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. 

Kokrobite and Basketballs of Hope

            I have officially been in Africa for about two and half months…and to be honest I feel like I’m having a mid-trip crisis.  My visa is expiring this weekend so I have three options: 1. Deportation 2. Leave the country and reenter or 3. Send my passport to immigration and wait forever to get it back.  For a few hours on Monday I was literally looking for cheap flights to Europe for the weekend…instead I’m going to be heading to Cote D’voire.  I think I could use a quick visit back to the states, and then I would be set to go for my remaining 7 weeks here.  Hopefully I will have recuperated soon because I still have so much to accomplish and experience here.   

            This past weekend a few friends and I traveled about 30 kilometers west of Accra to the beach resort Big Milly’s in Kokrobite.  I think it will rank among one of my smoothest weekend expeditions in Africa – at least no one screamed at me this time.  The beach was great and so typically African, with lots of colorfully painted fishing boats and children selling oranges on top of their heads, and of course tons of Rastas playing football on the beach.  Our room was a cute little hut with a functioning shower, mosquito nets included.  I swam and read and made friends with a 12-year-old Ghanaian named Cecilia.  When I shared my Disney princess gummies snack with her she wasn’t quite sure what to make of them.  She picked at them a bit and eventually ran home with them and promised she had eaten and enjoyed them. 

            Our first night at the resort a group of drummers and traditional African dancers preformed traditional African war and fertility dances for the villagers and tourists.  It was amazing and so entertaining! There was lots of pain and beads and headdresses.  I will not stop being amazed by how expressive the dancers are with their movements. In between performances random locals would mosey onto the dance floor and break out into synchronized dances.  Apparently, all the locals know the traditional dances. I was content to simply witness the festivities.

            On my second night at the beach I met a fellow American who had moved to Ghana to start his own NGO.  He had even gone to seminary in Atlanta and heard of my hometown…the whole conversation made the world seem very small. But it was also very encouraging because he is doing something that I would like to do in the future and I felt I could learn a lot from his experiences. I also met a Rasta named Jesus (or Thomas) who was my age and very sweet. At one point in our conversation I asked why he didn’t have dreads, and he told me his mom had come for a visit and made him shave them off. She said, “What is this? No one in our family is a Rasta!” He explained that he respected his mother and didn’t want to upset her, so he settled for wearing a bandana and looking like Tupac instead.  He also offered to take me to Mali and Niger, but I respectfully declined.

            Sadly another girl in my ISEP group is going home tomorrow. I wish she could finish out the semester, but she has been sick for quite a while and is ready to just feel well again. Once again, I feel very thankful that I haven’t been hospitalized or seriously ill like many of my friends.

            A friend of mine is trying to raise money for a village school here in Ghana.  The school is also a home for a good portion of the children who attend the school.  However it’s very under funded, and there are no activities to speak of once school is finished for the day/week.  So, my friend is trying to raise money to build a basketball court on campus that can be used while school is in and out of session.  She needs at least a hundred votes on the website www.givemeaning.com/proposal/basketballsofhope in order to get the funding for her project. So, if you have the extra time please log on and vote for her proposal!

Food Poisoning, Lake Bosumtwi, and Marriage Proposals

I know it’s been a while on my blog updates. So sorry. I have officially had my first bout of sickness here in Africa. I think it was food poisoning or a bacteria infection from some food or water. Either way, it wasn’t fun but thankfully it was short lived and didn’t involve a hospital stay. It did keep me here in Legon for a weekend but my friends were very kind and stayed with me. As my time is dwindling here I’m realizing my weekends to travel are becoming fewer and fewer…I’m going to be back in the states before I know it.

