Our tour group consisted of approximately ten Ghanaian young men on a field trip with their teacher, an older Ghanaian man wearing a traditional dress, two French couples with their young daughters, two British volunteers, and two German students studying abroad at the University of Ghana. The tour guide brought us through the male and female dungeons, showed us the sealed walls that now block the tunnels previously used to take slaves onto the trans-Atlantic ships, and the "Door of No Return."
The diverse backgrounds of the tour group set the stage for a wide range of questions and comments at each stop along our journey. But even more interesting than our differences, was our underlying commonality, that we all chose to come to Cape Coast to learn about this gruesome period of history and take some time to reflect on its lasting impact on every citizen of the modern world.
At the end of the tour our guide thanks us for coming. He said only by walking through these haunted halls, and taking the time to acknowledge the atrocities of the past can we ensure such crimes against humanity never occur in the future. It was truly humbling standing in the courtyard of the gorgeous white-washed fort listening to the rolling waves crash against the rocks below, all the while knowing this picturesque facade once housed hundreds of people crammed together as they waited to board a trans-Atlantic ship towards a life of incomprehensible pain and suffering.
Yet being at the Castle among this group of people from all over the world you also felt the sense that there is hope for a better future - if we come together as human beings to acknowledge the shared sins of our past, and actively work towards a future where we respect each other's right to live a free life.
After our tour we walked through the fish market, and enjoyed a nice lunch by the beach, but our trip was short since it was my companions last weekend in Ghana. Aaron and Julia are returning to start their second year at the University of Chicago's Medical School, and Susanna will continue studying medicine at the University of Bristol in England. As we said our goodbyes, I could not help but think it was a bit of a bittersweet adventure. Despite having a lovely time with new friends, I was sad to say goodbye - both sad to see them go, and sad that I was not joining them on the return flight home!
I enjoy the trips away from school, meeting friendly Ghanaians and learning from this beautiful culture, but at the same time, each day in Ghana presents its own set of challenges. I am grateful for this experience to spread my wings, and travel to this far-off continent, but even after living here for over a month, I am still finding the challenges quite overwhelming, and the space in Aaron, or Julia's carry-on quite tempting.
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