Mixology

Most often the term "mixology" refers to the mixing of drinks, but this post is not about the latest and greatest cocktails I've mixed, but about my complex relationship with race. This story dates back to May 3rd, 1995. Why yes, that is my birthday! Now to introduce the complexity...my racial background isn't fully known. I am half white and that is all we know for certain. Rather than explaining that personal story to every stranger that asks, I often make up a story.

Much to your surprise, I get asked "what are you?", "what are you mixed with?", "what is your ethnicity?", "are you mixed?", "what race are you?" on a weekly basis. Normally, these types of questions don't bother me all too much. I'll answer and shrug off the ignorance. Today, however, it was a different story. I was going to a local pizza place to pick up a large order of pizza for a group event this evening. As I was walking an employee to my car with an arm full of pizza boxes she asks "what are your ethnicities?" and I responded with, "well I'm black and white" which is my go to answer. Rather than leaving it at that, she pointed out that "most of the world is going to look like you in the next couple decades" which is true, but also demeaning when she followed it up with "well you don't look like the rest of them, most guys like that don't look like you". Why she chose to imply my answer wasn't right or true is beyond me, moreover, she generalized an entire race of people. There is not a single defining characteristic for someone who is biracial. That is what makes it such a beautiful and unique identity. Do not think that all biracial men and women have "carmel" skin tones, with white facial features and black body types. We are as diverse as the stories and places we come from. Do not put us in a box. 

A Collection of Thoughts (Ghana, Dominican Republic and Elections)

Thoughts about Ghana, this world and the time of life I find myself in are constant. In the two weeks since coming home from Ghana not only do I find myself missing my life there, but I also find myself struggling to comprehend how to apply my time in Ghana to my every day life. What implications does my time there have on my thoughts, attitudes, actions and future? I have yet to fully answer that question for myself. There are, of course, practical implications that I have identified, especially in my actions and attitudes. I am so much more grateful for the hundreds of blessings I have. I have a job (babysitting the best children in the world), I have a home, food on the table, a car and the ability to take opportunities that come my way.
Honestly, life in America is dull in comparison to life in Accra. The color and vibrancy of life is immense and never ending. While I was in Ghana I was often frustrated by nothing ever going as planned, but now I know I took that for granted. Driving down the street in Westfield there are rarely people walking on the street and there is never anyone selling things through open windows. I miss that about Accra, people are everywhere. There's a sense of life, like a house that is a home rather than a house that doesn't look lived in. But what I miss most is Haven of Hope and the children I bonded so closely with.
There's Gabriel, who has the most incredible dimples and a heart made of pure gold. He gave me a necklace the first day he met me and I can assure you that I will cherish that for the rest of my life!

 There's Nii, who has the warmest smile and the curiosity of a cat. His questions never ended and that is such an amazing quality; one that I don't have but wish I did.

Lastly, there's Kofi who has a smile that shines as bright as the sun and has boundless energy. He's a tough guy who is actually a teddy bear, but wishes he wasn't. Also, this happens to be one of my favorite pictures from the whole semester!

Being at a place like Haven of Hope brought a flood of Dominican memories back to my mind and a twinge of pain in my heart. In case you didn't know I was given an incredible opportunity to intern with VisionTrust Dominicana again for the whole summer, but due to financial problems I wasn't able to take the opportunity. This was by far the hardest decision I made in quite a long time. To feel a call to be in DR during the summer, but not be able to because of money was disheartening to say the least. As my family at VT down in Dominican serves a total of sixteen teams this summer I am stuck on the sidelines as a ball of envy and heartache. It is hard to be stuck somewhere when your heart desires to be somewhere else.

I might have been out of the country from January until May 30th but I definitely caught all the political drama going on in America. Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton. Wow. What terrible odds for America. Neither is a good option and both are going to battle until the end. As a self professing conservative Republican who happens to be a minority I have found myself stressing over how I will cast my vote in November. I was reminded during worship at my church that God is ultimately dictating the outcome of this election. We were singing "Fail Us Not" by 1000 Generations where the chorus and bridge follow as:
"There is nothing above you. 
There is nothing beyond you. 
There is nothing that you can't do. 
Whatever will come, we'll rise above. 
You fail us not, You fail us not. 
No matter the war, our hope is secure. 
You fail us not, You fail us not. 
Whatever will come, we'll rise above. 
You fail us not, You fail us not. 
No, You fail us not. 
You fail us not. 
...You are bigger than the battle 
you are bigger than the battle 
you are bigger than the battle has ever been 
ever been..."

