Soccer and ceremonies

Today was one of the best days so far. We got up early this morning to travel to a village called Agogo. Here we went to the forest area to plant trees to help with a reforestation project. I got to plant five little saplings. Now I am determined to come back in the future to check on my trees. Planting trees really worked up the group’s appetite so afterward we headed to a hostel to grab lunch: fried rice, plantain, and chicken.

Me with my tree. Adinkra symbols Weaving kente cloth

While we were eating our professor asked us if we’d be interested in a game of football against some local schoolchildren. Ten of us volunteered. I have never played soccer in my life but I’ll try anything once. After we finished eating we walked to the football field for the match. However, when I say field I don’t mean a grass field, it was dirt and gravel. The kids we played against were probably 7-12 years old and way better at football than we were. Apparently watching the World Cup doesn’t make me any better at playing football. We ended up sprinting, well some of us, up and down the field chasing the never tiring children. We managed to score one goal which brought the final score to 3-1. There were so many schoolchildren cheering on the sides when their fellow students won. We walked off the field sweaty and scabbed up from falling. Despite the loss playing with the kids was an awesome experience.

The next thing on our agenda was visiting the Agogo chief’s palace to receive an official welcome to the village. We had to dress up, which was awful considering I was covered in sweat. The ceremony was interesting. There was traditional dancing, which surprisingly looked like some hip hop dancing I’ve seen back at home. At the end we got to get up and dance with the dancers in front of the chief and his “cabinet.” After the excursion we traveled back to Kumasi and had a great dinner and birthday cake for Maureen, a fellow student on the maymester.

Kumasi Excursion

We are currently in a city called Kumasi. We traveled 4 ½ hours to get here yesterday. Before arriving in the city we stopped in a village called Patrinsa to implement a library project. Here we were welcomed in an official ceremony by the queen mother and chief of the village. Afterwards we walked to the “library,” which basically was a room with empty shelves. During the spring semester books were collected to help fill the library. We brought 500 books with us to fill the shelves. Putting the books onto the shelves was an amazing feeling. The children were smiling and clapping for us.

Today we visited a kente weaving shop, an adinkra symbol market, and the Kumasi palace. It was a busy day but we got to unwind for about 2 hours at the awesome pool at our hotel.

Until my next adventure

Jack

Implementation week

It has been a week since I last updated my blog. There are a couple of reasons for this: the past week has been super busy and the internet at our new hotel SUCKS!

This past week has been the implementation portion of our sustainable projects aka the whole reason we are in Ghana. Last Monday we started working with 21 girls from SISS. The girls ranged in age from 17-29. I found the age of the girls, or women I should say, intimidating because most were around 21 and older than me. However, the women did not seem to care about my age. Each day my group taught various workshops to the women.

Day 1: Introductions and photojournalism

Day 2: Self-esteem and Beauty

Day 3: Reproductive and Sexual Health

Day 4: Goal setting

Day 5: Teamwork, conflict resolution, and leadership (my day!)

The first two days we were in the actual slums where the women lived, called Agbogbloshie. This was an eye opening experience. After two days, our professor visited the site we were conducting the workshops. She felt uneasy about letting us teach in the surrounding conditions. Because of her concern we worked out a plan to pick up the 21 women everyday and transport them to the SISS headquarters for lessons.

The girls on the bus going to the SISS headquarters.

Fruit stand where we got snacks for the girls.

The girls learning at the various workshop days.

Overall the workshops went smooth. The women were so engaged the entire time. I was quite impressed with their thirst for knowledge. All group discussions were lively and someone always had a question to ask.

First day of the project with SISS

Today was the first day of our community projects. Originally my group and I were supposed to work with a vocational training school called Today’s Choices. This school took in girls that were victims of sex trafficking and taught them skills such as bead making, hair braiding, and sewing. Unfortunately, Today’s Choices was forced to close in the last month due to lack of funding. So today we started our project with a new agency called Self-Help Initiative Support Services (SISS). SISS is very similar to Today’s Choices. The fundamental difference is the girls in the school; most do not have sex trafficking in their background. The girls we are working with are girls that live in extreme poverty, but want to make a better life for themselves and their families.

We boarded the bus this morning to go to the agency. Three hours later we finally arrive, except that we weren’t anywhere near the agency, the bus dropped us off right outside of the worst slum in all of Accra. In fact, the slum is appropriately titled “Sodom & Gomorrah.” We were informed that to meet the girls we would have to walk 20 minutes into the slum. This was an intense experience. We drove through a slum earlier in the trip, but it was still nothing like I was seeing: stagnate water, people sleeping in the mud, children half clothed. My eyes couldn’t take in everything that was going on because I had to concentrate so much on where I was stepping.

