Ghana in Review

In only 10 days I will be stepping on U.S. soil for the first time in 4 months.

After reminiscing last night about all the great times I have had (this while I should have been studying for the exam I have today), I have tried to categorize my trip abroad a little bit.

Each category, I have narrowed down to 3 items. Enjoy.

Likes:
1. Rural villages
2. Markets
3. Tro Tros

Dislikes:
1. Poor customer service/or lack there of
2. People constantly trying to overcharge/cheat obrunis
3. Pick pockets

Favorite Ghanaian foods:
1. Akple and Ochre Stew
2. Plantain chips
3. FanYogo

Foods I have missed most:
1. Gum
2. Pretzels
3. Ranch Dressing

Foods I want when I get home:
1. ANY of Mom's cooking
2. Mexican food
3. Cold food

Things I wish I would have brought:
1. My computer
2. Pictures of family and friends
3. More books and magazines

Things I never used:
1. Curling iron
2. Video camera
3. Sweater

Favorite Adventures:
1. Village Stay
2. Mole Trip
3. Leadership Conference in Niger

Favorite Moments:
1. Singing endless church and children's songs with the village kids
2. The many times I have been overcome with gratefulness for having this opportunity
3. Attempting to carry food on my head and sell it in the village with three 13 year old girls

Things I wasn't expecting:
1. This experience was more challenging than I expected.
2. There WAS a language barrier! Even when we were all speaking "English".
3. I never realized how much/to what extent Ghanaians speak their tribal languages.

Things I'm excited to do when I get home:
1. Drive my car! And get in and go any time I want.
2. Call my friends and catch up!
3. Upload pictures.

Ghanaian words/phrases I have adopted into my vocabulary:
1. Saying "uh huh" like a Ghanaian in every situation possible, even when it is completely out of context.
2. Adding "o" to the end of words: "Sorry-O." "I'm fine-o."
3. Questioning: "Oh Chale, Why?" (Oh Friend, Why?)

Things I took for granted and never realized:
1. Fast Internet access/computer knowledge
2. Interstates, stop lights, roads without potholes everywhere
3. Public restrooms

When I get back I really want to:
1. Make the effort to talk to/help/be friends with the international students on campus
2. Learn a foreign language
3. Learn how to play the piano

Things I will miss:
1. Living the life of a retired person :)
2. Being called "Obruni"
3. Grabbing fruit off a woman's head for lunch, out of the tro tro window

Things I realized weren't as bad as they seemed:

1. Hand washing clothes
2. Cold showers
3. Life without Dt. Mt. Dew

Favorite Name Pronunciations:

1. Militia
2. Malaysia
3. Morlessa

Things I have traded/bartered to get a good deal:
1. Shampoo
2. My red polka dot shirt (The lady loved it! She put it on right then, gave me a high five, and couldn't stop smiling! So precious!)
3. My "phone number"

Minor meltdowns:
1. When I left my journal on a bus
2. When my camera card and flash drive got a virus
3. The day I yelled at 4 people in a span of 4 hours
-- A Ghanaian Immigration Officer
-- A tro tro mate who tried to cheat me money
-- The Internet guy who let a Ghanaian go ahead of me
-- The security guard at the bookstore who was obviously having a power trip.

These are all great stories! I will have to fill you in later!

Studying abroad has:
1. Made me question/analyze non-profit and aid organizations
2. Made me analyze/review my own priorities and motivations in life
3. Has helped me realize that just because something is different doesn't mean it's wrong or needs to be changed.
Just because I/we/Americans think something needs to be or could be improved doesn't mean that's what is best for the society and community.
Just because something seems more "primitive" from my perspective doesnt' mean it needs to be modernized; that may not be best for the people.

I am grateful for this experience because:
1. It really has been a saving grace; an essential break
2. It has taught me a lot about myself
3. It has allowed me to reflect on the past and helped me not to worry so much about the future.


Ok, well I will see you all soon! I love you!

Mel

Monkeys. Mountains. Memories.

Monkey See. Monkey Do.

Following a dirt path deeper into the forest, our guide made the infamous kissing noise that Ghanaians do so well. In a matter of time at least 10 monkeys were swinging through the trees, coming to us.

This past weekend a friend and I made a trip, once again, to the Volta Region. The Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary was the first stop.

Armed with a bag full of bananas, we were ready. The mona monkeys were eating out of our hands! Their tiny human-like hands would peel the banana and then tear off a piece before stuffing it in their mouth. If you didn't hold on tight, they would snatch the banana from your hand and swing higher into the tree to eat it at their own leisure. They would then throw the peels to the ground once they were finished, with surprisingly good aim. It seemed like they were trying to hit us!

I really wanted to take one and stuff him in my bag and take him home. I wasn't sure how I would get him through customs though, so I refrained.

We Fell on We Falls

Next we went to Wli Falls (pronounced Vlee), which is the highest waterfall in West Africa.

Early Sunday morning Delia and I hiked an easy path through the forest to the lower falls.

There however was another waterfall, the upper falls, which the guidebook mentioned as being a slightly more strenuous hike up a mountain.

We were up for the challenge. Little did we know, the guidebook was being modest! It was a much more strenuous hike!

More difficult than climbing Mt. Afadjato a few weeks earlier, which is the highest mountain in Ghana. It may not have helped that it poured the night before so the steep inclines were slippery... at least this was our consolation!

After finally making our way to the waterfall after a three hour hike, we enjoyed the sight for a little while, and prepared for our return trip.

On the way down, I can pretty accurately say that we fell down this mountain, literally. LOL.
At the beginning we were taking it in stride. Laughing it off. Even capturing the moment on film. But after at least the fifth time, it really wasn't necessary to take any more pictures of our graceful falls to the ground, as it started to look exactly like the previous fall.

It wasn't long before we started singing songs as we descended the mountain, my favorite being, "She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes." And don't you worry, we appropriately changed the lyrics to "She'll be fallin down that mountain when she comes." In our slap-happy state, we though it was absolutely hilarious to make a pun out of the mountain name, saying: "We fell on We Falls." and "We Falls.. Literally".

Along the way down we met a group of Ghanaians coming up the mountain and they thought it was hard too! So that made me feel better. Haha. I'm sure their pace was a lot faster, and the women were wearing dresses, but still! One of the guys even had a baby on his back and amazingly, the baby was asleep! One of the Ghanaians apologized for our travels. Haha. He was sorry that we had to go through such a difficult hike.

Unexpected Passenger

After a great weekend, we took a tro tro back to Accra on Sunday evening. On this tro tro I had both a "first" and an "Only in Africa" moment.

Delia and I were sitting in the back seat. At one point, I felt something wet on the back of my leg. I didn't think much of it. It must be a wet rag or something.

A little later I hear a whimper that sounded like a baby. I didn't realize there was a young baby on board, but I guess it was in the front somewhere.

Then. I hear a full out "Maaaaah" sound. There was a GOAT riding in our tro tro. Underneath our seat! Alive. But not for too much longer because it was going to be someone's dinner!

Needless to say, Delia and I both screamed when we heard this! Haha. And everyone in the tro tro turned around to look at us. The guy beside us started laughing and asked if we were scared. Haha.

All I want to know is, Did the goat have to pay the full price? I hope he got a discount since he was stuffed underneath a seat for the 4 hour trip! Oh wow! Only in Africa!

Living the High Life. Literally.

