The market was breathtaking in its scope .
I was both fortunate and unfortunate that it was Easter Sunday, one of the biggest holidays in the non Muslim part of Ghana.
Fortunate because I could walk freely, and unfortunate because I could walk freely. The upside was that I could interact with the vendors, and my Obama shirt proved to be a nice calling card in Ghana.
It was around this point in my journey that this rookie traveler began to feel confident in his surroundings, overwhelmed by the decency and warmth that I had encountered to this point, I felt very free to interact with the good people around me.
Wandering around the market, I was touched by the welcome I received, and struck by the daily struggle of the people who occupied this place.
As I wandered through the market in my Obama shirt many people called out to me. One man who was butchering a goat asked me if I was American. "No", I yelled back, "I am Canadian"
He yelled back to me "Canada, America , it is the same!"
"No", I yelled back "Canada is much better!"
It was a slow day and we both had time, so I walked over to him and introduced myself. I explained that while I was a supporter of Barack Obama, I was not American.
He asked me why Canada was better. I explained to him the magic of living in multicultural Toronto, I showed him the scars from the three surgeries I've had over the years and tried to explain how any one of these surgeries could have bankrupted me if I lived in America and I expressed my pride in the fact that Canada chose not to participate in the Iraq war.
I also explained that I have nothing but the utmost respect for America, but we are very different countries and that I love Canada as much as he loves Ghana. At this he smiled, shook my hand., and I went on my way.
Almost everyone loves where they're from, don't they?
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