Guillermo in Ghana: Sorry for the delay (7/25)

So I know it's been forever since I've posted, and it's going to be even longer... till I get some good time (and motivation) I'll put a long post I wrote into my journal my last day of site visit (now almost a month ago). This was just as I was leaving my site, and I'm putting it online now much later, back at site.. o well...
---------------------------------------------------
(Written 7/25)

So yesterday was my first market day in Diare. Strangely, markey day isnt like most towns I've seen so far where it's a set day of the week. Market comes every 6 days, so every week it shifts up a day. This week it was on a friday, next week it will be on a thursday. It was a fun first-time experience but I'm excited to go alone next time, struggle through the language and just chat with the people.

I came home and am very proud to report that I made a tasty rice and stew dish using only a rice cooker. I had to make the stew in there, clean it, set it aside, and then make the rice.... I need to go house shopping...

This morning I was supposed to meet the assemblyman and chief, but it's been pouring. Not sure if I already specified but this country shuts down when it rains. As I stare out from my front porch my mind is wandering so I'll just write thoughts as they come:
________________________________________________________________
Functionality
I had a mostly bug free night last night. This I think is due to hardly turning the lights on and moving about my house with my headlamp. As I laid down to bed I saw several spiders on my ceiling and smiled in comfort. Your view of creatures changes when you leave 1st world amenities. You begin to appreciate other living beings for their practical purposes not just love, or fear, them for their aesthetics. Spiders in my room means less bugs. Volunteers here get pet cats because they catch/keep away mice and large insects. House flies are not just a nuisance, but a vector that can leave you bed (and bathroom) ridden for days if it lands in your food.
____________________________________________________________
Walking
I noticed yesterday that I loook down when I walk. Not at my feet, but about 2-3 feet ahead of me. Most of you that know me well have probably noticed how I walk at a fast purposefull pace, looking down at the ground ahead, usually lost in thought. After analyzing it I realized that travel time is my favorite time to think. By definition you're not doing anything or being anywhere, you're trying to get to somewhere else. So this serves as a great time to ponder all kinds of things. Many good ideas have occured to me while on a long quiet drive (for this same reason I've realized I rarely listen to the radio during long stretches) or in walks from A->B. The result however, is a sort of "highway hypnosis" where you arrive at your destination with no real memory of anything you passed on the way there. When I highway drive, much like when I walk, my mind isnt explicitly on the travel at hand. My mind wanders to other problems or ideas, and my eyes become motion detectors. If something moves out of the ordinary, I snap back in, react accordingly, and then go back to my thoughts. So as the grass in front of me clarified this train of thought (yes these conclusions were also realized while staring down during my walk) I decided I'd try to look up.

It was a foreign concept and I literally had to force myself to do it. Actually make my muscles move my head up. The result was like night and day; like two different movies playing at the same time, but you had to choose which to watch. I came out of a cloud of though and all around me, almost in an explosion, was an entirely different scene. Almost as if it wasnt there before and I had just discovered it. Trees going on into the horizon, a beautiful blue sky dotted with clouds, some Ghanaian children walking on a red clay path, two yellow butterflies coming from hundreds of feet apart, colliding and taking off straight up, swirling around each other about 6 inches apart, only to separate again 10 seconds later. Green everywhere, all kinds of plants and trees I've never seen before back home. All just sitting, peacefully waiting to be observed.

At times I found myself deep in thought again and sure enough I was facing down. I think the two relate like my highway example. Looking out I can see what's coming because I've been watching it the whole time, but if I look just ahead of where I am, my mind can forget the trivial task of walking and my eyes will almost subconsciously alert me if a change in landscape, a "motion-detected" occurs. When I realized I was looking down, I forced myself back up again. And every time it felt like opening an entirely new world that wasnt there before.

It's odd because it's not like I'm trying to get away, or avoid eye contact. I love people and I find I'm happiest here when when I'm interacting with the locals. I think it goes back to my constant need to be doing something productive and a main reason why I'm here. The same way I've begun to re-evaluate my view on time, travel seems to apply. It's about striking a deal with myself: if you're doing something, do it. If you have a day off, a few moments off, or a break due to travel time, take it for what it is. Don't use your free time as more time to plan what you're going to do. This is a concept that will not die easily, but it's hiding a part of me thats needed a breath for a while. I have always said I have a work hard, play hard personality because I get alot done and also organize fun social outings with great friends. But there's a 3rd dynamic that I haven't seen till now, one that's just as important and I'm finally starting to see the tip of the iceberg of understanding. My new motto that only two months in Ghana has taught me:

Work hard. Play hard. Breathe easy.