In an attempt to procrastinate for my final, I have decided to write one last blog post while I am in Ghana. I will be on an airplane on my way to the USA in 6 days 3 hours and 45 minutes (not that I’m counting down). Am I excited? Yes. I have never been away from home for this long, and in a place where day to day living is so difficult. Am I terribly sad to be leaving Ghana? Of course. Ghana is officially my other home, I suppose. I have never spent so much time in a country that was not my own, and I feel that I truly do understand the culture and the people. Has my time in Ghana changed me? Yes, I have seen things that I never expected to see – both good and bad. I think I am most scared about leaving Ghana because I don’t know what is next. Since high school I have been looking forward to studying abroad in Africa – what do I have to look forward to now! I do know that my desire to travel has not been satisfied, I am probably not going to settle down for good in America any time soon.
I am excited to do so many things in America – see my family and friends, eat all the food I have missed, and even lay on a couch and watch TV (something I didn’t think I would miss). However, I am going to miss all of the things that make Ghana what it is to me, the things I can’t find in America – markets, being able to buy anything I want from the window of my tro-tro (seriously, I’ve seen people selling birds), Fanice (delicious ice cream in a bag), the music, the colors, and the very rare thunderstorm. I am not looking forward to this Friday, when I will say goodbye to my kids at Hope Community, I am absolutely sure that I will be crying when I walk out of the gates. I know that I will have to come back to Ghana at some point in the future, and no matter how many countries I travel to, Ghana will always be special to me. I hope that when I come back I retain some of the great things about Ghanaian culture – the language, the general friendliness, and maybe I’ll even break out with the slight accent I use when I talk to Ghanaians (it’s funny, I swear).
I have to say that this has been the best semester of my college career – I wish I could live it over and over again. However, it is time to go home and get on with life!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Ten best things about Ghana
My last post was sort of negative, so here are my top 10 best things about Ghana.
1) My internship. The people I met and worked with at my internship at Hope Community have, by far, had the greatest impact on me. I am actually really surprised at how attached I have become to the boys that I work with, and it really upsets me that I may never see them again after I leave. While I used to not look forward to going to my internship, I now get excited every time I get to go in and spend time with the boys (and a few girls). They really are great kids who have just had sad lives, and are a bit rough around the edges (which makes me love them even more).
2) The people. I have made so many new friends in Ghana, whether it be Americans or Ghanaians. While I do have to admit that most of my friends here are from America, they are friendships I will continue when I return. The people of Ghana are some of the greatest people I have ever met. From my security guard “best friend” Jacob to random women I have met in the market, most of the people of Ghana have been nothing but kind to me.
3) Learning the tro-tro system. I said in one of my first blog posts that I wanted to a tro-tro pro by the time I left Ghana. While I may not be a pro (sometimes I still have to ask), I know how to get where I need to go. I know which tro-tro goes where, the hand symbols the mates make to show which way they are heading, and the fares. Understanding the public transportation system of a place is certainly a sign that you know your way around, and I guess I can say that I have learned to navigate the city of Accra.
4) Learning how to bargain. I have actually gotten pretty good at it. I know what a fair price is, and if I use my limited knowledge of Twi, I can usually get the price that I want. I have to say, bargaining is an art, and while I have not completely mastered it, I have gotten pretty good.
5) Seeing elephants in the wild. Just an awesome thing I can check off of my “to-do” list!
6) Not getting seriously sick. While I did have a serious respiratory infection, and a few stomach issues, I have managed to make it through my time in Ghana without having to go to the hospital! Let’s hope that I didn’t just curse myself.
7) Traveling. Through trips planned through CIEE and trips that I have planned myself, I have managed to see quite a bit of Ghana. I have been to Kumasi, Volta Region, the North, Takoradi, Akwidaa Village, and Cape Coast. Next week I am hopefully leaving the country for the first time since I have been here and heading to Togo for a few days! All of the trips I have taken have shown me different aspects of life in Ghana, and have certainly left me with a few great stories.
8) The exchange rate. Things in Ghana are cheap, which is great for my bank account. I haven’t had to spend my time here counting my money and budgeting myself, which makes me very lucky. I have been able to live life in Ghana as I wish, and sometimes spoiling myself with nice meals out or days at the pool.
9) The lack of classes. The classes that I did have were terribly boring, but they met only once a week for 2 hours (and we usually got out early). I had very little class time, which allowed me to have a lot of free time to do things that I would rather be doing. Like travelling, and going to the beach and generally enjoying life.
