Remember when I first arrived in Ghana and I wrote a blog about riding a rollercoaster. Well, let's just say I am right back on that rollercoaster, only this time it has loop after loop after loop.
Ever since my first humanitarian trip in 2009, I have always had a hard time coming home. This time is really hard. Not only was I there for a longer time, but I left very suddenly with almost no time to reflect on what was actually happening. Within twenty four hours I was back in Canada.
I don't mind being back in Canada, I mean its home and I am surrounded by amazing friends and family. The part that hurts the most was my last image of Ghana. I flew from Accra to Amsterdam on a KLM flight in business class. Not going to lie, it was nice to be in business class when traveling sick, until it happened...
I was standing on the stairs waiting to board the plane, until I looked through the glass wall to my left. The rest of the passengers were standing there waiting to board. The thing that struck me most was that all of those on the other side of the glass wall were black and everybody I was standing with was white. We carried on as we got to board the plane before everybody else, but that image did not leave my mind. I couldn't help but to think about the division between blacks and whites that still exists today. I mean has that much really changed since Rosa Parks refused to move on the bus? The whites sat at the front of the bus and the blacks at the back. It literally felt the exact same and I did not know how to handle it. That was my last image of Ghana. It really makes me think about how much has really changed. There is still a clear division between the blacks and the whites, between the rich and the poor. Although it is a "black and white" issue, the situation is actually very much grey.
Yet why should we be divided based on our income. Since when did money become a definition of who we are? I discovered that when I was outside with my neighbours in Damongo. My friend pointed out that the husband was washing the kids instead of the wife, and I told him it was probably because the wife also works so she is more respected. Since when does money define us? Why have we let money become something that defines who we are or who we have become. The status of women is most often defined by the income they make and the more you make the more respected you are. What ever happened to kindness and generosity? Respect should be earned through your generous actions, not through your generous donations.
This is my problem with development, it has become entirely about the money and about the status. Canada isn't seeing returns on investments, or we aren't seeing the results we wanted... maybe if we started acting out of love instead of self-interest, development just might happen. Who knows? Just a crazy thought really.
Lately I have been going through a series of emotions (as I'm sure you can tell from this post). I am trying to figure out my next move and I have no idea where to begin. I cannot get that plane image out of my head: the clear (or not so clear) line between the blacks and the whites... in the 21st century. It was such a clear and powerful last image of Ghana. Hopefully I can figure out my next move sometime soon, for now I am just taking time to reflect on my internship and see where I am at in terms of my interests in development (both school and work).
Until my next rant,
Bianca