This past weekend a few friends and I headed up to Lake Bosumtwi located in central Ghana, which is the biggest natural lake in Ghana and was made by a meteor that hit the earth. Before we made it to the lake we spent some time in Kumasi (the huge market town). On Saturday morning we decided it would be fun to wander through the market which is the Biggest in West Africa and not for the fair-weather traveler. Not the best idea we’ve ever had. It was crazy crowded – think the day after thanksgiving shopping (Africa style of course) on crack. We somehow made it into the meat section of the market, which you can only imagine, smells to high heaven and made me consider a vegan lifestyle. Not to mention we could barely keep sight of each other because of how crowded it is. After wandering, completely lost, for about an hour we made it out. Amazingly enough only Jayne was pick-pocketed, and thankfully it was only her phone. She was at the end of our line of obrunis, so she was definitely a target.

After our eventful morning we took a series of trotros and taxis to get to the Lake Point Guest House. Which is right on the lake shores and has these cute little huts and everything is eco-friendly. We swam in the lake and just chilled at the lodge. It was a nice break from the crazy noise and trash of Accra. After dinner we headed back to our hut and found the lovely family of ridiculously large spiders that happened to be staying in our hut too. Of course it turned into a thirty-minute ordeal of trying to kill the spiders with shoes and bug spray while we screamed and jumped on the bed every time they moved. One escaped but the other was not so lucky. At one point in came running at my foot and scared the crap out of me, but I finally got it. Of course Jayne and Kendall, rather than trying to kill it, spent their time standing on the bed capturing all the chaos on video…should make a hilarious facebook video.

The next morning we hiked along a dried-up stream through the mountains surrounding the lake. Amazingly enough I did not twist my ankle on the river rocks…it was a great morning and so beautiful - Lots of bamboo and butterflies and beautiful views of the lake. When we got back we decided to check out early and save some money heading back to university a day early. Man was that a disaster. The Austrian lady who owned the lodge and her Ghanaian husband were not having any of that. They insisted on us paying for our second night (33cedi, which in Ghana is A LOT for a hotel room-even a nice one)…and we of course, said absolutely not. They told us that anywhere in the world when you make reservations to stay you pay for those nights. Which is absolute bullocks, and I told them so because I myself have worked in the hotel industry. They said, “This is Ghana” but we informed them that we live here too and always check out early. Anyways, it turned into a two-hour stare down of us trying to reason and insist upon fairness while they yelled and made a few racial comments along the lines of “This is Africa, these white people don’t belong here.” The woman who said it was Austrian for God’s sake!! At one point both Jayne and Kendall were crying from frustration with these ridiculous people. In a perfect world we would have paid for the services we HAD received and walked away. However, we were in the middle of nowhere with no transportation and an angry owner threatening to call the police for trying to destroy his business. So we paid them and vowed to write every travel book and review about their blatant disrespect and terrible business. My friend Max kept saying, “I have backpacked all over the world, and this is just not how business is done.” I walked away from the whole ordeal thinking “only in Africa!” My friends and I are pretty excited to write four separate letters of complaint to travel books – especially those based solely on independent travelers’ reviews…

I keep encountering situations with Ghanaian men that I find pretty hilarious. I’ll tell you a few of my favorites. When I was traveling in Wa (northern Ghana), my friends and I were bartering for some fabric. At one point I was very kindly telling the man to be a good Christian and give us poor students a fair price and he looks to my friend Alli (who is very petite and little) and says to me, “Okay, I give you 5 cedi and you give me your daughter.” Apparently a good deal on fabric is equivalent to selling my daughter to this man! Not to mention she’s about four years older than me…of course no one ever believes me that I’m only 19 – they literally laugh in my face when I tell them. Whatever…I still got a good deal on the fabric ☺ Yesterday in Kumase when we were surrounded by men trying to get us on their bus (it’s like a game – who can snag the obrunis), this 40-year-old Ghanaian man decided it would be a good time to propose to me. The conversation went something like this:

Man: “I like you.”
Me: “I’m not getting on your bus, it’s too expensive.”
Man: “No, I like you.”
Me: “Okay then.”
Man: “Where are you from? Britain?”
Me: “America.”
Man: “Obama!!!!! I love you, take me home to your country.”
Me: “Sorry, but I’m living here right now.”
Man: “Let me have your phone number.”
Me: “No.”
Man: “Let me have your email address.”
Me: “No.”
Man: “Why don’t you like me?”

