AKWAABA

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are enjoying the 20 something weather! In Ghana, it's a cool 90 degrees, with high humidity and lots of sunshine! But I love it already. I can tell there are going to be a lot of amazing adventures and life lessons along the way.

Where do I even begin!? There is soooo much I could talk about already!
But |I guess by saying|: It's AMAZING already! |More than anything |I could ever imagine!

And let me just say, I didn't really thing I would experience "culture shock" because I had researched Ghana a little bit, but nothing could have prepared me for what I am seeing now! And not culture shock in a bad way, just like, |Oh my gosh|! | This is amazing!

So far |I haven't had as much |Internet access as |I was anticipating, being on a college campus and all, so sorry I haven't updated my blog since |I've been here. |I am hoping to have more access once classes start because I will have more opportunities to get on a computer. |It's only been five days and |I have already experienced so much, but |I have been keeping a journal, so don't worry, |I will keep you updated on everything. |If there is anything you want to know that |I haven't talked about, make sure you let me know so |I can fill you in.

There are 42 students in this year's ISEP *International Student Exchange Program) group to Ghana, which is the biggest group yet.

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TRAVELING OVERSEAS

Sunday, January 11th, Mom and Dad took me to the Louisville airport. After several hugs and kisses, I was on my way. Through security and sitting by myself at the Delta Airline gate, by myself... But not for long. My Uncle Bill and Aunt Angie were also flying out of Louisville on that same day, and they found me and kept me company while I waited. It was awesome to have a familiar face and even more convenient when my plane got delayed, which meant I was going to miss my second plane in Cincinnati. Uncle Bill and Aunt Angie helped me change my flights so I would be able to make it to New York in time, to continue my journey. Their help was awesome, and I'm sure I would have been freaking out if I had to do it all by myself.

When I got to New York I had to get my baggage all by myself, and frankly, I had no idea where to go. So after asking a few questions, I waited, and they finally came, which was a relief. Ending up in Africa without luggage would not have been fun. So after I got my luggage, I loaded them onto a cart and rode the air train to the International Terminal. I felt so independent, and excited that I was actually on my way.

After checking my luggage back in, I sat down at a table and was watching people, when two girls walked by who looked familiar... They came around again, and asked me if I was going to Ghana! I was, and so were they! So we began talking and before we left, we were feeling more comfortable because we realized, none of us knew what we were getting ourselves into!

We boarded the plane in New York to London at about 11:40 pm. After we were all settled in, the pilot informed us that there was ice on the wings and top, so we would have to wait for the de-icing crew. A few minutes later, he let us know that the entire de-icing crew at JFK International Airport had already gone home, and would have to be called in! A little ironic, but two hours later... we were on our way.

On the flight from London to Ghana, I sat by a Ghanaian, Charles. We talked non-stop for the first half of the plane ride|! |He was awesome! |He worked in government in |Ghana and was very willing to tell me his thoughts about how parts of the government were corrupt and was fascinated that the |United |States had elected Barack |Obama as president. |It was a great start to an awesome trip, I'm sure! |I told him how |I was studying at the |University of |Ghana and what |I planned to do after |I graduate. |My first Ghanaian friend|! |(|Well, second |I guess|! |A ||Ghanaian grad student at |BSU, |Nii, gave me lots of great advice before |I got here, too.|)

To my surprise, Charles stopped by the International Student Hostel the other day to tell the three Americans he sat by on the plane hello. He was on campus for a conference, and I was so excited to see him! Off to a great start.

|AKWAABA

|Finally landing in the airport in |Accra was an amazing feeling. |So exhilarating. |I had finally made it. Even the airport was an adventure!