10) The food (well, some of it). While I do complain a lot about the massive amounts of rice that I eat, there are certain foods that I will seriously miss when I go home. Groundnut soup with rice balls (my favorite Ghanaian dish, by far), red red, and especially fried plantains! I bought a cookbook, but who knows if I will be able to cook it like the Ghanaians do!
1) My internship. The people I met and worked with at my internship at Hope Community have, by far, had the greatest impact on me. I am actually really surprised at how attached I have become to the boys that I work with, and it really upsets me that I may never see them again after I leave. While I used to not look forward to going to my internship, I now get excited every time I get to go in and spend time with the boys (and a few girls). They really are great kids who have just had sad lives, and are a bit rough around the edges (which makes me love them even more).
2) The people. I have made so many new friends in Ghana, whether it be Americans or Ghanaians. While I do have to admit that most of my friends here are from America, they are friendships I will continue when I return. The people of Ghana are some of the greatest people I have ever met. From my security guard “best friend” Jacob to random women I have met in the market, most of the people of Ghana have been nothing but kind to me.
3) Learning the tro-tro system. I said in one of my first blog posts that I wanted to a tro-tro pro by the time I left Ghana. While I may not be a pro (sometimes I still have to ask), I know how to get where I need to go. I know which tro-tro goes where, the hand symbols the mates make to show which way they are heading, and the fares. Understanding the public transportation system of a place is certainly a sign that you know your way around, and I guess I can say that I have learned to navigate the city of Accra.
4) Learning how to bargain. I have actually gotten pretty good at it. I know what a fair price is, and if I use my limited knowledge of Twi, I can usually get the price that I want. I have to say, bargaining is an art, and while I have not completely mastered it, I have gotten pretty good.
5) Seeing elephants in the wild. Just an awesome thing I can check off of my “to-do” list!
6) Not getting seriously sick. While I did have a serious respiratory infection, and a few stomach issues, I have managed to make it through my time in Ghana without having to go to the hospital! Let’s hope that I didn’t just curse myself.
7) Traveling. Through trips planned through CIEE and trips that I have planned myself, I have managed to see quite a bit of Ghana. I have been to Kumasi, Volta Region, the North, Takoradi, Akwidaa Village, and Cape Coast. Next week I am hopefully leaving the country for the first time since I have been here and heading to Togo for a few days! All of the trips I have taken have shown me different aspects of life in Ghana, and have certainly left me with a few great stories.
8) The exchange rate. Things in Ghana are cheap, which is great for my bank account. I haven’t had to spend my time here counting my money and budgeting myself, which makes me very lucky. I have been able to live life in Ghana as I wish, and sometimes spoiling myself with nice meals out or days at the pool.
9) The lack of classes. The classes that I did have were terribly boring, but they met only once a week for 2 hours (and we usually got out early). I had very little class time, which allowed me to have a lot of free time to do things that I would rather be doing. Like travelling, and going to the beach and generally enjoying life.
10) The food (well, some of it). While I do complain a lot about the massive amounts of rice that I eat, there are certain foods that I will seriously miss when I go home. Groundnut soup with rice balls (my favorite Ghanaian dish, by far), red red, and especially fried plantains! I bought a cookbook, but who knows if I will be able to cook it like the Ghanaians do!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Ten things that I haven't had or done since I have been in Ghana
10 things I haven’t done/had since I have been in Ghana:
1) Had hot water. Okay, sometimes during the day the heat from outside heats up the pipes and we have warm water, but that doesn’t really count. However, the thought of taking a hot shower in Ghana makes me cringe because it would just be a terrible experience.
2) Had running water for more than 5 consecutive days. Actually, 5 days might be a stretch. Needless to say, I am very resourceful with a bucket of water.
3) Worn a seatbelt. Sorry Mom! Most cars don’t have them.
4) Felt completely clean for longer than 30 minutes. It’s dusty and hot here, what can I say.
5) Drank tap water. Seems unimportant, but it is getting annoying having to go to the gas station every time I need water.
6) Felt cold. Despite the fact that it is super hot, it is kind of nice knowing that I will never need a sweatshirt, and I will never have a chill (unless of course I am in air conditioning).
7) Blend in. No matter where I go, I stick out like a sore thumb. It is not necessarily a bad thing, everyone should know what it feels like to be a minority, but it’s just completely different from what I am used to, I get attention wherever I go.
8) Had real cheese. There are some sorry attempts for cheese in this country, but I miss cheddar and feta.
