crash

Maybe the title of this one isn't so great but it was honestly difficult for me to think of just one word to sum up this entire weekend. It was incredible, definitely one for the books but just like an amazing sugar high after one too many chocolates, there's gotta be a crash.

This weekend me and a few friends went on an adventure to Wli Waterfalls in the Lake Volta region of Ghana. The drive is supposed to be just over 3 hours so we packed up the car Friday afternoon and head off (this time also with a driver thank goodness). Our home in Accra just ran out of water Friday due to an electrical shortage with our pump so I had just experienced my first bucket shower with a Glad container. But we were ready. We had our hotel booked, military itinerary printed out to the hour from the US Embassy, and plenty of cedis ready for great food and attractions. We hit a ton of traffic heading out of Accra and this should've been a sign. The traffic lightens up and right when we think we're good to go to catch up on lost time, the sky turns this awful black. Maybe the blackest I've ever seen but that may have to do with just the sheer visibility of such flat land here. We could see for miles and we could see that it wasn't going to be good. Our super experienced driver, Emmanuel, even wasn't feeling so great about it so once the blinding rain began we had to pull over a couple of times to let cars pass to go the safer speed. All around became flooded and roads became backed up with traffic but we were certainly warned about the rainy season. They sure weren't kidding either. So this unexpected storm put us back a few hours and after dark in Ghana, nothing really can happen. Nothing good at least. (Sidenote to any concerned individuals: I felt safe the entire time riding in a US Embassy vehicle with an experienced Ghanaian driver, Marine, and new best friend so no need to worry.) Anyways, as we got closer to the town with the falls and our hotel we could see that the roads weren't going to be so nice to us. We called the hotel and they said there was no way for us to get there. The road we needed to take was blocked off due to a funeral weekend (which is a huge deal here and actually really neat). We missed the detour with the dark and the rain but managed to get on the right street again. This next part of the story sounds like it'd be like 5 minutes but in Africa, everything is 10 times more complicated and takes 10 times as long. We searched from town to town for a place to stay but people literally said "we have no room." I thought for sure we'd be sleeping in some stable or at least in the car. It was the weirdest thing. Even the dingiest of hotels, no room. What?! We called people to connect us to other people who would recommend us to others and finally found one place. We drove there as fast as we could and no joke, as we pulled into the driveway the power shut off. As if the night wasn't difficult enough. The guys were worn out and just wanted a place to sleep when they were told that they'd have to be the ones to start up the old-school generator. And of course after a billion tries, the city power finally comes back on! Thank goodness though! We looked around at the place we'd decided to stay based off of sheer exhaustion and it turned out to be the most incredible, home-y inn I've seen yet. No bed bugs, no mosquitoes, no dirt, and even furnished with homemade quilts on the beds. Perfection. Our weekend turned around at that very moment, and as the giant bowl of veggie pasta hit the table as we had forks in hand ready to eat. Go figure the one time we don't pack a billion snacks we get stranded but that's always when it happens right?! The huge feast of a dinner made up for it, along with friends, laughs, and the power staying on the rest of the night.