God is bigger than this election and His will will be done come November. This was the perfect reminder in the middle of my church service when I least expected it (when I didn't think I needed it). It's important to remember that just because someone's opinion doesn't match yours doesn't give you a reason to dislike or berate them.
This is just a collection of random thoughts I've had since coming back to America..

(I wonder if anyone actually read all the way to the end)

Written Last Night

As my time in Ghana comes to a rapid close I am left with a sense of loss, confusion and excitement. It’s a rush of emotions that one can’t really put into words, but I will try my best...

What awaits me at home is both incredible and scary. I know when I get home it’ll be amazing to see my family since I’ve missed them so much. It’ll be super nice to relax in my home with AC and Lord knows I cannot wait to cuddle with my puppy Ike. But keep in mind, I’ve spent almost half a year half way around the world. I’ve grown and changed in many ways, most, if not all are unknown to me. Not only have I experienced Ghana but I’ve lived in Ghana and I can assure you there is a massive difference. Everything about my life here has been different than it is in the States. My habits have changed and my worldview has grown tremendously. Honestly, while it may seem to you like I am coming back to a world and life that is familiar, I am not. It’s scary to think that living in America is foreign to me now. The transition back to the fast-paced, materialistic immediate gratification life style is going to be stressful, terrifying and difficult. So for those of you who I will see in the relative future I ask that you extend me grace as I navigate the transition back home. 

Tonight, as I lay in my bed on my phone, typing this blog, I am laying next to KG, one of my dearest most treasured friends. I thank God that I got to go no this Ghanaian adventure with her and I probably couldn’t have survived it without her. We’re at Haven of Hope for one last night to soak up every waking hour with these kiddos. Saying goodbye knowing that in all likelihood I will never see these kids again is utterly heartbreaking and I’m not sure how much my heart can handle. I’m leaving Haven of Hope and I’m leaving Ghana in the matter of three days, so it’s fair to say my heart will be broken but it is also forever changed for the better. 

Bottling Up Feelings

As I type this blog I am covered in Benadryl due to a pelthora of mosquito bites, I'm carefully placing my dusty feet on my clean sheets, and I am charging all of my electronics praying that "dumsaur" doesn't occur again this evening. Dumsaur is the twi word for off and on. They refer to the power outages as dumsaur because the lights go off and eventually come back on. So far this semester the power outages haven't been too much of a problem. They've made cooking weekly meals at Tracy's flat difficult (Tyler and I made burgers without power) but most of the time the power is out and hour or so and comes back on. The past two nights around dinnertime dumsaur has happened...
I wish I could bottle up all of the feelings that flood into my mind when I'm laying on my bed, already sweating, and I hear the fan slow to a stop only to realize that my phone is at 32% and my computer is at 19%. What this means is movies are not an option and neither is playing games on my phone. The thing about dumsaur is one never knows when its gonna end. It could last 30 mins or 30 hours. There is such a feeling of defeat knowing that for the next of hours there is literally nothing to do.  I wish I could give those feelings to my many friends and family back at home who have no idea what that's like.
Then there's the heat. I want so badly to bottle up what it feels like to sweat constantly. I wish I could accurately describe what it's like to go to bed while sweating, wake up while sweating, sweating the instant you turn the shower off, and basically all the times in between. I have been sitting in a church sermon, or a lecture completely overcome with heat. Imagine being in a room of a couple hundred people, minimal fans, doors and windows open with zero breeze, the heat envelopes you and in some cases you feel like you can't breathe cause the heat is just sitting on you. Everyone should know that feeling.
Most importantly, I wish everyone knew what it was like to be an international student, or the stark minority. I have been laughed at countless times for simply asking a question, I have had my picture taken while walking on the street or laying on the beach, I have been stared at relentlessly. I wish my majority friends understood those feelings. Those things have happened simply because of my skin tone. When it comes to being an international student I can assure you that it is the hardest thing I have ever done. It is terrifying to take classes where you can barely understand the professor, you don't understand the lecture style and you can't seem to find people who are willing to go out of their way to help you transition. It's extremely confusing and utterly exhausting to have to have your attention dialled in at all times. To behave in culturally appropriate ways, get good grades and find friends? It's a monumental task. It is in my Calvin group or the other American/European international student that I seek refuge, comfort and rest. It is just easier to be in a group of people who get it. When I'm sitting with my American friends at lunch I don't have to constantly be on guard to ensure I behave appropriately. It's only after this experience that I can fully appreciate the International students at Calvin. I commend you. To the Ghanaian students at Calvin, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support and advice you've given to us! Thank you for answering our questions, calming our nerves and connecting us with your friends and families here in Ghana.
My experience here as a student isn't over, I still have finals and classes to finish up but in about two weeks I will transition to an internship at a school/orphange called Haven of Hope. This is my practicum placement for the Calvin program. I am so incredibly excited to work alongside teachers and caregivers at Haven of Hope. As of today I have 40 days left here in Accra before I begin the 24 hour journey back home.

