4 months later...

(Oh hey, it's Rivky- what up, guys.)

I have a paper due on Thursday, but because it's chag, and I'm planning on leaving tomorrow as soon as I'm done with my classes, I want to finish it before I go to sleep tonight. Hence, I'm procrastinating, so I figured I'd write that Ghana Conclusion piece people. Yes, I know I've been back for four months (1), but here's to hoping it'll still be relevant!

Everyone's been asking me I feel being back, a fair question, and hopefully I can articulate some of what I've been thinking since being home.

I've had a pretty tough time communicating to friends and family about my experiences. Describing tro-tros, classes, water and electricity, cultural differences...it's overwhelming, and I usually don't know where to start. People also don't know how to relate, what to ask; it just feels like such an un-relatable experience, like something completely different than my life here, barely any overlap.

One thing I've been thinking about is how people keep marveling about being frum (2) in Ghana. People ask how we ate, how we kept shabbos, how we did everything, really. And in truth, it just wasn't that hard. We ate a lot of the same food - tuna, eggs, rice, salad - over and over, but we never lacked for food. And shabbos wasn't especially difficult either, because we made it easy - we cooked all day on Friday and spent all shabbos playing cards, reading and napping. Both of them weren't difficult, but they are difficult to imagine because of what we normally think of as standard ways we relate to food - with restaurants, an endless amount of options, and fresh food being constantly available to us. And the way we think of shabbos - with shul (3), big meals with family and friends, and maybe some learning. Learning we could do, to a very limited extent, but other than that, the ways we experienced shabbos was just so different than at home. We kept the halachot (4) of shabbos exactly the same in America and Ghana, but the experience was completely different. I'm not sure what that means. But something to think about, I guess.

I should really get back to my paper, but before I do, one think that really struck me; it seems obvious that I would feel this was, but it wasn't to me: I miss Ghana. I miss my friends, I miss our living situation, I miss being with Zahava and Yamit every day, I miss the stupid church in back of my dorm, and buying fresh, huge mangoes for an afternoon snack, and dancing, and drumming class with Francis (oh, Francis), and walking through the market, and meeting random Israelis, and riding disgusting tro tros, and discussing issues with Ghanaians, and being asked for a visa (5), and dance parties, and tovelling in the ocean, and just, everything.

It was so amazing, and I think about it every day, every hour, and I think that's part of why I can't describe it, beyond anecdotes. Ghana didn't ~change my life~ (6) in the same way Israel did, but there was an impact that I don't have a handle on yet, and I love it and miss it.

Anyway, enough of that. I don't think I've said much, but that's okay. Back to the paper!

Oh, by the way, got my grades for the semester. Hysterical- got an A in Islam, Africa and the Global System, and Social Welfare and Social Policy, and a B+ in Dance and in Drumming. Seriously? First of all, definitely shouldn't have passed Africa and the Global System, and come on, I rocked the drumming final. Francissssss.

(1) I think I've been back in America for as long as Ghana. Wow, insane.
(2) Observant of the commandments.
(3) synagogue
(4) laws
(5) or a laptop? Fleisch?
(6) Ugh, Adi, your bizarre writing style had infected ALL OF US. SEE THE CAPS??