A final blog...I wrote some time ago

Well, it’s been a while since my final Ghana entry. I am safe and sound in the United States! I flew out of Accra a little over a week ago. On my way over I took a brief stop off in Frankfurt Germany (7 hours). My short hours in the city were definitely a culture shock. Firstly, it was SOOO cold but also really beautiful and modern. It was about 6 a.m. when I left the airport and attempted to find a train into the city center. It was a bit difficult…I was so used to having people walk up and ask me, “Where are you going?” that I kind of expected that to happen in Germany as well. It did not, so I found an information kiosk instead.

I walked through old town and through the museum district and over the river that flows through the center of the city. My first order of business was a leisurely visit to the first starbucks I saw. My first meal was a lemon muffin and a caramel macchiato – HEAVEN!! But I must admit, it was a little difficult to soak it all in because it was such a shock from what I was used to in Africa. I did however meet one creepy Nigerian guy who tried to pick me up on the streets…it was nice to know I will continue to encounter that outside of Ghana – NOT. But I’m definitely used to that at this point, so I felt like Africa will continue to follow me. Which at this point it has, because I continue to meet people who’ve spent their last few months in West Africa or are going to volunteer there for the summer. But anyway…

The rest of my time at home was lovely, and seeing my family at the airport was such a joyous experience. I also got to see a lot of my friends and family over the few days I spent at home…I probably gained three pounds from all of the food I consumed. It tasted even better than I imagined. Oh, and the beds! I cannot express how soft they are in comparison to what I slept on for five months...I’ve come to the conclusion now that It was basically a wooden board. I have a whole new appreciation for mattresses with spring rather than latex foam.

But now I am sitting in the staff lounge at Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible camp in western Wisconsin. I flew in a few days late for staff training, but I was thankful to have the extra time at home with my family. Once again, it is so cold here, but I’m starting to get used to it…kind of. The scenery is beautiful, and the camp is on a peninsula between two big lakes…Being in the Midwest for the first time, surrounded by a ton of people I’ve never met before is only serving to add to my culture shock and jet-lag, but I can already tell that I’m going to like it here. I can also tell that I’m going to be exhausted all summer, but I’ve come to expect that out of my summer jobs.

This very well may be my last post, but thank you all for caring enough about me to read this blog and catch up on my life. I’ve really enjoyed sharing the last few months of my adventures with you guys. Also, your comments always made me happy and made my heart smile when I was feeling a bit homesick. I hope you all have a great summer, and if we haven’t had reunions yet, then I hope to see a lot of you soon!

Goodbye for now!

My last week in Ghana!

Well, I have exactly seven days left in Ghana! To be perfectly honest it’s bittersweet…I am VERY ready for real beds, American food, drinking water from the tap, and not feeling dirty five minutes after I shower. However, I will miss Ghana so very much. I’ve already begun saying goodbye to all my new friends and I’m starting to realize how strange it will be to not see them everyday…or in many cases, ever again.

Since my big backpacking trip I’ve just been hanging out around Accra. Our exams stretch over a three-week period, so I’ve taken two of my exams, then a two-week break, and the rest of my exams are just a few days before I fly out. Needless to say, I’ve had a lot of down time. Also, exams are subject to change days and locations, so I haven’t been able to ravel just in case there’s a sudden change. So I’ve started packing and taking a lot of naps.

One of the most exciting things to happen in the last week was the discovery of the two baby geckos that live in my room. They are the tiniest little things – easily smaller than my pinky. I’ve named the one on my side of the room Sekou (after a beloved Senegalese man). My roommate Bethany, however, doesn’t think the gecko on her side is adorable and often starts screaming and trying to kill it. Granted, her gecko is a bit friendlier and likes to crawl on her bed, but I keep telling her it’s just because he loves her. Either way they are super fast and crafty, so they continue to live in our closets. They bring me much joy.