I feel like I have one of these encounters at least twice a week. I have my first test this week, and I think it’s going to be pretty painful, seeing as how I never have any idea what the professor is talking about...although my friends have mentioned that they rarely even grade the exams, especially in this class because it’s about 800 students. And I’m beginning to actually barter in Twi – I feel it’s very effective because the Ghanaians love it and this it’s hilarious when the Obrunis try to speak their language. They usually just lower the price because they think we’re so funny and appreciate how hard we’re trying.

That’s all for now! Good news – I got the camp job this summer, so I will be heading to Wisconsin for a few months. Gramps and Grammy – I got your letter and there should be one coming your way soon. Love and miss you all!

Bonjour!

Well, bad news…my camera was stolen on my way back from Togo. So the pictures will be nonexistent for a while. As the Ghanaians say, “It is finished.” This past weekend we headed to Togo (country to the east of Ghana) because it was time to renew our visas and if we crossed the boarder it’s free. However, we were only given a stamp for 30 days, so it looks like we’ll be heading to Cote d’Voire sooner than we thought for another visa stamp. Despite those two disappointments it was a good weekend.

We crossed the Togo boarder Friday evening. It’s a French speaking country and no one in our group spoke French…so right away we knew it would be interesting. As soon as we went through immigration (an adventure when you don’t speak the language or have any of the currency to buy a visa) we were being followed by this possibly mentally challenged man on the beach. He kept up a steady stream of French and every time we tried to lose him, he was more determined to follow us. So very quickly I learned my first French words: “Fee shay mwa la pay!” I know my spelling is atrocious, but it means, “Please go away!” It came in handy a few times and was pretty effective.

Lome, the capital of Togo, is known to be the Paris of West Africa. So of course the food was amazing and the architecture was French inspired. And there was cheese! I haven’t had cheese in two months – such a luxury. It was a nice change from Ghana. Our first night we stayed in the city at Hotel de Gallione. It was full of expatriates (lots of greasy old men), but we loved it because there was live jazz music. New people showed up all night long with their own instruments for the jam session: violins, saxophone, guitars, harmonicas, drums. It was great.

The next day I had my first experience on a Moto Taxi – which is basically a motorcycle you hop on to get around the city. I loved it! It was so much faster than the trotros – I wish they had them in Accra during rush hour. We also headed further into Togo to the Safari Hotel, which ended up being amazing!! It had a pool and was right on the beach, and of course, amazing food. When we were hanging out at the beach all of the little village kids decided to come play too. We had no way of communicating with them, because they didn’t speak French or English, but they were adorable and ended up teaching us games and playing in the water and sand. Even the moms joined in the swimming by the end of our beach trip. I walked away with a nasty sunburn, but thankfully the weather back in Ghana has been pretty overcast so my burn hasn’t been too annoying.

This coming Friday is Ghana’s Independence day, so that should be a fun party and a relaxing weekend without travel – I haven’t been home for more than four days in about a month. Also, the athletic director at the university has decided to start up a girl’s softball program, so it looks like I’m going to be on the first University of Ghana softball team. Another American student and I will be teaching Ghanaian students how to play, as it’s likely they haven’t ever seen a softball game…I’m excited about the chance to make some Ghanaian friends at practices!

African Safari!

Last Thursday a few friends and I made the fourteen plus hour journey to the northern region of Ghana. It was most definitely an adventure. My seatmate on our first bus ride happened to be a Baptist Minister from the North; he was rather delighted about my church membership. He immediately began to set me up with Baptist contacts throughout Accra. He was very interested in how I felt about 9/11 and whether babies were abandoned in the United States the way they are in his country. He was surprised that some of his continents problems are shared by the developed world. After making sure I had a place to stay and was safe, we parted ways as he was traveling farther than me that night.