Our Own Trotros

Last weekend a group of us girls decided we'd go on a much needed beach day. We wanted to visit a place called Big Milly's which had been recommended to us by many people. We knew it was in the general area of the beach we visited a couple weeks ago called Bojo Beach, which is about an hour from campus. We figured we would grab a trotro to the general area then attempt to find a way to Big Milly's. Most of us didn't want to plan this trip down to the minute because the majority of the time things don't go according to plan.
I'll explain what a trotro is and how they work. Imagine a passenger van with a sliding door, then add 17 people, a driver, and a caller. These callers are normally guys my age who hang out the door of the trotro yelling where they are headed to. It's their job to get people in the trotro.
Since we left so early in the morning on a Saturday we were able to negotiate with an empty trotro to take us right to the place we were going. Normally trotros take you to a stop/juncture, then drop you there and you walk, take another trotro or grab a taxi. Since they were willing to take us straight to Big Milly's for a fair price we hopped in their trotro and we were on our way. These guys were super friendly and funny. Big Milly's ended up being farther from Bojo Beach than we thought it would be and the caller of the trotro was worried that we wouldn't be able to get back to the main road to hail a cab or get a trotro so he offered to pick us up when we were done. We said we'd stay until 3 and they could pick us around then. 
That never happens. They have their designated routes and they don't stray from that, so the fact that these guys took us way out of the way to Big Milly's then offered to pick us up and take us all the way back to the university was insane. Of course we agreed to have them pick us up and that's exactly what they did. 3:30 rolled around and we see our trotro coming down the street.
If there's a story that describes Ghanaians perfectly, it's this one. They were worried for us. These strangers who picked us up were worried that we wouldn't be able to get back to where we needed to go. That wouldn't happen in the States. Ghanaians care about everyone they come in contact with, no matter how short or impersonal the encounter is. That's something I'm very grateful for and something I am learning from.

Updates Upon Updates

Tomorrow is March 1^st, which means I have been living in Ghana for almost two months already. In the grand scheme of things my journey here is flying by but day to day seems to be moving rather laggardly. I have too many things to write about so I'll keep it quick

Day to Day Life:

Since classes are only once a week for two hours I find myself with lots of free time, this is made better/worse (depends what kind of person you are) by the fact that professors do not assign homework. The only grades in my classes are my midterm exam grade and my final exam grade. Here's a run down of my classes... I have an introduction history class on Monday, Tuesday I don't have a university of Ghana class, but I do have two night classes with our Calvin professor, Wednesday I go to Intro to African Studies (this is my African dance class, no the dance portion hasn't started and no I will not allow recording of such dances). Now Thursdays are my favorite days, I don't have class until 3:30 pm so I don't have to set an alarm and the class I attend is my favorite. I'm taking Tropical Biogeography where I am able to geek out about rainforests and Savannah Plains and all the animal/environmental facts that come with that! Definitely in my element when it comes to that subject! Now what do I do with all the free time? Honestly, I spend most of it trying to escape the heat by lying around with friends and hanging out. We have watched a significant amount of the show Homeland, we spend time eating meals together (we have a weekly meal with Tracy and her family), and we also have been able to explore campus and the surrounding city.

