Kumasi!

February 19-21

Friday-Sunday-Kumasi

We went to Kumasi for the weekend. The city in Ghana is famous for their woodcarving villages, and Kente cloth! We went to a place where they weave the Kente cloth, and we saw how they make it.



We also went into a place to purchase some, and it was very hard to choose which ones I wanted!



While in there, I came out to purchase some Ghana keychains for my sisters, and got flocked by lots of venders selling things. It was very hard being pulled one way and another by all of them since I was the only tourist around at that time!

We also got to visit the King's Palace, but he wasn't there. When we were leaving, an elementary school was also leaving, so I started to walk with them and ask if I can go back to their school with them!! African children have an obsession over white people, so they really liked me being there with them.

We also went to see Kente stamping. They make the ink from mashed up and boiled tree bark, and then use different metal stamps in African symbols to stamp the fabric. Here, I met a family who let me try to weave Kente cloth. It was very fun to do, and I can see how it takes a very long time to make a single strip! Their family had 8 children ages 6-18, and all 10 of them lived in a one room house.




The woodcarving village was really nice, but also very crazy. We did not have a lot of time to purchase all that we wanted, and it was hard to go fast when you were being pulled into random shops and trying to bargain for the best price for everything you were buying.

We also went to the Cultural Center in Kumasi, and got to go into more shops, and we also saw some beautiful paintings. We went to a market there, and got to look around for a while. All of the booths were really close together, and at one point Patrick was asked if he wanted the daughter of a woman while I was asked to be married along with some of my friends. Walking back to the bus, a mother tried to give me her child, and she was serious. It was really sad.

Our hotel was really nice with air conditioning, the biggest bed I have ever seen, and cable tv! A bunch of us hung out in Rachael and Heather's room and hung out on their big bed. We ended up coming up with an idea of a “National Championship Day” that we will have in our hostel.

HIV home, African singing.

February 15-18

My week was less exciting this week. I went to the Kissima school on Tuesday agin, and in Twi class we learned how to bargain for our upcoming trip to Kumasi, where we will buy a lot of wood carvings. Tuesday was also pizza night again!

On Wednesday our HIV class went to an HIV/AIDS home about an hour away. It was not a hospital, but a place where people with the disease can stay at if they have nowhere to go. It is a Catholic-run program, and the nun in charge was from Poland.
We heard some people talk about living with the disease, and then we got a chance to talk with some of them. One of the children there saw me smiling at him, so he came and sat right next to me and just wanted to be held. It was a really powerful experience. Also, at the end I got to hold this beautiful baby girl, Bless, that was abandoned by her mentally unstable mother. They weren't sure if she had the disease or not. Coming back on the bus I learned that my friend in the class, Vincent, was my other friend Samuel's next door neighbor in the dorms. What a weird coincidence!
On Thursday I learned an African song about a cat in my singing class, and then I studied for my first Twi exam. After I took the exam (it went ok) I visited Samuel and Vincent, and their roommates tried to tune the guitar they had so that I could play it. Vincent also knows some of my program friends, and he was the one that I met after I got my hair braided who was in the social work program. Things are finally clicking.

Beauty and the Beast, Palm wine, Mass!

February 8-14

On Monday we were all so tired, and lots of us were getting sick from the lack of sleep and eating that happened all weekend. I didn't have class, so I slept a lot. I met my friend Samuel for dinner, but got sick while eating, so came back early.

Tuesday I was woken up by Taylor calling me to see if I could take her to the hospital since she was extremely sick. So, we took a cab to the hospital, and then I got to fill out her paperwork the best as I could for her. I waited around to see if they would release her that day, but they wanted to keep her there overnight. While waiting for her, I met a deaf lady, and I got to use my sign language I learned last semester with her. I ended up going back that day and then going to see an orphanage with some other students to see if we wanted to volunteer there.

