Day 34 - Change of All Sorts

Thursday, April 14 - Day 34

I enjoyed a full second-to-last long morning in Ghana (the last being reserved for packing), going to the seamstress then getting my hair braided at the salon while reading The Happiness Project. One fact from the book struck me as particularly relevant: many happiness experts “advocate periods of deprivation to sharpen pleasures.”

This fact resonates now because in two days I’ll leave Ghana, a country of plenty in some areas but of deprivation in others. I’ll no longer wonder whether the power will return in hours or days, providing energy for a fan in the heat of the day and a light in the darkness of night. I’ll shower under running water, not with the half-bucketful of cool water carried to the house by an orphan. (They carry water 7 or 8 minutes from a nearby well to keep us supplied; we’re currently transitioning to using two big water tanks recently installed in the front yard.) Most happily, I will get to cook again. I will eat fruits and vegetables in unpeeled form, drink tap water, and enjoy those sharpened pleasures that arise from deprivation. As I am happy now, I will be happy.

On a tangentially-related side note, I eat bananas now. Our main (i.e., peelable) fruit options from the market are mangoes, pineapples, and bananas. I love the big mangoes but find the small ones that are now in season a bit stringy and hard to eat. Pineapples are always delicious. Bananas are cheap (10 pesewas each, about 7 cents US) and easy to eat on the go. I assert with confidence that I have overcome my banana loathing. Someday, I will love bananas. [Note from the future: True statement.]

It’s not, it turns out, especially hard to change yourself in small ways. The biggest challenge is generally wanting to change. Once you summon that desire, almost any small adjustment is possible. Just as pebbles lying together make mountains, these alone-insignificant changes together make individuals who are stronger, happier, and better prepared to contribute positively to our society. If one banana yesterday becomes one hundred next year, I will be better for the change. Maybe I won’t even need to fuel my next marathon entirely on Gatorade and candy. [Note from the future: Also true.]

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I have exactly 90 pesewas to last me until my departure (plus the 35 cedis for the taxi to the airport). I plan to spend 30 on a final bowl fruit and 60 on a FanChoco. Delicious. The line of Fan products is a central player in our daily lives here in Dodowa. They all come in small, sealed plastic bags, like a fudgesicle in external appearance but entirely filled with slushy, semi-frozen liquid - just bite open the corner and enjoy. For 50 pesewas, you can get the half-frozen-orange-juice-y Fandango or the super-sweet FanIce, vanilla ice cream that tastes like very rich soft serve. I like to use the latter as my single rare source of dairy in Dodowa.

The FanChoco, which goes for 60 pesewas, is my personal favorite. It usually comes fully frozen when the power has been on recently, but is best thawed for 5 or so minutes, at which point it tastes just like a Wendy’s frosty. We probably average 2 Fan products a week per volunteer from the shop by the orphanage, plus one for every long, hot travel day. I got one from the trotro window at a gas station on our way back from Ho.

George called me over tonight to show me his Word of Faith exam scores. (Math was unfortunately ‘not back yet’.) He passed all the ones he showed me, most with very high marks. A 67 on one was balanced by the big, red-ink 92% on another (60 is passing). I was so proud of him. So proud. These kids are fantastic.