Whew... long week. I haven't even figured out what to say, I don't remember all of what I've said before, and I don't have much time, so I'll just talk for now and plan out the next post better when that opportunity comes along ;)
Seminary applications are due today (most of them) and I'm through with my part of them, but they're still mightily intimidating. But anyway, I'm out of the closet, so to speak, about being a future seminarian... I wasn't certain of the reception that I would get, considering how many people in America cannot conceive of women in ministry, but I shouldn't have been worried. Everyone (and in particular I'm referring to everyone I know at the seminary) is thrilled. Tickled pink. I've even been halfway invited to sit in on a pastoral care class by my host father, the Dean, and I am invited to the school's chapel services which happen at 6am & 6pm every day, so I've started going regularly to the evening one. They're very nice & regular. The services always involve a lot of interesting hymn singing, and a lot of recitation. For the latter two I'm generally dependent upon the books of others. This also held true in the Methodist church I visited this week: churches don't keep hymnals- people bring them to church. It's very interesting. I'm in a little more trouble when we start singing Fante hymns, though, as they aren't printed anywhere.
Also, I'm semi-registered for classes at this point, though classes haven't truly started yet and my schedule remains remarkably fluid. In theory, I'm taking a 200 level African Traditional Religions class, a 300 level Muslim Ethics class, and a 400 level Jesus in the African Context class (along with the others required by Guilford). For my service learning, I think I'll be working at PPAG, aka Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana. It's an interesting place, and BOUND to improve my Fante. All sorts of things go on there, but sometimes it's very slow. Yesterday I was there for 6 hours, and nothing much was happening, but someone idly asked me if I danced after lunch and naturally I said yes. I then proceeded to entertain my coworkers for the next 15 minutes. I think they were impressed and amused, but hopefully I'll get more of them to dance with me later. Also that afternoon, though, I watched Snakes on a Plane for the first time (on Ghanaian TV) with a girl who was afraid of snakes, and with that same girl discussed religion and the differences in worldviews between Ghana & the US, so that was fun.
Time to wrap up, unfortunately, but I'll write more later. This weekend we (Katie, Chantal, Akwasi and I) are going to Kumasi, which is the capital of the Asante region, a very important place in the history of Ghana. It promises to be an interesting trip, not in the least because Akwasi promised dancing tomorrow night, but all the more because we get to visit the old Asante palace (as opposed to the new one, which is trickier because there are still Asante royalty (Asantehene?)) and see the famous sword that was stuck in the ground and sounds interestingly similar to the sword in the stone. Nifty. We'll be back on sunday, by the way, and hopefully while in Kumasi I'll get a new adaptor and a cell phone of some kind :) exciting. All the more exciting because it means that if you can manage an international call you can call me (or text me, which is apparently cheap) and it costs me nothing! :) And of course I will call home on my own when I can. And you all count as home, in one way or another.
I love you all. Life is fine, if occasionally tricky ;) So many details to share, so little time.
Toodles!
-Rachel Rose