Weekend in Adenkrobi:

Many people in Grand Rapids don't realize that we have sister cities across the globe. Luckily for us studying in Ghana, there is a sister city of G-Rap called Adenkrobi, just an hour from Accra. Years ago the Calvin College program got connected with Daniel Okwabi who lives in Adenkrobi and ever since the groups have been able to do homestays with Daniel and his family. This past weekend Abby, Krista, Olivia, Kallie and I were able to stay there. Unfortunately, Kallie broke a small bone in her foot while playing a game of volleyball with teachers from the local school...prayers for dulled pain and quick healing would be great. Kallie and Olivia left early so the three of us experienced most of the weekend by ourselves. Considering Daniel is an incredibly busy man, his friend Ataaba was in charge of showing us around town. Ataaba is by far the best part of the weekend; he has such a gentle and genuine soul! On Friday we went out into the community and visited the chief, the oldest man in the village and the local school. We were able to engage the kids through volleyball. We started a volleyball game with some of the teachers and this is where Kallie hurt herself. We took a brief break to handle that situation. That afternoon much to our surprise it rained. Yes, ladies and gents, it rained. In the middle of the dry season there was around 15 mins of rain! I can't describe the elation Krista, Abby and I felt. We stood in the rain with Daniel's two youngest daughters and just soaked it in. There was even thunder! Once the rain ended Ataaba took us around the community again to meet people and watch them cook food. We were able to pound cassava root (used for fou-fou), stir/whip banku, taste kenke, pound palm fruit and stir many other things. It's deceptively hard to stir and mix these different things and I can assure you that we gave many people quite the laugh when we tried. Having the chance to walk around the community to learn and participate in how they live every day was such a blessing. Ataaba topped off the night with a walk to the ridge of the mountain to see the entirety of Accra. The view was breathtaking. The four of us stood at the top of the ridge in silence. I'm not sure what the others were pondering, but I was pondering the magnitude of life. I was standing in that one place looking down on a huge city where life was occurring just as mine was. After the cleansing rain and the refreshing view I can say that God put me in my place in that He showed me once again how small I am and how gigantic and powerful He is. 

Saturday day morning we were able to go to a craft market where traditional crafts from all over Ghana and even neighboring countries are made and sold. I purchased a smock that is traditionally worn in Northern Ghana then I modeled it and other Northern fashion items for Daniel. Daniel also borrowed other clothes from venders so that we could model them for him on Sunday. Boy was that an experience. We dressed up and modeled for a solid hour and a half in the midday sun. We laughed and goofed off and made quite the fools of ourselves, but hey, it was a ton of fun! I desperately needed this weekend of thoughtfulness, rest and time spent off campus. Being with a family does more for the heart than you would think. I am recharged and ready to continuing taking on life here at the University. 

Clarification: (Feel free to ask me questions if any come up)

Amongst my group members we've had many discussions about what our role is here in Ghana. I am first and foremost an international student at the University of Ghana. I want to clarify that I am not doing missions work in this country. While this has been a difficult transition for me I believe it is much healthier for me and for people I interact with here. I am not here because I think I have the solutions to Ghana's development issues. I don't have those answers and I probably never will. I am here in Ghana to learn from them. I know my friends and professors here will teach me so much more than I will teach them. I want to break the stereotype of Americans. I am not here to change their way of life and force our Western values, ideas and attitudes on them. On the other hand, I am not here to mess around, party every night and get into trouble. It is about time to bring light to the fact that Africa has been stereotypically and poorly portrayed to many Westerners. Africa is not a land of despair whose people cannot change their circumstances. Africa is not a desert wasteland with hut villages. Yes, there are areas that look like this BUT there is so much more to this continent and it's people. I live in the middle of an urban city where people drive cars, have the same technology that I have and not to mention running water, electricity and wifi. I have classes with people who far exceed my level of knowledge. All that to say I am not in Ghana to "save" it, I am not a missionary here and I certainly not here to reinforce American stereotypes or to add to Westerners misconceptions of Africa. Rant over. 

On a lighter note...

Letters:

I love letters and cards so here's my address if you feel inclined to write me :) 

McKinley Lewandowski

c/o Calvin College Programme

Institute of African Studies

University of Ghana

P.O. Box LG73

Legon, Ghana

This could be considered a bribe, but if you write me you will get a postcard from me! 

Registration Frustration

As a student at Calvin, who has registered five different time each with its own set of terribly annoying problems I can now say that I am incredibly thankful for our registration process.
At the university this past week we had to go through orientation and registration, welcome back to being a freshman, except as an international student. Anyway, here's how it worked.

