Kumasi and Mole National Park

We went to Kumasi and Mole National Park during the first weekend of July, it was amazing! When we got to Kumasi we went to the Manhyla Palace Museum. The museum is actually the former home to many of the past Asante kings. We were about to see their offices and many artifacts of former kings. Every 42 days is the Adea festival where the Asante King goes out into town and pledges alligence to the people. To our surprise we were able to witness this great occasion. Many of the people were dressed in black robes and blew large horns to show their respect. Music and dancing took place all around the palace.

 After that we went to one of the many markets in Kumasi where I was able to buy some beautiful, yet very affordable, local art. The next day we went to Kintampo Falls. The day we went, July 1^st, is Republic Day so there were tons of people enjoying their day off. Typical of any Ghanaian celebration, or typical day for that matter, there was live music and lots of dancing. Dancing is a huge part of Ghanaian culture; one man said that Ghanaians are so good at dancing because when being held on the backs of their mothers as babies they fall asleep listening to the rhythm of her heart beat and therefore the rhythm and beat of music is forever a part of them. 

Kintampo Falls

After Kintampo, we traveled further up north to Mole National Park. The drive itself was long and bumpy but definitely worth it! The next morning we went on a walking safari through the park. It was amazing; I felt so in touch with nature, it was very calming. During our safari we saw many different animals including baboons, monkeys, waterbucks, warthogs, antelopes and elephants. It was incredible getting so close to the animals without having a fence between us. Towards the end of the safari we hiked up a big mountain with an amazing view of the park. Sitting on a rock taking in the view was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. 

Elephant at Mole

Mole National Park

From there we went to Larabanga village, which is home to one of West Africa’s oldest mosques. After learning about the history of the mosque and the town we walked around the village with some friendly residents. I love how anywhere you go in Ghana you find genuinely good people who just want to share a piece of themselves with you.  

Mosque in Larabanga

In the afternoon we were able to go on a driving safari and got to sit on top of the SUV. It allowed for a new perspective of the land and was really a lot of fun! The following day we went to Kejitia Market, which is the largest open market in West Africa. There I was able to buy cloth, which I will have made into clothes by a local seamstress. After that we went to some famous Asanti craft villages – Ahwiaa, the wood carvers village, Ntonso, home of the Adinka, and Bonwire, the Kente weaving village. It was really neat seeing how African crafts are made and being able to purchase good directly from the artisans. 

Kejitia Market, Kumasi

Kente Weaver in Bonwire

LOVE,
Lindsay

Its Academic!

Being a student here is pretty incredible; they really respect educated people and really value education. All of the young people I have met who are not in school tell me how lucky I am to be getting an education and how they wish they could go to school as well, it really makes me realized how powerful education is. For me going to college was always assumed, but here getting a college education is an opportunity only some receive. I would say that I have always been a good student but it wasn’t until now that I realized how much I have taken my education for granted. I really do feel blessed.

My courses here have been very interesting. In my Social Service Delivery Systems class we have been discussing the effectiveness of social services in Ghana and what could be done to make them more attainable and affordable.

Last week we went to La General Hospital where we were able to interview a doctor and few nurses. They told us about their daily struggles such as the lack of doctors, (they only have ten) and the lack of equipment such as monitors etc. The doctor also told us that funding was a major issue, which was apparent from the moment we arrived. The hospital was dingy and old with many obvious structural repairs and improvements needed. When the doctor was talking to us I got the impression that she, and all of the employees were trying so hard but still coming up short.

In Ghana you can get National Healthcare for 24 cedi a year or 1 cedi if you are a government employee. Even though that is relatively inexpensive, for someone only making 7cedi a week that is a huge amount of money to spend at one time. So many of the people living in poverty don’t end up purchasing the healthcare because they can’t afford it and because they feel that it is not that important. However, when someone with out insurance needs treatment they will not be refused. The trip to the hospital was almost surreal in that I felt like I was walking through the scene of a movie. Everything from the amount of people and the nurses’ outfits to the general upkeep of the facilities made me do a lot of reflecting on the healthcare system in Ghana and in other developing countries.

We also went to the Railway Market in Accra and interviewed several Kayayoo Girls. Kayayoo’s are young girl that come for the Northern, Eastern and Western regions of Ghana to work in Accra. They all work in large markets where they are paid to carry an individuals goods while they shop, basically like a human shopping cart. They carry the loads in large metal bowls on their head. They all come to Accra with the goal of saving money for school or their families and eventually return back to their villages. However, many times they are unable to save any money at all because they need to pay for a place to sleep and food to eat. But some can’t even afford that so they are forced to sleep outside in the markets when they close down. They usually make about 7 cedis a week, but it varies quite a bit because there are a large number of people who rip them off and take advantage of them. For example, a woman may agree to pay the girl one cedi for the load but will end up only giving her 10peswas. Also, sexual harassment and abuse are very prevalent. Men will come to them promising them money, clothes, cell phones, etc in exchange for sex, if the girl refuses she will end up being beaten. With very little money and no skills the girls are forced to remain Kayayoo’s until they eventually save enough money to get back to their villages. Sadly, that time doesn’t always come.