The next morning we slept in later than expected, fueled up with a HUGE breakfast then drove up to the Wli Waterfalls Reception. I was still a bit beat from the adventure the day before so I thought I was still dreaming but nope! My favorite animal of all time, an ostrich!, was just roaming around reception looking for hand-outs from tourists stopping in before the hike. We were warned about the strenuous nature of the hike but again, it's Africa... what do they really mean? Difficult? No. Try hardest hike of my entire life. Like probably 3 times worse than Camelback in Arizona that I hiked in November. And in 90 degrees with humidity. But what a great test of endurance both mental and physical. I caught myself just praying to the Lord as a friend, as a comforter in thanksgiving for even being able to walk up a mountain and asking for strength that I didn't think I had. From the first view of the mountain I didn't think there was a way but 3 hours later we arrived at the top falls of Wli and it was the most incredible thing. Drenched from head to toe we traded sweat for the cool water and mist from the falls as we jumped in right away. There's just something so peaceful and rewarding about a great hike. For me I think it was that I honestly didn't think I could make it yet it was only my mind holding me back from doing so. We had a great guide, Samuel, who showed us different natural remedies for bug bites, tree fibers for energy, berries for survival and pointed out different landmarks along the way, such as the village with reception that got smaller and smaller the longer we hiked up the mountain. From the top of the falls, I just sat and marveled. It may sound cheesy but it really was just a moment in awe of God's creativity, His power to create all of this to bring Himself glory. I sat on a rock in the sunlight with my Luna bar lunch and just closed my eyes to listen to the sound of people singing in the church in the village as it drifted up the mountain and rested where we were. There aren't many moments like that, allowing us to just sit and marvel. The ones we do have are just such sweet ones. After a long rest we began the hike down the mountain, just as difficult but felt so refreshing knowing we were heading back with a bit more energy and lifted spirits. The sky was gorgeous the entire time and right when we headed back to the car at reception, the craziest downpour began. It came just in time as we were worn out, hot, tired, and just put the icing on the cake for the most difficult yet most rewarding hike of our lives.

The next morning we packed up the car, said our goodbyes to sweet Margaret, the owner of the inn, and her son who were both so hospitable to us. We were the only guests in the inn those nights so it really was like a home away from home for us. We left early so that we'd have plenty of time for travel but mostly to catch the Mona monkeys before they went into the forest for the afternoon. At Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary nearby we enjoyed a private tour of the grounds, protected for the conservation of the forest and monkeys. The Monkey Sanctuary fees are poured directly into the community and have provided schooling for all the children, a new clinic, and improvements in housing in that region that really needs it. Besides that, we got to hold monkeys! We were each handed an unpeeled banana and just told to hold our arms out tight. The tour guide was also named Emmanuel. Ah crazy! As I'm typing it just hit me! Emmanuel means God is with us. And as evidenced from all of our escapes from near-tragedies, He absolutely was! Anywho I diverge. Emmanuel just told us to hold on tight as he let out this crazy monkey call and pointed to the branches as they began to shake closer and closer in. We looked around the forest edge where we were standing and we spotted monkeys all around us! The tour guide said that Mona monkeys favor white women, oddly enough, but it seemed to be true. I had two monkeys fighting on my arm- twice- with monkey scratches up my arm to prove it. A younger monkey jumped on my arm once and just sat peeling the banana with his little hands. So surreal. Another highlight of the trip and a memory I never want to forget. We then headed back home and on the ride home I was just praying, talking to God about the weekend. I realized this: God never says no, He just says "I have better." Maybe this isn't in the form of visual blessings and provision like my weekend was, maybe I'll never see the "better" of certain situations, but I believe that statement with my whole heart.

So that's all the sugar. And I hate writing novels but it always turns out like this. But with the sugar comes the crash. Our crash came quicker than we thought it would as we walked into our volunteer room straight into a solid inch of brown water covering the entire floor, including the bags I left behind for the weekend with books and chargers and such. No. way. The cheery, high spirits mood faded real quickly as we found two mops and a bucket and went at it for an hour until I enlisted some help from my boss's husband. He brought the electrician to fix the burnt out bulb in our bathroom who dropped the good bulb which shattered all in the water we were cleaning up. And then the power went out so we were mopping brown toilet water in the dark in the stinkin (literally) heat of the day. I have to admit I was livid. I was not a happy camper. How did this happen? Did no one care to move my things that were ruined? I wanted to find someone on which to place the blame but I was smacked with the reality that accidents happen. Maybe they happen a bit more here with a bit stronger severity with much more chaos, but they happen. And it's okay. Life will go on. God is still with us and if anything, He used that low to show me my lack of trust in His good. And for that I really am thankful. It's the low moments that draw us close to Him.