It's all over. I've left the Green Turtle for good and I ain't coming back for a long time. I met a lot of cool people there (some of which I plan on seeing before I leave Ghana and some after that...) and had some wonderful, wonderful times. I'll miss late night tea with Dave and Maria back at the house and afternoon fufu under the tree at Victor's school. I'll miss the continuous flow of young obrunis in bikinis and party weekends with package tour volunteer groups. Bonfires and djembe jams, coconuts and Africocos, Wonderboys and farmer men, intense beach volleyball matches and the never-ending supply of "bolofolo, where are you going?"
The pace of village life can be so frustrating at times and yet so wonderful at others and I am timorous of the city life that lay ahead of me. Undoubtedly, my ego will miss the incessant attention, but the rest of me can't wait for a little anonymity! Indeed, everything is changing. For the past year my sole focus, the only object in my future was Ghana and now I am forced to look beyond that. I must move back into line with the status quo and quit bucking the trend following my own prerogatives. It's true that I can't wait for GW and the education I am about to pursue, but so much of me can't bear to be so confined by the rules, regulations, and expectations of others. George Bush may call America the land of liberty, but for me it's definitely Ghana (on the beach of course).
What may be the hardest part of all is returning to a world that has been turning without me. Six months is a long time in the life of an 18 year old boy and 14,000 miles is quite a distance. My greatest anxieties probably lie in my ability (or lack thereof) to pick up where I left off. My friends have just gone through a year of college and have undoubtedly changed. My family has seen some good times and some tough times: since Jerry's passing, Dziadziu's recent infirmity, and Ben's graduation which dynamics will have changed forever and which will always remain the same?
In short, life has been simple and sweet and at times even heathen (but not usually) and all of the complexities that lie in store for me can take a backseat for a long time as far as I'm concerned. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to see everybody, but as Sly the Rasta man from Busua says "take it slow slow, man, I want to learn it all."
And that's all there is to it. But for now my focus is simple and straight forward: get to Captain Hook's for lunch, Black Star Surf Shop by 4 when the waves come, and African Rainbow for dinner and one final hurrah.
Hurrah!
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