After my first day in Ghana in Summer 2017, I stopped journaling - which is very unlike me when I am traveling. I guess I was too busy living the experiences to write them down! My days were filled with drumming and dancing, laughing, exploring, and living an entirely new way of life that I will never forget.
My new home-sweet-home in Africa 💗
In some ways, I was pleasantly surprised at how well I adapted to life in Medie. I live in a developing country right now, but I very much live in a Western bubble so I was not sure how much would actually transfer. I am accustomed to drinking only bottled water and trying to limit use of precious things like electricity and running water. In other ways, life was completely different at the DMC because I was immersed in the culture and daily life - at least more so than I am in Yangon. I do realize that we were participating in a program set up for Westerners, but the experiences were real, and I learned so much in my time at the DMC. Here's a little bit about my daily life during those 3 incredible weeks.
Mornings: Time to work!
I would wake up early almost every morning to workout. Yes, drumming and dancing are full-body workouts, but I love starting my day sweating with the sunrise. I would either run or do yoga with my dance teachers and new friends. It felt so good to be active again! I wasn't allowed to go running alone - nor would I have wanted to try to navigate on my own.
I learned something pretty quickly: I have lost my hill legs! I live in a delta now, which is very flat, and before that I lived in the also-very-flat-Midwest for three years. The hills provided a new challenge for this runner, and my dance teacher would literally run circles around me as we made our way up and down the hills. Despite my weak legs, the scenery at daybreak was absolutely stunning.
It's not so easy to take pictures while doing yoga, but here are some shots of some of my favorites post-practice! (Missing: Mama Mercy)
Running views that take my breath away
Notice Joe running farrrr ahead... and then he would double back in the time it took me to cover the same distance. Haha!
Early morning running buddies
I was always sweaty and muddy (and deliriously happy!) after our early morning runs.
We had eggs to order for breakfast every morning, along with incredible fresh bread and delicious fruit. Coffee is very expensive here, so I drank tea the entire time. (I tried to keep this up when I returned to Southeast Asia because tea is so popular, but a week of being back to work got me back on the coffee train!)
I learned many things during my time in Ghana. One of the first lessons was at breakfast one day. I don't like cooked onions very much (I know, I'm weird, but they make my tummy hurt!). Rather than saying I don't like something, I just ate around the onions in my eggs because that's what I have always done. One of the women asked me about it, and I told her that onions hurt my stomach. She told me that I needed to tell her things like that so they could accommodate my breakfast, rather than wasting food. Coming from a first world country, wasting food is not something that we often think about. I was so focused on not hurting someone's feelings because I didn't want to insult their cooking that it didn't even dawn on me that I was being disrespectful in an entirely different way. For the rest of my visit, I was more conscious about portions I put on my plate and things I ordered so that I could limit my waste. It's a lesson I still carry with me, and I always feel pangs of guilt anytime I leave scraps on my plate or throw away something that has spoiled.
My footwear at the DMC - I bought them from one of the dancers, and they ended up becoming communal shoes. This is because I am used to kicking off my shoes at the door, as is custom in Southeast Asia. Anyone who needed a pair of shoes would slip them on and walk around the compound. I didn't mind one bit. I mean, these things were too fabulous to live a life inside!
Our breakfast table - we had a window of time to come eat, and we would stagger in and have conversations over our delicious breakfast. I quickly learned that the earlier I arrived, the better. Otherwise, all the fruit would be taken!
Bernard almost always came to greet us in the mornings. Most of the time he would great us with the Woma Dance, and I would giggle endlessly. I never recorded it because I figured I would do it another time. Sadly, I learned that "another time" isn't a guarantee. RIP Bernard, and thank you for everything you taught me 💛
After breakfast everyday, we would break off into our various lessons. Some people learned to do all kinds of artwork, from carving to weaving to painting, and everything in between. I was fascinated by their talent.
I would spend about two hours everyday after breakfast drumming with the master drummer, and another two-ish hours with the master gyil player. I love drumming, and I was pretty good at it when I took the course in Wisconsin. In this entirely new context, it turns out that drumming is actually not very easy for me - that is, when compared to actual percussionists. I could see and hear the patterns, and I understood them in my brain, but my hands couldn't do what was in my head.
