The Big Visit
The weeks leading up to Auntie J’s visit were jam-packed: with our first year anniversary party and swear-in I had my hands and my head full trying to keep everything straight. And while you can do everything you can to plan accordingly, to plan ahead and schedule itinerary after itinerary, Africa has other plans… As I found my way to Accra, delightfully meeting up with some COSing (Close of Service- alas, in PC there is never a lack of acronyms) volunteers at the border and sharing a car into the city, the realization that I was going to see my family for the first time in over a year set in.
The trip, overall, I must say was a success. Togo set before us a wide array of her trials: bad chauffeurs, broken hotel door locks, mufflers ripped from undercarriages of cars and a festive wait on the side of a bush road… it all adds to the experience. The authentic one that is, and that is indeed what my family got. My village really turned out, exceeding all my expectations and we had a fête that was beyond what I could have dreamed up. Traditional dancers, drumming yummy tofu and beignets, calabashes of tchouck and of course round after round of my ladies dancing it off. It was heartwarming and lovely. Even though my chief asked my family for money, I was able to overlook it (and the crazy foule that molested my uncle right off the bat) and truly sit back in awe of what was going on before my eyes: two of my very favorite people enjoying and experience my other life.