9) Had an interesting or mentally stimulating class. This may be nerdy, but I love most of my classes at American. The classes here, with professors reading word for word from their notes, expecting you to write everything down have been, by far, the biggest disappointment of Ghana.
10) Been to a gym. This may be an amazing statement to all of you, but I miss exercising. I tried to go running, but it is just far too hot (even at 5am) and the Ghanaians give me weird stares.
Many of these things are the negative aspects of being in Ghana. I don’t mean to sound like a negative Nancy, just thought I would let you all know! I really do love Ghana, and as my time in this country ticks down, I have such mixed feelings about going home. On the one hand, I miss living a comfortable life with my friends and family. On the other hand, Ghana has been one of the most amazing and educational experiences of my life.
1) Had hot water. Okay, sometimes during the day the heat from outside heats up the pipes and we have warm water, but that doesn’t really count. However, the thought of taking a hot shower in Ghana makes me cringe because it would just be a terrible experience.
2) Had running water for more than 5 consecutive days. Actually, 5 days might be a stretch. Needless to say, I am very resourceful with a bucket of water.
3) Worn a seatbelt. Sorry Mom! Most cars don’t have them.
4) Felt completely clean for longer than 30 minutes. It’s dusty and hot here, what can I say.
5) Drank tap water. Seems unimportant, but it is getting annoying having to go to the gas station every time I need water.
6) Felt cold. Despite the fact that it is super hot, it is kind of nice knowing that I will never need a sweatshirt, and I will never have a chill (unless of course I am in air conditioning).
7) Blend in. No matter where I go, I stick out like a sore thumb. It is not necessarily a bad thing, everyone should know what it feels like to be a minority, but it’s just completely different from what I am used to, I get attention wherever I go.
8) Had real cheese. There are some sorry attempts for cheese in this country, but I miss cheddar and feta.
9) Had an interesting or mentally stimulating class. This may be nerdy, but I love most of my classes at American. The classes here, with professors reading word for word from their notes, expecting you to write everything down have been, by far, the biggest disappointment of Ghana.
10) Been to a gym. This may be an amazing statement to all of you, but I miss exercising. I tried to go running, but it is just far too hot (even at 5am) and the Ghanaians give me weird stares.
Many of these things are the negative aspects of being in Ghana. I don’t mean to sound like a negative Nancy, just thought I would let you all know! I really do love Ghana, and as my time in this country ticks down, I have such mixed feelings about going home. On the one hand, I miss living a comfortable life with my friends and family. On the other hand, Ghana has been one of the most amazing and educational experiences of my life.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Volta Region
This past weekend I spent two days in the Volta Region of Ghana. I had no idea, but I think this may be the prettiest part of Ghana. It is very rural, but full of beautiful green jungles and hills and mountains. We drove up on Saturday morning and the first stop was Tafi Atome monkey sanctuary. It is some sort of local, eco-tourist project run by the people that live in the area. The monkeys there are Mona Monkeys, and they are super cute. We got to feed them bananas which was pretty cool!
The next stop was Mount Afadjato, which is the highest freestanding mountain in Ghana. Is it really that high? No. Was the hike up it terrible? Yes. It took hiking to a whole new level. Practically vertical, super rocky, and it took about an hour. It was the sweatiest I have ever been in my entire life, and the most exercise I have gotten since I’ve been in Ghana. But, the view from the top made it totally worth it. There were more green mountains and a small town at the bottom. We could see the Togolese border and a waterfall in the distance!
The next day we trekked to Wli Falls, which is a gorgeous waterfall in the jungle. It is not necessarily a big waterfall, but it is very tall, and you can go swimming in the lower pool. The water was pretty cold, but we had a lot of fun anyways. That’s really all for that weekend; it was pretty low-key but still a great time! More blogs coming soon :)
The next stop was Mount Afadjato, which is the highest freestanding mountain in Ghana. Is it really that high? No. Was the hike up it terrible? Yes. It took hiking to a whole new level. Practically vertical, super rocky, and it took about an hour. It was the sweatiest I have ever been in my entire life, and the most exercise I have gotten since I’ve been in Ghana. But, the view from the top made it totally worth it. There were more green mountains and a small town at the bottom. We could see the Togolese border and a waterfall in the distance!
The next day we trekked to Wli Falls, which is a gorgeous waterfall in the jungle. It is not necessarily a big waterfall, but it is very tall, and you can go swimming in the lower pool. The water was pretty cold, but we had a lot of fun anyways. That’s really all for that weekend; it was pretty low-key but still a great time! More blogs coming soon :)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Mole Mole Mole!
