Trusting the Unknowns of the North

I walk through a narrow metal doorframe that opens into a courtyard, surrounded by four clay buildings tightly built together. Like the village life I have been apart of before, family and locals are gathered carrying out daily activities but with each village and tribe comes differences. I follow behind Frana, (director/headmistress/owner of Greenshield School) and follow her lead. She briefed me on what the next steps would be, I approached the first woman peeling yam, squatted so low I was almost sitting on the ground and looked up to make eye contact. "Naah" I said and she greeted me then giving me permission to stand then carrying it the same greeting process to every person on the complex.

In October I was invited by Frana to travel north for a ceremony, honestly I acknowledged and appreciated the invitation but had no interest in disturbing my new routine (insert eye roll). Time passed and the travel was approaching, I was reminded again and for the next three days I created an overly detailed pros and cons list of traveling north. Traveling in Ghana is a long process and comes with many unknowns but at this point I was fully adjusted and needed to take part in this ceremony. When deciding to go, I was reminded of all the feelings I had before leaving America. I wanted all the details to mentally prepare for any pitfalls, this is a flaw of mine and actively being worked on because it's not how life works. I booked my flight with Frana to fly north to Tamale, then a driver would take us to Nalerigu the northern most point of the North East Region. I mentioned in a previous blog post of how each region is different from each other and that stands even more so true when traveling north. My family (at this point know I am talking about my host family) did not know much about the north except the extremely harsh conditions in Tamale when they visited years ago. Nalerigu is much farther north than Tamale but their knowledge gave a starting point. Frana's husband is from Nalerigu but is currently working for the UN in South Sudan and the Frana took on the role of this ceremony in his absence. Her father in law passed fifty years ago on the 2nd of December, with that came a very large death anniversary celebration. Family travelled from across the world to gather at the family home to host the village. We arrived on a Thursday and prepped the entirety until Monday when the events would take place. This was nothing short of a mission, food was being prepped for 1,300 people and the decorator from Accra prepared the space with beautiful yellow satin. I had mentioned that the farther from Accra that people live, little to no English is spoken I knew that traveling to Nalerigu would be challenging for many reasons but one of those being the even more intense language barrier, I was going to feel like an imposter.

To my surprise it didn't matter, when I say that I was fully welcomed and loved in Nalerigu I mean it. My language didn't matter, my skin did not matter, my gender did not matter.

The days started early, especially since there was so much work to be done, we hailed a motorbike or "yellow yellow" (a bike with a cart attached) and they took us from the home to the family home. School is not a required part of life in some northern villages, the majority of children will be helping in the home if they are capable. It being the beginning of December meant weather patterns were shifting, a scary and frustrating part of life for Nalerigu. As the wind patterns shift in the Sahara Desert, much or Northern West Africa is impacted. The dust and sand accumulate in the air so much that you couldn't make out the sun in the sky. Clay would stick to your skin and the dry air cracked all skin if it was not covered.

Since stepping foot into the village I was speechless. Nalerigu is everything I didn't think I needed, a world tucked away in the north, an unforgiving environment where people have learned to love and thrive. The weather is always above 100 degrees but the dry heat from the desert make it extremely enjoyable! Dusk seems to hold the best moments in Nalerigu, when you wrap a shawl and walk the long road to the family home. There you will find the sub chiefs in a circle, in traditional wear and music so loud I bet Burkina Faso can hear. The dancers in the middle will wait for the audience members to stick Cedi to their forehead as a sign of approval.

I was very hesitant about taking this opportunity, why would I want to disrupt my life that I had worked so hard to adjust to? Why would I want to leave my students? Why would I want to miss out on time with my host family? Why would I want to take a safety risk of being alone?

These were legitimate questions and I had legitimate answers to each of them. If I had questions with valid answers then why would I go? Let me tell you why.

Life is not about being comfortable, it is about constantly adjusting, not staying stagnant when you adjust to each situation.

There will be plenty of time to rest eventually in life, I need to take advantage of my youth and the ability to move around with ease.

I need to trust unknowns, acknowledge the risks and  evaluate but learn to trust life and trust myself. It would not be fair, to neglect myself of an opportunity simply because I am/was scared. It was important for me to acknowledge my questions and their answers but more important to be strong in my independence like my parents taught me to do. Going to Nalerigu was the best decision I had made, one of my more cherished memories, moments and experiences that I had in Ghana. I wanted so hard to be invisible and just observe Northern Ghana but instead I was taken in, loved, cherished and appreciated as I was. I came to be a visitor but I was considered legitimate family within the first day. The northern most regions of Ghana are extremely difficult and harsh places to live, the environment is unforgiving and access is limited. A place that seems inhabitable to humans has become a beautiful home for many. Traveling to Nalerigu was a difficult decision, I was not sure if it'd be worth it, I started to fall back into my old ways and demanding answers from the world but once I caught myself life just fell into place.

...I am freezing.

Good morning from Wisconsin...

xoxo

Corrinne Ruth