Dancing by the River

By the boat park

So I went night cycling last night around the city of Paris and the best part about it was when we were cycling by the river, and saw two groups of people drinking wine and dancing by the river. I had uncovered the treasure I was looking for! And why do I love dancing? I do believe there is a special connection with someone through dance, through being in sync with the music, and for that few seconds, share a moment.

I guess I did this irish circle dance where almost the whole dance floor changed partners, and I got to “meet” a whole bunch of different people, not speak, but just feel the tension between our hands and bodies and step into the beat at the precise moment, twirl and spin.

I was reminded of my brother’s song- Just Imagine, and the first line goes:

Imagine children of enemies, laughing together..
Just Imagine what love can do.

It was hard for me to come to France after coming from Ghana, especially after visiting the slave castles where so many were brutally tortured and killed and kept in slavery. And talking to some people here, when they travel to Africa, they say, being French, there still is a slight hostility towards them because of the painful past. And sometimes I ask myself- what if I were French? How do I relate to the world, knowing my ancestors had shed such blood? And how do I appreciate the castles, when I knew they were meant to enlarge the empire, meaning enslaving more people and taking over more territories as if it were a game to play? But maybe that’s the amazing power of forgiveness and the power of music and dance because last night, even in the parks, I saw people of all races laughing together, dancing together, sharing a moment together. We perhaps are the children of enemies, now laughing together, and it was a beautiful sight.

More pictures from the night cycle!

Notre Dame

Oldest clock in Paris

Velib bikes!- Bike share program!

City Hall, Paris

My velib!

By a bookstore- library without boarders

Cha-lleh! Why not?

Cape coast!

I visited the slave castles yesterday and after seeing the dungeons of the slaves of the past, the canons and ships that were left at cape coast, I could help but feel a sense helplessness about the past but wonder at what we have today. In Ghana, as I’ve noted before, there is no bitterness towards visitors but the reverse – just joy and welcome. They call you Cha-lleh, or Sister and brother, you’re part of the Ghanaian family just by being here.

Also, it seem they have a instinct to be game for absolutely anything! Their first response is almost always “Why not?” There usually isn’t an answer. What a way to live. 🙂

– Meixi

Stories

This school is an interesting mix of people from all over the continent and that is probably what I love most about this school. The number of perspectives represented and presented here is really wonderful. I was looking back at some of the interviews in the past and Sister Teresa Walsh said to me, “Education is not imparting knowledge, it’s leading someone to enlightenment and letting them discover the joy of learning for themselves.”

As I’m in Ghana now and am starting to reflect on this entire trip, I can’t help but think about what this, at the end of the day, is all about. Education, I was reminded a few times today-is about the people. It’s about a passion for people, done with people. And the people in Ghana are inspiring. From the girl on the beach who gave me a pink ring, or doing cartwheels as the sun set with a bunch of kids, or our wonderful friend, Kuehkuu (not sure how to spell it) who had a heart of gold and wanted you to have the absolute best time in his country and would drive miles to make sure that was achieved, to Richard, the boy who shared that he loved Ghana and when I asked why, he replied, “Don’t you feel it? You should feel Ghana. I have food, a house and shoes- I have everything.” Countless stories like this have taught me about life here, the people here and what education is. Education is perhaps at the end of the day, story-telling and as we listen and share those stories, a little bit of heaven is planted in us. And that transforms. Today, the joy of learning was real for me, and they have led me to enlightenment.