On Wednesday I went to my spanish class, then to my HIV/AIDS class. For dance class that night, we learned some new steps, and worked on them. Dela took me out to a salsa dancing club since he knows how to salsa dance, but I did not, so we just watched for a while and then left.

Thursday was my singing class, and also twi at night. I hung out with Samuel after twi with his roommates and discussed some differences in cultures, like dating, the color pink (it is more acceptable for men to wear pink than in the US), holding hands, etc. I also ate banku for the first time which is like dough that you dip in a tomato sauce that you swallow whole.

Friday was dance class at 9:30 in the morning, and then we came back and ate lunch at the other hostel's cafe since they have more american food there. I ended up having a chicken burger and fries! We all went to the Medina market after that, which is outside and where you can get anything you want, like clothing, food, dvds, etc. That night we went to see Beauty and the Beast at our drama department, and it was really good.



There was a palm wine festival that night, so I went with Samuel and tried it, but I didn't like it at all. I also tried goat meat, and it was really chewy.

On Saturday, the computer cafe two doors down from my room was playing the “On in my city” song that the CMU football team plays when they are in the stadium, and it was nice to hear a familiar song. I ate lunch with Paula, and then Taylor and I went to visit Samuel and his roommates.

Sunday I could finally attend mass at the Catholic church on campus here, so I went with Samuel since he was the only one I knew that was Catholic. It was really hard to understand the priest due to the sound system and his accent. It was nice to see all of the Africans in their traditional dress and lots of patterns. After that I went with my roommate, Doreen to Dela's place to meet his brother. Somehow I ended up going with Dela to his Aunt's house-he helps his 6 year old cousin, Angel, with school work every Sunday, so while he was with her, I got to visit with his Aunt who loved to talk. To get there, we had to travel in the car down dirt roads with many holes and it was very bumpy. Their home was locked up with a big gate and barbed wire too. It was one of the biggest in the area, and the sitting room that we sat in had a big screen tv with cable, and a very nice computer. The children called me “Aunty Chrissy”, since it's a sign of respect here, and his other cousin, Junior, loved to play with me. The Aunt was surprised to find out that there were poor people in the United States.

Today I learned that Valentine's day is actually a pretty big deal here, which surprised me since it seems so American/Canadian. I also learned today that they do not call roosters “roosters” but cocks, and the females are called hens. They are called chickens when they are food!

Mole National Park!

February 7, 2010

Friday

We left for Mole (Mole-ay) National Park very early on Friday morning! We all had to be ready for 5am, but of course the bus was late. It was a super small bus, and some people had to sit on the uncomfortable fold down seats in the middle of the bus. Zach came with us again, who we got to know when he came to Cape Coast with us. He is music student-teaching in the elementary school on campus, and was hooked up with our group to be able to travel. The roads at first were dirt, and had lots and lots of holes. Our driver had to swerve all over both sides of the road to not fall into them. We first thought that all of the roads were going to be this way, and were glad when we finally reached some smoother roads. We stopped at a rest stop and had to pay to use the bathroom, and we also stopped on the side of road to rest later. Someone wanted oranges, and was surprised that the lady on the side of the road wanted 1 Ghana cedi for one. (that's about 70 cents). But, with that he got 10 oranges, so he was passing them out to many people on the bus. For lunch we stopped to get food at this market place, and the bathroom facility you was basically a shower drain. So, my friend Rachael and I found a real toilet across the street! While traveling, we saw some warthogs that really do look like Pumba from the Lion King! We also saw lots of children whose faces light up when you wave at them. We also had to stop for cows crossing the road, and saw many different huge trees along the side of the road. 14 hours later, we finally arrived! We ate dinner which took a long time to come, and then went straight to bed!


Saturday morning we had our first safari. We had to split up into smaller groups, and our tour guide was named DK. All of them carried a gun, which kind of scared us. We walked down the hill to the flat lands, and saw many bush buck, antelope-ish animals, birds, warthogs, and deer.