My trip to Mole National Park, up in the North of Ghana was an adventure by every definition of the word. Here’s a breakdown of the trip!
Thursday: Planned on leaving Pentagon at 7am to get to the bus station by 7:30-8:00 to get our bus tickets. As usual, we have all gotten onto Ghana time (late for everything) and left around 7:20, and it took longer than usual to get a cab. One thing we did not count on was the incredible amount of traffic heading into Accra that morning. So, it took us over an hour to get to the bus station, which we got to at about 9:00. I had reserved tickets for a 10am bus to Tamale (a city in Northern Ghana, and the departure point for Mole) so I thought we were set. But, travel in Ghana is never so simple. Apparently, while I was on the phone with the woman who booked my 10am tickets, the 10am bus actually filled up. So, she reserved us five tickets on the 8:30 bus, but failed to tell me this small detail. There were two tickets left on the 10am bus, and there were more on a 3pm bus. We didn’t really want to split up, but decided this was the only way that we were getting there. It was decided that my friend Brittney and I would go on the earlier bus because I booked the hotel, and it was Brittney’s birthday. So, Brittney and I got situated on the bus (in a very cramped seat in the back of the bus) and, by some miracle, there were three open seats and all of my friends got onto the bus! So, we got situated for our 12 hour bus ride up to Tamale. Mind you, Ghana is about the size of Oregon, and driving the distance that we did should not have taken 12 hours, but the roads are bad so it takes much longer. The bus ride was pretty bad, but I slept a lot because I had been out until about 3am the night before. We made some friends on the bus, two American guys who are working in Ghana, and they ended up hanging out with us all weekend. By about 10pm we made it to Tamale, and got to our hotel and passed out.
Friday: We had to leave for the bus station at 7 to make sure that we got tickets on the 1:30 bus to Mole. We got the tickets no problem, and proceeded to walk around Tamale to try to find somewhere to eat. We had completely forgotten that it was Good Friday, and despite the fact that Tamale is a largely Muslim city, everything was closed. The people were also much more hostile towards us than in Accra. One of my friends made a comment about a man that was following us, and he just started yelling at us and calling us “fucking stupid oburonis”…so that was interesting. We decided to just go back to our hotel and eat at the restaurant, which was good and cheap. By 1:00 we were back at the bus station, which was PACKED. The bus was late, as usual, and we found some seats in the shade. The bus finally arrived and we piled on. As I got on, I realized that I had the same seat number as one of my friends, so I just decided to sit in another seat. When the boy who actually had the ticket for the seat I was in got on the bus, he threw a fit. He wanted me to get off the bus and take another one because there was no seat for me. But, there was no way that I was getting off that bus. I figured he could just stand for the ride, but he absolutely refused and threw a little hissy-fit. Well, one of our American friends that we met on the bus ride up gave up his seat and offered to stand so that I could sit, which was super nice of him. The bus ride was pretty terrible, four hours on dirt roads with no AC. The bus was packed with people and luggage and there was no real room to move. About half way to Mole, my friend Molly had to go to the bathroom really bad. They ended up stopping the bus and throwing Molly out the window (because all the doors were blocked) so that she could run across the street and pee in the bushes. Everyone on the bus thought that this was just the funniest thing ever. We finally got to Larabanga, a small Muslim village near Mole where we were staying and got situated at our guesthouse. The guesthouse was pretty simple- no running water, and a pit latrine (a concrete hole in the ground for the toilet). We actually ended up sleeping on the roof because the rooms were so stuffy, which was really nice, especially because the stars were so pretty.
Saturday: Woke up at about 5am to the sound of morning prayers and goats. We decided that we were going to ride bikes to get to Mole because it was only about 6k away. We left for the park around 5:45 and saw some antelopes and warthogs on the bike ride over! When we got the Mole, we decided to pay for a car to take us on the Safari instead of walking. We had an awesome driver named Abu who was dead set on us finding the elephants. The safari was really fun, and Abu let us sit on the roof of the car once we got into the park. At the beginning all we were really seeing were wart hogs and antelope, and I was pretty sure we weren’t going to see any elephants. Then we saw an elephant footprint and started trekking by foot into the bush. This search wasn’t very fruitful, but then we got a phone call saying that the elephants were at the water hole. So, we booked it over to the water hole and there were three elephants chilling in the water (and a crocodile)! It was super cool to get that close to elephants, and I got a lot of good pictures. After that we headed back to another hotel actually in Mole National Park to have lunch. It was way too hot to ride out bikes back to Larabanga, so we just chilled at the hotel all day and swam in the pool. There is an observation deck to look at another watering hole and I saw even more elephants, and these ones were actually out of the water and walking around! Around 5 we biked back to the village (which was much harder than the ride there) and got some dinner and pretty much passed out for the night.
