On Sunday, a delegation of 15 U.S. Congress people arrived in Ghana. They were led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. They had a whirlwind trip that was packed with a busy schedule of things to do.

I had the opportunity to cover one of their many activities. On Monday afternoon they toured a manufacturing facility that produced clothing to be shipped to the United States. I learned that this facility had been built through a joint effort from U.S. aid and the African Growth and Opportunity Act. This particular factory in Accra employs approximately 2,500 people.

As they arrived at the factory Nancy Pelosi left her vehicle with a few secret service members in tow. She shaded her face from the sun and found her footing on the uneven driveway. Pelosi paused to let the media take photos of her with the U.S. ambassador to Ghana along with one of the company’s owners. As she entered the building, I noticed that both Representatives Ilhan Omar and John Lewis were present in the group and making their way into the conference room.

I quickly realized that the security detail for this trip was not nearly as strict as it would have been in the United States. I came to this conclusion as we entered the facility for a tour, and I found myself walking directly next to Nancy Pelosi.

The group toured around together, and I overheard many Congressmembers start to make conversation with the factory workers about their age, where they came from, and how long they had been working at the factory. I was able to photograph their whole trip throughout the factory.

While I’m not entirely sure why it was important to be there in the first place, it was an interesting experience for me, nonetheless.

As the tour ended and the delegates gathered for a group photo, I worked up the courage to ask Representative Omar to take a photo with me. Upon taking a few minutes to reflect on this experience I realized how ironic it was that the closest I’ve ever gotten to a U.S. politician happened to be while we were both in another country.