We were really hoping to see elephants, and finally found them walking to the water hole! It was really amazing to see them in the wild, and be really close to them. It was also neat to see them in the water and spraying water on themselves to cool down and to drink.



After the safari, we walked to our rooms, and saw a baboon trying to break into the rooms for food. He was really smart and trying to turn the doorhandles. When we walked around to the other side, there were a lot more. When we went into our rooms and tried to come back out, I walked around the corner and one was doing the same thing, so we scared each other. I screamed and it put up it's arms as if to attack me, and then finally walked away. We had some free time, so we hung out by the pool, and then left to go see a mosque nearby. There were a lot of children there, and I met a guy named Milikia that told me all about his community, and how he was the soccer captain of his team. He showed me his house, and told me how the roof is where guests stay because it was cooler outside, and sleeping under the stars is an honor to them.



When we got back, we went on one more safari in a 4x4/jeep vehicle, and saw some more elephants, bush buck, warthogs, and more. Basically the same animals we saw before but with monkeys! When we got back, I went to go look at the sunset over the cliff with Mitch and Zach, and it was the most beautiful scene I had ever seen that I started crying!



At night we woke up to a crash, and then saw a baboon outside going through the garbage!

Sunday we left at 5:30am, and while at a reststop, a guy told me that he would marry me! We stopped at a beautiful big waterfall, and got to play in it in our bathing suits-it was very cold! As we were getting closer to “home”, Evan got sick, so we had to stop at a hospital, and then two students and our bus tour guide stayed with him since they were keeping him overnight. The way back was very scary since our bus driver went really fast and was passing other vehicles when he should not have been! But, we finally arrived safe and sound. It was the superbowl tonight, and some were going to the US embassy to watch it, but I was too tired! Dela, my roomie's cousin brought me food, though, since he knew I would be starving when I got back!

Pizza and registration...

February 4, 2010

Tuesday we had our two-for-one pizzas at the pizza place right outside of our campus. This seems to now be a tradition after our Twi class. There, I met my roommate's cousin, Dela, and he drove us back to campus! This is the first time that I had been in a car since I have been to Africa, so it was nice to ride in one! Wednesday I didn't feel very well, so after my HIV/AIDS class, or “lecture” (what they call classes here) I stayed in. On Thursday, Paula and I went around to the different departments so that we could add/drop classes that we wanted to be in. Just like registration, it is not online! Also, every department is ran a different way, so it's just insane!

Birthday!

February 1, 2010

My 21st birthday!!!! (they can legally drink here when they are 18, so it's not a really big deal here...)

Last night my friend Judith gave me cheese for my birthday since she knew I liked it so much, and they don't usually eat cheese here!

Today I went to my “Working with communities” course, and after sitting in the wrong classroom with Heather for a while, we went to the real classroom. However, when we were handed the syllabus, it was for the wrong class. Our actual class got moved to a time a couple hours later to a different classroom. Classes still aren't set in stone, obviously. But, they can move classes around since all of the students have most of the same classes for the social work program. After my actual class, I went to the internet cafe to check my email, since our internet here was not working. At night, I went with a lot of my friends in my program to a bar called “Jerry's.” Even one of our Ghanaian student tour guides, Owushi, came! I got to meet the owner, Jerry, and had many drinks from my friends, including one called “Judgement Day” that is apparently illegal in the US for the amount of alcohol in it. (I didn't know that when I drank it!). We got to dance a little bit, and it was a really fun night!

Cape Coast!

Jaunuary 31, 2010


This weekend we went to Cape Coast, which is only about 4 hours away southwest along the coast. Our entire ISEP group went, and it is nice to travel with 40 people we know. We went to the Cape Coast slave castle, which was something that wasn't fun, but very informational, and very sad.

We got to go down into the basement and saw where the slaves were kept during the slave trade. It was really hot down there, and that was after they had cut holes in the stone to see better and for more air for tours.