Anyway, we overnighted in Tomale and woke up the next morning at 3:30am to the sound of the Islamic call to prayer (extremely creepy that early in the morning) so we could catch the next bus. While we were at the bus stop by 4am, unfortunately all of the tickets were gone. So for about two hours we ran around begging trotros and taxis to take us up to Mole for a decent price. At first they would ask for prices up to 400cedi (completely ridiculous), but we ended up sharing a trotro with a bunch of obrunis from Belgium, Germany, and Spain for 120, success! It turned out to be a great morning – I felt like a world traveler.

As soon as we made it to Mole National Park, we saw four elephants mosey across the Savannah and take a dip in the watering hole. It was one of those moments when you think, “wow, I’m in Africa.” And miracle of miracles, the lodge had a pool. Needless to say, we took advantage of that and spent the day in the water. The next morning we set out very early on our Safari with an adorable armed park ranger. It was definitely a success, because we saw tons of African elephants, green monkeys, bushbuck, cob, warthogs (which are so personable and fun), crocodiles, and the craziest stream of army ants I’ve ever seen. I feel like I say this all the time, but it was just like the lion king! I think my friends may be getting tired of me singing The Circle of Life, but when I see things like a line of elephant tracks I can’t really help it.

After that we set out headed to the Hippo Sanctuary, but instead we ended up stranded in the small village of Larabanga. At first it seemed a bit miserable, but we ended up just playing with the village kids for hours and hours. They were all filthy and in rags, but they were the happiest, most smiley little group I’ve ever seen. The village women taught us how to flag down passing vehicles in hopes of rides even though they spoke absolutely no English, and eventually they began dropping off more and more kids for us to play with and watch while they went about their daily chores. One of the little girls clung to me the whole time. Her hair was turning orange from mal nutrition, and her teeth were literally rotting out of her mouth. Very skinny and wearing the dirtiest rag of a shirt, she couldn’t have been more than 5. It definitely put a sour taste in my mouth, just because she was in a situation that is so easily avoidable and yet no one has done anything to help her.

Finally we hailed a bus out of town. We were all cramped, and I ended up sitting on a top of the engine. It was extremely hot and made me very nervous every time it started smoking – I just kept praying that it wouldn’t blow up or break down. By the time we made it to our destination we were so coated in red dirt and sweat we look like different people – I’ve never looked so dark in my life, and all of my blonde friends suddenly had very red hair (picture American Indian skin color). Sadly, we never actually made it to the Hippo Sanctuary, due to extremely scarce modes of transportation. Instead, we just hung out in Wichau for the day and played cards and made friends with the little kids near the village well.

After a sleep-less, fairly miserable overnight bus ride we made it back to Accra. In the process I lost some of the fabric I had purchased on one or our buses. One of the girls in our group also got into a fight with our taxi driver when he couldn’t get us through the gates to the university (didn’t have his license) and we refused to pay him the full amount. He said, “Do not provoke my anger” and ended up grabbing Emily roughly when we tried to walk through the gates. He seemed to be rather surprised when she spun around and said, “Do NOT touch me! Get your hands off me!” I’m not sure how many women he’s had stand up to him like that. Thankfully, a Ghanaian student stepped in and after lots of yelling and refusing to get back in his taxi when the porters agreed to let him through the gates, we walked the mile or so back to our Hostels. So often throughout the weekend we would look at each other and say, “I just love you guys. I’m so glad we’re alive.”

My favorite quote of the trip was by our Belgian friend Demitri. Within the first 20 minutes of meeting him he said, “The thing about you Americans is you’re F***ing up your own language.” It was rather hilarious and pretty accurate.

Apparently it’s time for everyone to get sick. Lots of viruses, bacterial infections, dysentery, and Malaria are being passed around our ISEP group. So far only a few are in the hospital, hopefully I’m not next. And very sadly, my headphones have seen their last days…I’m pretty sure the trotro rides did them in. Hopefully I’ll be able to find some decent ones soon.

Success! Finally...