A fellow classmate talking to some of the girls at Railway Market

We went to these girls to hear their stories because they are the victims of inadequate social services. In Ghana education is free only until middle school, so many adolescents are forced to word odd jobs until they earn enough money to go. Also, they do not have any sort of healthcare and the 24cedi for the National Healthcare is much to expensive for them. Vulnerable people fall short in many of Ghana’s social services due to a lack of effective systems. 

We also went to an organization called WAAF, West African AIDS Foundation. WAAF was actually quite an impressive organization. Their goal is to educate individuals and communities about communicable diseases, namely HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis. They do this by going into the communities to do testing and hand out information about their clinic. Their mission is to create relationships with clients in supportive manner. Building relationships is the key to WAAF’s success. Their counseling and support allows individuals to feel respected and safe. 90% of WAAF’s clients are HIV positive so building long term relationships is essential for them to continue treatment and counseling. In a culture deeply routed in traditional beliefs continuing treatment can be hard. Many times clients will opt for herbalist and “witch doctors.” Sadly the staff of WAAF have seen many clients lose the battle with HIV/AIDS because of these strong beliefs.

Classmates and I with the staff of WAAF

In my People and Cultures of Africa class we have been studying ancient African Empires and their customs, beliefs and traditions. I have found this to be a very interesting class because it is honestly the first time I have learned about African empires other then that of Egypt.  Today we went to the Eastern region in Ghana to a village called Larteh. There we witnessed traditional dances and praises to one of their great ancestors. They have priests and priestesses who are spiritually connected to her and who perform sacrifices to her on an individual’s behalf. It is so interesting to learn about these traditions and rituals and then actually be able to see them being practiced today. Even in everyday life you can see ancient traditions carried out in a modern day form.

Drummer at Larteh

I have learned so much in these past four weeks; I cannot wait to share all of my stories when I return! 

Love, 

Lindsay

Life as an Obruni...

I have been extremely busy since my last post! On Wednesday night, a group of us went to Reggae Night at Labardi Beach, which is about 15 minutes from where I am staying. It was so much fun. Ghanaians really love to dance and they are very good at it!! There were a lot of locals there and I was able to talk to some really interesting people.

Rastafarian who sold me some bracelets at Reggae Night

On Thursday, we went to two different bars, and had some intresting cab rides. We first went to a place called Champs, that took about a half hour of drive in circles to find, but our cab driver gave us some good advice about traveling in the city. When we finally got to the bar it was mainly foreigners like ourselves, so we did not stay long. We then went to another bar called the Next Door which is in Osu, a popular part of the city with lots of bars and restaurants. On the way the cab the rest of our group was in popped a tire, which I’ve noticed seems to happen a lot. Once that was fixed we arrived at out destination. There weren’t too many other people there but there was good music, so it turned out to be quite fun!

On Friday, we went on a tour of Accra. We started at the W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Center for Pan African Culture. Dr. Du Bois is one of the most celebrated black scholars. The center is located at Dr. Du Bois’ house in Accra and is now a museum displaying his books, various university gowns and other belongings, there was also a mausoleum that held the remains of Dr. Du Bois and his wife. After that we went to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, which celebrates Ghana’s first president. The park was very beautiful and impressive. After that we went to the Art Center, which is a large market. The market was probably my favorite part of the day! There were rows and rows of venders selling fabrics, woodcarvings, clothes, jewelry, bags, etc. The vendors were quite persistent but also very nice. It was a bit overwhelming though because everyone was calling us over to look at whatever they were selling. They call us sister, brother or obruni, which means foreigner, but is not an offensive term. Walking through the market gave us a chance to talk with some locals, which is one of my favorite things to do. I want to experience as much of Ghana as I can and talking to the local people helps me get a deeper understanding of what their culture is all about.

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park

Art Center

On Saturday, we left Accra early in the morning and headed to Cape Coast. The drive was about three hours long. Accra is intresting in that it very quickly goes from nice houses to slums and back again, and it was intresting to observe the changes in the city as you moved further away from the center, the nicer looking houses became less and less frequent and eventually it was basically all shantytowns. Lining the main road for most of the drive were small villages with tons of people trying to sell food, shoes, and other goods. There was a definite difference in the living conditions here and even the poorest parts of Accra. It was pretty incredible. I love driving by these places an imagining what life is like to live there. Honestly, looking at their the conditions of their homes, I would think it would be terrible but the people seem happy. There were tons of kids running around playing soccer and jump rope; it almost seemed peaceful.

