Piedro and pasta

I wasn't really looking forward to Vision Quest. I felt similar to the way I felt last year preparing to leave for my own Vision Quest. Was I ready to sit with a total stranger for five days and struggle to make conversation and get through the day?

Last year was fine and this round easily matched last years fun and insight. I met Kevin (my Vision Quester) and Joshua (Travis' Vision Quester) at around 10am on Saturday morning. The three of us walked and chatted while working our way through back alleys and crowded streets. We met Travis at a out standard gas station/chop bar and sat over beers for a while. Kevin moved from San Bruno while Joshua moved from Tennessee. We shared stories of home, food, plans etc. before making a quick tour of Koforidua and beginning the journey to Bormase. Dorothy was traveling for a church retreat so the house was being run by Stephen, Raphael (home from school), Eva, Maku and Paul.

Shortly after arriving, the subject of filling time came up. Kevin took a stab and asked if I knew how to play Piedro. Perfect!!! Kevin and I taught Travis and Joshua to play and we were set. Over the next two days, we toured the farm, harvested a few yams and some cassava. We visited the Moringa farm, looked at Patrick's bead set-up, ate Ghanaian food and even managed a pancake breakfast. On Sunday afternoon, when Piedro was getting old and the we all felt a bit restless, my neighbor John came by to ask if we wanted to join the tro going to the football match.

The four of us piled into the last row of the tro and sat sweating while six or seven Ghanaians joined each additional row. One man sat on the floor behind out seat and when we finally started moving, he completed the surround sound chanting that filled the car for the entirety of the next 2 hours. I then joined pre-game chats while the other three Blefonos drew a crown while playing frisbee.

A few minutes into the game, I'd heard taunts and jokes from up and down the sidelines but had also played a crisp enough game to earn almost as many encouraging words. The style of play fell quickly into the standard kickball variety in which the ball spends as much time twenty feet in the air as it does on the ground. Maybe fifteen minutes into the game, a cross was blasted high into the air from the right wing. I never took my eyes off the ball and as I met the ball at the top of my leap, my head made great contact with the ball at what seemed to be the exact same time as some part of the keeper met my chest and my back greeted the dirt. I was standing again in time to see the ball fly over the crossbar. Looking to minimize the damage, I jogged into position for the goal kick as though unaffected by the contact. I felt alright within a few minutes and after an unwarranted penalty kick, an own goal, 70 minutes of football and a shanked volley at an open goal by yours truly we were ready to go.

To add gusto to the noisy and crowded tro, we added the sweat of fifteen footballers on the way back to Bormase. Passengers hung off of the back and sides of the tro as the boisterous bunch chanted as though returning from a World Cup victory. Banku and bucket baths rounded out the night and we woke up ready to move on.

Monday consisted of a trip to Asesewa and time with a volunteer on his way out. Casey met us for beers and offered the perspective of a volunteer after 2+ years of service with less than a month remaining. We ate rice and stew and were caught in a monster of a rainstorm before arriving at Travis' house in Dawu for dinner. Joshua shared his culinary expertise and made a fine pasta dish. With 8 years spent in various kitchens in and around Knoxville, Joshua was able to make a very fine meal over which the four of us drank wine and chatted as though we were old friends sharing dinner in America.

We ate more good meals, checked out Travis' projects and gradually ran out of energy as Vision Quest wound down. Travis and I parted ways with Kevin and Josh yesterday (Wednesday) morning after showing a wide spectrum of what Peace Corps Ghana can offer. In return, we got two reminders of how much energy and passion arrive in each trainee. We're no longer the new Omnibus Volunteers. The group that helped break us into Ghana will leave within the next month and we will follow only a year after that. We're coming to a new beginning in Ghana. One last cycle of seasons and harvests before we're off.

Love to all
Ira