New Beginnings

Leaving out of JFK to Accra has changed so much. It is so much less chaotic and they are very strict with the bag weight and size of the carry-on. Fortunately, through a very interesting challenge I was faced with regarding my AMEX, I had a Supervisor walk me through, allowing my bags to be a bit overweight. My flight was not full so my comfortable and spacious exit row seat was even more accommodating when my neighbor found himself his own open row to lie out on. I sure enough remember the first flight we took to Ghana from the U.S. some 13 years ago. We stopped twice and it took us about 17 hours to touchdown in Ghana. This flight today was direct and we made it to Ghana in about 9 hours and 15 minutes. The old flight had us looking at a screen with a little plane on it following the route from the U.S. to Ghana, the entire flight. It seemed like we were never going to see anything else besides that plane and the Atlantic Ocean. Today, each passenger has their own screen and a list of newly released movies, HBO and TV shows along with music to choose from. There are so many options that I usually just fall asleep on all of my options.
Ahhhhhh, Ghana air. We landed.

Wow, as I walked into the Terminal where your first stop is immigrations, I can remember feeling the tension from the onslaught of porters that would be hustling to ‘assist’ you. And not to mention the crazy long line to get through the immigration process. Today, NOONE in line and no Vultures. The empty lines were a first for me. I’m not sure why the flight was so empty and no one in the immigration lines. Not complaining though. The baggage claim was war a decade ago. And not a battle between you and other passengers. That was some courteous bumpin’ going on there, but it was the war between you and the Porters that wanted to take control over your bags. Today, it felt like I was at an airport in the States. Patiently waiting for your bags to enter on that belt. Porters are around, but they are calmly waiting near the carts to assist you IF you need them. So without the ‘assistance’ of a Porter one can load the bag on your cart and head over to customs desk to see if you need to open your bags for inspection. Usually, those with UK or USA passports get a ‘pass’. Well, a SOA cd here and there has assisted me with flowing right through over the past 5 years or so. But none needed the last 2 years. I’m out and ready to hit by the street Hustlers that want to get me a taxi and load my bags into whatever transportation I am getting into. Kofi did not reach the airport in time to meet me, but I didn’t expect him to. It would have been his first time and I know my Son, so we’ll let it go at that. I know a few of the Hustlers outside, so I don’t usually get hit as hard as some others. But also, because I know a few of them it looks like I am being hit hard. If you were to come closer and listen to the conversations, then you would hear me asking them “why are you all still HERE doing THIS?” “What happened to the business venture that you were working on a couple of years ago?” That type of talk will usually clear out the weak Hustlers, leaving only the ones that really know me. But 13 years ago! WHOAH! As soon as that door opened to the outside, you had women hugging you with shouts of “Akwaaba Akwaaaba!” “You are Home!” They were pinning flowers and Ghana fabric on you and asking for a donation. The Street Hustlers were so aggressive with ‘assisting’ with your bags and wrestling and shoving each other to get at those bags. I can remember having to surrender the bags because I saw how they were swarming around my Wife. Anyway, the airport officials cleaned that scene up and now it is MUCH calmer when you get outside. After 13 years of being picked up at the airport, I navigated myself to Accra and started my journey solo. Next phase, my transportation will be there waiting for me so that I can drive myself out of there.

AHHHHHH, Accra…Noise and Air pollution…Even WORSE than a decade before. Well, I guess since they added a highway, it has opened the traffic up a bit. So, the cloud of black smoke doesn’t seem as thick. It only took a few tissue cleanings in my nostrils to clean out the entire black residue AFTER my shower.
I love Paloma Hotel. It is expensive, as Ghana accommodations go, but they serve my food and the rooms are in harmony with me. Kofi met me here and we started our journey. He had my phone sim card, my space modem for internet use, my roots for fortification, and my Voltic water. Good job Son. So after making the family aware of my safe arrival, we set out to do some shopping for the OYC mission. Oh but first, let me call our Government contact, Mr. Appiah. He is the Minister of Trade and Industry and I just caught him before he was traveling to the North. We dashed right over there and the look on Kofi’s face as we walked into the Government Official’s office was PRICELESS. Sometimes, I get glimpses of why the Creator puts me in certain situations. You all know that I will walk up to any President’s office as if I was there before, but Kofi comes from VERY humble beginnings and has a VERY humble nature. So, to go from meeting me in his small village, Iture, on the rocks by the ocean some 13 years ago as a small boy of about 13 years; to walking side by side with me into a Government building to meet with a Government Minister….Well again, PRICELESS.
Our meeting was very good and encouraging. Mr. Appiah has plans to link us up with two Consultants next week to talk about the farming project. I planted the seed about the child rescue project so that he knows, but will wait until we get this farming project meeting done before I pull him into that one. I need to be able to flex a bit with some political power in order to work my strategy with the child rescue mission. We will explore that strategy more a little bit later. So we left Mr. Appiah and headed out to Accra City to do that shopping. Crazy walking, but we accomplished a lot. I even worked my newly acquired Twi, thanks to Aunt Ted’s encouragement. Kofi was impressed and got a kick out of hearing me push through the little bit of Twi that I learned. I have been VERY hard headed about learning the language here in Ghana. I told myself that my next journey to Ghana I want to start learning the national language, Twi; and I want to get my driver’s license. “Meye Africanni. Meti Twi Kra Kra.” I am African. I speak Twi a little bit. LOL! The effort breaks the ice with folks enough that they will go the extra yard for you. Even my “Medase Peeeeeeeeee” “Thank you very much” gets me some favorable attention.

Kofi was very excited to Skype the family, and it was great. The youth were all very normal and Kofi got to see them in their ‘natural habitat’. LOL! This technology is making the world smaller and smaller. I can remember huddling around the landline phone during our first visit to Ghana, waiting for my mother to call us back. It was such a big event when someone called from the States back then. You even scheduled the time when you would receive that call. Now look at us today, cell phones, texting, emailing, Skyping. Skype is a life saver though folks. I am encouraged that my youngest will NOT forget her Baba after a month of my absence.  I will never forget the look on my son's face after returning from a month long journey in Ghana. He had that thumb in his mouth looking at me like, “He looks familiar, but I just can’t put a finger on it…” AND he was already ONE! So I plead to my baby, stay focused on the Skype baby girl. LOL! A quick shout out to the children. I was struggling with keeping a journal this trip, but when I entertain thoughts of my children reading this when I am long gone from the earth plane, I am motivated all over again.

Thank you family for my emails and words of encouragement. I am burning my incense, eating my foods, and journaling. It is because of WE that I AM.

“I’m awake, and I have worked, I’ve been blessed, it’s time to Take Me Home”

LOVE FAMILY…