Once we got to the building were the girls were waiting for us things got better. The girls were timid at first but warmed up to us quickly. Today we mainly focused on getting to know the girls and passing out journals and cameras. With the cameras we want the girls to show us life through their eyes and the journals will help them reflect on what we are teaching them. I was impressed with the questions the girls asked. They were curious about life in the US.

Also today we got the news that we would be moving hostels; the main reason being that there is no hot water. One of the girls here was admitted to the hospital for four days because she got Typhoid and many others have been getting sick. Our Professor believes that the lack of hot water could be causing some of the illnesses. So tomorrow I have to re-pack my bags to relocate. I’m a little sad about leaving because the people that work here have been great.

Relaxation

Today was a chill day. I finally got to sleep in past 7! In the afternoon a group of us traveled to Tema, a nearby town to see where one of our professors grew up. This “city” was quite industrialized because of an effort by the former president Kwame Nkrumah. It was interesting to see this part of Ghana because I haven’t seen factoring buildings here before. I think it is a sign of Ghana’s development. After we got back a few of us found a movie theater to see Sex in the City 2. The movie was not good. I actually thought it was pretty bad.

Venturing outside Accra

Things have been awesome. Wednesday through Friday we were at Cape Coast, which is another town about 3 hours away from Accra. The place we were staying was beautiful; it was called Coconut Grove Resort. I had so much fun. I spent most of my time at the resort on their private beach and at their pool trying to get darker. The tides here are crazy strong, there was not ever a low tide. The waves and undertow are so strong that I could stand far up were the waves barely covered my feet, and they would still suck six inches of sand out from under my feet. It was a lot of fun to play in; everyone just had to be careful. Also like the name implies, Coconut Grove had a million coconut trees. I, despite the fact that I like coconut, was determined to open one on my own. The last day we were there, after 25 minutes of throwing and prying, I succeeded at opening my very own coconut. Also, to my pleasant surprise the taste wasn’t bad. It tasted nothing like the coconut flavoring I’ve had before; it was really nutty tasting.

One of the nightly performances at Coconut Grove

Ghanaian peers walking along the beach after a long day of ultimate frisbee

Trying to play the drums. Heads up its way harder than they make it seem!

Also while we were in Cape Coast we went to two slave fortresses, Elmina and Cape Coast Castle. This experience was intense. We walked through the female and male slave dungeons, the solider living corridors, the governor’s living space, and the door of no return. The tours were eye opening. The dungeons were dark, dirty, and small. Each chamber in the dungeons was about the size of my living room and they housed up to 400 slaves at once. The details the guide gave were pretty graphic, so I won’t disclose the rest on my blog, it’ll be much easier to describe in person. After the tour of the Elmina castle we did a walking tour of the town of Cape Coast. It was great to walk around among the people.

Fisherman at Cape Coast

Cape Coast Slave Fortress

Elmina Slave Fortress

Food for Thought

Today we had lectures. Thankfully, the first one was not boring. It was all about African history and the Pan-African Movement. I learned a lot from the lecture. I was horrified to learn the details of how inhumanly captured slaves were treated. Also, I had never known about the theory of Africa being the cradle of civilization. Archeologists have actually found the oldest human remains in Ethiopia and scientific studies of female mitochondria have traced backed to African origins. I was just about the only person in the room that had never heard that before. Everything the lecturer talked about was fascinating. Toward the end of lecture I look at my phone to see the time only to realize that he had been talking for two hours! I did not mind though because I was engrossed in what he was saying. I wish I could say that for the second lecturer; he flat out put me to sleep. Tomorrow we are traveling to Cape Coast to see the El Mina castle, which housed the slave dungeons. I’m excited.

Until my next adventure,

Jack

Everything works out for the best

The next day started early as we boarded the bus to visit the new agency. Once we got there, to my surprise it looked almost identical to Today’s Choices. It turns out that the agency does essentially the same thing but with a few tweaks. The agency helps people from the slums by providing all kinds of vocational training. The only differences are that they do not primary deal with girls from the sex trade industry; they take in people from various situations. I am extremely relieved because everything that my group had prepared is still relevant and only a few changes will have to be made. However, I still can’t help but worry about the other girls that were abandoned from Today’s Choices.

That night we went to a fancy hotel to eat dinner. The program coordinator, Kwame, figured that we had been exposed enough to indigenous foods for a while. At the hotel we were comforted with familiar tastes. I have never appreciated mashed potatoes and shrimp so much. We had a mountain of desserts too. This is especially a treat because Ghanaians hardly eat any sugar in their diets. I completely pigged out, and though afterwards I was miserable I do not regret it!

