Africa is such an exciting and interesting place. The stories I could tell from my time there are more than I can count, but here are a few I wanted to share with you!
Côte d’Ivoire
- We went to each house in the village to meet the people and pray with them. It involves a lot of sitting, and I fell asleep. Guess who got caught and called out? If you guessed me, then you’re the winner!
- We were offered and/or given several animals. We were offered a very pregnant goat, which I’m not sure was ever actually killed and given to us to eat. Several chickens were killed on our behalf. I was also told I could take a kitten back to our village. (Yes, I was very tempted to accept that offer!)
- Being asked if we need to bathe or do other things (aka use the bathroom
- My team was videotaped while eating lunch…the entire time.
- At the above-mentioned lunch, I broke a wine glass (that contained water), and the host said that it was ok and that she would never forget me. Great! I will always be remembered for breaking a glass…
- The many varieties of squatty potties that I used…some were much nicer than others for sure. You know it’s bad, when even your Ivorian translator has an unpleasant reaction when he sees one of them (two wobbly boards over a hole in the ground).
- After pounding cassava into dough, I was asked if I had ever been married to an African man. I found out that this means I was pounding the dough well! (In case you were wondering, no I have never been married to any many, African or other.)
- We fit 8 people in a taxi…yes, 8.
- While dancing, people will occasionally come up and dip you backwards as if baptizing you. They will also dab (more like pound) your face with fabric to wipe the sweat off.
- Our host received a vision from God in 1982 (possibly before he was a Christian) that white women would come to the village to visit. We are the first white people that have ever been to their village. Isn’t that cool?!
Ghana
- Baked beans are included with the American breakfast…apparently I’ve been missing something all these years.
- One time while at lunch with Jake (the American founder of Hoops Care) while he was visiting Ghana, as well as a bunch of other people, I was very nauseous and it got worse as I began smelling everyone’s food. I had to get up and go to another table and sit by myself. It was pretty embarrassing and awkward!
- A random guy asked if I was married and when I said no, he asked if I would marry him.
- Some of the signs at the hospital we went to were real gems, and I really think they should be added to hospitals and doctors office’s on America. For example: “No Spitting Around” and “A homely, serene, neat, and spiritual atmosphere”
- One of the girls we lived with did my hair and used Febreze as hair spray (We finally had to tell her that that was precious stuff on the Race…and also for clothes). She also pretended to do my make-up using a face wipe.