Accessible only by boat... a dug out wooden canoe, to be specific, that you must row - by hand - Nzulezo, is a community of more than 500 people who live in "The Village on Water", located in South Western Ghana.

Let me just say: Rowing a canoe for an hour is hard work! I even have blisters on my thumbs as evidence of my hard physical labor! Haha.


The stilt village was an amazing sight! It's something that is hard to imagine still exists is 2009... but then again, this is Africa.

After crossing Lake Amansuri, my guide, Samuel instructs me that if I want to take pictures of any person I must ask them first.

The reaction of the village people shocked me a little bit. They weren't very inviting. While I understand that it is their home, it is also a tourist attraction that thousands of people come to each year, so I was expecting them to be friendly.

In the end, I cut my losses and didn't take any pictures of the people. I saved myself the rejection!

The history of the village dates back 400+ years ago when people from Mali and Senegal were feuding. The Malian's fled and built the village on water to protect themselves from the enemies. While the feuds have subsided, the people still choose to live out on the water. For mere convenience of having a home already established, maybe? Life is simpler out on the water?

There was a primary school on site which was staffed by a member of the village. I wonder if they have had any formal education? Unlikely. Absolutely no computers or games for the students. But then again- it's obviously not necessary for them, and not a priority.

A Catholic church sat at the end of the row of houses held above water on tall stilts. My guide told me that while most of the people have accepted Christianity, some still believe in their own gods.

When a baby is born in the community, the child is dipped into the lake three times. Once the baby can crawl along the wooden planks that connect the houses and pass over the lake, the baby will see it's shadow and crawl back to safety. My guide said that for as long as the village has been in existence, a baby has never fallen in!

As for electricity, the community operates on car batteries and generators.

I was very curious about what kind of jobs the people had, where they got their food, and who could live in the village. Could anyone just move in?

From the minimal explanations I received, I was able to obtain the following answers:
Most of the people are farmers. They grow a lot of their own food, or will row to the village an hour away to buy additional supplies.
You must ask the chief if you are interested in living in the village and must "meet certain criteria".

Experiencing such an unusual way living was really neat. I'm glad I made the 7 hour trek to see another aspect of Ghana! A great weekend!

Easter Extravaganza

While there was no Easter Bunny, egg hunts, or a get together with the fam at Granny and Grampy's house, my Easter in Africa was great! Definitely a weekend to remember.

My friend, Delia, and I traveled to Lioti Wote in the Volta Region and did a "village stay" with a family for 5 days. Our host, Kuma, is a graduate student at the University of Ghana and studied in the US for a school year and also lived in Germany for four years. Kuma, and many people in the Volta Region are part of the Ewe Tribe and spoke Ewe, instead of Twi... so my limited tribal language skills weren't getting me very far here!

Once we arrived in the village we met Kuma's family and then proceeded to greet the entire village. According to Kuma, this greeting is absolutely necessary and expected. If you don't participate then you are being rude and disrespectful. Kuma kept commenting on the "communal society" and said that while he appreciates many aspects of the tradition, he says some things are becoming outdated, such as this method of greeting.

Highest Peak in Ghana... Conquered!

-The mountain and a glimpse of the village-

Mt. Afadjato is the highest mountain in Ghana and is located in Lioti Wote. Early Friday morning before it got too hot outside, Delia and I met our guide and started up. Our guide, Joshua was wearing long pants and flip flops to climb this mountain! What!? And at times... would run up! He made it look so easy! But don't let the Ghanaian fool you! It was tough!

The view from the top was awesome. We could see the entire village down below and the next mountain over was Togo.

After hiking the mountain, we relaxed at nearby Tagbo Falls, a beautiful waterfall. Being the first waterfall to that extent I've ever seen, it was amazing.

Wine from Trees

Later that afternoon, Kuma took us to a palm wine "farmer", so we could see the "tapping" process - how wine is made from trees.

Palm trees are cut and laid on their side for about a week. Then a hole is cut and a jug is placed underneath to catch the wine. Everyday the farmer comes back and puts fire in the hole and cuts away more of the bark so more wine will flow.

The farmer goes around to all his trees every day and repeats the same process. To me, it seems very tedious and doesn't reap a large return. It amazes me how people ever perfected the extraction and realized that the fluid which comes from a tree is alcoholic. At the end of our tour, we all tried some... drinking out of "calabash" which are little wooden bowls. It was warm, but very sweet. Definitely a favorite among the locals.

You may now kiss the Brother...?!

Saturday love was in the air.
A traditional wedding ceremony took place in the village.

The entire service was spoken in Ewe, but thankfully Kuma was there to translate for us.

To begin with, the groom's family carried in the dowry, or gifts for the bride and her family, on their heads. Yes! On their heads. It wouldn't have been done any other way!

The bride wasn't yet at the ceremony, so the family had to take their "car" and go get her - but they didn't have "gas". A collection was taken up. Then the "car" broke down and again another collection. The groom's family had to raise at least 50 cedi before the bride would come.

The bride was right inside the house the whole time.

The cute thing- when it was time for the bride to come out, there was a lady with a "steering wheel" leading the bride and members of her party into the ceremony. Haha.

The most interesting part about the whole thing though is that the groom wasn't ever there! He was in the U.S. and couldn't make it back for his own wedding! It was the groom's brother who stood in for him... I don't know why they couldn't have just waited until he was actually there... They will have a church ceremony later, and I can only hope he's present and accounted for for that one!

He has Risen!

At four am on Easter morning Delia and I are woken up by the sound of drumming and singing out in the street. People were dressed in all white and represented angels. Apparently they were shouting "He has risen!" in Ewe; a tradition they perform every Easter morning, to get everyone excited about the day.

Later that morning we attended Kuma's church for an Easter service. Surprisingly there was nothing spectacular or different about the church service. A lot of dancing and singing, but that is nearly every church service in Africa!

I was actually surprised at how much it seemed like just another day all together. No one greeted each other with "Happy Easter" like we do in the United States. We didn't even eat as an entire family for dinner or anything.

Evidently the "celebration" happens on Easter Monday.

On the agenda was musical chairs, tug of war, drumming, dancing, and singing, and other games. Delia and I were excited and ready to participate!

Activities were suppose to begin at 9 in the morning, but of course, they didn't.
At 10:30 I asked one of the guys why we hadn't started yet and he informed me that they were waiting for everyone to take their breakfast and get ready.

I tried to explain that the people should have planned ahead and taken their breakfast earlier, and that the activities should have just started without the people who weren't on time. Haha. Oh man. Why do I even try to reason with the Ghanaians?

Eventually is started to rain... pour. It soon became obvious that the "scheduled" events weren't actually going to take place! Haha. Oh Africa! Never a back up plan. Nope. That would be too efficient!

A Ghanaian Love Affair

Ask any Ghanaian what they love and their list will likely contain the following:

1. God
2. Football (aka soccer)
3. ... um. Nope, just those two things!

So when the Black Stars, Ghana's national football team, had a game in Kumasi, I couldn't miss it, along with the other 50,000+ fans who had the same idea.

Be Aggressive, Be Be Aggressive

On Saturday night, Andrea, Mallory, and I needed to take a tro tro from the village to Kumasi, to stay with Andrea's Ghanaian friend, Joe.

Apparently everyone had the same idea, at the same time.

