An Evening with The Big Man

We all knew that Obama was coming to Accra but, we did not think that it was going to be possible to see him. Then, the day we got home from our field trip, it was announced that we were invited to say farewell to Mr. and Mrs. President at the airport. All we were told was that he would be giving a half hour speech before he boarded Air Force One to head home. I was thinking that we might get a glimpse of him with several thousand people looking on. We planned to leave early in the morning, meet at the Embassy, and then get a ride to the airport. Obama was scheduled to speak at 5:45 and we were supposed to be at the airport at 2:30. It was a long trip to the Embassy  and I was surprized that we got there on time. There were road blocks but not anything too bad. Arriving at the Embassy, we boarded real buses; we were in the lap of luxury. Real seats, that reclined, AC and even a movie. Yes, a movie; on the Embassy Bus we watched Sheena the Jungle Woman. I am not sure when (or why for that matter) this movie came out, but  it had to be one of the worst movie ever produced. Sheena was a girl Tarzan, who could speak telepathy to animals, ride a zebra like no tomorrow and wear the tiniest outfits with out falling out; big talent!!!

We left the bus, and joined the mass of people walking towards the Airport. There were more white folks than I have seen since I’ve been here. The atmosphere was quite festive; there was a parade of Ghanians waving American and Ghanian flags, singing an Obama tune, dancing and playing bongos. There were hundreds of people in line all waiting for a chance to see Obama. We got through the gates, security and were directed by the Secret Service on where to go. We showed them our passes in, and at every check point the crowds got fewer and fewer. As we walked onto the tarmac, I was amazed that we, the Peace Corps Volunteers, had front row access. I was less then 50 feet from the podium. It was magical, the sun was setting, turning the clouds alive with color, and in the back ground was Air Force One. Obama came flying in on a helicopter landed and walked up to the podium with the President of Ghana. After thanking and and welcoming everyone, he looked at us, and welcomed the Peace Corps personally. In his speech he mentioned the Peace Corps three times. We were all pretty pumped. After it he was done, he and Michelle came down and shook hands with us. I got to shake Michelle’s hand. As they boarded the plane to leave, we were all flying high. I was honored to be there and am proud to be serving my country.