In other news, the rainy season has begun. Everything is green and lush and beautiful. Along with the rain has come a very aggressive mosquito population. It’s very likely that I will get Malaria right before I head home, because I keep getting attacking by them at night. But I hope I don’t, because I am one of the few in my group to have not gotten it yet (little know fact: Malaria meds don’t actually prevent malaria – just treats symptoms). Thankfully, the only sickness I’ve encountered has been allergies and a few bouts of food poisoning.

Happy mother’s day!!! I was a little upset that I’ve missed mother’s day two years in a row now (sorry mom!), but I did celebrate it with my adopted mother here in Ghana as well. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned her, but she is the woman who runs the little store in my hostel: EVE! I think the best way to describe Eve is to call her a Diva. She’s pretty sassy, but she always checks on me when I’m sick and notices when I travel or don’t feel well or lose my key (happens often). She also laughs at me a lot…can’t really blame her. When she greeted me after my two-week expedition I really felt like I was coming home to my family; she wanted to hear about all the places we went. I think she’s one of the things I will miss most about Ghana.

I’m also looking forward to my flight home, mostly because it will be air-conditioned, but also because I have a pretty substantial lay over in Frankfurt, Germany. My first adventure in Europe (if you can call it that)! I’m going to drink real coffee in a café! It’s going to be heaven…

See you all soon!

A few more pictures for your enjoyment!

Beautiful Mali...some children resting in the shade.

On the beaches of Senegal - too cold to swim - heaven!

Our sweet Henna we got in Bamako, Mali

Nuzzling giraffes in the Reserve du Bandia!

For more photos of my Backpacking Adventure check this out!

Backpacking Through West Africa!

I am sitting on my bed in my hostel writing this, and I can’t tell you how good it feels to be home. I’ve just returned from my 13-day adventure through West Africa complete with stops in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal!  Not quite the adventure I had planned on (we never made it to Timbuktu or Niger), but it was wonderful nonetheless.  I can’t fit nearly enough of our trip into the blog, but I will do my best to highlight the highs and lows.

I set out with four of my favorite ISEP travelers: Emily, Ali, Jayne, and Kendall on a Friday morning.  We had originally planned a different route, but halfway through Burkina Faso we decided to change route and head to the Westernmost Point of the African Continent – SENEGAL!  It took us five days of bus travel to get there, and not a single hotel along the way.  Instead we took advantage of prayer rugs in bus stops and 25 CFA (10cents) teapots of water for teethbrushing.  You may be thinking that sounds dirty and sketchy, and you would be thinking right!  But it was better than paying money so we embraced it with open arms.

My favorite bus ride was the one that took us from Bobo-Diablaso, Burkina Faso to Bamako, Mali.  Half of the bus consisted of the most beautiful, exotically dressed group of people I have ever seen.  We’re pretty sure they were from the deserted wastelands of Mali.  Every one of them was tall and skinny and robed in beautiful turbans, head coverings, intricate braids, and jewelry.  At one of our rest stops Kendall and I followed the group of brightly cloaked men to a chop stand of rice and groundnut paste so that we could be close to them.  They smiled and spoke to us in languages we couldn’t understand, and in return we smiled and responded in English.  I’m pretty sure they were just as fascinated by us as we were by them, so I didn’t mind so much that we were being total stalkers. All of the children had curly little Mohawks of hair, and the women even let us hold some of them.  They were so beautiful and kind I considered ditching our plans and following them to their homes…but we refrained.  Saying goodbye to them was a sad moment, but we parted with lots of smiles and hand gestures…I’m hoping God will smile on me, and one day our paths will cross again.