I finally had a successful volunteering expedition - two actually! I'm so relieved, for a while I thought it was never going to happen. Thursday I skipped class (just one, don't worry parents, it's not for any real credit) and traveled 8 hours (roundtrip) on a tro tro to Bosco orphanage. It was the longest, hottest travel experience I've had in my entire life. I literally thought I might die from the heat...thankfully I made it through, and was able to spend about an hour at the orphanage. It was a beautiful place, but definitely a disappointing visit due to it's ridiculous brevity.

The next day however, I was able to volunteer at an orphanage closer to campus in Osu, and it was WONDERFUL! I worked with about forty 2-6 year olds. When i walked through the gates twenty of them swarmed me, yelling and jumping up and down. They put me in that house because i requested to work with the disabled kids and HIV positive babies. One of the little boys, Peter, was adorable. I couldn't tell what was wrong with him, but he had no leg muscles to speak of and had trouble sitting up. We put some music on for the little ones to dance to (so adorable!), and I picked up little Peter's arms and did my best to help him dance - really it was just bouncing his arms up and down. And He would get this little half smile on his face; He was just so excited to be getting attention and touch it made my heart ache. These kids get much less individual attention than I saw in Haiti. There were only two Anties (nannies) for about forty kids. One of the little boys - Peppitto, immediately latched on to me and cried...trying to get attention. When I finally had a chance to pick him up (he's probably five), he clung for dear life like he'd never been held in his life...but if you hold one of them they all start trying to climb up you. It's really heartbreaking. I'm hoping to be able to take a few at a time to play somewhere else in the complex next time, so it won't be so chaotic and tear filled.

I feel like other things have happened, but my internet time is running low so i'm gonna cut this short. Thursday I'm traveling to Northern Ghana to Mole for a Safari and visit to a hippo sanctuary! I'm SOOO excited...also planning a trip to Burkina Faso (country bordering Ghana in the north) in a few weeks!

Kumase

Hi friends!

I have officially been in Africa for a month, and it is definitely passing more quickly than I expected. I feel like there's so much more I want to do, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to fit it all in. Go on a safari, visit other countries, play with a monkey, swim through some waterfalls...I need to start accomplishing more things.

This weekend our entire ISEP group traveled to Kumase, which is about a five-hour drive into the Central Region of Ghana. The city houses the largest market in West Africa, but we only spent about an hour in it, which was fine with me, because it was pretty hectic and overcrowded. Although, we did meet a lot of adorable little kids who wanted to play with us. While we were there we visited a Kente cloth-weaving village. As soon as our bus pulled up about fifty men trying to sell us kente cloth surrounded us. Kente is this really beautiful hand woven cloth that the people in the villages make on this huge contraption; it takes about 3 days to make a strip that's 6 inches wide and 5 feet long (I got to try weaving it!). The village was a bigt overwhelming, but I'm beginning to really enjoy bargaining (smiling is the key). One of my friends like to say things like, "my dear friend, be a good Christian and give ma good price", and it's almost always successful - they love it! We also hit up a woodcarving village,and people were buying drums for 30 cedi that would be worth hundreds of dollars in the states.

We also visited the palace of the great Ashanti chief (basically Ghana's royalty). I twas pretty much a colonial house turned into a museum filled with old furniture and creepy life-sized statues painted to look like past chiefs sitting on thrones. I found it less than riveting, but that was probably due to the six/hour bus ride I had just endured on very little sleep.

On the way back to Accra i FINALLY saw some monkeys. Unfortunately, it was extremely short lived; they were just chilling in the tops of trees as we drove through parts of the rain forest. Still, it was an exciting moment.

My plans for summer are finally beginning to shape up. More traveling. My American friends and I are planning a coast-to-coast road trip through the US. I should be good - I'm really glad I've found some spontaneous travelers.

I hope you are all well. I've finally started receiving some letters. Two weeks for mail travel feels like an eternity. But it's so great when they finally arrive. I think I might begin to make a few phone calls to some of you at home so be ready for three minute calls from an extremely long series of numbers.

Still no malaria for me - success! Gramps-so far I haven't found a spear, buy I'm still looking :)

Love and miss you all!

Cape Coast Weekend

Hello all!

