You’re welcome.
One of the many ingrained phrases I took for granted my whole life in Canada. I remember distinctly the frustration of not finding its equivalent while living in Zambia over 2 years ago. “Twalumba” was the chiTonga phrase meaning thank you. And the response was simply another “Twalumba”. I got over it, and got used to it.
Then I came to Ghana and was impressed by the frequency of the phrase “Amaraaba” – meaning you are welcome. But it’s not an acknowledgement of thanks, but rather the greeting when someone enters your compound. Flashback: I’m getting off the back of a moto having been away from my village Jana for a number of weeks back in February or March. Like the snap of a finger, I see the eyes of the women in my compound shift focus from the bowl in front of them to look directly at me.
“AMARAABA-O!” This was new. Why were they adding “O” on the end? I decided to add the mysterious suffix to my response.
“N-goya-O?” Shouts of laughter and clapping. I must have guessed right.
“AMARAABA-OOOO” comes the same greeting twice in a row! I dive into the moment, and respond equally loud and drawn out… The meaning of “you are welcome” has transcended the direct translation and is swirling around me in the tone, volume and sheer delight of my family.
***
I’m relaxing on my bed, drinking some cold water from my new fridge and enjoying the breeze from the ceiling fan and the music creeping out of my laptop’s speakers.
“Mike – I have returned your bicycle” says Isaac, my quiet and somehow shy neighbor as he tucks the bicycle back inside the veranda.
“Thanks!”
“Thank You Too.”
I love this phrase, and it’s worth a moment of reflection to decide that it needs to become engrained in my own vocabulary. A small significant measurable indicator of cross-cultural exchange. It captures so much of what has been incredible in the last 2 weeks of my life. I am deeply blessed to live and work with some phenomenal human beings, who deserve thanks just for being. Who they are.
—
I took the stage twice in a single weekend at the EWB West Africa Retreat to perform my first TED Talk and my first spoken word poetry in front of an audience. And I’m still holding crystal clear in my memory the attention, the eye contact, the paradox of silence: when people’s voices are resting but their hearts and minds are shouting out to the roof and off the walls. I hear that when I listen with my whole person, and it’s pure music.
I had this unbelievable flashback to being 9 years old, stomping up the steps onto the giant ugly stage of my elementary school gymnasium. I could feel and hear the hollow space below the stage that echoed with each step as I walked to the middle and turned to face the room. I noticed the grimy orange carpet that covered it, and then gulped as I saw the eyes of 300 people sitting on the floor looking up at me.
Now there’s certainly a difference in content from that speech on Patrick Roy’s goaltending style to my recent attempt at articulating my ideas on leadership inflection points and the role of self-beliefs in that process. But the adrenaline and the nerves and the challenge of holding the attention and interest of a large group of people who you care about was pretty much the same.
***
I ate two amazing meals in that weekend – one was food for thought, belief and action, and the other was food itself.
The thanksgiving dinner was an unreal performance by an orchestra of chefs –a huge pig, a giant turkey wrapped in bacon, mashed potatoes/yams, stuffing, gravy, coleslaw and an encore of more desserts than I could count. It was so different than my Christmas in Ghana almost a year ago – the sadness and loneliness, the distance, the uncertainty, the self-doubt were nowhere to be found. Maybe it’s the knowledge that I’ll get to visit Canada in just over a month, but that’s only part of the picture. The people around that long table of goodness are connected to me in a way I can’t easily describe. They are peers, friends, mentors, sounding boards, inspiration, brothers and sisters. They’re a forest of redwoods and saplings, beckoning the sun and the rain to nourish the potential within. Thank You.
The other food came the night before, and in contrast to the hours of preparation and cooking of thanksgiving, this feast appeared from nowhere like the flames hiding in matchbox, waiting to be sparked with the right angle and friction. Let’s put it this way, the session title was “Policies” and it was the 9th hour of the day. But as computers and USB keys failed to find the most updated version, the session took a life of its own and moved in a different direction. As people squinted at the projected screen and peered over each other’s shoulders to read a written articulation of EWB’s Vision, a crescendo of questions and responses grew to fill the room. People stood up to share their piece of the puzzle, asking piercing questions, sharing stories, and ultimately explaining exactly why they’re living and working in Ghana or Burkina Faso. It’s beautifully simple and intricately complex. And it scares and motivates me beyond belief to have the opportunity to shape and drive the way we work towards it.
Unlocking unrealized human potential.
This came through very strongly in our most recent AVC team meeting where we collectively decided to explain and frame our specific work with businesses in the agriculture sector – not around Problem Statements but instead around Unlock Statements: whether we’re seeing a barrier that’s blocking someone or a pathway that could lead them to prosperity, we’re searching first for the right keyholes before spending all our time molding shiny gold keys that we can hold up to the light and feel proud of.
As my work, life and love all start to find the rhythm and learn to dance together, I’m filled with gratitude for this life and all the people in it.
Thank You Too.
Huge congrats on doing a TED talk – that’s quite an accomplishment! And, enjoy your time when you’re home in November!
Wonderful post, Mike. Thank you too 🙂
Mike: a beautiful, articulate, evocative, & very moving post. Thank you for continuing to share your life & learning. I’m comforted by your appreciation for your Ghanaian friends and family. See you soon!
Thank you too Mike – for sharing your experiences in such a warm immediate manner. Helps make you feel a little closer. TED talk? That’s cool – has it been posted?
Awesome! Congrats on the TED talk 🙂 We should show it in APS520 next term! I’m looking forward to hearing it. Thank you Mike for sharing your reflections and experiences. Great reference to the redwoods too. Just reading Julia Butterfly Hill’s book about her experience living in Luna, the redwood. Looking forward to seeing you when you’re home for a visit!
Nice post Mike! 🙂
Nice post Mike!
Thank you for posting this. You’re really great. (I wish I had something more eloquent to say.)
Thank you too Brother. I hope the TED talk was on Roy and the 92-93 finals, good times. Miss you guys, let’s talk over food and skype soon 😉
Want to share your poem on how-matters.org’s Friday Poetic Pause? http://www.how-matters.org/category/poetry-pause/ Shoot me at email at: email.howmatters@gmail.com
It’s really interesting reading this to stop and think about the ways in which we not only give thanks but express our thanks. I’m realizing with Thanksgiving just passing how little thought I even gave to the sentiment that we are expressing to one another. Thanks for the pause and perspective.
L
Excellent post, brother. So happy for you!
Beautiful!
Mike I know you’ll be here in November but when are you coming home to stay?? Just curious.
Oh Brother!!!! THANK YOU TOO!
Best post you’ve written I think. So much heart and honesty, and such beautiful articulation of this life we live!
All the best my friend!
thank you, too!!
Thank you too, too brother. Beautiful insight. You almost made me cry.
Thank you too for sharing these amazing insights. Look forward to seeing you.