Sometimes (often times) it would get very frustrating for me, so it was actually a great learning experience to see how some of my students may feel when I am teaching in class. It also helped me learn to deal with the fact that I am not perfect at everything (though that lesson is still ongoing). After a few sessions, I separated from the percussionists and took lessons at a different time. This helped ease my frustrations because I would stop comparing myself to others and worrying that I was holding the other students back or not progressing quickly enough. Despite my lack of natural talent, I am really proud of how much I learned. My favorite teacher, Eddie, was really good at breaking things down so that I could understand them, and then he would push me to learn more once I mastered something. Being around him made me feel so happy, and he was incredibly patient with me always.
We would drum out back, behind the back gate of the DMC - and the views were pretty great.
Eddie is so magical.
Sometimes we would have visitors, too.
I wish I had chops like this kid!
When I got to my gyil lessons, my brain felt like it was in familiar territory again. The gyil (pronounce with a soft /g/ or /j/ sound + "eel", like the animal in the ocean), which is a Ghanaian xylophone, looks a lot like my instrument (the piano, for those of you who don't know). When my teacher would play something, I would almost always get it on the first or second try. My hands could do what my head wanted to do - yay! I made it through the standard rep that my teacher usually teaches his students at the DMC, and then we moved on to some real Ghanaian rep. It was challenging but I was actually able to play it - what a confidence boost!
I absolutely fell in love with the gyil. I had a few different teachers throughout my lessons, but my favorite was Jerome. He was patient and funny, and he pushed me really hard in my lessons. Jerome also taught me many lessons about life as well. I cherish the experience, filling my mornings with musicking and learning to be patient and tolerant with myself. It was truly life-changing, and oh-so-satisfying for my musical soul.
The gyil is pitched similar to C pentatonic, and it has these incredibly beautiful vibrations that come from the gourds underneath the bars.
I loved all of the teachers who were kind enough to work with me on the gyil, but Jerome definitely was my favorite <3
Jerome, my master teacher. I miss our mornings together!
Jamming on the gyil with my buddy Dave. He's an incredible gyil player - and he didn't even care when I made mistakes!
One morning, I took a break from lessons so that I could pretend to be an artist with the others. Our dance teachers amaze me - even to this day - because they are not only performers, but they are incredible artists as well! I took art in high school, but my skills are pretty limited. I can make charts look pretty in my classroom, and I know the color wheel and some basic elements of design. But that's about where my talents end.
That morning, I learned how to make batik fabric. My teacher, Joyce, took us through the whole process. From start to finish, it took the better part of a morning. It was fun to learn to make something with my own two hands!
First, we melted the wax. We used leftovers from other projects. I was continually amazed at how resourceful everyone at the DMC is; nothing goes to waste.
Then, Joyce showed us how to stamp the fabric.
She made it look so easy! Press the stamp and lift straight up.
Vicky at work.
Can you tell where I started?? I kind of like that it isn't perfect because I made it!
Next, we took powders to mix the colors for the dye. This was a real-life chemistry lesson: Caustic (like salt) + hydrate = reaction (dye!)
Almost there!
After we dyed the fabric, we put it in water at various temperatures. The reactions changed the color of the fabric to its final state. This process also helped to remove the wax, leaving white fabric peeking through to create the motif.
Finally, we hung the fabric to dry in the sun.
Ta-da! I chose yellow because sunshine makes me happy. When I initially chose this symbol, I thought it mean "toughness," but it actually means "versatility." I think I like that even better.
Afternoons: Time to play!
Around 12:30 GMT (Ghana Maybe Time! hehe) everyday, we would eat lunch and then have the afternoons free. Sometimes I would rest or listen to the boys jam on the drums, gyils, gourds, or anything else lying around. It was like there was a constant soundtrack at the DMC, and I loved being immersed in it.
Lunches were mostly traditional meals prepped by the women in the house, but on the 4th of July they gave us all a special treat!
Sometimes we needed a rest...
...and other times we needed to play!
One of my favorite pastimes was listening to the boys jam between sessions.
I never grew tired of listening to them.
In case you're not sick of it either...
And sometimes I would get to jam too :)
Some days we would go out on mini adventures during our afternoon break and visit the gas station or the even venture to the coconut stand.
Cheers! (no straw = less waste)
(Personally, I like this candid picture better! Haha!)
My favorite adventures were the days we would take the tro-tro to the Blue Skies juicing factory. I would have been happy doing this everyday because the smoothies were SO DELICIOUS. My favorite was mango, orange, and banana mixed. I still make this during mango season here in Myanmar, and the taste always takes me back to Ghana!
The tro-tro is kind of like a mix between a bus and a taxi. When you get in, you tell them where you want to go along the route, and then you pay for that distance.
This guy watches for people waiting for the tro-tro, and he also collects the money and communicates your stop to the driver.
