More Pictures from the weekend

Here are a few more pictures from my weekend in Butre.

Looking back towards Busua

Crabs

Village Pulling in Fishing Nets

Most Epic Weekend of the Summer

I apologize for being such a slacker blogger. I’d like to say that it’s because I’ve been having so much fun these past few weeks I haven’t had time to blog, but that would only be mostly true.

I just got back from an incredible trip to Western Ghanaian beaches with three of my friends. It was a trip of extremes. In the span of 24 hours I experienced the highest point of my summer—and the lowest. Don’t worry I am alive and well, but it turns out things can get pretty hairy when you try to travel in West Africa and you don’t know what you’re doing.

Let’s start with the bad since that happened first and it’ll really just amplify how great the great was.

So excited for a trip!

We left the hostel here in Accra at 9:30 to catch a 10 AM bus leaving for Takoradi. We pushed it so close because it looked like two of the four of us were recovering from malaria (I was fine) and we needed to make sure that they were good to travel. We would have been late for this bus if there had been a bus leaving at 10 AM—the state transport doesn’t update their schedules online apparently. We waited for the 12:30 bus that didn’t leave until 2 PM. It was a four-hour journey to Takoradi and now it looked like we wouldn’t make it before nightfall. A great start to the day.

The bus took over six hours to get to Takoradi—six hours of tight seats, baby screams and a general lack of comfort. This travelling took so much longer than expected that when we arrived in Takoradi around 8:30 PM we had hardly eaten anything all day. Safe to say, we were not in a good mood. One more critical detail is that for the last two hours it had been raining pretty hard with no sign of letting up.

We took a tro-tro to a junction about 25 km away. One bright spot about this was that travelling had been very cheap up until this point—the bus had been 9 cedi ($6) and the tro was just a cedi (65 cents). We got to Agona junction around 9 PM and looked for a taxi to take us to Akwidaa—a small fishing village where we would cross a footbridge and go over a hill to arrive at our intended destination, “Ezile Bay”. Ezile Bay was going to be great—bungalows on the beach, surfing, a restaurant, a bar—what more do you need?

We never made it to Ezile Bay. The taxi drivers union made it impossible for one to get a reasonable fare and we got so flustered and irritated that we forked over 40 cedi for this guy to get us the 10 km we needed to go. Outrageous. He said the roads were bad. I didn’t care—just get me the hell out of here.

The roads really were that bad—I can’t believe this guy even agreed to take us, no matter the money. It was kind of fun at first. It took the taxi a few tries to get over the first hills, but as the rain continued to pour down and the dirt road got worse the three of us in the backseat had to start walking up the hills ourselves while the taxi heaved and sputtered up the incline. It was still funny when Jelena completely wiped out and got covered in mud.

Next Morning

It got really not funny when we got to the hill where our luck ran out. There were no lights, there were no stars in the sky, the rain was coming down, and the taxi rolled into a ditch while backing up—he had no taillights. We had to push him out, cover ourselves in mud, and I was starting to feel lightheaded from it all. We stood up at the top of this hill watching this taxi fishtail out only halfway up, seeing nothing but rain and darkness around us, thinking of the strange men in the little villages nearby—things were not looking good. Not only was I unsure whether the taxi could get back up the hills on the way back, but I thought the engine would roll over and die pretty soon.

After pushing the taxi out of a ditch one last time after a failed attempt at turning around, we headed towards a bail out Busua—a nearby beach town. I really felt bad for that driver. I mean, we destroyed his taxi—there were several inches of mud under our feet, on the seats, bugs flying in the front seat, most like a jungle than anything else. We made it to Busua around 11:30—well after dinner hours and finally found a “big room” with four sleeping pads on the ground for us. 40 cedi for the room? Fine I don’t give a shit please leave us alone. We went to bed that night tired, hungry, muddy. We failed to see the humor in the idea that out of all our days in Ghana this might have been the most memorable. Nothing was funny at that point.

Don’t worry it gets better! 

Big Rock

As terrible as the travel was, the location was that great—maybe better. I mean, this place could not have been more picturesque. We hung out at the Black Star Surf Shop with the white sand and the rolling surf and the warm water and the great food and the Apples to Apples they had there. It’s hard to work off such a horrible travel hangover, but this place really did it.

The place we were staying was not ideal so in the afternoon we headed towards a more ideal spot. Ezile Bay was now out of the question. We made some friends on the bus who were headed to ‘The Hideout Lodge’ in Butre, which turned out to be the next town over. All we had to do to get to Butre was walk two miles down the beach, get over a hill and we were there.

Kickin It

Coming down the hill was quite a sight. Butre just popped out of nowhere. We walked through the thousand-person village, across a rickety bridge over a river flowing into the ocean, and one hundred yards down the beach was the Hideout.

The Hideout could not have been better. It was straight out of my dreams of a remote getaway to a Ghanaian beach. We stayed in a cheap four person bungalow, ate great cheap food, drank rum out of a coconut, bodysurfed, read a book, went on some walks, just everything.

I could not have asked for a better last weekend of this trip. I’m headed home on Friday and while I’m looking forward to a lot of things back in the States I will miss this place.