Sunday: Woke up at 4am to get a bus back to Tamale. The bus came by 4:45 and we made it back to Tamale by 8:30 and went back to our hotel. We got bus tickets home to Accra for 5pm that day, but we decided to get a hotel room to relax in and shower. We didn’t do much, but we did go out to eat at a great Indian food restaurant down the street. Then we got back on the bus and headed back to Accra. This bus ride was possibly the most miserable bus ride of my life. They played some Twi-language movie until 1am at full volume (with the worst sound effects I have heard in my life). We drove through a huge thunder storm and past a huge fire in a town. We finally got back to Accra at 3am and got a taxi back to campus. I was glad to be back, and also glad for a great weekend up North!
Thursday: Planned on leaving Pentagon at 7am to get to the bus station by 7:30-8:00 to get our bus tickets. As usual, we have all gotten onto Ghana time (late for everything) and left around 7:20, and it took longer than usual to get a cab. One thing we did not count on was the incredible amount of traffic heading into Accra that morning. So, it took us over an hour to get to the bus station, which we got to at about 9:00. I had reserved tickets for a 10am bus to Tamale (a city in Northern Ghana, and the departure point for Mole) so I thought we were set. But, travel in Ghana is never so simple. Apparently, while I was on the phone with the woman who booked my 10am tickets, the 10am bus actually filled up. So, she reserved us five tickets on the 8:30 bus, but failed to tell me this small detail. There were two tickets left on the 10am bus, and there were more on a 3pm bus. We didn’t really want to split up, but decided this was the only way that we were getting there. It was decided that my friend Brittney and I would go on the earlier bus because I booked the hotel, and it was Brittney’s birthday. So, Brittney and I got situated on the bus (in a very cramped seat in the back of the bus) and, by some miracle, there were three open seats and all of my friends got onto the bus! So, we got situated for our 12 hour bus ride up to Tamale. Mind you, Ghana is about the size of Oregon, and driving the distance that we did should not have taken 12 hours, but the roads are bad so it takes much longer. The bus ride was pretty bad, but I slept a lot because I had been out until about 3am the night before. We made some friends on the bus, two American guys who are working in Ghana, and they ended up hanging out with us all weekend. By about 10pm we made it to Tamale, and got to our hotel and passed out.
Friday: We had to leave for the bus station at 7 to make sure that we got tickets on the 1:30 bus to Mole. We got the tickets no problem, and proceeded to walk around Tamale to try to find somewhere to eat. We had completely forgotten that it was Good Friday, and despite the fact that Tamale is a largely Muslim city, everything was closed. The people were also much more hostile towards us than in Accra. One of my friends made a comment about a man that was following us, and he just started yelling at us and calling us “fucking stupid oburonis”…so that was interesting. We decided to just go back to our hotel and eat at the restaurant, which was good and cheap. By 1:00 we were back at the bus station, which was PACKED. The bus was late, as usual, and we found some seats in the shade. The bus finally arrived and we piled on. As I got on, I realized that I had the same seat number as one of my friends, so I just decided to sit in another seat. When the boy who actually had the ticket for the seat I was in got on the bus, he threw a fit. He wanted me to get off the bus and take another one because there was no seat for me. But, there was no way that I was getting off that bus. I figured he could just stand for the ride, but he absolutely refused and threw a little hissy-fit. Well, one of our American friends that we met on the bus ride up gave up his seat and offered to stand so that I could sit, which was super nice of him. The bus ride was pretty terrible, four hours on dirt roads with no AC. The bus was packed with people and luggage and there was no real room to move. About half way to Mole, my friend Molly had to go to the bathroom really bad. They ended up stopping the bus and throwing Molly out the window (because all the doors were blocked) so that she could run across the street and pee in the bushes. Everyone on the bus thought that this was just the funniest thing ever. We finally got to Larabanga, a small Muslim village near Mole where we were staying and got situated at our guesthouse. The guesthouse was pretty simple- no running water, and a pit latrine (a concrete hole in the ground for the toilet). We actually ended up sleeping on the roof because the rooms were so stuffy, which was really nice, especially because the stars were so pretty.