The best juice IN THE WORLD.
One afternoon, I even learned how to do my own laundry. Up until this point in my life, "doing my own laundry" meant loading a machine and pressing 'start.' I've done this since I was tall enough to reach the top of the washing machine. However, we didn't have machines at the DMC. We could pay someone to do our wash for us, which I did in the beginning, but I decided one day that I wanted to learn to do it myself. This isn't because I was trying to be cheap; rather I wanted the experience. So naturally, I got the six-year-old girl to show me how to do it.
In case you're wondering, it takes a little over 2 hours to do this by hand with my small bar of soap, but it is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. (Also, I never got my clothes as clean as I did when the little girl helped me.)
My fabulous teacher! #bossgirl
2+ hours later... I felt quite accomplished :)
Another afternoon, my friend Dana and I taught the dancers troupe to do some yoga. We used an app on my tablet for prompting. Neither of us has actually done the teacher training, but we both love to practice yoga and have done so for years. During this session, we would sometimes model the poses in the front and sometimes walk around and help adjust others. It was really fun to teach my teachers something new, as I was so grateful for all they had done for me!
We even had some little yogis!
(In case you're wondering, I'm still working to get my ribs in during wheel pose. As always, I am a work in progress!)
Dana quickly became my favorite afternoon adventure buddy, so one day I joined her on a hike up "Woma Mountain." Two little boys came with us. I have never been much of an outdoorsy kind of girl, but since moving to Southeast Asia, I have started to enjoy hiking and trekking. I even bought real hiking shoes right before this trip, so I was excited to try them out! The little boys in their flip flops were way faster than I was in my fancy specialty shoes. The steep parts were tough for my flat-land legs and the others often had to wait for me to catch up - but the views at the top were absolutely worth the effort!
Those views tho
Learning new things from small-sized people :)
They showed me a new (to me!) plant - how cool is this??
Lesson learned: Wear long pants when you hike, no matter how hot and humid it is outside.
On one of our last days at the DMC, we went on a little outing to see the new site. During our afternoon adventures, our teachers were all busy doing things to help the Center. The women mostly cooked and cleaned and prepared the household. The men mostly went to the new site and worked on pouring cement, wiring, and building the new structure that is the future site of the DMC. This made me excited for their future - and to come back and see it someday (hopefully sooner than later!).
Now THERE'S something this city girl doesn't see everyday!
Evenings: Work, then play
After our afternoon break, we had a dance class. We started at 4:30 p.m. Ghana Maybe Time and would dance until the sun went down. Some days our sessions were shorter and others they were longer. It all depended on the day.
I'm pretty athletic and love creative movement and dance, so I assumed that I would do well. I usually throw myself into sessions at conferences and during my Orff levels. I am a bit embarrassed to say that I was not a good student in the beginning sessions at the DMC. I got very frustrated with myself and even became upset a few times during lessons.
It turns out (once again) that this was not very natural for me. My entire body had to learn to move in new ways. I would watch my teachers and thought I understood the movements, but I just could not make my body coordinate in the same ways that they did. It's like I had an upper body and a lower body, and they absolutely refused to work together.
I also had to adjust to a new way of learning. In the States, everything is about praising a student - "stars" and "wishes" all wrapped in layers and layers of positivity. Maybe this is an American thing, or maybe it's a millennial thing, but either way, it's not a global thing! One day in my early dance classes, my teacher walked up to me. I was feeling pretty proud that I had FINALLY nailed that dance sequence, and I assumed she was coming over to praise me for my hard work. (I know - even laugh at myself when I think back on this! Feel free to judge me endlessly.) My teacher said to me, "Your hands... are very bad." I was in complete shock. It was so blunt! No "good try" or "you almost had it" or "your feet were right but next time try _____." That's when I started to mentally shut down and get really upset. Again, this is not a proud thing for me to admit, but learning experiences are not always pretty and perfect (at least, they're not for me!).
At first I was mad about a lot of things. I was mad at myself because I couldn't do it. I was mad at my teachers for not being nice to me. I was mad because I was mad. However, I really appreciate this experience because I went to Ghana to learn about a different culture. Although it was challenging for me at the time, I am so grateful for it all. (As a side note, I am also grateful that my teachers didn't give up on me, even when I was a pissy student.)