A few tro tros came by heading to Kumasi, and Ghanaians would literally push people out of the way so they could get into the tro tro. Before the tro tro had stopped, people swarmed the doors, fighting to get in. They weren't messing around, and there was no way they were going to let 3 obrunis get in before they did. There is absolutely no concept of a line or first come first serve. It's a prime example of survival of the fittest. Haha. I never realized how much I appreciate the orderliness of the American transportation systems.

So after a few tro tros had gone by and we hadn't even attempted to compete with the Ghanaians, we needed a new game plan.

New Game Plan: Be aggressive. And try not to get trampled.

We saw a tro tro come to a stop a little ways down from where we were standing. When we saw people running towards it, we followed suit. Mallory made her way through the crowd of people, and I held on to her backpack, not letting anyone separate us. We finally got in a tro tro! One girl literally jumped over the seat to get in! Whoa! It was only after the three of us all had a seat that we asked if that tro tro was even actually going to Kumasi! LOL Thankfully it was! So we were on our way.

Kumasi at Night
Joe met us at the drop off and took us back to his place. It was one room in a compound house. The other rooms were rented to other people.

Joe's rent per month: 7 cedi!
His electric and water bill: 5 cedi

He had a "kitchen" in the front section with a small set of burners for a stove. No sink or dishwasher though, because there wasn't any running water inside his room.

The next section he had blocked off was his living room, which did have a couch and a television, and two chairs.

A sheet hanging blocked off his "bedroom", which consisted of a bed and a place he put his clothes. Basically his "house" consisted of one room, separated into three sections.

When we got to his house we started watching a movie. This is the first movie I have watched in over two months. I was really enjoying it! It felt good to have the familiarity of watching a movie with friends on a Saturday night.

We were about half way through, and getting to the climax of the whole film... when... the... electricity... went... OUT!

Haha.

So we all went outside, because it was much cooler out there and talked with his neighbors. We used all the Twi we knew, and they loved us! It was about 11 o clock at this point, and Mallory and I decided we wanted some bread. So we took the "torch light" aka flashlight and headed off on an adventure. We didn't get very far until we had a companion on our journey.

One of Joe's neighbors insisted on coming with us, and I'm so glad she did! She held my hand the whole way and made sure we found it ok! Haha. So cute! It's the small, nice things like that that make me love Ghana! I really can't imagine a lady I'd never met before, holding my hand to walk down the road in the United States!

We enjoy our bread and about it isn't long before the power comes back on. Time to finish the movie.

About a half hour later. The power..., take a guess... Yep! Goes out again! LOL

Thankfully it's not very long until it comes back on, and we call it a night.

The next morning Joe wakes up early and cooks us breakfast! (The night before he hand washed Andrea's dress!) Aw! How sweet! I'm not sure an American guy would have jumped on the chance to do these things, but Joe didn't mind at all!

Black Stars VS Benin

On Sunday it was finally time for the soccer match. The stadium was packed with excited Ghanaian fans. The atmosphere was so much fun! There was a band playing and people were dancing in their chairs.

It was a World Cup qualifying match. Our tickets only cost 7 cedi. In the U.S. I'm pretty sure parking alone would have cost more than 7 dollars!

Before the game started a Ghanaian threw water on some Benin fans, and a small fight broke out. Haha. The guy next to me, summoned to police officer to "Go arrest that man!" LOL The guy then told me how the guy who threw the water wasn't representing Ghana in a good light. Aw! I think I met the best people in all of Ghana this weekend! The guy next to me cared about his country, and didn't want anyone to view Ghana in a negative way.

Within the first minute and nine seconds, the Black Stars scored a goal. The crowd went crazy! Wow! I thought it was going to be a great game, with lots of points scored. But in the end, that was the ONLY point scored! Haha.

Throughout the match there were people setting off fireworks in their seats. Seemed a little dangerous... Haha. But no one said anything. Maybe it's soccer protocol or something! LOL

It was great to be 1/50,000 to cheer on the Black Stars and be a little part of all the excitement!

Village Ventures - Mompong

As we entered Mompong, (more of a small town than a village, since there were paved roads, and is the second biggest town in the Ashanti region) our first stop was to visit the Chief.

The company of royalty

"Nana" as all chiefs are called was a character! He definitely didn't take his status too seriously, as he joked around with us, and didn't let anyone leave before he gave them a good teasing. Nana also works as a managing editor for the Daily Graphic, Kumasi branch, and after he learned I was studying journalism, he went into a ten minute speech about how journalism is an "art". Haha. Ooh Nana.

We sat outside with our chairs in a horizontal live, with Nana sitting in the middle in his small throne like chair.

We also didn't leave without eating fufu. There were some kind of intestines in the soup, along with fish and goat meat. Haha. Andrea was quick to say that she doesn't eat meat, and Mallory and I were quick to follow her lead. LOL. So thankfully I was spared the intestines. In the end, I didn't "justify my plate" as Nana kept saying, meaning I didn't eat it all. I think that may be considered rude in their culture, but I just couldn't finish it. Luckily he just teased me, and told Andrea that she needed to "galvanize" or make me stronger so I could finish it all. Haha.

Nana's children and relatives who were around served us, and I wondered if they have to do that all the time for him...

After nearly two hours at the chief's house we left. No business was conducted or plans discussed. I think it was just a formality. Before entering the community you should greet the chief. With my American mentality, the visit didn't seem very productive. Haha. But I guess that's just how things are done here!

Epitome of Education

Accosi took us to the junior high school where the ICT Center will be put and also to the primary school of the area. The primary school was a little shocking. Two of the classrooms were mud hut classrooms, back to back. You would be able to hear everything the class was doing in the other area. There was a small black board hanging in the front. The floor was made of dirt and cracking. About ten small desks filled the room. Children sit two per desk.

There weren't any colorful posters on the wall or goldfish in a tank. No games or gadgets. Outside there wasn't any playground equipment. Obviously no air conditioning. Wow. This school really put things into perspective and I had a little revelation (again) about how much Americans really do have and how much we take for granted!

Meeting the Fam

After touring the schools, Accosi took us to his home to meet the rest of his family. We didn't call. We just showed up, unannounced.

In the United States people might not be so welcoming. But in Ghana, the people don't mind if they are still in their pajamas, if they don't have make up on, or if they have ground nuts all over the floor, like in this case. They weren't embarrassed, even though they had never met us before. They weren't worried about making a good impression, and Accosi wasn't worried that we would judge him based on his family. Wow. It was really neat to see. His family was so sweet and so excited to meet the obrunis.

At the end of the day, Accosi (who is probably in his 40's) took us to the tro tro station so we could catch a taxi back. When we were leaving he literally had tears in his eyes. He said, "This is when I get sad. By the grace of God, we will meet again." Aw! How precious!

Village Ventures - Afamanaso

A dirt road runs through the village of Afamanaso.
Compound houses are dotted throughout.
There is no running water and only limited electricity.

Afamanaso is the community where Planting Technology International (the NGO I am volunteering with) implemented its first ICT Center, or computer lab. This weekend I was able to visit the village and see the fruits of our labor and meet the children who benefit from the hands on computer education they now receive. Currently, only 4% of all Ghanaians use the Internet.

BEFORE

AFTER

As three obrunis entered the community, we were greeted with the excited shouts of from the children. The adults were just as happy to have us.