Volunteering, Drug Dealers, and The US Embassy

January 29, 2010

Yesterday I woke up to the smell of rice cooking by my roommate, so I ate rice in bed with chicken and sauce! Here, if they make food and want you to join them, they will say “You're welcome” or “You're invited.” At first, I was confused as to what I was welcome to, but it's just another phrase here that they use. Also, when they are asking you what you will eat, they say “What will you take?”. I really like finding out all of these phrases, and Ghanaians like to hear how we say it differently. I went to a “school” to volunteer after that. We had to take a tro tro, but it was only about 10 minutes to Kissima, a small, poor village. All of the children there cannot afford to go to school, so a man name Kwame in their community started to teach them. An international student, Renee from the US is now the head leader of this since she was studying here last semester too. She helps to teach the children and recruits other volunteers to help her, so I went to help. It was very fun, but very hectic. We teach them on someone's front porch. The children are all ages, and they are at many different levels. We taught them songs, and letters, but many children already knew the alphabet.


We eventually split off into different age groups, so I took the younger ones to read stories to them. One of the children liked the word “monkey” (she was probably hearing it for the first time), so on every page of a Curious George book, she pointed out every monkey. It was really cute. When we were catching the tro tro back, one of the members of the community bought us water sachets, so, though I am still not used to drinking out of water from a little plastic sack, I had to drink some of it in front of them. When we came here, they told us to take them little by little so our body can adjust to them. When we were waiting to take a tro tro back, Ghana was playing a football game (soccer) and they scored a goal. So, every car on the road listening to the game started honking their horns. Even though I had already experienced this, it was still really cool to see it again!

I went to twi class after that, and then all of us got picked up by a bus to go to a really nice restaurant for our program dinner. In Ghana, no bathrooms have toilet paper in them, (you carry your own around) so seeing as how this restaurant did have it, it was really nice. There was a jazz singer there, so we ended up dancing and singing after we had our dinner. When we came back from that, some of us decided to go to a club for more dancing, so we all hurriedly got dressed up. Heather, Judith, Taylor, Bitty, Libby, and I all fit into one cab (he had to pay the front guards 1cidi to let him pass since we were fitting 7 people in a 5 person vehicle). When we tried entering the club, the bouncer did not let us through because I was wearing “slippers” or sparkly flip flops. (I have no heals here!) He wouldn't change his mind when we tried to pay him off, so we walked away to wait for some of our other friends that were coming later to bring me shoes with heels or at least a back on them. When a man saw this, he asked what was wrong, and when we told him, he said he would “take care of it.” So, we went with him, and he told the bouncer “it's me” and he let us in with him, but then we had to go through more security. The manager of the club came to us to turn us away, but the guy we were with told him that he “had the stuff in his trunk.” so he better let us in, or else he wasn't getting any! So, we basically got into a club by a drug dealer. However, when we got in, there was no one there, so we started dancing by ourselves. Then when people started coming, no one was dancing, so eventually we were the “entertainment” of the club. This led to us dancing around crazily, while over 50 people sat around, not having fun, and wondering what drug we were on. It was crazy to be in such extreme poverty in the morning, and then within the richest that night.

Today I went to my dance class, and then was asked to go to the US embassy with a Ghanaian student to submit a form to try to get someone to come and speak to the campus. He thought it would be better if some students from America came with him, so Paula and Judith went with me. Unfortunately the man to speak to was not there, but I did get to buy a wood carving out of the cab's window. People sell things like carvings, food, water sachets, super glue/anything imaginable to people traveling in cars every day. It is cool to see them with things on their heads, and then running to the tro tros with them, not dropping anything. The tro tros/cabs won't stop when they are transferring the items/money, so sometimes they have to run really fast to catch up to traffic. When we got back, I hung out with Taylor and her Ghanaian friend Max, along with some other people with our program, and we talked about the differences in marriage. I used a water boiler to boil water for it to be safe to drink, and then put it in empty water bottles for a couple days worth of water. It is definitely a lot cheaper than buying bottled water! My roommate, Doreen went home and brought me back a mango, but I have to wait for it to be ripened.