I’ve just returned to campus from my first weekend of traveling. My entire group traveled about two hours west (thanks to traffic it took about five hours) to the city of Cape Coast. Once we got into the city we toured a slave castle used for holding thousands of slaves before they journeyed to the Americas. It sat right on the ocean and was amazingly beautiful. But the dungeons and jail cells were definitely surreal and pretty emotional for some of us, especially those whose ancestors were slaves. The conditions they stayed in were dark and stifling and much worse than livestock quarters. The walls of the dungeons had what looked like a water line about a foot from the floor, but in actuality it was the point to which the floors were covered with human waste and rot.

It was quite a shame that it was such a somber place, because the view from the outer walls of the castle was amazing. It looked over the rocks to the oceans where fishermen docked their multicolored boats. One of the boats on the water had sails made of patched together scraps – it made me think of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I loved it.

The next day we traveled out of Cape Coast and into the rainforest. We visited a national park and hiked up to the canopy walk, which is a series of about five suspended rope bridges through the canopy of the rainforest. The bridges were attached to huge trees that towered over the rest of the forest; it was easily over a hundred feet from the ground. Jumping over the edge would have definitely resulted in death. My knees shook the entire time, but it was AMAZING. Pictures don’t do it justice, the view was crazy awesome. I felt like an extremely nervous Tarzan. I only wish the one-foot wide board didn’t creak and rock so much as we crossed between trees. Grammy, you would have died. One of the Ghanaian students who came with us decided to jump and shake the bridge while I was on it, and I threatened his life. He found it hilarious.

After the canopy walk we visited a beach resort for lunch and a swim. The rooms were literally huts on the beach. It reminded me of a secluded beach in Hawaii. The beach was wonderful and everything was open and shaded with palm trees. The waiters brought us towels and food while we hung out under umbrellas of palm fronds. I could have stayed there for weeks. Of course, every person staying there was a rich foreigner…but it was a nice taste of Western convenience and food.

I took a tro tro into Accra and bought a guitar today – very exciting. I now have something productive to do during my downtime! Next weekend we are heading to Kumasi – the largest market in Western Africa. It will probably put a sizable dent in my bank account, but I’ll be getting presents to bring home. So you should all put in your requests now – kente cloth, tribal masks, beads, jimbeys (although those might be difficult to transport), bags, paintings, dresses – let me know!

Love and miss you all,

Becca

Week Three

Hi guys!

Well, today has officially been the hottest day I've experienced here.  It is a bit exhausting; there's not really a place to escape from the heat. And I have my first sunburn, but I must say, I'm pretty proud of myself for making it three weeks without one. 

Today I traveled into Osu to check out an orphanage there.  So far I've tried two different ones, but there seems to be a pretty intense reference/resume process to go through before you can actually start working. I suppose it's good to be thorough, but so far it has just been a little frustrating.  A few of my fellow ISEPers and I are going to try to check out a school/home for autistic children.  From what I've heard the people who work there have no experience with special needs kids, and slap them around to deal with them.  

Later, on our way back to Legon campus our tro tro smashed into a car.  Lots of yelling and fifteen minutes of sweltering heat later we drove away.  Apparently, there isn't much to be done about collisions. You just pay for them.  I'm starting to get used to my life passing before my eyes when I travel.  After the incident, our tro tro stopped running about five more times...thankfully, it always started again. The little tro tro that could.

I made it to all of my classes this week. It's about a 25 minute walk to each class.  They are...interesting.  My smallest class is about 100 people, and my largest about 700.  My Theories of Development class is by far my favorite.  The professor was forty five minutes late to class, but once he got there I really appreciated what he had to say.  Some of my professors literally read from a book and have us copy it down word for word.  It's rather tedious, but I suppose it's necessary because most of the students here can't afford the books.  

My friends and I are looking into a trip up to Egypt some time during the semester - maybe I'll get to practice my Arabic!

Peace and Love Man!

