The Finish Line is Just the Beginning

I love this trademarked line from Mini Mermaids Running Club.    There are just so many ways you can dissect the meaning of “The finish line is just the beginning”.   Although a creature of habit in many ways I always love new beginnings. I think that is why I enjoy traveling so much ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­– new places to explore, new people to meet, new foods to feast on.   Arriving in Accra I wondered ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­– what would my new start and finish lines look like and what lies beyond my finish lines?

Starting line #1: Mini Mermaids Running Club (MMRC). Well, for those of you who have read my previous posts  you may remember that I planned to start a running club for young girls here in Accra – MMRC. I originally thought I might be able to partner with the Noyaa school down in the Jamestown area but after visiting the school the first week I was here it did not seem like much of a possibility mainly because there was really no safe area near the school to have the girls run.   A few weeks into our stay the hubsters comes home and tells me about a school that his group is working with and he had mentioned to the founder that I was looking for a school to partner MMRC with and, well, you can probably guess the rest. Remarkably the school is called “Happy Kids”.   So I have twenty 10-year old girls who are participating in the program. The school kindly gave me three young (and very athletic) teachers to help out and excuse the pun, we are off and running! The girls are very excited and very inquisitive. In fact the first question I was asked by one of the girls on day 1, “Is your hair blonde?’   Ha! Trick question? I tried to explain that some people might call it gray or white. Nope, they insisted it is blonde, so I am going with that.

Starting line #2: French class at L’Alliance Française.   My last French class was when I was a senior in high school, so let’s say “a long time ago.” Luckily I am in remedial French.   My class is large (over 20 students) who hail from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Thailand, Chile and the Congo.   I am the oldest in my class (except maybe the teacher) by 20 years; the only American, the only white woman, but I love this class. The class is mostly women, not shy retiring kind of women, rather loud, outspoken young West African women. Sometimes it is so noisy that I can barely think but the energy keeps me on my toes and everyone is friendly, positive and not afraid to speak bad French to each other.   I still have a hard time understanding spoken French but I am a whiz at the written exercises. Unfortunately this won’t come in too handy when I hope to travel to some francophone countries with the hubster unless I plan to write cute little notes to everyone I meet.

Starting line #3: NOT working full time. After working full time for the last 24 years, it really is nice to have a sabbatical. Although I do enjoy having more of my time being my own and not dealing with some of the bureaucracy of Stanford University; I do miss my job, my colleagues and just the excitement and fulfillment of cancer research. But my days fill easily here since just getting around (see last blog) takes a lot of time and energy as well as Starting Lines #1 and #2.   Also I have a running group that I meet two mornings a week (5:30 AM!) and I have already run in a relay race in the Accra International Marathon­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ −­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ our team even came in first. I have met and am involved with a wonderful group of expat women in the North American Women’s Association (NAWA) who do great work funding humanitarian projects in the Accra region but also serves as a network for all of us who are far away from our home countries. They are also the go to organization for where to find things, anything, in Ghana and they even publish a book No Worries, The essential guide to living in Ghana where you can find restaurants, schools, spas, grocery stores, embassies, NGOs, hospitals and doctors, sports facilities, hair/nail salons, banks, and even a blurb about how to bargain in the marketplace.

Finish Line #1: Getting through the day safe and sane. The finish line each day in Accra proves to be interesting, frustrating and sometimes heartwarming. The other day I was on my way to Happy Kids School, which is in a village outside of Accra called Kwashieman.   It is a bit of a haul from my apartment. We are stopped in traffic at a light on the George W. Bush Highway (yes, this is really the highway name). I am enjoying the air conditioning in the back seat of a private car with a hired driver. Like most intersections here in Accra there are multiple vendors, mostly women, carrying goods on their heads weaving in and out of the cars selling everything from water and food to foot massagers.   Most are not terribly aggressive, although one foot massager salesman did reach into the car once when I had the window down and gave my arm a nice massage, but they do get up close to the windows and give a pleading look to see if you are interested in buying anything. Sometimes I just look straight ahead. Sometimes I just wave them away. That day I turn to look at one of the women. She is a few feet from the car, our eyes lock, she does not give me a pleading stare. I smile at her and she gives back to me the most beautiful smile – full of kindness, compassion and well, love, and then she disappears through the maze of cars. Something deep inside me stirs. I am so moved by the beauty and the rawness of the moment that my eyes well up with tears. Those few seconds of connection with that woman has stayed with me all week. Yes, the finish line is just the beginning but getting there can sure be great.