Hair Unbraiding!

January 27, 2010

Today I had class all day, which basically means I have 3 classes-my spanish class that I just sit in on, my working with people with HIV/AIDS class, and then I was supposed to go to my dance class, but we had to go to our Twi (the local dialect) class instead. I just got my fake braids taken out of my hair since they were itchy and sliding out anyway. Rachael and Paula helped me take them out, and they only took about an hour and a half to do so.



I lost so much of my real hair in the whole braiding process, but I don't really care since less hair means less frizz and less hot. It also monsooned again today-the rain in Ghana comes out of nowhere-the sky just becomes super dark, and then it pours. It's over with a couple hours later, and the sky looks like it hadn't rained at all!

On Monday, Heather and I went to the wrong class for working with working with communities, and then had to awkwardly get up in front of everyone and walk out. Luckily there were some nice girls in the class that thought we were in the wrong class, since they were freshman, and no one really studies abroad their freshman year. When we went to the correct class, the professor never came, and the TA told us that the prof could not meet at that time. So, this meant all 40 of us trying to decide on a time that worked well for all of us. This did not work (duh!), so they said that we would decide next Monday what time would work best. So, we never had class!

On Tuesday, my “Women and Children's Rights” class got moved to a different building farther away, so we walked all the way there, and then there were no open rooms for our class to be held, so we all walked back to the original building. There, the professor read the Ghanaian constitution to us for the whole hour and a half! Needless to say, I am dropping that class, not only for the boringness of it, but because then I can always go to my Twi class. Today I also did my laundry again, but the blue laundry soap I was using turned my white clothes yellow, so I had to use Heather's yellow soap to get them out. I'm still really confused. I think next time I do laundry I will be taking it to the washers in the other international dorm for the laundry staff to do it for a small fee. Tonight we also went to the pizza place for 2 for 1 pizzas, and this time they were the best they had ever been!

Refugee Camp

January 24, 2010

Today I went to a Liberian refugee camp with a bunch of American students. We had to take multiple tro tros to get there, and when we got there we were met by a man that helps there who took us for a tour around the camp. We saw a big market place, and some of their houses.



The UN is supposedly helping them, but they have to pay for their own clean water, and even to just use the bathroom. They have a school program that just started, and girls are learning to use sewing machines to make big purses and change purses that they sell to get money to afford schooling. While I was there I met a boy that had lived there for 15 years, and had his dad and brothers die in the war. I also got to hold a baby that was being held by her 4 year old brother.




As we were leaving, I saw a small boy with a marching band tshirt from the United States, and I am not really sure how he got it. Also, the children there were really happy when they saw we had cameras!




I had my first water sachet today, which is a plastic bag full of water. I have only been drinking bottled water here, but water sachets are much cheaper, but they have caused some problems with international students in the past since they are not used to that kind of water. I really hope I don't get sick from it!
They managed to get us one tro tro to take us back the entire way, and Ghana was playing a soccer game while we were driving. When they scored a goal, everyone on the road started to honk their horns, and it was really cool to experience that kind of country unity. They ended up winning the game, so they get to continue playing for the African Cup of nations!

When we got back, I met some of Doreen's friends, and then she and I helped her cousin Dela move into his dorm right next to ours.

The Beach!

January 23, 2010

Today I went to the beach again with Rachael, Heather, Judith, Paula, Lindy, Carly, and Mitch. We went by tro tro this time, though, because Mitch knew where to go. This time we went swimming, and the water was really warm! The waves were pretty big, and really powerful sometimes. I brought some fresh pineapple, and it was great to eat it on the beach! We only got bothered by a couple sellers, and Paula and Judith rode horsed along the beach! When we were leaving the beach, this man comes to us and gets in our group picture.