Saturday: Woke up at about 5am to the sound of morning prayers and goats. We decided that we were going to ride bikes to get to Mole because it was only about 6k away. We left for the park around 5:45 and saw some antelopes and warthogs on the bike ride over! When we got the Mole, we decided to pay for a car to take us on the Safari instead of walking. We had an awesome driver named Abu who was dead set on us finding the elephants. The safari was really fun, and Abu let us sit on the roof of the car once we got into the park. At the beginning all we were really seeing were wart hogs and antelope, and I was pretty sure we weren’t going to see any elephants. Then we saw an elephant footprint and started trekking by foot into the bush. This search wasn’t very fruitful, but then we got a phone call saying that the elephants were at the water hole. So, we booked it over to the water hole and there were three elephants chilling in the water (and a crocodile)! It was super cool to get that close to elephants, and I got a lot of good pictures. After that we headed back to another hotel actually in Mole National Park to have lunch. It was way too hot to ride out bikes back to Larabanga, so we just chilled at the hotel all day and swam in the pool. There is an observation deck to look at another watering hole and I saw even more elephants, and these ones were actually out of the water and walking around! Around 5 we biked back to the village (which was much harder than the ride there) and got some dinner and pretty much passed out for the night.
Sunday: Woke up at 4am to get a bus back to Tamale. The bus came by 4:45 and we made it back to Tamale by 8:30 and went back to our hotel. We got bus tickets home to Accra for 5pm that day, but we decided to get a hotel room to relax in and shower. We didn’t do much, but we did go out to eat at a great Indian food restaurant down the street. Then we got back on the bus and headed back to Accra. This bus ride was possibly the most miserable bus ride of my life. They played some Twi-language movie until 1am at full volume (with the worst sound effects I have heard in my life). We drove through a huge thunder storm and past a huge fire in a town. We finally got back to Accra at 3am and got a taxi back to campus. I was glad to be back, and also glad for a great weekend up North!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Trip to Kumasi
This past weekend, CIEE took us on a trip to Kumasi, which is the capital of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The Ashanti people are actually the Asante (in local dialect), but they are often called the Ashanti because it was easier for the colonists. Anyways, the Asante people are one of the most culturally intact ethnic groups in Ghana. They are also led by the Asante hene, or the Asante king, seeing as (way back when) there was actually an Asante Kingdom that covered most of Ghana and parts of Togo and Cote D’ivoire. The Asante king actually holds a great deal of political power, not only in the region, but also with the national government. Essentially, if the Asante hene has something to say, people listen. For this reason, due to the king’s initiatives, Kumasi is a much cleaner city than Accra. The king has also created a national education fund that puts a lot of kids in need through school (not just Asante children).
Anyways, Kumasi is about five hours north and we left bright and early on Friday morning. When we got there we checked into our very nice (and air conditioned) hotel and had lunch. Then, we went to Manhyia (pronounced Manshia) Palace, which is the former home of the Asante King. It was pretty much a museum with a lot of stuff that the king used way back when.
After that we went to Kumasi Central Market, which is the largest open-air market in West Africa, and (I think), the second largest in Africa. The market was MADNESS. There were more people than you can imagine- selling and buying just about anything that you could think of. The smells and sounds were a total sensory overload, but I still managed to have a good time. I bought a necklace and batik (a type of dying) fabric for really cheap. I also got to practice my Twi with some of the women in the market! As we were leaving the market, the sky started to get really dark and we all realized that it was going to rain, very soon. But, since we all split up in the market, we had to wait for everyone to find their way out in order to get the bus. In this period of waiting, the sky just opened up on us. Just as a side note, rainstorms in Africa are different than America. In the US, everyone is prepared with umbrellas and raincoats and rain boots- not the case in Ghana. When it rains, everyone gets off the street and finds shelter. So, we sprinted across the street into some sketchy building where there were hundreds of other people waiting for the storm to pass. Eventually, the rain slowed down enough for us to go outside and get on our bus.
The next day we started off at the Kente weaving village. Kente cloth is a type of cloth that is culturally tied to the Asante people. It is woven, and it comes in all different colors and is very pretty (and also pretty expensive). We got to see how the cloth is made, and also the different meanings behind the patterns. I also bought some for myself and as souvenirs for people at home.
After that we went to the Adinkra cloth village, which is another type of artwork. Adinkra symbols all have a different meaning, and they are often stamped onto fabrics. So, we learned how they make the black dye used to stamp the Adinkra symbols and also got to stamp our own fabric with the symbols of our choice!