Just so you know that I am not a complete monster - I did change my attitude eventually. After our excursion during Week 2 of our program (more on that in a later post!), I came back with a new mindset and a much better outlook on lessons. Travel is like a "reset" button for me, and after some very special experiences on that roadtrip, I came back with a fresh perspective. Although I was embarrassed that I was such a poor student in the beginning, I continued with the lessons and was determined to be a better learner. This does not mean that I was necessarily expecting to be a better dancer per se, but I did have a better attitude and worked harder than I did previously. And you know what? I feel deeply in love with the dancing after all :)
We learned 3 dances during my time at the DMC: Kpanlogo, Kptsa, and Gota. These were also the pieces I was studying during my drum lessons, and it was incredible to be on both sides of the drum and see how it all fits together. This brought a whole new level of understanding to the music. My favorite dance was Gota, the final one we learned. It was athletic in a way that felt natural to my body, and I almost felt like I was doing it right sometimes! All in all, I am so grateful for the experience (Have I mentioned that yet??). Sure, being a perfect dancer would have been fabulous. But making mistakes is part of learning and growing, and I am definitely a better person now because of this.
I earned a dancer name - Por Wouwou. I was really proud that they gave me a name. In case you're wondering, it means something like "tall one." Hehe.
And P.S. - I still do these dances in my apartment sometimes. Not only are they great workouts, but they also make my heart oh, so happy to be transported back to such a wonderful place.
Warming up for dance lessons
Battle wounds - my hands and feet had to get used to gripping the gyil mallets and a new style of dancing, respectively.
After class, we went inside to shower and change for dinner. I loved the food at the DMC, and eventually my new friends taught me how to eat with only my right hand (sans utensils!).
Sometimes we were also joined by critters of all shapes and sizes!
After dinner, we would sometimes hang out together and chat. It was almost always a different combination of people, but it always felt like home.
Some nights, we went exploring. Sometimes it meant going back to the gas station. Other times, we would just wander around and buy snacks from food stalls or try new drinks. One night I tried their equivalent to what I call moonshine. It wasn't so bad, but I think I still feel it burning in my chest a year and a half later.
Trying this street food was a pretty big gamble, since it made my friend really sick earlier in the trip. Turns out, it was worth the gamble - it was DELICIOUS! (Also, Southeast Asia has given me a stomach of steel, so I fortunately did not get sick at any point during the trip.)
There were also nights when we would learn to sing the songs that go with the drumming and dancing. Other nights, the boys would jam, or our teachers would teach us to play children's games. We never once sat in front of a tv, and we were almost always disconnected from technology.
This game was pretty fun. I lasted a few rounds, but I got out a little over halfway through the game.
One night, the boys caught a snake and killed it. Then they cooked it and had an evening snack. I've become a much more adventurous eater these days - I grew up on a diet of peanut butter and jelly and mac 'n cheese - but since moving abroad I have learned to try many new things. I have eaten some weird things to date... but I just couldn't make myself eat the snake. Maybe someday I'll get there!
I think my biggest hangup was that it still looked like a snake! #totalcoward
Some people went out often. I decided to join them one night at a reggae bar. It was fun to go out and be social (something I don't do much in Yangon). I simply adore this crew.
Cole!
Showing off his yoga (acrobat) skills
Finally, our absolute favorite evening pasttime was the game of Spar. It is a Ghanaian card game similar to the American card game Spades ("spar" means "spade," actually). Every person in the game gets five cards to start. The objective is to collect the most cards by the end of the game. One person leads the suit, and everyone tries to beat the number in that suit. If you don't have the suit, you discard something else in another suit but you can't win that round. The winner of the round leads the next one, until there are no more cards. We were super competitive when we played, dubbing the winner the King or Queen of Spar. We would play this every night, sometimes until well after midnight!
We played Spar until very late hours every night. Again, it was almost always a different combination of people, but always loads of fun and super competitive. Remember, we were up in the 5:00 hour to workout every morning, but we loved the game so much that we had a hard time stopping and putting ourselves to bed!
I loved playing Spar with Kwaku. At the time, he spoke French and another language spoken in Ghana (either Tre or Ga... sadly I'm forgetting some details!). The only English he spoke at the time was smack talk during Spar ("Give me your cards!!") and he could sing the entire song "If" by DeVido. It still makes me smile and think of him when the song comes on my Spotify playlist.
I miss him so much!!
Side note: A year and a half later, and Kwaku speaks really great English! Sometimes he and Mama Mercy call me (and I cry tears of happiness. Every. Single. Time.). I love my Ghanaian family.
Our days at the DMC were long and we were always busy. This experience pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I learned so many new things about language, art, music, culture, and life. I miss this place every single day of my life, and I still carry a small piece of it in my heart (and on my Spotify playlist, incidentally!).
Until next time, y'all.
