May 1, 2009

A Story about Pineapples

Five years ago, I was hiking through the Sumatran jungle with my friend Paul in search of Orangutans. The heat and humidity were suffocating and we had all kinds of unnecessary gear loaded on our backs. In the afternoon, we stopped for lunch by a creek and feasted on the most delicious pineapple ever feasted on by man. It's juicy goodness set me on a determined quest to one day find its equal.

Two days ago, my friends, that quest concluded successfully.

Marina and I had just finished a rather pessimistic chat about what was actually good about Ghana (did I mention that we've faced a few challenges?), when the unassuming, spiky little fellow was delivered to us. After one bite, we looked up at each other, and proclaimed at the same moment "-the pineapples".

Since then, we've discovered a few more positives. By way of the delightful pineapple, actually. We purchased one for ourselves, and were walking home from the market, when a young man stepped out of his home and called out:
"Hey! What is that?"
"Um.. it's a pineapple."
"Ah, this no good!" he replied with a big smile, "leave it with me."
We told him we'd be back in some time. We took the pineapple home and chilled it in the fridge, then sliced it up and carried it down to his home. A man I'd met a couple of days earlier joined us and the four of us sat and slurped our pineapple in the shade.

Then today, I was walking Marina home when the same young man, Isaiah, came out of his home once more. This time, he was holding a pineapple of his own, and calling us over. He handed Marina the pineapple, and when we said we'd bring it back shortly, he told us to keep it for ourselves. As we were leaving (and clearing a path through the dozen or so kids that had gathered around to stare at us), he told us to drop by anytime.

















Isaiah pushing a wheelbarrow up our street.

Earlier this evening, Marina and I were having a drink at a nearby patio-pub when we ran into Isaiah a third time. He joined us for a beer, and then invited us to go with him to church, where he told us he plays the bongo (my kind of church!). So, the three of us hopped in a taxi and headed off to church, with flip-flops on our feet and beer on our breath.

The church that Isaiah attends twice a week is a half-constructed building, on a dark little side-street, held up by wooden supports. The congregation sits under whirling fans and prays passionately along with the pastor, who gave his entire sermon staring directly at Marina and I and translating everything into english for us. This made it difficult to doze off. Once prayers were finished, we were invited to stand up and introduce ourselves, which we did, to warm welcomes all around. We then joined into the dancing, clapping, and singing (or off-key mumbling, in our case) as several of the church-goers drummed away on bongos of all shapes and sizes.

As we walked home with Isaiah, total strangers greeted me in the darkness - by name. "Day-bis", is all they'd say, with a smile. The Elghana coordinators had told us that our names would get around faster than we might expect. They were right. And it's nice to feel welcome.

On top of that, we've got a fresh, chilled, juicy pineapple waiting for us in the fridge!

-Davis

7 comments:

  1. Wow, Davis...I had no idea you were on a new adventure; I was so glad to see this posted on your FB. I'm bookmarking it so I can stay updated in your summer travels :) Sounds like quite an experience already...I know you're going to find yourself with an incredble amount of one-of-a-kind stories...enjoy every moment!

    ps--congrats to you and Marina on the engagement...even more excitement to look forward to!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great story Davis! Stay focused on the positives :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Daybis and Marina ... right now - we're drinking beer at our hotel in Pamukkale - Turkey - I love you're guys' blog and hearing about your adventures. We've had a great time. Tomorrow - mud baths - sun sets at the Cotton Palace. Take care! Love you both, auntie andrea and uncle russ

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glad things are looking up. How much pineapple is too much? Matthew says hi Uncle Davis and Auntie Rina!

    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful story Davis. We love hearing about your adventures. Amazing what a pineapple can do.
    Fiona and Dave

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks guys - it's great to receive your comments :)
    D & M

    ReplyDelete