Next, we drove about an hour to Lake Bosumtwe, which is a huge lake made by the impact of a meteor a long time ago. It is in a huge crater and a lot of villages are situated around the lake. We had a delicious lunch and then got to canoe and go swimming. The water was super warm (warmer than Marlborough Lake), so I didn’t really want to go swimming because it wouldn’t have been at all refreshing. But, I did take a nice canoe ride around the lake.
We went out to dinner that night at a very nice Chinese food restaurant, which was a nice change of pace in food. The next morning they gave us some free time to explore on our own, but I took the change to sleep in the air conditioning, which was wonderful! After that we headed home to Accra.
Anyways, Kumasi is about five hours north and we left bright and early on Friday morning. When we got there we checked into our very nice (and air conditioned) hotel and had lunch. Then, we went to Manhyia (pronounced Manshia) Palace, which is the former home of the Asante King. It was pretty much a museum with a lot of stuff that the king used way back when.
After that we went to Kumasi Central Market, which is the largest open-air market in West Africa, and (I think), the second largest in Africa. The market was MADNESS. There were more people than you can imagine- selling and buying just about anything that you could think of. The smells and sounds were a total sensory overload, but I still managed to have a good time. I bought a necklace and batik (a type of dying) fabric for really cheap. I also got to practice my Twi with some of the women in the market! As we were leaving the market, the sky started to get really dark and we all realized that it was going to rain, very soon. But, since we all split up in the market, we had to wait for everyone to find their way out in order to get the bus. In this period of waiting, the sky just opened up on us. Just as a side note, rainstorms in Africa are different than America. In the US, everyone is prepared with umbrellas and raincoats and rain boots- not the case in Ghana. When it rains, everyone gets off the street and finds shelter. So, we sprinted across the street into some sketchy building where there were hundreds of other people waiting for the storm to pass. Eventually, the rain slowed down enough for us to go outside and get on our bus.
The next day we started off at the Kente weaving village. Kente cloth is a type of cloth that is culturally tied to the Asante people. It is woven, and it comes in all different colors and is very pretty (and also pretty expensive). We got to see how the cloth is made, and also the different meanings behind the patterns. I also bought some for myself and as souvenirs for people at home.
After that we went to the Adinkra cloth village, which is another type of artwork. Adinkra symbols all have a different meaning, and they are often stamped onto fabrics. So, we learned how they make the black dye used to stamp the Adinkra symbols and also got to stamp our own fabric with the symbols of our choice!
Next, we drove about an hour to Lake Bosumtwe, which is a huge lake made by the impact of a meteor a long time ago. It is in a huge crater and a lot of villages are situated around the lake. We had a delicious lunch and then got to canoe and go swimming. The water was super warm (warmer than Marlborough Lake), so I didn’t really want to go swimming because it wouldn’t have been at all refreshing. But, I did take a nice canoe ride around the lake.
We went out to dinner that night at a very nice Chinese food restaurant, which was a nice change of pace in food. The next morning they gave us some free time to explore on our own, but I took the change to sleep in the air conditioning, which was wonderful! After that we headed home to Accra.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Independence Day, church services, and more
I apologize for not updating my blog for so long. I suppose I didn’t think that I had been doing anything too exciting, which is sort of true, but I will update everyone anyways! March 6th was Independence Day in Ghana. On the Friday before there was a reggae concert at the national stadium. The vast majority of the people there were rastas, with the exception of a few oborunis . This essentially meant that there was an unbelievable amount of marijuana there (don’t worry, I didn’t smoke any). I kid you not, there was a man walking around with a platter of weed, just rolling joints and selling them for one cedi. Mind you, marijuana is also illegal here- with a prison term of up to 10 years! I supposed there was just no point in enforcing the laws because then they would have to arrest just about everyone in the entire stadium. As for the concert, the main performance was a Jamaican reggae artist named Sizzla. There were a lot of openers, and by 1am we were pretty tired of waiting for him to come on, so we just left. After that we went to Epo’s, which is a bar in a neighborhood called Osu. We didn’t actually go into the bar, but there is a stand outside of Epo’s that sells possibly the best noodles I have ever had in my entire life. There were so many fresh vegetables in them, which is (surprisingly) hard to come by in Ghana.