Ups & Downs

Today we went to Aburi Botanical Gardens. The drive was about an hour, but the scenery on the way was beautiful. We have been in Accra, which is relatively flat. However, it didn’t take long to find the mountains. The whole way to Aburi was uphill. The drive was a bit scary because it was on the side of the mountain, we could look down and see all of Accra. Before we got to the gardens we stopped to buy authentic wood carvings. I went to the back of the shops to look at the scenery, but instead I found the actual building where the men where carving the masks and figures. It amazed me to see the artwork they could create with a tree trunk, a chisel, and a hammer. Everything was beautiful and had a rich meaning. I got quite a few masks. I think they will look good in my room.

At the gardens we got to see so many plants. I got to smell the leaves of the cinnamon tree, which are ground to make cinnamon powder. I saw cocoa trees, 100 year old palm trees, trees planted by famous people, a tree over 300 years old, trees that are used to make gin J, and so much more. The most interesting thing to me was a tree called to strangler tree. This tree grows by attaching itself to the trunk of another strong tall tree. From there the “free loader” tree grows around the other tree. It actually wraps around the base tree so tightly that you cannot see the base tree through the strangler’s roots. Once the strangler grows higher than the other tree it slowly grows its roots into the base trees trunk. This act kills the base tree. After the tree is dead it slowly rots away and the strangler is left standing. I thought this was such a sad story. Because the base tree is in the middle of the strangler once the base rots away the strangler is hollow inside. We actually got to see a strangler that had killed its base tree. We could even walk through the tree because it had no middle.

really big old tree and me :)

Group looking at Cinnamon Tree

Palm trees that are over 100 years old

After we returned from the gardens a few of us went to the beach. The beaches in Accra are not the nicest but nonetheless they were still fun and packed with people. The ocean had trash in it and wasn’t extremely blue, but hey it’s a beach. I didn’t get to enjoy it much because we had a writing assignment to do that was due later that night. I keep forgetting I’m taking a class here. I started to complain about doing the assignment but then I realized that writing a two page lecture summary on the beach wasn’t so bad.

Later that night we went to Professor Gilbert’s (the main maymester professor) house to have discussion and eat. The discussion was insightful and the food was pizza! The day was coming to a good end. Then my group got bad news about our project. We were going to be working with an NGO called Today’s Choices, which rescued girls from sex trafficking. All my group members, myself included, were deeply vested in the organization. However, Dr. Gilbert called us into her office to inform us that Today’s Choices completely lost all funds and had disbanded. When I heard the news, my heart sunk. The worst of it all is that no one knows what happened to the girls that were in the program. After the bad news, Dr. Gilbert gave us the some good news: she found another very similar organization for us to work with, called Self-Help Initiative Support Services. To get re-grouped we would be meeting with the director the next day. My group and I left disheartened and stressed about the next day.

Amazingness

Atisan? (how are you? in Twi)

Mi ye ojogbaa. (I’m fine)

We went to museums yesterday morning. The history here is so rich. While we were there I saw elementary children learning the things we were learning as well. They were so CUTE (and we all know how I feel about kids)!! At first I was trying to be discrete about taking pictures of them because I’m a creeper. However, to my surprise they wanted pictures with the brune (foreigner/white person) because many of them had never seen one.

After the museums we had lunch on the cliffs overlooking the ocean, and then headed to the cultural market center. This place was insane! It looks like a giant flea market with small booths that go on for rows and rows. The people selling goods are so aggressive, but it is not in a mean or scary way. They are just hustlers. Haha. I learned very quickly that the price the merchants quote you is NEVER final. When they see a tourist walking through the sellers automatically add 10-15 cedi to the price of goods. Luckily, I had Frank! Frank is a Ghanaian Professor and he is awesome. To thank him for all of his help I will have to name my first born after him, or maybe my next pet. Frank was my middleman, anytime I got quoted a “final” price I would call Frank over and have him talk to the merchant. Instantly the price dropped at least 10 cedi. The market was overwhelming but I enjoyed the challenge of negotiating (well watching Frank negotiated at least).

Last night we went out to a Ghanaian fashion show and club for my roommate’s birthday. The fashion show was DOPE! The clothes and the models were beautiful. After each collection cultural dances were performed. These performances were conducted by gorgeous African men. Side note: Almost every man I have seen here is ripped to the maximum. During the fashion show we talked to the MC and told them it was Shomya’s birthday. When the last collection was shown, the MC called her on stage and we all sang to her and then she had to do a Ghanaian dance. It was priceless.