They informed us several times|: don't let anyone help you with your bags. |Ok. |That's simple enough, |I thought. But it was definitely harder than |I expected. |People surrounded us and helped steered our carts. We thought they were with our ||ISEP \(International \Student |Exchange |Program|) group to help us. |Once we got to our bus, they asked us for money... over and over and over again. ||We kept saying we didn't have any, but they wouldn't go away. Just 5 euros|? ||A cedi|? |It was very overwhelming and caught me completely off guard. |When you tell someone you don't have something in |America, they usually go away. |This did not happen!


|University of |Ghana

White buildings with clay tile roofs are the iconic building of the University of Ghana in Legon, Accra. Lush trees and grass grow everywhere, and dirt paths lead to classrooms and the few main roads.

When I first walked in to my dorm room, I was taken aback by the bare bones furniture and condition it was in. I didn't have high expectations, but wow! After unpacking some of my suitcases, it seems pretty big, and adequate. The Ghanaians lead a very different lifestyle than Americans. The hostel is cool because we all have our own personal balconies. The first morning I was awake at 7 and went outside to sit on my balcony and I was amazed by how many people were out and about. Guys were washing cars, people were going to the market to get breakfast. I've been told that Ghanians get up very early in the morning, probably because it's still cool outside.

I am going to have a Ghanaian roommate, although she still hasn't moved in yet, and classes are suppose to start tomorrow. It's kind of exciting because some of the American students got paired with other American students. This will be just one more learning experience, and I am hoping for the best.

AHH... COLD SHOWERS!

Before I got here, I was a little skeptical about the cold showers, but now that I have experienced them, they are awesome! After long, hot, sweaty days, nothing feels better to watch the dirt run off and stand beneath the cold water to cool down. While I couldn't imagine them in the U.S., they are nice here!

And yes, there is no toilet paper in the hostels, or many of the public restrooms either. So you bring your own, and I have quickly learned to conserve! A little really does go a long way.

SO... I'M GETTING MARRIED

Well, I'm not really getting married, but I've lost count of how many Ghanians have proposed! Haha. Walking by men cutting grass (by hand with machettis on the first day) one of the workers told me he loved me and asked if I would marry him. Thinking this was a little odd, after about the tenth proposal, I have come to realize, that's what they all say! Haha! Pretty humorous, and just one more cultural aspect Ghanaians engage in.

DRESS TO IMPRESS

The Ghanaian college students dress very nicely! Both men and women. Nii tried to explain this to me, but I didn't grasp the concept of just how nice they actually dress. I was shocked. Also, I didn't realize that you will never see a Ghanian woman with a skirt or shorts above her knees. This would have been nice to know before packing, LOL. But our resident advisor informed us that it's a misconception that Ghanaians don't wear shorts, and we should feel free to wear them, which was a relief.

While the Americans are sweating and panting in their shorts and tank tops, it is common to see Ghanaians walking around in hot blue jeans, and it doesn't even seem like they are hot. They gently dab the sweat from their faces with a cloth, while we can dab as much as we'd like, but it will be back in seconds.

FRIENDLY GHANAIANS

While Ghanaians are notorious for being friendly, it really puts things into perspective when they are nice to me personally. We are only suppose to drink bottled water, so the first day, I went into the store to buy a bottle for 40 pesewas (kinda like cents). I gave her 1 cedi (like a dollar). She said that she didn't have any change, so I could just take the water, and bring the money back to her later. Wow! I was pretty blown away. I don't think a similar thing would have happened in the U.S., especially since this is the first time I had ever met her.

Today we went to the beach and a young child was asking people in our group for money. We all told him we didn't have any as we were instructed to do. One girl told him she didn't have any money. The child then told her he was hungry, and she quickly replied that she was hungry too. The child then pulled our a pesewa coin and handed it to her. Wow! I was blown away.

Walking down the streets we will often hear: "Welcome to Ghana. We are so happy to have you here." Ghanaians are so friendly and proud of their country. There have already been so many examples and it will be awesome to experience the many more to come.

Well, I have written so much, trying to catch everyone up on a few of the things I have written down, and I will write again soon to fill you in on all the other amazing things I have already seen.

I love you!

Mel