On Independence Day some friends and I went to the national trade fair. This was pretty much a huge fair where vendors paid for a booth, and they could sell their goods. You could buy pretty much any cool African souvenir that you were looking for, so I went a little crazy. I actually spent all of the money that I had in my wallet. I bought some gifts for people at home, a beautiful painting, and a drum (that I have no idea how to use properly). On our way home our tro-tro broke down. As it was rolling backwards, the mate (the person who sits with the rest of the passengers and collects the money) jumped out and threw a rock under the wheel to stop it from moving. This is the type of thing that happens here in Ghana that has just become regular, or unsurprising to me, which I guess is actually a good feeling. I have actually realized what a different type of travel study abroad is. All of the past times that I have traveled, I am constantly trying to fit in all of the things that I want to do and rushing around and going nonstop. But, my time in Ghana is just life, not necessarily travel. When I first got here, I felt the need to constantly be on the move, doing things and keeping myself active because I thought that if I didn’t, I would be wasting time. However, I have found that I have to take time for myself, to just relax and lay in bed, and that is totally okay.
My week days here are pretty routine- class, internship, neglecting my pile of reading, and sleeping. One thing that I do not think I have written about is the church services. Every Sunday morning (and sometimes on weekdays too) there is a church service in the dining hall next to my dorm. It is directly below my window. These church services can start as early as 5am and they aren’t nearly as quiet as our services in America. No, there is drumming and singing and tambourines and people periodically screaming in unison (why? I have no idea). Now, I have finally gotten used to this inevitable noise in the morning, and I can usually sleep through it. But, the church service on Sunday night really takes the cake. From what I have gotten from some Ghanaian friends, the group is called Militia (I find that a strange name for a church) and they are Charismatic. Every Sunday night, at about 7pm their service starts. They proceed to speak tongues into a microphone for HOURS (or until about 10pm). There is no way to escape this noise in my room. The only thing to get away from it is to blast music in my headphones. I really wish that I could accurately describe the sounds that come out of this church service, but they are sounds that were so foreign to me that I cannot even describe them. I would really like to attend an actual service (maybe just to get some video footage of it), but I can’t imagine sitting through at least 3 hours of it without getting a serious migraine.
I have lots more to say but I’m going to stop here because the power had gone out. This means that a) my computer is about to die, and b) my computer screen is the only light in the room and giant bugs keep attacking me because they are drawn to the light. More later!
On Independence Day some friends and I went to the national trade fair. This was pretty much a huge fair where vendors paid for a booth, and they could sell their goods. You could buy pretty much any cool African souvenir that you were looking for, so I went a little crazy. I actually spent all of the money that I had in my wallet. I bought some gifts for people at home, a beautiful painting, and a drum (that I have no idea how to use properly). On our way home our tro-tro broke down. As it was rolling backwards, the mate (the person who sits with the rest of the passengers and collects the money) jumped out and threw a rock under the wheel to stop it from moving. This is the type of thing that happens here in Ghana that has just become regular, or unsurprising to me, which I guess is actually a good feeling. I have actually realized what a different type of travel study abroad is. All of the past times that I have traveled, I am constantly trying to fit in all of the things that I want to do and rushing around and going nonstop. But, my time in Ghana is just life, not necessarily travel. When I first got here, I felt the need to constantly be on the move, doing things and keeping myself active because I thought that if I didn’t, I would be wasting time. However, I have found that I have to take time for myself, to just relax and lay in bed, and that is totally okay.
My week days here are pretty routine- class, internship, neglecting my pile of reading, and sleeping. One thing that I do not think I have written about is the church services. Every Sunday morning (and sometimes on weekdays too) there is a church service in the dining hall next to my dorm. It is directly below my window. These church services can start as early as 5am and they aren’t nearly as quiet as our services in America. No, there is drumming and singing and tambourines and people periodically screaming in unison (why? I have no idea). Now, I have finally gotten used to this inevitable noise in the morning, and I can usually sleep through it. But, the church service on Sunday night really takes the cake. From what I have gotten from some Ghanaian friends, the group is called Militia (I find that a strange name for a church) and they are Charismatic. Every Sunday night, at about 7pm their service starts. They proceed to speak tongues into a microphone for HOURS (or until about 10pm). There is no way to escape this noise in my room. The only thing to get away from it is to blast music in my headphones. I really wish that I could accurately describe the sounds that come out of this church service, but they are sounds that were so foreign to me that I cannot even describe them. I would really like to attend an actual service (maybe just to get some video footage of it), but I can’t imagine sitting through at least 3 hours of it without getting a serious migraine.
I have lots more to say but I’m going to stop here because the power had gone out. This means that a) my computer is about to die, and b) my computer screen is the only light in the room and giant bugs keep attacking me because they are drawn to the light. More later!
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