When we finally made it to Senegal we were pleasantly surprised by the weather – it was COLD! And by that I mean it was about 50 degrees. I didn’t even know that was possible in West Africa, but my chattering teeth can attest that it most definitely is.  For the second time during my stay in Africa I found a place I loved enough to settle forever – Dakar (the capital city).  Sadly I don’t speak French of Wolof so it may never happen for me.  Dakar is a city that literally hangs over the edge of the ocean and the center of the city looks out over cliffs falling into the sea.  Huge rounded spires of mosques dot the city skyline alongside their modern skyscrapers.  (I got to speak Arabic quite a few times as it was a predominately Muslim country and Arabic greetings begin almost every conversation!)  At one point while we were wandering around the beautiful city we made friends with a Senegalese man with a Southern accent – it was the most bizarre thing EVER, but he had learned to speak English in Alabama.  It was a nice little taste of home. 

Our second day in Senegal was spent about 60 Kilometers south of the city at the Reserve de Bandia.  It was there that we saw giraffes, zebras, rhinos, crocodiles, antelopes, wildebeests – it was awesome!! I tried to take a baby giraffe with me when I left, but they weren’t having that. That night we slept in another bus station and accepted that we had officially become rubber tramps – for those of you who haven’t read Into the Wild that means we were essentially homeless travelers who make our way from transportation to transportation anyway (or cheapest way) we can.  It made the rest of our trip feel a little glamorous, and that thought endured until about the forth day without a shower or toilet.

On our way back to Ghana we stopped for a while in Bamako, Mali.  Essentially, what we saw of Mali was a barren wasteland somewhere in between desert and sparse savannah…it was so burning hot there!  Bamako (the big city in the West) doesn’t take too kindly to women foreigners so we ran into quite a few issues…but we were able to have a few lovely experiences there.  We hit up the beauty section of the market and had our hands and arms painted with traditional henna. All the women in Mali wear it on both hands and feet.  The women were obsessed with my friends’ blonde hair, but sadly not mine.  I’m hoping my henna lasts a while because it’s so awesome looking, but I think two weeks will be stretching it. After the beauty district we found a Lebanese Patisserie and camped out in the air-conditioned pastry shop for about four hours.  It was a much-needed break from our journey, and it was the first time we had a real meal on a plate in over a week – it was HEAVEN!

Forgive me for not giving you a play by play of our time in Burkina Faso.  To put it simply it is the armpit of West Africa…at least in my as well as my friends’ opinions.  It’s hot, people are rude, there’s a lot of disrespect towards women, and the men are extremely eager to cheat the rich Americans.  With any luck at all I will be able to avoid the place for the rest of my life.

After thirteen days we finally made it back to Accra.  I never thought I would miss it as much as I did…when we pulled into the city I could have danced I was so happy to be home and in the presence of the wonderful Ghanaians!  I feel like I could travel anywhere now…and sleep absolutely anywhere. My first shower back in Ghana (we only had one the entire trip) was one of the most glorious moments of my life.  It was definitely one of those once in a lifetime experiences…that I won’t repeat for quite a while. We are finished with classes and only have exams left – three more weeks and then I’m headed home.  After our expedition I’m pretty traveled out for a while, and I’m looking forward to chilling here in Accra and soaking in my last days in Africa. I’ve loved my time here, but I’m ready for America and all its comforts….very soon I shall be home!

The Volta Region

I’ve gotten a lot of complaints that I don’t write about school here often enough. So I will try to fill you in. I do actually go to class! But only three days a week. I would say overall classes here are a bit of a disappointment. I don’t want to generalize all of Africa, but the education system here is very behind America. Quite a few of my classes consist of the professor reading his/her notes verbatim and having the class copy them down…which is pretty exhausting and not very conducive to critical thinking. We have assigned readings (photocopied books), which is where I feel I’m actually learning something. I have one more week of classes, revision week, and then our exams are spread out over three weeks. Our entire grade for the course is based on our final exam…also not the best system I’ve ever seen. That’s Ghana’s premier university for you!

