Day 32: Dining With A Doctor

Accra - Today being the Lord's Day, Brandi and I left the guest house early and went to church at Calvary Baptist Adenta for the second time.  We are encouraged to go there by Dr. Simon Ademola Ajayi, visiting history professor at the University of Accra.  Brandi was also taking her fabric, purchased in the Makola Market three weeks ago for having a dress made by a seamstress at Calvary.  We left the material in the taxi, however, as we got out at church and we haven't seen it since.  We'd hoped he'd remember where he picked us up this morning but . . . well . . . no.  Finding the same taxi would be equal to finding the same fish in the ocean who stole your bait.

At church the pastor was preaching from Hebrews 10:23-25.  The electricity went off and on three times during the course of the 150 minute service but the Ghanaian Baptists hardly noticed.  With drums to keep the rhythm, the singing went on like nothing had happened.  I was thinking, it's just like the Devil to turn off the electricity but it's just like God to supply the power.  After the service we met the Accountant General of Ghana who is also a deacon at Calvary.  The only first time visitor today was a young student from Georgetown University who was in Ghana to visit her aunt.

After church Dr. Simon invited us to his apartment for a home cooked meal.  He served eba with palava sauce or goat, rice, and plantains.  (See below)  This was Brandi's, the food historian, first time to try eba which is a Nigerian version of Ghana's gari foto.  The conversation was rich.  The three of us talked about West African history with this eminent professor who teaches permanently at the University of Ibadan in Ibadan, Nigeria but who has also taught at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia.  He also let us read some samples from the 250 exams he's still grading from Spring Semester.  These exams are all long essay, the only kind at the U. of G. and, to say the least, put our educational system in the U.S. to shame.  American students whine if it's anything more difficult than multiple choice.  Before we left he gave me one more of the books he's written (he already gave us two) "The Nigerian Baptist Convention: 1914-2014 A Historical Appraisal" and one his brother Joseph Femi Ajayi wrote "Anointing and Administration in Ministry: A Compendium of Messages on Man's Encounter with God."

We took two tro tros back to Accra and walked to the guest house after a quick sneaky snack at Dez Amis on Liberation near the Flagstaff House.  The house is full again tonight.  Thirty-three souls inside the compound all together for the second night in a row.  Big breakfast in the morning.

Couple announcing their wedding date at Calvary Baptist Church Adenta.

Dr. Simon, Brandi, and the Accountant General.

A textbook used in African history classes around the world, edited by Dr. Simon.

The final exam for Dr. Simon's Pan-African History class at the University of Ghana.  The person did not make a 44, that number is the number of the test.  There are no multiple choice tests at the University of Ghana.

Palava sauce with eba

Goat meat with rice and plantains

Benedicta, 3, enjoying a Malta at lunch with Dr. Simon