Quote of the day:
“May we, with all Beings, realize the emptiness of the Three Wheels…giver, receiver and gift.”
Gyohatsu Nenju (Soto Zen Buddhist meal gatha)
Journal by: Mary Boutselis
This morning we awoke, knowing a little more about what might be in store for us than yesterday we weren’t complete “newbies.” We had the same nourishing breakfast of eggs, toast, porridge and juice…grateful, again, to have plenty to eat. We left as a group, passing community members engaged in morning routines of sweeping up, cooking, waiting with children for transport to school. Some of us re-doubled our efforts to be ready to respond to a greeting of “maakye” with “yeena” or “yeeagya” rather than simply resorting to a smile and a wave.
We left Margaret at the Clinic while Steve, George, Jeff and Kay headed to help with construction. The rest of us went on to our schools. As some of the initial anxious anticipation passes, many of us are confronted with that delicate yet critical balance which we must find between stepping up to contribute while respecting the structure and customs already in place in our host community. Our service is truly most effective when we blend our effort and knowledge with the strengths of the community…this requires more skillfulness than one might think.
After our morning of work, we were treated to a lunch which was thoughtfully made for us Americans…baked chicken, salad, wonderful pineapple but most importantly, French fries with ketchup!!! After lunch, we were off again to the Senchi Ferry library where we read with the children. On the walk home, there was much discussion about the curiosity, eagerness and intelligence of the children. Some of us wondered what lied in their future, especially for those who appeared to be most energetic in their questioning.
We arrived back at the Guest House around 4:30 and loaded into a van for an outing to the Volta Hotel which was at a bit of an elevation. We sat out on the deck, enjoying a soft drink and the beautiful view of the dam and Volta Lake. We all appreciated a little change of scenery and many of us took advantage of the wi-fi reconnecting with friends and family. Back at St. James, we had a late supper followed by discussion which covered a wide range of topics from forensic anthropology (compliments of Kay) to the Grange Fair in Centre Hall, PA (Will).
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