Beads, Gardens, & Quotes

11/01/08
Today I found inspiration in all sorts of things...in beads, in trees, in leaves, and in quotes...

This morning, our North Carolina group went back to Cedi Beads, the bead-making place that we had visited awhile back. Linda, our tour guide, picked us up bright an early (after an abrupt wakeup call by our porter, Miss Peggy, who ran into our room shouting "McKeeky"---to wakeup McKenzie and me).

Today we learned about "waist-beads" and how every "good Ghanaian woman" wears them from the time she is a baby until the time she dies (of course changing the strands of beads as she grows and ages). Linda convinced us that all "good women" around the world should wear the beads, so of course I bought some (and I'm even wearing them as I speak!). I love how you can go back to a place again and again and take away something new with you every time.

After visiting Cedi Beads, we rode to Aburri Gardens, the botanical gardens here in Ghana. It was such a peaceful escape from the crowded, noisy, and dirty ruckus of the city. It reminded me a lot of the botanical gardens in Singapore, and it somewhat looked like a slice of Central Park. Our tour guide picked up leaves for us to smell, as we walked, asking us to guess what spice each leaf produced. We smelled all spice, bay leaf, cinnamon, etc. My favorite was the rose-apple tree (shown above), because of its CRAZY texture.

Dr. Akotia, the program director of our study abroad group, joined us for the day, which was such a treat and surprise! She brought with her a book entitled "Speeches that Changed the World", which was so interesting to read in between stops. I read excerpts from speeches given by Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, & Elie Wiesel (to name a few). A few quotes that stood out to me:

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." -Nelson Mandela

(I am so interested in learning more about Nelson Mandela and the history of his life, before I leave for South Africa in two weeks. In South Africa, McKenzie and I hope to visit Robben Island, the island where Mandela was kept captive in prison.)

Quotes from Mother Teresa's speech, when accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979...

"By blood I am Albanian. By citizenship an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus." -Mother Teresa

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do...to be able to do this, our lives have to be woven with prayer. They have to be woven with Christ to be able to understand, to be able to share." -Mother Teresa

"Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family. Smile at each other."-Mother Teresa