After the fashion show, we ate and headed to the club. I never thought I’d be partying in Africa, but I’m down. The music was a mix of American and African club music. I enjoyed the African music it had a great beat to it. I will bring some back for everyone to hear. We stayed there until about 2am, but the clubs here don’t close until 4am. On our way back we kept getting stopped by the national security guards that were stationed at various checkpoints. The car had to be searched twice, I guess because we looked suspicious.

Today we drove through “Old Accra.” This is the most ghetto part of Accra. I finally saw what I had been expecting: children playing soccer in the streets, people bathing outside, and goats running rampant. However, all the people that I saw looked happy. This confused me. Then Kwame (best on-site program coordinator ever) explained that the Ga people are very proud of their culture and what they have. The government had tried a few times to change things in old Accra, but the public rioted. I am amazed people in these conditions are content. It makes me realize just how ungrateful most Americans are.

I hope all is well with everyone else!

First 2 days

Wow.

It has been a crazy few days! I finally have time to sit down and update everyone. I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll start from the beginning.

The flight was loooong! I flew out of Houston to Amsterdam (9hrs), had a layover in Amsterdam (6hrs), and then flew to Ghana (6hrs). The trip wore me out but I was excited when we landed in Accra at 7pm. However, I was surprised to find that it was already dark outside. I didn’t think about how close Ghana was to the equator, but sunrises at 6am and sets at 6pm. Getting out of the airport was hectic and I was overwhelmed. When you walk out you are immediately surrounded by Ghanaians asking if you want a cab or help. They are looking for a tip. I kept my eyes forward and got real good at saying “no.”

After the airport, things got much better. I didn’t even have time to put my things away because as soon as I arrived at the Hostel everyone was getting ready to go out. We went to a bar on the beach. It was beautiful. We had to walk down stairs carved from the cliffs to sit on a high cliff/rock. The scenery was awesome. We watched the silvery waves crash against the cliffs and drank Star beer (there equivalent to Keystone/Lonestar, but much better).

The hostel is better than I expected. The room isabout as big as Irene’s, and I share it with another girl. We have a shower in the room, but there is no hot water. So I’ll be taking cold showers for the next 26 days (even in Ghana it’s still painful). On the bright side, we have air conditioning! What is weird it that we only have sheets, no comforters. I also only get to use the internet 1 hour a day.

Yesterday was the first official day of the program. Since I didn’t go to bed until 2am and had jet lag, l was exhausted! We started by going to the University of Ghana for an orientation. We met our Ghanaian peers that will help us with our service projects. The peers tried to teach us how to speak Twi, the indigenous language.

After the orientation, we went on a bus tour of Accra. I was most amazed by the people selling goods in the street. They walk up and down middle of the roads with goods to sell balanced on their heads. If you want what they are selling you simply look at them with interest and they will be on you like white on rice. If your car starts moving, they will run to catch up. They are selling any and EVERYTHING. I saw a tummy trimmer (as seen on TV), legos, toothbrushes, sunglasses, mangos, nuts, mentos, umbrellas, coat hangers, soccer jerseys, and so much more. It is like a drive through grocery store. I bought a laptop converter through the window for 5 cedi. I only had a 20 cedi bill so I gave it to the merchant for change right as the bus started to drive off. I just knew I would never see him again, but sure enough he chased us down to give me change. The honestly of the people here is refreshing (most people, I’m sure there are bad ones). Their work ethic is badass too. Drag rats should definitely take lessons.

We saw many different areas of Accra on the tour. There are super nice houses, resembling something you would see back home, but across the street were the “slums.” The slums look almost identical to the slums in Slumdog Millionaire. My roommate is Indian and she said that Ghana and India are very similar.

Merchants have been stopping by the Hostel to sell their goods because they know it’s an easy sell. They’re right. I’ve already bought a painting, bracelet, necklace, and earrings. I got you ladies a present already! I plan on getting a Ghanaian dress made too.

The food is interesting. Not my cup of tea, but I’ve been eating it. I’m hoping I can lose some weight! We mostly have Ghanaian fried rice, white rice, chicken, fish, and plantains. This fish is crazy though because they do not scale it or take off the bones or head. So basically it’s a whole fish cut into pieces. Last night we had a BBQ with students from Moore House College which is in Atlanta. Tonight we ate at a restaurant that served American food. I have never been so happy to eat a pizza. Irene would have been proud it had artichoke and mushrooms on it!

We had lectures all day today from various UG (University of Ghana) Professors. They were pretty interesting but hard to understand. Thankfully, we only have 3 days of lecture and the rest is our projects, traveling, and sightseeing!

So far my trip has been amazing and it’s only the second day. I’m so glad I followed through with this. I was really nervous the whole plane ride. I kept wondering if I would like it or completely regret it. No worries though because it is awesome.

I love and miss you all!