We were fine with that until he starts asking Judith to marry her, and he was serious. When she kept repeatedly saying no, the guy asked Mitch if he could have "just one of us". So, we now tease Mitch that he is our pimp, but we are glad that he didn't give one of us away!

At night I talked with Paula about how Africa is not so different than the United States- Both have poor people, and some that are doing fairly ok. They may not have the same technology or high class things that the United States/Canada has, but this is their way of life at the moment. Market places that may seem worse than supermarkets might work better, with having fresh food instead of preservatives, and people buying from others so everyone can make money. I still haven't seen a starving person in Africa, like the US tv comericals make it seem like all of Africa is. I know that there are some that do need help, but there are definitely others that are doing fine by themselves.

I also got to talk with my Nigerian friend Jennifer about the differences between Nigeria and Ghana, like the pace of life, and the different accents.

Fishing!

January 22, 2010

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty lazy days, since classes don't really happen. I went to Spanish class on Thursday (I am just going sometimes to keep up with speaking the language), and no students were there! My roommate on Thursday morning made rice and chicken in a crock pot, and she gave me breakfast in bed! I also went to my HIV/AIDS social work class, and it seems like it will be a very interesting class. The water went off again, but I am getting used to it!

This morning (Friday) I woke up at 4am to see the sunrise at Labadi beach. I went with Sofiani, Paula, Judith, and Evan. We took taxis there, and unfortunately, we didn't make it there in time to see the sun actually rise, but the beach was really cloudy anyway. It was nice to just relax at the beach, and we got to see the fishermen go out in really big boats, drop their nets, and then pull the nets in. It took about 12 men just to pull in the nets, and it took them a really long time.



Paula and I also met this guy who called himself the black “Pope John Paul” and he told us all about the Reggae night that he goes to at the beach on Wednesday nights. We came back just in time for our dance class, and it was really fun! They have drummers come in to play for us, and we learned some basic moves. After dance was over I went to go sleep for a while, and I woke up to ants EVERYWHERE! It was pretty intense. Tonight I ended up watching “Congo” a movie about Gorillas in Africa with a bunch of my friends here.

Roomie!

January 19, 2010

I woke up today to my roommate walking in my room! Her name is Doreen, and she's really nice. I did laundry this morning by hand, and it was fun at first, but then got really boring. They have a lot of clothes hangers outside to hang your clothes on, and I felt really accomplished after I was done!




I also registered for dance class today with Heather and Rachael, and we have to wear white tops and black bottoms to every class. Luckily I brought my own, but Rachael and Heather had to buy them there. Another ISEP student, our friend Theresa, was there before us, and when they gave her black shorts, they looked really nice and like a dance outfit. So, we were really surprised when they started pulling out old black sweatpants and leggings for Heather and Rachael to try on. Some of them weren't even totally black, with a white stripe down them. It was really weird. I ate red red today, which is beans and sauce and plantain on the side, which is really good! (And I don't even like beans!) For dinner we went to the pizza place near campus that has Tuesday 2 for 1 deals. (I think we will be eating there almost every Tuesday night!) It was swarmed with white international students wanting food that reminded them of home! While we were walking back, it was dark, and our friend Judith fell into the gutter and twisted here ankle! Gutters here are everywhere, and they are at least 2-3 feet down, if not more, and they have both sides of them built up with concrete. I'm actually surprised I haven't fallen into one yet! Our “Mother Theresa” (we have 3 Theresa's in our program!) wrapped it up in towels and “set it” with some butter knives she bought at a local store nearby. Then she used my belt to tie it all together, and they went to the hospital to go check it out.

Registration!

January 18, 2010

This morning I was awoken at 4am to men shouting for “All residents must get out now!”. It was really scary, and I didn't know what was going on, but I left my room to join all of the other residents outside. The reason why we were outside? There was an Earth tremor warning for all of Ghana, apparently all over the radio stations. Eventually we found out that it was a hoax for all of Ghana, (um, duh, there are no such things as warnings for earthquakes!) but lots of people all over the country were freaking out about it. In the morning we still had no electricity, so I had another shower from a bucket. For breakfast that morning I ate my first mango from the market right by our hostel, and it was really good.

