family, my friends, the creature comforts I have around me (Tim's coffee, Mom's home cooking, a comfortable home) and most certainly for this opportunity in Ghana.  I will come away from this experience with a heightened cultural sensitivity and with far more lessons learned than I ever could have imagined or expected.   One of those lessons is "gratitude" which has hit me square in the forehead and knocked me off my feet.