To spend the weekend in rural villages of Ghana, made my heart happy. The people we met were genuinely nice! I have story after story to tell about the kind actions of others. It was great to get away from the hustle and bustle of Accra with the many brash encounters and be whole heartedly welcomed into a village and be treated with care.

We stayed in a compound house with Andrea's "father" from the village, Mensah. Now a compound house has separate rooms but are all connected. There was a "kitchen" which didn't resemble any kind of kitchen I was use to. There wasn't a sink since there wasn't running water or even a refrigerator.

The bedroom where we stayed was very bare and simple. A bed with a couple of chairs. Small and quait. No decorations or closets filled with clothes, as you might see in the U.S. There was electricity in this house, but I was informed that most of the houses do not have power. A small light lit the room to a dark glow. A melted candle sat on the table for the moment the electricity went out.

There was no living room or gathering area for the house. No stairs to climb to get to the next level. No television to entertain us.

On the first night we arrived, three girls from the village came by to visit. Andrea said they would come by every night when she was staying in the village on a regular basis. One was in high school, one in junior high, and the other in elementary school. When we would ask them a simple question, it would take them a while to respond, if they even did respond. It was like they didn't understand our simple English. Our clear cut questions. Over the weekend I met many people who couldn't speak English at all, which is Ghana's national language! Wow.

The next morning we went to greet some of the elders in the village, including Father Mensah's mother. She didn't speak English. Two high school aged boys were nearby and would translate for us. It didn't take long until she was asking us for bread and money. "Look at my arms." She said. "They are so little. I need more to eat." She then asked us for money to build her a new house and asked us to leave our clothes for her when we left. Thankfully Andrea warned Mallory and I that she would do this, because Andrea said she asks for money everytime she sees her.

Later that day, Saturday, we traveled with Andrea's friend, Accosi, to Mampong where another PTI project is in the works.

Glimpse of Ghana

So Loren was able to upload some pictures onto her blog, which made it easy for me to copy them over to mine! Enjoy!

Our guide, DK, telling us how he prayed more hard for us to see elephants.




Loren and I at a watering hole... waiting for the elephants.



Loren, Bethany, Me, and Johnny with the elephant!



DK was so happy we finally found one!




Why did the elephant cross the road?



Rafiki from the Lion King.



The group with Auntie Janet after our sing along.

So on the way to the hippo sanctuary our driver drops us off on the side of a road, in a random town because he has to go get a part for the truck.
After about an hour, we start to wonder if he's ever coming back!

On that same trip, our truck gets a flat tire!



Dinner in the tree stand.



About 7 am the next morning.

Showing off our stylish life jackets for the canoe safari.

I'm ready to go!

Market Mania

After being in Ghana for a little more than two months, I felt it was time to tackle Makola Market.
Yes. This market is something that has to be tackled. Haha.



One of the biggest markets I have been to, Makola Market is at the heart of Accra.
People, things, sights, smells. Everywhere!
This picture doesn't even come close to demonstrating the size and atmosphere of the market!
Anything you could need... at this market. Like raw fish for example. On display for you to pick the perfect one.

I think if I would have gone to Makola at the beginning of my visit to Ghana, it would have been very overwhelming, but after being here for a couple months I have learned to how deal with the very aggressive salesmen. And hey. If you can't beat them. Join them.

I was a little feisty myself today. Which made it a lot of fun.

Like I've mentioned before the people will just grab you. Hold on to your arm and won't let you keep walking. It didn't take long before I came up with a phrase that I repeated over and over.

"Don't touch obrunis."

LOL. They definitely weren't expecting this! And it did wonders. They would be taken back a little bit. Usually laugh. And always let go!

At one point I was smacking a guys hand over and over and over, harder and harder, until he finally let go. I wasn't taking anything today and was more than happy to dish it out. In a loving sort of way, of course!

Not to mention, I got to practice my Twi!

While they always laughed when I busted out a phrase, it always made them take a few cedis off the price.

My favorites:

Me pawocheo, te so kakra. - Please, take a little off the price.
Dabe, mempe. - No. I don't like that.
Ye fre me Ama. My name is Ama. (Throwing in a Ghanaian name always makes them laugh.)

In the end, I informed a few people that they didn't have to grab obrunis to get our attention, practiced the language, and bought a cute pair of shoes.

Not a bad day!

Holy Mole

Elephants, baboons, and wart hogs, Oh My!

Traveling for literally 30 hours a group of us- Loren, Bethany, Johnny, and I-headed to Mole (pronounced Mo-lay) National Park in the Northern Region of Ghana this weekend.

Now in the U.S. I would estimate this trip to take about 6 or 7 hours, but that's Ghana's Public Transportation system for ya.

We never realized how many people would be wanting to take the 7am bus on a Saturday morning to Tamale (pronounced Tom-a-lay, not like the Mexican food!). We arrive at the bus station, only to find out that both the 7 and 8 am buses are full. Not to worry. We pull out our trusty guide book and look for Plan B. By the end of the trip, we said we were probably through the entire alphabet and on Plan CC.

We went to the nearby tro tro station and found a bus to Kumasi. From there we would head to Tamale, and then finally to Mole National Park. But don't think it was that simple... Traveling in Ghana is not traveling without a few obstacles!

When we get to Kumasi we go to two different bus stations. Both buses to Tamale are full. Thankfully our third option is a success. (Seriously though, Tamale must have more in it than I think. It's a hot spot! Haha.)

We arrive in Tamale at about 10 at night. We need to be at the bus station by four in the morning for the 6 am bus. The guidebook tells us that you cannot buy tickets in advance, so we want to make sure we are there early in order to get a seat.

After checking a few hotels, Loren and I convince the others that at this point, we might as well just sleep at the bus station. We only had about 4 hours until we had to be there...
With a little persuasion they gave in. And the bus station was the place to be! There were lots of people there- sleeping, playing games, eating and selling food -waiting for an early bus.

We figured it couldn't be that bad. I mean, I've done it before, and this time I was prepared! I brought my own sheet to lay on! We found a spot by a group of Ghanaian women and their kids. They seemed surprised that we were going to stay there, Haha and took us under their wing. They told us to keep our bags zipped and close to us. All the important info obrunis need to know!

The next morning we woke up to get in line to get a ticket... but clearly people already had tickets. I don't know how Ghanaians always find out this important information that we just seem to miss! Apparently you could buy advance tickets, and you were suppose to. So again. We were without a ticket. We didn't want to miss the bus, so the driver said we could get on if we were prepared to stand... on a bumpy road... for 5 hours.

After weighing our options, we all agreed we would stand. But thankfully we didn't have to. We took a different means of transportation!

There was a tro tro heading in that direction that we could get on instead. It didn't take long to fill up because so many people didn't have a ticket. Finally we were on the last stretch to Mole National Park.

Mole National Park

We spent the first day relaxing by the pool, which was so refreshing after traveling for so long. It was cool because we could look out into the grassy area on the other side of the pool and we saw a group of elephants from a distance. I figured it would be no problem seeing elephants on the walking safari we were going to take the next morning...

That night we ate dinner at the Staff Canteen there on the site. It had really good and cheap Ghanaian food.

It was interesting because an older Ghanaian woman-Auntie Janet-we met on the tro tro to the park worked there. She took our orders during the day and then went back to her house to prepare the food for our dinner. We told her what time we wanted to eat and she met us back at the park with the food. Can you imagine this kind of restaurant service in the United States? LOL

As we ate ground nut soup and rice balls with our hands, Auntie Janet sat with us and sang The Lion King Song- "In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle"... you know that one! And of course we sang along!