Well, I’ve officially completed my first week of classes.  However, I haven’t actually had a single class.  College works a little differently here, that is to say much much slower.  The lack of productivity is starting the irritate me, but I keep reminding myself THIS IS AFRICA.

Wednesday night a lot of exchange students and I went to Reggae night at the bar on the beach. It was amazing! We were literally hanging out on the ocean. There were a few live bands that sang Bob Marley songs while we danced around fire pits in the sand.  The entire place was swarming with Rastafarians (peace and love man), and they were hands down the most entertaining dance partners I have ever had. However, they tend to want something from you (money, phone number, etc) so we were always a little wary of their excessive friendliness.  The next morning a few of us went back to the beach to hang out and nap and there was still one man passed out in the sand from the night before…poor guy.

Yesterday we traveled about an hour north of Accra to a village called Aburi to see some gardens and hit up a 10-mile hike through the mountains.  About a mile into our hike we came across this hut where two Rastafarians lived. The first thing they said was, “Hi.  Want some pot pot?” Don’t worry mom, we said no. They had a few guitars lying around, and the one guy without pants insisted on playing a song for us.  I was expecting it to be really good because I figured he had a lot of time on his hands out in the middle of nowhere.  I was wrong. It was terrible but also completely hilarious; thankfully, I was able to video a bit of it.  After his performance, he instructed us that we had to turn around and take different path.  Basically, he didn’t want us to see his field of weed around the next corner.

The rest of the hike was beautiful, and I only fell in one stream of water!  I felt like I was in fern gulley the entire time. And I saw the biggest tree I have ever seen in my life.  I’m pretty sure it was larger around than the redwoods in California.  At the end of the hike these “tour guides” informed us that we were supposed to pay four cedi each to take the hike, and apparently we were trying to cheat them.  One of the girls who had lead the expedition argued our ignorance but that only resulted in attempts to arrest her.  So we ended up paying; I swear they will do anything in this country to make money off the obrunis (white people). 

Tro tro rides never disappoint me.  I feel something interesting happens every time. On the way to the market the other day a Ghanaian man turned to me and said, “I love you.”  He then attempted to get my number and address so he could come visit me. Thankfully, I’ve learned the correct response to these inquiries, and it is, “I’m sorry, we don’t do that in my culture.”

I’ve never been more thankfully for washing machines in my entire life as I am here.  I did my laundry in the primitive fashion a few days ago, and it was absolutely exhausting.  Four hours!  Seriously, the washing machine is moving up my list of best modern conveniences NOT available to me, right next to ice cream.

Today, I’m going into the city to buy some American food and DVDs (they have everything still in theaters in the US).  And hopefully enjoy some air conditioning in the process.  Next weekend we’re headed to Cape Coast – exciting!

Akwaaba!

Hello friends! Akwaaba!

I have officially experienced my first African Sabbath, and I must say it was probably one of my favorite days on the continent thus far. A few other exchange students and I awoke this morning and trekked thirty minutes to the Legon Interdenominational Church across campus.  While I was probably the most underdressed person in attendance, I felt completely at home there.  I left wishing I were a black woman with rhythm and the singing abilities that seem to be unique to their race. I also wished I had a flashy African hat like the ones a few of the elder women were wearing. It was an absolutely wonderful experience, and I was encouraged by everything said as well as the scripture readings and prayers.  There just seemed to be a sincerity and passion that is sometimes absent in some churches in the states.  It really felt like home there, and I hope to go back soon.

After church we were taken on an expedition to the beach. It was most definitely interesting.  Each of us had to pay an entrance fee of 4 cedi, which in Ghana is a lot of money.  I would say three to four hundred people were packed onto a piece of ocean that was about the length of an American football field. Once again people trying to get us to buy fried plantains, bracelets, sunglasses, etc. surrounded us, but other than that I loved the atmosphere.  People just seemed to be happy to hang out and play football or dance to music and watch the beach performers.

It was interesting to see that many of the locals couldn’t actually swim, yet would jump into the waves anyway.  There was one man with a whistle making sure we swam between the two flags that designated safe waters.  I asked a local if the man would jump in the water to save us if we were drowning, and he informed me that Ghanaians expect white people to be able to swim so the “lifeguard” would probably let us save ourselves.  Helpful.

