Monday, October 10, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, today is Canadian Thanksgiving, our oddly-timed answer to American Thanksgiving. Back home, it's always been a big deal for my family and we'd all get together and have the traditional dinner: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans and of course: apple and pumpkin pie with ice cream. This year I was conspicuously absent, but at least I had a great weekend with Joe and got to talk to everyone on the phone, hearing their voices for the first time in two months.

So I guess being in Africa, while Thanksgiving doesn't have the same meaning that it does back home, I definitely feel like this year I have the most to be thankful for: loving family, devoted girlfriend, great friends in two cities, all of the amenities that Markham and Ottawa have to offer as well as a luxurious standard of living. The Creator has most definitely blessed us beyond comprehension.

In Accra, you realize that only a microscopic fraction of the population gets to enjoy a life as privileged as we have in the West. Even someone "just scraping by" in Canada really has it made by Ghanaian standards. Here (especially in the city), people are hungry and often living on under $1 per day, many children can't afford to go to school and electricity and sanitation are for the privileged. I can't stress how thankful I am this year to be living the life that I do.

On top of this, Maleaha called me today to say that she will be meeting me in Ireland for Christmas! I've been on Cloud Nine ever since. I truly have a wonderful girlfriend that I wouldn't trade for anything. Could this perhaps be the best Thanksgiving ever? I think so.

Peace, love and understanding, y'all...
Mr. Obruni

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're a prize boyfreind Mike...
silver prize that is..

-Maleaha

Mr. Obruni said...

*clap, clap, clap*