Step one of registration was to figure out what classes you wanted to take. This was done by going online and looking at the course catalog, the classes had to be level 200-400 and needed to end with an even number. I was able to find classes that looked cool and fulfilled Calvin core requirements or requirements for my major/minors.
Step two, walk to all of the departments of the classes you wanted to take to see if the list of second semester classes was available. Keep in mind that Calvin is tiny and it takes 5 mins to walk anywhere on campus, whereas at the Univeristy of Ghana is a massive school and walking takes about 30 mins in the least. One of the frustrating things about registration was that not all departments had the list of classes being offered this semester up. We registered on Wednesday at 11:30 and very few departments had their lists up.
Step three is when I actually registered online in the computer lab of the International Programs Office. That was simple and pretty straight forward process, however, you sign up for as many classes as you can because you can add/drop later.
Step four was to walk around to the departments again to see if the table tables for the classes had been posted, hoping and praying none of the classes you wanted to take conflicted with each other. These lists were not all up until the day before the first day of class.

I am thankful for the process because it forced myself and many of my group members to let go of the reigns and to just go with the flow. It was frustrating and nerve-wracking, but full of patience and grace as well. On to the actual going to class part.
We were warned many times that the first day of school/classes is not as important here as it is in the States. One of the professors helping us during our time here said that many professors do not show up to the first class. That's inconceivable for us students from Calvin. I show up 15 mins early to my first day of classes at Calvin. Today, four of us went to one of the classes we signed up for only to wander around trying to find the lecture hall which we did. We were the only students waiting for that class and the professor never showed up. We left and headed back to our dorms.
If anyone is curious, I am taking five classes total this semester. Two of these classes are being taught by Tracy Kuperus the Calvin professor who is here with us and three are U of G classes. As a group we are taking an Intro to African Studies class which is comprised of 3 week intro to African history, 3 week overview of gender in Ghana and the last 6 weeks is an elective of choice. Most of us chose the African dance class. The other two classes I enrolled in are History 112 which is selected historical topics and the second class is Climatology which I am incredibly excited about!

Something to Think About

I am a 20 year old, bi-racial, Christian, American woman.

This interim, I was able to go traveling throughout the country of Ghana. The national census states that 17% of the population identifies as Muslim. While the overwhelming majority of the country is Christian. Being born in 1995, I have lived through the shift in Christian/Muslim relationships. I watched the towers fall on 9/11 and I've watched horrendous terrorist attacks in cities like Paris and San Bernodina California. If anyone in the United States should have tainted views of Muslims, it should be people from my generation. 

This past week I had the pleasure of touring the oldest mosque in Ghana. Our guide told us that the community surrounding the mosque is 100% Muslim. I walked around that community in complete safety. As an American, Christian woman I strolled through an entirely Muslim community without a worry in my mind. The people were so incredibly welcoming and curious about why we were in their town and their country. Why is it that when a woman wearing a burka in Walmart she's cussed out or avoided and even afraid for her life, but when I walked through a Muslim community my hands were held by young girls and the people warmly welcomed us?
It makes me sad that Christians and Americans generalize those who practice Islam. Yes, there are extremists who use their religion to justify their unthinkably horrific actions, however, that does in no way reflect upon all members of Islam or people with middle eastern roots. I hope my experience in the welcoming and joyous Muslim community can serve as a checkpoint for how Americans respond to Muslims and Arabs in our community. 

Hello from Kumasi

Well, 

Let me tell you. It has been an adventure for sure. I'm not quite sure where to start. We have been traveling around the country and listening to lectures. The trip began in Akropong where we listened to lectures at Akrofi Christaller Institute, went on daily excursions and stayed at homes in the community for a couple days. 

The family we stayed with was incredible! They were so generous and welcoming towards these two strangers coming to live with them for a couple days. Our host dad is a Pastor of the fastest growing church in Ghana, it happens to be the Pentecostal Church in Akropong. His wife Cecilia is a teacher at the local school. Together they have 4 kids Jemimah, Marc, Keszia and Peter. This was a really challenging experience. Having to constantly think about what you are doing and whether or not it would be considered offensive was exhausting. We learned a lot in a very short amount of time. 

From Akropong we traveled to Cape Coast, where we stayed at a stunning beach resort called Brenu Beach. This place was paradise on so many levels. AIR CONDITIONING & WARM WATER! Praise Jesus. These are now a luxury and no longer expected. We didn't want to leave. 

I am now in Kumasi spending the next couple days. Then we'll head up North this week. 

I'll try to blog soon! 

Prayers for health as we travel to Tamale and Bolga these places tend to wreck havoc on bodies unfortunately.