The next night we had a full sing along with Auntie Janet, singing Kumbayah, the Barney Song: I Love You, You Love Me, The Hokey Pokey, Father Abraham, and Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. LOL! Definitely a good time! It brought me back to my child hood days and all the songs we use to sing!

Safari Time

Monday morning we went on the 7 am safari. We saw baboons and monkeys in trees, wart hogs, cobb, and bush back (antelope and deer like animals), but no elephants. I was really surprised since they were so close yesterday.

Our trusty guide, DK, said that they probably got a big drink from the watering hole the day before and had dispersed far back into the forest.



When wart hogs eat they bend on their two front knees. Someone asked why they do that and DK explained that they were giving respect to their food by doing this! Haha! This was his answer, and his only answer. No further explanation needed! LOL That was simply the reason.

Determined to see elephants up close, we went on the 3:30 safari that day. DK was again our guide and before we left, he informed us that he, "Prayed more hard" that we will find elephants. So presh! Of course, he prayed more hard!

But no luck.

However, even though the elephants were no where to be found, baboons were everywhere! They came up to the pool deck and walked around. One even started drinking the pool water.

There were girls having lunch outside and a baboon came and took their bread right off the table while they were sitting there! We saw moms carrying their babies on their backs. Jumping through the trees.

The workers would throw rocks at them to try to make them get away from the pool. They were cool to us, but to them they were just annoying. Kinda like raccoons on a camping trip in the U.S.

DK the Elephant Hunter

The next morning (Tuesday) was our last chance to see elephants close up. We set out for our third walking safari. DK was tracking the elephant through the forest. It was really cute. He would see leaves on the ground and know they had been eating there that morning. He would follow the foot prints until we found more leaves that had been eaten.

Finally. We found an elephant!

DK said that elephants are the 2nd fastest animal in the world! Whoa! I never would have imagined! Maybe that's why DK carried a rifle with him on every safari... Just in case the elephant wanted to race!

It was really cool to see it in its natural habitat. This was an old elephant, according to DK. It had only one tusk, had a large wound on it's front leg, and had a short tail. This elephant had been in a fight. Whoa! I would hate to be caught in the middle of that disagreement!

Hippo Heaven

After a successful safari we packed our things and were on our way. Not back to campus, but further north, near Wa, to a hippo sancutary.

We figured since it took 30 hours to get up there, then we might as well visit what we could, because the odds of us going back were very slim!

17 communities came together to create the sanctuary and protect the hippos in the Black Volta River.

That night the four of us slept outside in a tree stand at the sanctuary! We were roughing it! Especially when it started to rain! Haha.

The next morning we went on a canoe excursion to spot hippos in the river. We saw a few at a distance. We were all pretty much ready to go at that point, haha. So I'm sure it would have been cooler if we had more energy!

Anyway, it was a full trip with lots of excitement. This weekend I am actually staying in Accra. Taking a break from traveling! There are still things in Accra I'd like to do, and this means I'll get to sleep in my bed all weekend... although bus stations and tree stands really aren't that bad!

Have a good day!

Mel

Joke of the Day: Public Transportation in Ghana

-The infamous tro tros of Ghana -

This weekend we wanted just a short trip to get out of ISH, so we decided to go to Elmina and Cape Coast. Not too far away. A few things to do. We'll be back in time for classes on Monday.

Well, anytime you think something is going to be simple in Ghana, think again. Haha.

On Saturday three friends and I head to the tro tro station in Accra. Let me preface this by saying that tro tro stations are always crowded and hectic. The drivers and mates are yelling out where they are going. There are people everywhere. When there are four white kids walking through the crowd it catches peoples attention immediately.

"Obruni, Where are you going?" Is the phrase we heard over and over again. And when I say this, I mean they ask in an abrupt sort of way. Not in a "I really want to help you" sort of way. They just want to know if they can get you on their tro tro instead of someone elses... We know where we are going, so we head straight there.

While we are heading to the tro tro we are walking in a line behind each other and I am in the back of the line. There is this guy asking where we are going and then all of a sudden I feel his hand touching my leg... more specifically my front pants pocket... I look down and he is feeling my pocket to see if there is anything in it that he can pickpocket. This is the sort of thing they warn us about! Where there is a hectic situation and you are thinking about something else...

This really makes me mad! I turn around and glare and him and just yell "STOP!" At the time that's the only thing I could think of! After the fact, I thought of a whole lot of things I could have said. LOL. Next time I will be ready! I just kept turing around and staring at him, after he stopped following me, as in "I know what you were trying to do" sort of look.

So we get to the tro tro heading towards Cape Coast and get on. While we get on, there are several people who get off. I don't think anything of it. My head is still reeling from the pickpocket and I just assume they changed their mind. We wait about a half hour for the tro tro to fill up and the driver starts the engine. We should be off any minute. Then it seems... the driver has a change of heart.

He comes to the back of the tro tro where the four obrunis are sitting and lets up know that this tro tro is no longer going to Cape Coast. Instead, it is going to Kumasi... He literally told us he was being "nice" so he was telling us now!

Nice?! LOL! Isn't that his job? Was he just going to let us get half way to Kumasi until we realized that we weren't going in the right direction? He knew where we were going the entire time but just let us sit there. Ah! Apparently that's why people got out when we were first getting on. This little stunt just added to the frustrations of the morning. By this time I was ready just to head back to campus.

We ask for our money back but he tells us just to go with this other guy and he will take us to a tro tro going to Cape Coast. He asks for our ticket back and we hand it over.

The next tro tro is completely empty! It could take a couple hours until it fills up and we didn't just want to sit there. We look at our guidebook and see that a bus is leaving in 20 minutes from a station down the road so we ask for our money back and another struggle pursues. LOL. Oh this day!

The guy tells us to get back on the tro tro. We tell him we have decided to take a bus and that we want our money back. He asks for our ticket, but we already gave it back to the first guy. As far as we know the guy with our money is on a tro tro to Kumasi... The guy finally gives in and says he will give us 12 cedi back because this new tro tro costs 3 cedi per person. The only problem... we each paid 4.50 on the first tro tro! So not only did the first tro tro decide to change directions and keep our money, he also decided he would go ahead and just make a little extra profit while he was at it.

Finally, the guy that we're yelling at... yes we're yelling at this point, haha gives us our money back and we are on our way to the bus station. In the end we arrive in Cape Coast and have a nice weekend.

Just to add to my good experience with public transportation this weekend we get another bout on the way home.

Monday we wake up early and head to the bus station to get a bus. I have a 5:30 class I need to get to, so it's important we get on one of the first buses. We arrive at 9:30 and are told that the next bus will be leaving at 10:30. Not bad. Wait an hour and we'll be on our way. We ask the lady if we should buy our tickets now, from her, or wait until the bus gets here, as it has been done both ways in the past. She tells us just to wait. So we do. Patiently.

At a little past 11 the bus comes. People start forming a line. With a ticket in their hand. We go to the guy working the line so we can buy our ticket, and he just looks at us and asks, "You don't have one?" Oh man. Of course we don't have one! We're suppose to get it from you!... But come to find out... we were suppose to buy it from the lady we asked... We waited in line to see if there were any empty seats. Go figure, there weren't. The next bus wouldn't be coming for another two hours. We really didn't have this much time to waste. So again, four frustrated obrunis.

