Emmanuel's Visit Journal

Day 1

Today I took Emmanuel to the mission. He really liked the architecture and the cemetery especially. He kept on asking about its history and how it was built. Then I took him to the Natural History Museum. He loved the big whale skeleton in front, and he also enjoyed the Chumash exhibit. We ended the day with dinner at my grandparents' house because they live near there. We're planning on going to Hendry's beach tomorrow, since it's right by my house.

Day 2

Today we went to Wilcox Property overlooking Hendry's beach and listened to the surf and the pelicans that always fly over that area. He loved the sound of the waves and we just listened to it for 15 minutes. He would sit and watch the pelicans and the gulls and be perfectly silent so he could hear better. Next we went down to the beach so he could see what it was like actually next to the waves. He was really happy.

Day 3

Today we took Emmanuel to Rose Cafe for Mexican food. He had a beef tamale and loved it. He said that he liked the spiciness of the salsa and was amazed at the prices until we told him that it was normal, and dollars have a lot less worth than Ghanaian currency. Afterwards we took him to Fosters Freeze for an ice cream and he had a fudge sundae. He really liked going out to dinner, he said he never did that in Ghana. I think he had fun.

Day 4

We took Emmanuel to the Wharf to see the Sea Center. He liked to see all the different fish, but he didn't like the smell, he thought the sea smelled a little funny. We next took him to Char West to buy him some fish and chips. He really liked the greasy smells coming from the kitchen and was really happy when the food came. When we went for a walk on the beach, a seal had washed ashore, and none of us liked the smell or sight of that, so we went home.

Day 5

Gretchen needed a walk today, so we went to a dog park in Goleta with my cousins and their dog. He was a little afraid of the big dogs at first, but then he got used to them and started racing them around the grass. He even outran a few. Afterward he went around petting all the dogs, he said there weren't this many around in Ghana. His favorite was a golden retriever husky mix that kept coming to him to throw a ball. He had a great time.

Day 6

My friend Julia and her mom came by to see me, and I introduced them. Her mom is a fire fighter and he had a whole bunch of questions about how she worked and what it was like being so close to a fire. He was really interested in all of the gear they wore and the fire trucks they had. She answered his torrent of questions as best she could, and she asked him a lot about Ghana and what it was like to have a disability. When she left, he said that he didn't know that there was so much responsibility in being a fire fighter. He liked her I think.

Day 7

Today was Emmanuel's last day in Santa Barbara. We took him around town, just to see what the architecture was like and what things were in this town. We drove up State Street to see all the shops. Then we took him by SBMS to show him where I went to school. We also took him to see the Presidio to show him some more old Santa Barbara history. He kept asking if it was built by the same people as the mission was. For dinner we took him to the Habit to give him a taste of a really good hamburger. When we got home he told me, "Living in a poor country earning only a dollar a day makes me realize how lucky you are to live in a city like Santa Barbara. I'm not sure if the Americans who live there do." I keep thinking about that.