That doorway was a phone call. We were just about to figure out our way to Elmina, when my phone rang with an unknown local number. Having been run down by ‘my friend from Kumasi’ and other people who call me and ask me where I am from before asking my name or telling me who they are, I was not sure what to expect.
When I understand every word easily, I was like, “who is this?”/ The voice on the other end, asked for Pierrette. Realizing that it was Sebrina (who I really did not expect to see or hear from), I was so excited. I asked her, “Do you know who this is?”, to which I answered, “This is Chris!...you know, Chrispy”.
After our encounter in a late night bus in Scarborough where we each found out that we would be in Ghana at the same time, I thought we might see eachother there, but a lack of coordination in advance had me thinking it would not happen.. Informing me that she only had a couple of minutes on the phone, we got to the point. She was in Elmina and we were on our way there. They were actually staying in a hotel that had considered staying in.
The drive along the coast had us smiling.
Above: On our way to meet Sebrina in Elmina.
It was really such a sweet surprise...it’s something you just can’t expect, but you can give thanks for. Pulling up to the Almond Tree Resort, we exchanged hugs and smiles and stories, not only with Sebrina, but with the group of Ngoma dancers and drummers that I was so used to seeing Thursday evenings at Driftwood Community Centre every week.
Above: Yvonne and Vivenne (who I see every Thrusday at Driftwood holding Ngoma rehersals...in Ghana!)
Having only eaten breakfast, we then went around the corner for lunch (I have some delicious fish and rice...that’s basically all I ate while on the coast, and I love it). Sitting at the table, it was funny, a woman from Ngoma asked me, “So how are you doing? You miss Rhema yet?”. I thought that it was so funny that I was meeting someone from church over lunch in Elmina. After eating, I urged Sebrina and Pierrette to head to the water. I had not had the chance to go and really see the waves and to walk in the water. They were catching up, they had some girl talk to deal with, and they were looking at photos on a digicam as we walked along the beach. I know they were like, “what’s the rush?’, but for me, not many people know this about me, but I love the ocean. I can watch the waves for hours and hours. When a huge wave comes in and crashes it does something inside of me and I smile, like it’s my first time seeing such a sight.
After a good twenty minute walk down a dirt road, we cut through a field and reached the ocean...except there was a long strip of rocks before we could reach the sand in the near distance. So, we soldiered it out (shouts to P and Brina for gettin big and doin barefoot).
When we got to the sand...ahhhhhh...the waves, the water, the sand, the mist, the roar, the crash of the wake into the rocks...
We walked around the water, looked at shells, and were just really happy to be there. I looked the other way while they changed into their swimwear, and eventually we decided to baptise in the Atlantic. Given all that we had been told about the ocean and how much had happened along the shores, it was not just our first time in the water, it was something much more. For so many, the journey to these shores is one of reconnection and of honouring those who suffered, those who died and those who survived. Often, people leave wreaths as a tribute.
Pierrette came up with the idea of making our own wreath. So I suggested that we each take a few strips of the seaweed that was there. We then found some shells with holes in them that we used to adorn the seaweed. After doing that, we took the three strips (one each) and tied them together in a circle.
Above: Tying the strips together to make the wreath.
The photo of Pierrette’s hand inside of the wreath has an interesting story, as she had been looking the other way and had placed her hand behind her to support herself. She did not even know that her hand was inside of the wreath, nor did she know I took the picture. When I showed her, she was surprised...then we did the other photos.
It was Pierrette that carried it over to the water. We stopped at the water’s edge together and just had a moment of silence and a moment of prayer. I could feel God’s peace and His presence. Pierrette then laid the wreath in the water.
Above: A moment of prayer, thanksgiving and reflection...powerfully peaceful.
Above: Pierrette carrying the wreath into the water.
Above: Pierrette laying the wreath in the water.
From there, Pierrette and Sebrina had a lot to talk about, while I was interested in spending some time just watching the ocean. I felt purely grateful. Of the things in life that I treasure, the great privilege of sitting by the water and enjoy the sunshine of the tail-end of the day is highly valued by me.