Today was the start of registration, so I went with my friends Amanda, Rachael, Heather, Taylor, and Evan to go register for classes. Classes actually start today, but it's really laid back, and most are still registering, so they don't go to class until next week. We had our last orientation session, and were told about some volunteer opportunities we could get involved in. A student that was involved with ISEP last semester and then decided to study for one more semester works with children at a village nearby. She brought some children with her, and I got to hold one of them -about 2 years, and then a boy came over who was 4 and hugged me. It was such a beautiful moment! These children have parents, but they cannot afford school, so they go to one run by Renee and a man named Kwami from the village. I had my first pineapple today, and it was amazing! The water came back on this afternoon when I was gone, but it was not on when I came back. My roomie is still not here, but more stuff is appearing.

Hair braiding!

January 17, 2010
Today we went on an Accra city tour. We went to a market place where they have a lot of drums and wood carvings. I got a free drum lesson, and then got “taken” by a man named Kwasi-(which sounds like Chrissy when they say it. It means he was born on a Sunday) to see his wood carvings. They were all really gorgeous, but really over-priced. We also went to this beautiful beach overlook, and a history museum. When I got back, some of my roommate's things were in my room, but she was not. I'm really excited to meet her!



January 16, 2010

Today we had an orientation program for all of the international programs. It was very long and super boring, since we had already heard most of the stuff from our ISEP orientations. Then I went with Hannah, Theresa, Brook, Stacy, and Theresa to get our hair braided at the Bush Canteen, a kind of market place where you can get food, get your hair done, and buy other little things. It took them 6 ½ hours to do it, and they weaved in fake hair to make it longer. They didn't have any more blonde hair left, so they put this reddish-brown color in it, and it just looks reddish. It's really heavy, and I was not used to the color at all!



When they were putting it in, there were different radio stations playing, so it switched back from Ghanaian music, where sometimes they start to play a song, and then cut in to say something every 1-2 seconds later. They started to play music I recognized, though, like Chris Brown, Rhianna, and other “hit music.” The salon that did our hair normally closes at 7pm, but they stayed until 10:30 to finish our hair. The bar across the way also stayed open, and there were University students there that were all over us at the end, and when you went to go shake their hand to be polite, they would keep holding it. We eventually came back to our hostel to no electricity!

Orientation

January 15, 2010

Today we went to the market place, which was really big. We had to take a tro-tro to get there, which is their version of a bus (a 15ish passenger van) which they pile as many people as possible in it. We got to walk around and talk to the local people selling fruits, vegetables, fish, and other every-day living needs. They loved talking Twi to us (their local dialect), and trying to teach us how to speak it. They were so happy to see us and try to pronounce our names. My favorite part of this experience was when I would smile and wave to the older girls (12ish) who were also selling things and balancing things on their heads. Their faces light up and their smiles were the happiest smiles I have ever seen in my life!
Later that night Ghana was playing the Ivory Coast in football (soccer, which is super big here-they are playing for the Africa Cup!), so the lobby was full of everyone watching the game together. I ended up watching the game in a tv room they have upstairs in my hostel, and talking with some local Ghanaian students about some of the differences between US and Ghana values and life. I was also trying to explain marching band, and speedskating to them, which was actually pretty successful.

January 14, 2010

Today I saw a local Ghanaian wearing an Ishpeming, MI tshirt, and she said that an International student gave it to her. My roommate, Evie moved her stuff out of our room since she smokes, and I get sick from even the smell of it. She was a sweetheart, though, but I will see her around all the time. I am now waiting for a Ghanaian roomie or someone from a different part of Africa!

Today we had a medical orientation (we now know the signs for Malaria!) and the second part of our campus tour. We got internet today, so I got to use skype, and had the opportunity to get on facebook (which is also big over here, by the way).