We head back into town and go to a different bus station. Thankfully this bus is heading to Accra. It doesn't take long to fill up and we are headed home!

I was considering taking a break from traveling this weekend because I have traveled every week/weekend since I've been here. In hind sight, this would have been a great weekend to forgo! Haha.

It's ok though. I'll just know what to expect when we head north next weekend!

Birthday Celebration Without Cake

Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday dearrr Ghana!
Happy Birthday to You!

Yep, that's right. Ghana donned it's birthday suit last Friday.

March 6th, 1957 - Ghana gains independence from Britain
March 6th, 2009 - Ghana turns 52 years old!

Now Independence Day in the U.S. is a big event... Fire works, cook outs, swimming, usually a thunderstorm.

So expecting the day to be a big to do, a group of us woke up early (5am!) and headed to Independence Square in downtown Accra for the celebration. The president was going to be there!

The arena was full of people.

All the military units were present and marched into the arena, as well as a few local schools.
The president gave a speech... I mean I guess you could call it a speech. You couldn't hear ANYTHING! The speakers were not working at all, but no one really seemed to mind... and no one complained.
Most of the people weren't even that excited that the president was there. There was cheering when he drove by, but that's about all. Haha. I was trying to picture if it were Barack Obama who was driving by during an American Independence Day celebration and I'm thinking it would be a very different story.

The event was a lot less festive than I was expecting. Especially because Ghanaians are notorious for having country pride. Honestly, I think the Americans were more excited about Ghana turning - Over the Hill + 2 - than they were. After a short discussion we decided it's because America has 150+ years on them in regards to Independence Day celebrations.... Ghana is still new to the game!

A Ghanaian friend who went with us said that in years past they had gymnastics and dancing and drumming performances, but that didn't happen this year. A few planes flying overhead and cannons being launched was about the extent of the excitement. All in all, I'm glad I went. I was a part of Ghana's 52nd birthday!

But us Americans being Americans, we had to spice it up a little bit... So on the way back to the university, we waved Ghanaian flags out the tro tro windows and shouted "Happy Independence Day" and "Happy Birthday Ghana" to all the people passing by. This got a few good laughs and return cheers! Haha.

Home Sweet Hut

As we traveled up through Togo heading to the conference there was one thing that obviously became more prevalent. Homes... made out of mud... Mud huts. Or "Caz" in French. The huts were everywhere in Togo, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

This was an amazing sight! I couldn't get enough and I had so many questions. The only thing was, my questions could barely get answered because of the language barrier. My feeble attempts were lost in translation... literally! So after a few mis-interpreted tries, I just sat back and stared out the bus window as hut village after village passed me by.

While I was absolutely enthralled by the huts, since I've never seen the circular huts in Ghana, the other students seemed to barely notice. Like they were use to the sight... however, I can almost guarantee that not one single one of them have ever lived in one.

I tried to ask how many people live in a single hut, and Daniel informed me that it depended on how many people were in the family... But I really can't imagine more than 2 people having enough floor space to lay down to sleep.

The huts were often nearby others with up to 20 or 30 in a given area. I wonder what happens if they get mad at their neighbors? Do they move to a different hut? There weren't any mud garages... LOL. But this would be a little silly to have, since none of them had cars... or power tools to store.

The only road that passed through the communities was the main road that our bus traveled. There weren't even dirt paths connecting the small villages...

The American mentality that I have acquired over the 20+ years I have lived in the United States had me wondering why they just didn't build their huts bigger? I mean, why not? Give themselves a little more room! There obviously weren't rooms, like a kitchen or a living room. I tried to imagine a couch in the middle of the hut, and a closet to hang their clothes. LOL. But this was all in fun, because these things were definitely not a reality.

After seeing the huts it's still hard to imagine how people who live in them operate on a daily basis. I want to do a home stay in a rural part of Ghana in order to try to better understand, so I will keep you posted on my progress. I'm not sure how receptive the ISEP coordinator will be. LOL.

- World Traveller -

I'm back in good ole Ghana after 10 days of traveling around West Africa. The trip was amazing, yet very challenging. I'm so fortunate to have been given this opportunity and is definitely a highlight of my study abroad time in Africa. Throughout the trip I traveled to/through Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Benin.

There are soo many stories and so many details so I will just mention a few, and then I will fill you in on the rest when I'm back in the USA! :) Which will soon be here! Haha. I promise, Mom!

So on Thursday, Feb. 12th, we headed to Togo from Accra.

After 4 hours on a bus, we arrive. It didn't take long to realize that we weren't in Ghana anymore and that we were in for an adventure! We were in a country that doesn't speak English, uses a different currency, and has intimidating border patrol officers! Haha. Out of the four Americans taking the trip, only one had ever studied French, and she, as well as her trusty French/English dictionary became our greatest companions throughout our journey.

The atmosphere of Togo, and all of the French speaking countries we visited is completely different than Ghana and I fell in love right away! I kept saying that if I was fluent in French I had found my new home. LOL.

The conference was coordinated through BK Groupe Universite which has branches in several West African countries. So students from all the branches were meeting in Niamey, Niger for the 4 day conference on leadership in business and entrepreneurship.


"If you want to make God laugh, then make a plan."

...Especially in Africa! The above quote was said by Jen, one of the girls on the trip, and it became our motto very quickly. After after I thought about it for awhile, it's pretty accurate, in my case, anyway. I thought I had everything planned out in regards to school and graduation and such,... but I'm in Africa right now! Haha.

Anyway, the "itenerary" I posted earlier about the plan of events became obsolete, beginning with day 1. Daniel, from the Togolaise branch of the university, was our guide throughout the entire trip, and I am soooo thankful for him. He was absolutly wonderful. But he told us right away, that the agenda we had been given was wrong. LOL. WRONG? We just wanted to follow the schedule, since this is how Americans work best. Haha. But that was not happening. By the end, we all learned to just take it as it comes, ask as few questions as possible, and just enjoy the ride!

Road Trip

After a few days in Togo, trying to get our visas lined up, it was time to meet the group and head to the conference.

It wasn't until we met the 60+ Africans who we would be traveling with that I had a moment, and questioned, "What the heck am I doing here?" I mean, really! I don't speak French! They don't speak English! This whole language barrier thing became quite obvious at that moment. When the four white kids were standing by themselves because the only people who could understand them were each other! LOL.

But thankfully, it didn't take long before the African students and teachers came up to us and tried to speak with us. A lot of them had studied English before and were eager to try out their "small, small" English. We were eager to speak with them too! Because if we had to talk to ourselves the whole time... Oh man!
Some didn't speak English at all, and one became a good friend of ours, because she tried so hard. The dictionary was given great use, and it was like a game to figure out what each other were saying. She even invited us to visit her in Congo after school gets out! LOL! Can you imagine! Us, in Congo, not being able to speak... Probably not a good idea!

Anyway, so we traveled on an un-airconditioned bus up through Togo and to the Burkina Faso border. It was after midnight and the border was closed. We would be back on our way the next morning after the road re-opened. But until then... we all just camped out. Some slept on the bus. Others on the road. Haha! It was really awesome, because there is NO WAY a bus full of Americans would ever even consider this to be a possible solution. I have a feeling they would be demanding the nearest hotel. It was kind of liberating to put things into perspective. That I was in Africa. Sleeping on the side of a road in a country I had never been to before. Where this was the norm.