Of all that I thought, felt and observed, I will share a beautiful lesson that the three of us were taught. For nearly an hour, I just watched the water (while I say an hour, I have no idea how long it was, because being there really felt timeless). As I watched waves crashing, creating little waterfalls and rivers, amidst the rocks; as I watched the pattern of big and small waves coming and going, I had a thought:
I was going to look and notice everything that there is to be noticed. All that my perceptions could take in. After doing that, I spoke to Pierrette and asked her to look at the ocean and all within her view and to tell me what she noticed. She mentioned the shimmer on the water and way that the horizon seems like the end of the world. I then asked Sebrina what she noticed and she commented on the thin shape of the clouds that seemed to frame the ocean like a picture. After they said what they noticed, I shared with them the way that the big waves filled up the rocks with water creating waterfalls that would dry up and then be replenished by the next big wave. It was amazing that the three of us sat there looking at the very same place at the very same moment and saw three different things. Not only that, we had missed the very things that were prominent in the perception of each other.
I want to add that being there with Sebrina and Pierrette was such a blessing. I thought to myself that I am here with two of the most beautiful women in Ghana (and they are from the T-Dot).
While that was funny, on a serious note, seeing the divine design that orchestrated such a meeting in such a place at such a time had me in awe; knowing that we were each destined to share such an important time in each of our lives.
Upon returning to the Almond Tree Resort, we made a plan that we would bring Sebrina with us to stay at the Arafynn Guest House and that we would all travel together through Elmina and beyond the next day.
Without a light in the washroom, we each bathed, got dressed and went into downtown Cape Coast for dinner...actually, we ended up by the castle, after having seen a resort down there where we could order food. We arrived, and the area looked pretty adandoned aside from a group of Ghanian 20-somethings arranging something with a pair of cabs. We passed a street meat stand and proceeded into a bar. I asked a man behind the bar who was occupied counting money if they served food. Still looking at his money, not even sure if he wanted to answer my question, he hesitated before confirming that they did. He was still looking at his money, and seemed uninterested in us being there. The spot just looked shady. I did not have to say anything as I turned to P and Brina to see them urging me out of the place.
We progressed down a dimly boardwalk to the next resort. As we approached a gate, we noticed a few people sitting around that appeared to be homeless. One woman was lighting a candle and just as we walked by her, she turned and made some freaky noise in our faces holding the candle and some creepy, crooked smile. We were all startled. P tried to keep walking like nothing phased her (tried!). Sebrina started walking really close to me. As for me, I began talking about how, ‘we don’t to fear anything, we are walking with God. There is nothing above Him’.
Walking into the next resort, it was slightly less shady than the last spot. We walked in to find this Lebanese looking club owner explaining to us and some others, that because of “some stupid noise restriction” that the jam was being cancelled. That was okay with us, as we were just looking for some dinner. Regardless of the restrictions, Reggae music continued to blast over the speakers as a handful of souvenir pushing Cape Coast rastas were standing around the bar and grilling us. For one, they were looking at Brina and P (though it was unclear if they were trying to get a number or sell some necklaces). We eventually found our way to a table right on the beach, where sat listening to music, talking about the amazing things that life has been showing us, and how this all came together.
Dinner was fried fish for me and for the ladies spaghetti (more so, noodles with some sauce...and ketchup which they added later).
What remains most for me from that evening for me was standing in the sand, under the moon and in front of the ocean with Pierrette and Sebrina. I saw so much in that moment about purpose and blessings...just really grateful...I think we each got to see more about eachother...and we were having a lot of fun. We actually bought three necklaces that each had the same pendent of Africa to commemorate this trio.
Ok, a few more highlights that I have to add about that evening. One of the ‘rastas’ was hovering really close to us and was enjoying the music. When the song “who do you thin you are? We’re living in a small world came on”, his “backa, backa’s” in our ears was a moment to smile about later on. Walking out of the resort quite late and looking for a taxi was another moment. We could not see any cars on the road, so we walked towards the street lights. As we walked down the street we came across an entourage of people walking the opposite direction. When we asked an older man in the group about a taxi, he told us to follow the group as they had just come from the police station and the road was closed on that side. He was gracious and we walked with the group which gradually disbanded to a cab that agreed to take us to the Arafynn only after he picked someone up. We said “fine”. So he drove, eventually reversing down a street that he had stopped on. He pulled up to a group of people sleeping on the road side. He honked the horn and began speaking with a young man that looked like his friend. The driver looked to be in his young twenties. After a brief conversation a young woman got up from under a blanket where she was laying beside him on the street, and got into the car. We still don’t know what that was about.
Getting back to the room, we got ready for bed and shared a huge King size bed that seemed like it could – in all honesty – comfortably hold five people. We slept fairly well and were up early the next morning.
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