January 13, 2010

Today we had breakfast at Tasty Treats, and while walking there, I met a girl from Michigan Tech-she saw my Central Michigan shirt, and commented on it. We had a tour around the campus by guides from the University students that picked us up from the airport-and it was really big!
While everyone was going to the mall to buy phones, Sam and I picked up our luggage from the airport, and then met them for dinner. A bunch of people did not get phones due to time, so we went back with them later that day and they were still out! So, they had a person come back that night after dinner to bring us phones!

I'm Finally Here!

January 12, 2010

Hello from Ghana!


It's already pretty hot here, even before 10am! We got to the airport last night around 10pm, and the flight was not that bad time-wise. I slept for a lot of it. When we landed, we had to go through customs, and then waited around a little baggage drop for our bags. It was pretty crazy, and my bags never did show up since we almost missed the flight from London to Ghana. We were on a list of bags that was still in the London airport. They'll come today! We met some ISEP leaders at the airport, and then rode to the University in a big white van. Though it was dark, we could still see some of the beautiful scenery around. I even saw a tree that was flat on top just like the ones in the Lion King! Our room is decent sized, and it has a balcony that looks out into the campus and beautiful scenery. We also have a middle courtyard that is really green with some African-Native plants. We checked into our rooms, and got dinner, and all called home. I was so exhausted and surprisingly homesick that I went straight to bed. My roommate Evie and her friend from school, Meredith, helped calm me down.

This morning I woke up pretty early and ate a dry scone that they gave us for breakfast. I tried having a shower, but there was no water! So, Evie and I got buckets and filled them with the hose for showers. It was a real African start! I also saw some lizards today which surprised me since I did not realize they would be so close to us. They were in the courtyard and running through the drain pipes. We had time before we had to meet, so I went for a walk around campus with some members of my group. They we had lunch all together at Tasty Treats, a local restaurant that is really close by our hostel. We had the start of our orientation, and then hung out with some girls at night-it was Rachael's 21st birthday, so we had some wine in water bottles, and then played Apples to Apples with some other friends.

Detroit->Chicago->London

January 11, 2010

Hello from London!

It's already been crazy, and I'm not even there yet! I left from Detroit at 8pm on an earlier plane than I had originally booked, along with 11 adults also going to Ghana for a mission trip. They were all wearing bright green shirts, so it was very easy to spot them in the airport! I had lots of time at the Chicago airport, due to the heating unit on the plane being broken. While at the airport, I was wearing my Central Michigan University tshirt, and some guy came up to me telling me how great our GMAC bowl game was, and he was surprised to find out that I was there to witness our amazing double overtime win! I also met another girl, Kate, going to the University of Ghana as well! So, the plane left 2 hours later than planned, but I was just glad that the flight left, since many other members of my study abroad program could not get a flight out of the US to London due to snow in London.



Sitting across from me on the plane was another student, Sam, that was going to Ghana in the same program, and we became fast friends at the London airport as we tried to get to our next flight in 30 minutes. It wouldn't have been that bad, but we had to catch a bus to get to our new gate, go through security (with police with big guns!, and then an elevator ride to finally reach the bus that would take us to our plane! Sam had to get his ticket, and then they would not let him through, but they finally did when 8 of the bright green shirt brigade were behind him, also trying to get on the same plane.
It still has not hit me fully that I am going to Ghana. Even after a wonderful surprise bon voyage/early birthday party, and saying goodbye to my family, friends, and boyfriend. It's starting to now, but I don't think it will until I step foot in Ghana. My dream is to work at an orphanage, so I will be volunteering at one nearby. I can't wait until I hold a baby in my arms-I have been waiting for that for years!




I love you all, and miss you all tons! Thanks so much for all the prayers and good thoughts coming my way. I really appreciate all of you joining my facebook group, and wanting to know what's going on in my life!