The students thought nothing of it, and came prepared. Like they expected it, or had done this before! It was awesome! One of the students offered me his sheet to lay on!

The next morning, bright and early we were off. (Still in the same clothes as the night before, mind you, because our luggage was under the bus. There was no shower or teeth brushing, either! Haha. The best part- no one seemed to mind!) We traveled through Burkina Faso until we reached the capital, Ouagadougou, (Waga), where we toured the branch of the University there and then ate dinner as a large group.

Dinner was a lot of fun because we had a local dish, which we ate with our hands. It's always better to do something like this when you're with natives because after they are finished light-heartedly laughing at you for eating it incorrectly, they will show you how to do it! :)

That night, all of the African students and staff stayed in classrooms at the University, sleeping on the floor. But the three American girls were ushered to a hotel room! LOL! I kept insisting that I wanted to do as the other students, but Daniel wouldn't have it. He said that we needed to sleep in a bed that night and that he knows Americans like to "Shower, shower, shower."

In the end, the shower was AMAZING! Changing clothes after a few days on a hot bus is a great feeling! Small things like this is so much more appreciated when I don't have the "luxury" for a few days!

Border Boundaries

Crossing into Togo and then the other Francophone countries from Ghana, was kind of like a different world. This especially hit home when we entered into Niger.

I had been told before I left that the French speaking countries that surround Ghana are much more impoverished and that Ghana is so fortunate in comparison.

The day we entered into Niger was eye opening and humbling.

Our bus stopped at the customs office and at least 20 kids in filthy clothes came up to the bus window begging for food and money. It was honestly like something I'd NEVER seen before! By the looks on our faces, Daniel could tell we were shocked. He asked if we had this in the U.S...
NO! Mind you, this was on a Monday, in the middle of the day. I tried to explain to him that even the poorest students go to school. There may be a few homeless children, in large cities, who beg during the day, but nothing like this would ever take place! Authorities and police would never allow it. Daniel informed me that these students weren't in school because their parents most likely made them beg, as a job. To earn food and money for the family.

As the Americans watched in shock, some of the African students threw bread out the window. The kids started fighting over it! They shredded the plastic bag as they clawed to get a small portion of the bread. One boy caught a loaf and ran away, with several following him, trying to get a share. People were hitting each other. Kids fell to the ground. All fighting to get a small piece of the bread. Whoa!

It kind of surprised me to see the students giving away their bread.
While I've not been around many homeless people, it's not my first instinct to give them anything. I have been conditioned not to look at them. To keep walking. I have seen news reports that follow panhandlers to mansions, where they live. It's not the American mentality, or at least mine, to give a lot of what I have to beggars. I had a little, WOW moment, when I really looked at what was going on here.

We headed into Niger and had to stop at another check point, where there were more kids in minimal and filthy clothing, begging.

One of the students explained to me that in the African culture, and expecially in the Muslim communities, people believe that if you give someone in need 1,000 francs then God will give you 10,000 in return... So even when they don't have much, Africans still try to give what they can to the beggars on the street.
At one of the markets we were walking through with Daniel, he gave 2 children some coin. When he caught us watching him, he just said, "They're struggling, you know?" And then kept walking. Wow. So humbling.

The Conference

After nearly three days of traveling, we are finally in Niger for the conference!
The first night we have a welcome dinner and settle in our rooms. We go to bed early because we have to be ready by 8 am for the opening ceremony the next day.

Well, we get up early and get ready. Just like the punctual American. But... the conference didn't finally begin until 3 hours later. And this is a LEADERSHIP conference! Wow! This was just the beginning!

We "listen" to the first session as a translator sits by us and explains in English what the speaker is saying. LOL. Probably not the most efficient method, but hey, it works. We break for lunch with two conferences scheduled in the afternoon.

After lunch we learn that the conferences have been canceled... but there will be a pool party in an hour! LOL! Oh my goodness! Again, I just kept thinking that this is a LEADERSHIP conference! How could things be getting canceled? Were they not prepared? Maybe it was because we started three hours late to begin with!?

Anyway, this trend was continued throughout the entire conference. While it was VERY frustrating to the Americans who have been conditioned for 20+ years that it's rude to be late, etc. the Africans just summed it up to "African Time." It was like they expected things to be late. They would have been shocked if something started on time, and would not have been ready, because they were anticipating it to be delayed. Haha.

- - -

Ok, well that is all for now! There is sooo much information here and hopefully I can share more, because there are lots more stories to tell! I hope you enjoy reading about my African adventures! Have a good day!

I love you all!

Mel

Passport...Check!

Leaving on Thursday, I, along with 3 other ISEP students are headed to Niger for a conference!
Along the way we will be spending two nights in Togo, two nights in Benin, and then head to Niger for the four day conference, on February 17-20! The conference is about Education in Africa.

Finding out YESTERDAY that we would be leaving this THURSDAY, I was a little caught off guard! I seriously thought we would be leaving next Monday! Just another example of the lack of communication... but as you will see is not the only example!

We are scheduled to meet a representative for the conference at the Togo border on Thursday. As of yesterday we didn't have a time and we didn't know how we were getting to Togo. Bus? Tro-Tro? Driver? While I'm still not sure... we will figure it out in the end! Hehe. We're also not sure where/when we should exchange our Ghanaian cedi into they other countries currency. The good part is that the three countries use the same money system so that will make things easier.

Oh, and another minor detail. All three countries we will be visiting speak FRENCH! I don't know even a word in French! Just another adventure in Africa! But we have been reassured that there will be translators at the conference. The amazing part is that the 9 day trip is absolutely free for us! The conference is being put on by a university in Niger who is paying for our food and accommodations.

A small agenda:

The first two nights (Thursday and Friday) we will be spend in Lome, Togo.
On Saturday we will travel by car to Cotonou, Benin and spend two nights.
On Monday we will travel by bus, joining many of the other student representatives, and arrive in Niamey, Niger where the conference will take place.

While at the conference our group will be representing both the USA and Ghana and have been asked to give a short presentation on both!

Events scheduled throughout the conference include sessions about leadership and education as well as a visit to a museum and a tour along the beach of Niger River.
Traditional performances and a "prestigious evening" where it is a black tie affair. We will visit a craftsman village and have a picnic at Bourbon Island, among other things.

I'm so exited that I will be able to visit three additional African countries while I'm here!

Hope you guys are having a good day! I hear it is warming up!

Love ya,

Mel

Metro TV... Coverage You Can Count On?

Ok, so their motto may not really be Coverage You Can Count On, as that is WANE-TV's motto, but today I had a flashback to my internship days.... well sort of!

Today I had the opportunity to visit one of the three television stations in Ghana, Metro TV. It was so exciting to be on the tour and seeing the similarities and mostly the differences between media in the U.S. and in Ghana.

After learning that I'm a journalism major, Andrea from Planting Technologies, the NGO I'm working with, got me in touch with Richard who works at Metro TV. He gave me a tour of the small television station that provides news coverage to Ghana.

I was so excited to have this opportunity. It was awesome! The set where the anchors sit was small and dimly lit. One of the female anchors was there and we were able to chat for a second before Rich summoned me to the next room. There was another studio in the station where taped shows are recorded and then a sports desk.

