While I was living in Ghana after college there was a line in a book that really spoke to me (An Imperfect Offering) that said "No scars, no stories, no life." My body has its fair share of scars, the majority from a dog attack at a young age that left me with 32 stitches spread… Continue reading Wound Care
Category: Ghana
Close Encounters
black women breathe flowers, too. just because we are taught to grow them in the lining of our quiet (our grandmothers secret). does not mean we do not swelter with wild tenderness. we soft swim. we petal. we scent limbs. love. we just have been too long a garden for sharp and deadly teeth. so… Continue reading Close Encounters
When a Piece Reads You
It has now officially been over a year since I graduated. May 26, 2011 seems like a lifetime ago on some days, and on other days I can remember distinctly the way the sun felt on me as I posed for millions of photos as if it were yesterday. For the majority of the past year… Continue reading When a Piece Reads You
A Return to the Town Where Time Does Not Reside
“When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that… Continue reading A Return to the Town Where Time Does Not Reside
Azonto
Since I arrived in Ghana there has been one dance craze that has dominated the music scene. Music is even made specifically for the dance. It’s called azonto, and most Ghanaians can barely remember what popular dancing looked like before it. There’s a bit of controversy over the origins of the dance. Guys in Tema… Continue reading Azonto
Like Candy from a Stranger
Most of us have seen the public service commercials about it and have learned about it from our parents and at school. DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS. And especially when we are young, we are told not to go with strangers and never take candy or other presents from them. They just want to lure poor,… Continue reading Like Candy from a Stranger
Island Adventures
This past Saturday I threw aside stress and dusty Accra air and planted my feet in the warm sand and beautiful scenery of Ada, Ghana with Fred. The area is comprised of several different islands, that house many different resorts and a large casino. It was a wonderfully relaxing day filled with good food, lots… Continue reading Island Adventures
Being ‘Madame Younge’
It would be an understatement to say that I love my work. And I especially love Thursdays when I get to teach another session at my pilot school in Adenta. I have 37 students, which is a combination of Class 5 and Class 6. This puts the students’ ages between 10 and 12, which was… Continue reading Being ‘Madame Younge’
Living My Questions
Last October, I finished reading James Orbinski’s An Imperfect Offering, which took a hard look at humanitarianism and politics. Orbinski’s job as head of Doctors Without Borders and his founding of Dignitas International exposed him to the type of preventable human suffering that raises a mountain of questions surrounding why things happen and how can… Continue reading Living My Questions
Across the Universe
Delia-I packed some of my favorite movies. Across the Universe- Because that’s how far away I feel you are sometimes. -Sara Willis Last month I received a care package from my dear friend Sara Willis, and one of the sets she had placed inside the box were six DVDs of movies she really liked. She… Continue reading Across the Universe
Odelia Younge 