This past weekend I traveled to the Volta region (mountains in the South Eastern part of Ghana). It was absolutely beautiful and hands down my favorite region in Ghana. It is soooo very green and colorful. Our first day there we climbed Mount Afadjato, which is the highest freestanding mountain in Ghana. I would like to say that it was beautiful at the top, seeing villages and Togo in the distance, but by the time I made it there I was so tired I didn’t care. There are definitely many moments where if I had fallen (which was pretty likely for me) I would have died. But overall I’m really glad I did it.

We also visited Wli falls – which was breathtaking and had me consider moving to that part of Ghana permanently. Thankfully that hike was relatively flat and easy. Our lodge for the weekend was heavenly and run by a friendly German couple. The views from out huts were breathtaking and complete with mountains and waterfalls in the distance. After my first day of climbing I wasn’t down for another mountain so I just relaxed at the lodge and took in the beauty surrounding it.

As we were traveling back to Accra we saw several processions through the streets of the villages we were driving through. Women and men singing, drumming, and marching with flowers and big braided palms fronds in their hands. It was Palm Sunday!! I wish I had taken a picture, because it was SOO Ghanaian. I was very tempted to get out of the trtro and join the parade – I’m sure they would have welcomed me with smiles and laughs.

Some pictures for your enjoyment

Here are just a few recent shots.  The waterfall I visited this weekend in the Volta region, my little Ghanaian friends, and the Black Stars Match!! 

Screaming Babies at the Black Stars Match

Good news! I’m not going to be deported!! Friday I took a day trip to Togo (country boarding Ghana to the East).  And after a roundtrip trotro ride of 8 hours and 40 Ghana Cedi ($30) I got my passport stamped for another 60 days in Ghana.  We also had lunch in the Lome, Togo which only means one thing: amazing food, at least in comparison to Ghana.

Saturday we set out for Kumase to attend the World Cup qualifier match between Benin and Ghana.  For the occasion I donned a lovely red, yellow, and green Ghana sweatband to support my country of residency. In order to actually get the tickets we had to wake up pretty early (granted, it was after a late night of celebrating my friend’s 21^st birthday) and wait outside of the stadium in the rain.  Rather than buying the tickets ourselves, we have to pass money and a small bribe through the front gates for someone to run inside and get out tickets. In the process I met two little boys (they called themselves John and Little John) who were sweet talking all of the obrunis into buying them tickets for the match. I’m assuming they finally got some because I saw them in the VIP section during the match…and then the older of the Johns walked me back to the hostel – it was very sweet.

 

The match was definitely a very Ghanaian experience.  The Black Stars (Ghana) scored the first and only goal within one minute of the start of the game, but the rest of the match was fun to watch…although I know very little about soccer.  I’ve never seen a crowd so loud and excited in my life. I think some of the most fascinating things about this country are the different sounds that Ghanaians make.  One of the best I’ve heard yet is their war-like cry at football matches. The first time I heard it I thought a child had been hit by a car. It sounds like a dying baby, and I pinky-swear I am not exaggerating.  It is the most intense and shrill thing I’ve ever heard.  Every time one of the Black Stars came anywhere near the goal the screams would burst from the crowd. It most definitely took some getting used to. 

One thing to be thankful for is no one I know was injured or hurt during or after the match.  For the last match in Ghana, the stadium sold twice as many tickets as they have seats, and the stadium was so packed 6 people died of suffocation.  That was not the case this time, but I haven’t heard the official death count yet.  I do know that there was a scuffle outside the stadium gates, and shots were fired, but I was back in my hostel by that time. It’s a little intense how crazy the crowds can be, but I’m so glad I was able to go.

I’m beginning to realize how much I’m going to miss Ghana when I leave.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m very excited to consistently have running water (it’s been off for four days) and air conditioning and all of the modern conveniences of home.  But Ghana has been kind to me, and it’s beginning to feel like home. Every time I start speaking Twi, Ghanaians get the biggest smile on their faces – like they are proud of my efforts.  During the few hours the game was taking place I felt very proud to call myself Ghanaian, at least for the Semester.