Heading outside and upstairs, Rich showed me where the editing is done and to my surprise, I found a room full of computers. No one was editing at the time, as it was still early in the morning. I looked at the editing software and it actually looked very similiar to what I have used. It is non-linear editing on a computer. I could have spent all day there! I just wanted to know more!

We then moved to the newsroom where the reporters write their stories. Richard introduced me to the producer and some of the reporters. One of the reporters was working on a project about orphanages, since one had just been recently shut down because of accusations of sexual abuse. It wasn't going to run that day because he said it was a multi-part story! Very interesting! They were writing their stories in Microsoft Word instead of a script writing program that I'm use to using, so it would have been interesting to see how the script got fed into the computer that operates the newscast.

The station was awesome! But the next part of my day was pretty cool too!

Andrea, Richard, and I went to Parliament (like the statehouse) to talk with a Minister (like a congressperson) about the dedication ceremony for Planting Technologies, taking place next week.

It was interesting though because the reporter was doing the story and then she had a photographer. They also had a sound person, and then a separate driver. So all of those people, 4, go out on a story every day, which is a lot in comparison to the U.S. where at the most two people will tackle a story and at times just one.

The three person team was very interesting to me because the sound person was in charge of making sure, obviously that the sound was ok, but also to hold the microphone. In the U.S. the camera photographer would have taken care of the sound as well as run the camera and the reporter would have held the mic. The efficiency in this I couldn't understand. Richard explained to me that it's to make sure that everyone is doing their job and there would be no excuse to come back to the studio without sound or video. However, this is the same expectation in the U.S. just accomplished by less people.

Anyway, the reporter was very nice and she told me that she was still in school, as she finished a two year program and then was able to get a job, and is finishing a second degree of two years while she works. I asked her where she wanted to move up to after she graduated, since working in the capital of a country for a TV station seemed like a pretty good job to me, but she told me that she wanted to go into banking... where she said was where the money is.

Georgina's (the reporter) dad and two brothers are American citizens but she has never been to the U.S. She said that she liked living in Ghana and didn't think she would ever move to America. What surprised me though is that when I told her I was from Indiana, she knew all about Indianapolis because her friend works there! Wow.

LOL! I know I am going on and on, but this is what I'm very interested in. One more thing! I asked her how long her stories usually were and she said that they could be anywhere from 30 seconds to SIX MINUTES! I couldn't believe it! The maximum length of a news story is in the U.S. is a minute thirty! This is absolutely unheard of! A producer in the U.S. would laugh at you if you even thought about turing a six minute package!

And back to Parliament... we were able to sit in on an actual proceeding so that was really cool. It was exciting being able to do things most won't be able to while they're here.

Ok, well that's enough for now... if anyone has even read to the end! LOL
Have a good day!

Love ya!
Melissa

Money Matters

This weekend we went to Kumasi, a great place to get authentic kente cloth and wood carvings for a great price. So on Wednesday, I headed to the bank to exchange the remaining US dollars I had into Ghanaian cedi.

I've noticed before that Ghanaian banks just aren't the same as banks in the U.S. and this trip to the bank just reiterated that thought. Not S.V.B.T. quality by any means! :)

To begin with, there is an armed guard who greets you at the door("greet" really isn't the appropriate word, as the guard barely acknowledges you, as he points to the queue in which to stand). So I stand in line, quietly, as it was very crowded in the bank, but no one spoke, and when they did, it was almost a whisper.

I finally get to the teller who doesn't smile, say hello, or ask how he can help me. Rather, I inform him that I would like to change my American dollars into cedi. He takes the money and does the transaction without saying a word. As he hands me back the cedi, I ask for a receipt to keep for record, specifically asking for the rate on it as well as how much cedi I got back. A standard request in the U.S.

So I begin counting the cedi to see how much I got and he hands me a rolled up piece of paper, taped. I grab it without looking at it and continue counting. After I count my cedi I look at the "receipt" to see if how much I got back matches what the receipt says, and the paper is BLANK. I don't know what he thought I asked for,... or if he gave me the paper so I could write down my own "receipt"?... LOL Oh man!

Frustrated at this point, because I have no idea if he has given me back the right amount, I just crumple the piece of paper, leave it on the counter and walk out.

The friend I was with just says. "T.I.A." I look at her and she elaborates. "This is Africa." LOL. The whole ISEP group uses this term when something like this happens, whee there is nothing we can do except just go with the flow.

So in the end, I still have no idea if I got the right amount of cedi back. For all I know, and would not doubt it, the teller just got an early pay day.

Weekend Adventure

This past weekend, the ISEP group set out to the Central Region of Ghana.
Destination: Cape Coast
Estimated time: 2 hours
Actual time: 4 hours!

That's right, it took us four hours on a bus because of the traffic in Accra. We didn't even get out of the city until after 11 am, when we left our hostel at 9. The traffic in Ghana is a whole different story that I hope to explain better in a different post.

So finally we arrive at Cape Coast and have lunch at the University of Cape Coast. It was cool to see another public university in Ghana, since there are only 4, and to compare/contrast them. Unfortunately the only sightseeing we were able to do was through a bus window. I would have loved to have walked around, but that was not an option.

After lunch we went to the Cape Coast slave castle, which housed nearly 1,000 enslaved Africans during the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade in, I believe, the 14th century. It was an absolutely ridiculous place. Gigantic. Castle is definitely an appropriate term. The white building sat on top of a hill, overlooking the rest of the city, bordering the ocean. Huge, crashing waves greeted us as we stood on the second level of the castle. It is crazy to know what actually took place within the realm of that castle.

The tour guide took us into the male slave dungeon and explained that more than 100 males stayed in a tiny room, from 2-6 weeks. There were 3 of these rooms for males. The rooms where the men stayed was the same room where they defecated and ate from. There was very little sunlight that entered the dungeon, making it nearly impossible to see when the guide turned out the light for a second so we could experience the darkness.

Ironically, but purposely so, above the male slave dungeon was the first Anglican church of Ghana. Near the entrance to the church was a "peep hole" where people entering the church could catch a glimpse of what was happening in the dungeon.

The female dungeons held the women in similar conditions.

The door which led to the ocean, where the shackled chains were led to the ships, read a sign that said: "The door of no return", since the fate of the slaves were already decided by that point.

- - -

The next day we headed to Kakum National Park which has the notorious canopy walk... you know, the one displayed in every guidebook for Ghana! Haha! And yep! I for sure got my picture on it too... so guidebook here I come! :)

It was really neat though. The canopy walk consisted of 7 rope bridges that took us above the treetops. The view was amazing. It took 2 Canadians and 6 Ghanaians six months to build. At parts it was a little scary when it started to sway, but I made it through!

I wish we could have spend more time at the park because deeper in, there are elephants and monkeys, that visitors can sometimes see. So that would have been cool, but maybe I'll get a chance to go back before I leave.

Before heading back to campus, we stopped for lunch and a swim in the ocean at Amobando (sp?) beach resort. It was beautiful. Palm trees lined the white, clean sand. Salty waves met us as we eagerly went further into the ocean. The best part was that there was not a single person trying to sell us things, relentlessly! I kinda forgot that I was in AFRICA for a second! Which is kind of sad, knowing how most of the population in Ghana live...

Well, that's all for now. Hope you guys aren't missing me too much back in the U.S.A. Haha! JkJk.

Mel