When we got to Cape Coast we went to the Cape Coast Castle, which was first built in 1653 and Elmina Castle, which was built in 1482. Both castles had many dungeons that were used as a holding place for up to 1000 slaves at a time. The dungeons were dark and damp, with little to no circulation. The Elmina Castle had a strange smell that was very unsettling. It was much more eerie then visiting historic places in the States and seeing slave quarters.  The experience was chilling. My only complaint about the tours was that at the Cape Coast Castle they split our group up according to race. When we asked why, our guide said that because the experience can be very emotional for some and there have been times when people lashed out at each other. I understand 100%, that it is an emotional experience, it was very emotional for myself as well, but separating us made me feel guilty for the acts of white men some 400 years ago.  I just feel like separating the races almost reminds them of the anger and in turn prolongs the healing process. They don’t give the Jews a separate tour when you go to Auschwitz, so why should they give black people a separate tour here?

Canon's at Cape Coast Castle

 "Door of No Return" at Elmina Castle

Fishing boats at Elmina Castle

More fishing boats at Elmina Castle

Sunset at Elmina Castle

After that we went to lunch. A few of us shared banku and okra stew, it was not my favorite dish I have had here, but it was interesting. After lunch, a few of us walked around the town of Cape Coast, which is primarily a fishing town. We met some adorable children who sang us songs and let us take their pictures. I also got to talk to a lady selling bananas and she let me hold her baby, Cecilia, who had malaria. For most Ghanaians malaria is just like getting a cold, but for the young and old it can be very serious. The baby seemed to be fine though and did not fuss when I held her. She was beautiful.

Woman and baby in Cape Coast

Boy in Cape Coast

Children in Cape Coast

Cecilia and her mom

Cecilia and I later on in the evening

We left the town around 7 and went to a near by hotel were we stayed the night. The hotel was quite seemed luxurious to me simply because they had relatively hot water, toilet paper, a mirror and most luxurious of all, air conditioning!!! I never thought I would get that excited over a mirror, its funny what one takes for granted. The hotel was right on the beach so we went down and enjoyed a few drinks and some live music. It was a very entertaining evening!

My new friends and I enjoying a drink on the beach

The next morning we were supposed to enjoy at the beach but it was raining so my suite mates and I slept in. When it stopped raining we went to Kakum National Park, which is about one hour north of Cape Coast. There we did a canopy walk, which consisted of 7 canopy bridges that were 40 meter high. The views of the forest were amazing! And I surprisingly was not afraid being up that high! On our hike back we saw a variety of butterflies and a six-inch long giant millipede. We got back to Accra at around 7:30 and I enjoyed a relaxing evening in the hostel.

Me on the canopy walk

Canopies at Kakum National Park

I have been having so much fun in Ghana; I can’t even put it in words! It kind of feels like I am in a time warp, times been going by so fast but it feel like I arrived so long ago. The trip has definitely got me doing a lot of reflecting.

Love,
Lindsay

First days in Ghana...

Hello Everyone!!

I have been in Ghana for four days now and I have loved every minute of it! I am staying at the International Student Hostel at the University of Ghana. The hostel is about 10 minutes from downtown Accra. When I arrived on Sunday the whole group went to dinner at a canteen that was about a five minute walk from where we are staying and I had my first Ghanaian meal! It was delicious! Most of the meals here consist of rice, beans and fish. The flavors are like nothing I have ever had before but I am really enjoying them!

My first Ghanian meal!

On Monday we had orientation and a group of us took a “trotro “into downtown Accra to do a little shopping. Trotros are one of the major forms of public transportation; they are insane! It is basically a large van with about four rows of seats. There is a driver and also a man who hangs out the middle window of the passenger side yelling and using hand motions indicating whether they are going away from downtown or towards downtown. When they see a group of people they pull to the side and slide open the door to let people on or off, sometimes slowing down just enough for someone to jump in. One trip costs about thirty peswas, which is about five cents in US dollars. So far I have only ridden it once and it was quite chaotic, but I loved it and can’t wait to ride in one again! We usually walk everywhere or take a taxi, which is also very inexpensive.

The trotro conductor-esque person handing money to the driver.

I started classes on Tuesday and am very excited to get further into the courses! I will be traveling to various social service agencies where I will learn first hand how they help those they serve, and spend some time with them. Our first visit is next week, and I will be sure to write all about it!

Accra is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The natural beauty combined with the vibrant clothing of the people makes me feel so alive! I love it! Downtown is filled with tons of people, markets, and car-to-car vendors. The sounds of downtown are also striking, the sounds of traffic, of which there is a lot in downtown Accra, music and chatter fill the air. Everything is just so new and exciting. It’s a world completely unlike the one I am used to. 

The University of Ghana’s campus is huge, and very scenic! The people are so friendly and welcoming. Their hospitality toward complete strangers, foreigners at that, is unlike anything I’ve experienced.

University of Ghana

I can’t wait for all of the upcoming adventures that lay before me!

Endless Love,

Lindsay

Pre-Departure Jitters

Hello! 


I want to thank my family and friends for your incredible support and encouragement; it means the world to me! I am very excited and nervous to arrive in Ghana. But, I know everything will go just fine! 


Stay tuned.


Endless Love, 
Lindsay