At one point we were walking on the beach, and a few men had drawn a line in the sand and were demanding we pay 50 pesewa (about 45 cents) to cross.  One of the girls with me proceeded to set down her bag and run through the shallow water to the other side of the line in protest.  We found it hilarious, but a local told us if we hadn’t been white the men probably would have chased us with machetes.

Tomorrow is the first day of classes, but the students here tell me it’s a waste to go because the professors won’t bother showing up for class until a few weeks into the semester.  It’s going to be interesting. I’m amazed by how relaxed schedules seem to be here. Only one out of five clocks here is even set to the right time.  I’m pretty sure my concept of time will be ruined by the time I return to the states.

I’m hoping to hit up some gardens that are supposed to be beautiful just north of Accra some time this week.  Apparently the dry season is coming soon bringing the death of many plants. I must say I’m not looking forward to seeing the beautiful trees wither.

Blessings and love!

Becca

I'm in Africa

I’m in Legon, Ghana! Finally, after all the planning and a twenty-two hour journey I am in Africa. It is amazingly beautiful! I love the winding, huge trees and ant (possibly termite) hills that are taller than me and the bright orange lizards and friendly people. I’ve even seen a monkey. I keep feeling as if I am living in the Lion King.

It’s been about five days since I’ve arrived and so far most of what the other exchange students and I have been doing is orientation related. There were a few mind-numbing presentations, but thankfully those are finished. Yesterday, we took a campus tour. It’s about a twenty-minute walk just to make it onto the main campus. I’m estimating we walk at least five miles everyday – no big deal. The campus is huge and sprawling and seems to be its own city, complete with hair salons, clinics, bars, markets, and cafes. It’s going to be an adventure to find my way around, let alone register for classes. The registration process here is bizarre and completely inefficient, and I’m absolutely dreading it.

Today we were finally able to leave campus and head into Medina Market, via tro tro (communal taxi buses). While I can’t understand what the drivers are yelling, this method of transportation is extremely inexpensive (about 15-20 cents a ride) and pretty much what I’ll be using for the rest of my time here. A tro tro is essentially a mini van fit for about twenty-five people. One of the girls with our group was proposed to by a Ghanaian on our ride back to campus, but she didn’t find it as humorous as I did. The market itself was huge and full of people yelling “Obruni (white girl) Come here!” almost every time we passed a new stand. A few Ghanaians even reached out to feel my white skin and compare it to their own. While I was prepared for chaos, I actually felt quite safe and comfortable the entire time.

Tomorrow we are headed to the Accra Mall. I’m not quite sure what I should expect. I’m told it’s just like America, but I highly doubt that. On Sunday we will all be heading to church (which I hear lasts around five hours) and then down into Accra to the beach.

Tonight I made a new friend, Lorenzo, at the Hostel’s computer lab. While he spent an hour trying to make the wireless Internet connect to my laptop (finally some success!) he told me of his passion for rap and gospel music. He then proceeded to play me a song about Obama (who seems to be very popular here) and sing a few verses of the lovely American rap song “I’m in love with a stripper.” We then discussed the Bible.

The fruit here puts American produce to shame.

I love and miss you all!

Back in the states

Thankfully, Anna and I made it home safely from Haiti - after one cancelled flight, a few delays, being stranded at the airport, and being kicked off of a flight. But thankfully, all is well now.  I'll be heading to Ghana next sunday.  It seems it's all coming at me rather quickly, but I've definitely learned a lot in the last few weeks. 

When doing missions work in 3rd world countries:

1. know the language

2. have a vehicle

3. get a phone number in case of being stranded in airports

4. american bug-spray is ineffective

5. people greatly appreciate smiles

I hope you all had a lovely new years - I spent mine watching fireworks and listening to the various Haitian parties (techno and latin music included) until five a.m.  I truly appreciate all your prayers and thoughts. God bless!