Armored Black Cadillac

...and drummers who announce your visit and form up a virtual parade of people behind you as you walk through a village, touring development projects...not my usual mode of travel. I think the car is more symbolic than anything. Ambassador's have to convey the country. And if you are the world's greatest power - then I guess you want appointees of the Superpower President to be perceived as powerful. Hence the Caddy I suppose.

The drummers - wow. Who gets their presence heralded by music anymore besides the President. Apparently amabassadors do to.

8am
Driver comes to my place just as I sit down to eat my eggs and bacon. I already had my cup of cereal so I'm not starving - but still, bacon is good, so I had to wolf it down, drink some water and dump my stuff. It is time to roll.
We get to the AMB's residence and the doorman escorts me to the sitting room. There're 7 people there: 5 royal cousins dressed in a modern-take on traditional kente royal robing; 2 Americans - one is a black woman who runs a vocational institute in another coastal city in Ghana. I go around the room, introduce myself and then try to get conversations going about the event. The 5 royals' accents are very easy on the ears because I think in the city, people are used to interacting with Americans, and there's less of a dialect barrier.

9:30am
Ambassador sends word to her doorman for me to announce for everyone to assemble.
9:45am
We hit the road. The royals lead (they're our guides from the city to the mountains - where Akuapem is located). Awkward moment when the driver buts me out the way to open the car door for the Ambassador. I recover balance and get in on the other side.
9:45am - 10:10am
While driving, the AMB is reading over my speech. This part is a little nerve-wrecking. We had some small talk before - but for the most part she was reading speeches and I was reading my African Studies Journal (gift of Jacques). The AMB needs quiet as she's reading.
10:15am "Excellent Work!"
FINALLY, I get a reaction. The Ambassador has no changes to make. She only asks that next time I write a speech for her - I include some pronunciation guides for the royals' names. Okay, so there it is - the end of about a day and a half of work. The Ambassador says I should consider joining the public affairs track when I enter the State Dept - since it seems I have a knack for composing a speech. Talk about feedback!
11:30am
We finally arrive in Akuapem after hitting a lot of traffic in eastern part of Accra. The reactions to the car have varied widely in our long drive. Some look at the car as if to say "WOW" and seem a bit excited. Others kind of scowl at it (and perhaps us inside) as if to say "Who do you think you are?" Those moments are the first time that I felt uncomfortable since I arrived (other than the whole incident with my kitchen not having any power - that was pretty uncomfortable).
Conversations
The AMB and I spend most of the time talking West African politics. She's worked in the region for over two decades - and on the coolest policy questions during all that tenure. Talk about a primary source! We also talked careers, how she is planning to work around some staff-shortages and other management issues, how Ambassadorial visits usually are run...etc. She was full of advice. I think I may have found an awesome mentor.