As the week winds down, I have varied thoughts and emotions that words do not seem to express. I find that today is more about putting experiences in perspective and figuring out what to do from here. A few thoughts of what resonates with me in terms of next steps:

(1) At Elmina Castle, the tour guide emphasized that the work they do is not not just tourism, but their work is about education—specifically educating visitors of the horrific history of Slave Trade so that it will never happen again. This approach to history mirrors much of the work I do with the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation and the sessions I have attended with the Tulsa Jewish Federation. I also include such social advocacy in my Service Learning portions of my classes when I ask students to write letters regarding issues of social concern to them. I have also started work with the Oklahoma Center for Community Justice on a few projects that have become of interest to me, and I've been promoting more social justice work with our African American Male Student Success Team and the African American Student Association.

The connections to this slave castle's mission and my work are part of one of those colliding forces that let you know that you are headed in the right direction—even if an unknown one. I want to deepen this social justice focus when I return to the States, and I'm certain that my work with the National Writing Project (through Oklahoma State University) includes many possible connections that I had not considered. My colleagues there and around the city and nation will give me more ideas than I had not thought possible.

(2) When we went into the Castle, our tour coordinator was confronted by the receptionist regarding costs for entry into the castle. The receptionist wanted to charge Visitor Prices for those of us from the USA, but Beatrice (our tour coordinator) insisted that we were Ghanaians. At first, I thought it was merely to have a lower price, but it hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized the number of times that we had been told during presentations of the number of African people who were taken through the "Doors of No Return" that were in the Slave Castles of Ghana—numbers ranging from some 12 million or so made to the Americas while some 30-40 million made it to the Slave Castles from the interior of Africa—leaving lots of room for determining how many more lives were lost from the interior capturing of slaves. Once I realized that some 70% of the Slave Castles were in Ghana, I also agreed that we should be considered Ghanaians for the price of entering the castles from which we may have likely gone through the doors and were now returning. We were now reclaiming what our ancestors had been told would never happen—a return to African shores. What a blessing!

(3) My little friend from Ghana is among my most cherished memories. At Beatrice's house, she has her mother, grandmother, sister, and several cousins. Well, one of the cousins (PK) needed some help with his English homework. Beatrice told him to bring it to me after dinner for the evening; he sat down next to me on the couch with his grammar book, and we started looking at his homework. I could tell he was a little shy and was having trouble reading the instructions. So our lesson was on making nouns plural: with "S" in general, with "es" for words ending with "S," "O," "X," "SH," or "CH." And of course we had a few he had to memorize that have irregular forms. After seeing that the book instructions were not helping him apply the patterns, I asked him to get a sheet of paper for us to write down the rules for him to see them on a single page. Then we added a way of folding the paper so it could be used for flash cards for personal review of the irregular meanings. Once he seemed to get it, we shared a few high fives each time he got his words correctly.

I really enjoyed helping him and hope he does well in school. I will have to get with Beatrice to arrange chatting with him periodically so I can keep up with how well he is doing in school. I need to find a way to spend more time with my little cousins, God Son, and nephew so we can have these experiences too. It means so much for them to know they have someone to call for help.

(4) Other significant moments were with Beatrice's mother and grandmother. They were such a joy to visit with. The first day we had our homestay, Beatrice's mother greeted us warmly with food and conversation. She prayed for us and our families back in the USA. She made our welcome ("Akwaaba" in Ghanaian language) come to reality with her hospitality. Her spirit radiated with the love of a mother for another mother's children.

The next day, we met Beatrice's grandmother who was in the home where Michael and I stayed. She was asleep when we came into the home the night before, but she was waiting for us the next morning. She is a teacher, so I knew we would get along well. I had no idea how much we'd connect. The last night in her home, Michael and I visited with her in the sitting room, and I remained for extended discussions about the Bible and race relations. I was able to share with her the story of "Little Africa" in Oklahoma, the 1921 Race Riot Story, but we also concluded that God has a way of healing all situations and will turn every circumstance into something that will glorify Him. We connected, and I'm so glad we were able to meet. The next morning, she sent us on our way, but not before she asked that we stand together and pray. In that uncomfortable moment of silence while we all waited for her to begin, Beatrice informed me that she was waiting for me to pray. So I offered our prayers for Africa, her family and community, and common brothers and sisters who are part of the African Diaspora in all parts of the world. This was quite an honor to be asked to pray in the home of a family that had opened their lives to us and made us feel so special.

(5) Frances, our tour driver for the week, asked us if we were happy with our trip (a question we are often asked in Ghana is, "Are you happy with this…?"). Of course we are happy, I responded, but I then added that what we are most happy with are the relationships. The tourist items and foods are all great, but we have met some good people, forged some special bonds, and these are much more significant that any trip tourist location.

The people who help you understand the location of your travel are what should be cherished most. The question served as focusing element in helping me realize that the relationships are what we want to foster for our students or any person who comes to Africa, not just the schools or the sites—for the shared experiences are what will change people.