Two Stars

America Sundays

Sorry I've been slacking on the blog recently. I get so many emails everyday with people like, "hey, you need to write more! I love your stuff!" Hard to have so many fans sometimes.

The past few Sunday nights I have indulged in some very non-Ghanaian food. The Paloma Hotel, where I watched the B's win the Cup, is generally an ex-pat haven and they have a nice restaurant filled with comfort food. Tonight I took part in the two-for-one pizza deal with my friend Prince. Usually I get a great white sauce pasta dish--excellent when doused in hot sauce.

It's nice to feel like I get away every once in a while. It's still not the same--small pizzas, always out of buffalo wings--but its a refreshing injection of Western culture into my week. Eating Ghanaian food is a part of the experience, and its surprising how much one can enjoy eating chicken and rice after a while--but I can't do it seven days a week. I just can't. The taxi ride to good ol' Paloma Hotel is sometimes just what I need to cap off another week in Ghana.

Less than 3 weeks left now. I'll be plenty ready to go home when the time comes. Until then, I'll get my America with a big, fat, slightly unhealthy Sunday dinners at Paloma.

Running

The biggest change to my life this summer is that here, in Ghana, I'm a runner. I've never really had the habit of running--or considered running a thing that I could enjoy--but that's changed. Instead of my normal summer schedule of late nights and late mornings, recently I've been early-to-bed, early-to-rise because most mornings the first thing I do is run around campus before it gets too hot.

It takes a lot to get me out of bed early and do something I have always resisted, but I have a great motivator and running partner in Will Brophy. He's on the swim team at Harvard, and he's got it in his head that running every morning will help him swim faster. I don't really care about swimming faster, but being a better runner could be a good thing. So I've been up early--6:30 usually--with sore legs (usually) wishing I was still asleep (always) to take advantage of this really motivated athlete, hoping it will rub off on me.

The first few days were absolutely miserable. I could tell myself to keep running all I wanted, but my body wasn't down with the idea. It hoped I'd get the message during a big hill on my first day out when I chucked a half-digested Powerbar on the side of the road. It tasted like vanilla. Trust me--I got to taste it twice.

Then you know what, I started to get it. My stomach began to behave, my legs were still sore, but I got the hang of it. Quickly. There's a great 5 mile run here that spins around a huge hill in the center of campus, and it gets easier to make it up that hill every day. I still grumble and bitch when I wake up hours earlier than my roommate Cesar, but I've learned to love the euphoria of the post-run feeling. I've got this idea that even if I'm lazy and don't do anything of real value the rest of the day, it feels like I did something because--damn it--I went RUNNING this morning.

It's not just an activity--it changes the whole course of my day. I'm probably definitely not as fun as I used to be. I regularly get to bed by 11 every night, something I haven't done since high school, maybe. It's because I'm tired from running that day, and because I know in oh-too-few hours I'll be out running again. A vicious cycle.

A perk--our professor is out running six days a week at 6 am. If we go the normal route--if we're not out killing ourselves with a speed workout on the nearby track--we get a great 'good morning' from Prof somewhere around that huge hill. It gives us something to talk about. I swear, he thinks more of Will and me because we're out there sweating in the early morning along with him. It makes me more active in class, too. I'm wide awake by the time we settle into class by 9 am--instead of sipping coffee, leaning on that caffeine like some of my classmates.

I'd be lying if I said that I'm definitely going to keep running when I get home--but it's been a big part of my study abroad experience thus far. Africa--far more than America--is a place that rises and sets with the sun. I want to make the most of my time in Ghana--so running just makes sense.

Monkey Monkey!

I fed the monkeys

Finally a glimpse of some real animals in Ghana! I was beginning to think I wasn't in Africa--aside from a few things that tipped me off. But really, it's always great to see some monkeys.

Monkeyed

This monkey sanctuary near Techiman has Colobus and Mona monkeys that live alongside a village of people who consider them spiritual beings. I think the monkeys get the better end of the deal--food for the taking in the village, visitors feeding you bananas, and monkey priests giving you a proper burial.

Hanging with my boy

It was pretty wild how close we got to the monkeys. There is a lot of discussion in class of people coming back to Africa to find their roots. Found mine with the monkeys. Cross that off the list. They would actually come up and grab a banana out of your hand! They look like little humans--so cute I debated how hard it would be to sneak one in through customs. It would be pretty hard.

Nephew

 

If I ever get back there though, you can figure out anything with a little time. That monkey is mine! 

Rocks and Shrines

It turns out Techiman does have some redeemable qualities. The other day I headed out to the nearby village of Bono Manso to see a shrine. After a somewhat interesting walk through the village to a Baobab tree where they honor their ancestors, we went to the Sacred Shrine in a nearby nature reserve.

Rocks!

The journey to the Shrine was wicked fun. Back in the days of tribal warfare, the religious leader was a sought after prize, so the shrine was protected by a series of really impressive rock bluffs that we had to scramble over. I always get a real kick out of climbing around, and it was great to get to the top of every big rock I could.

This place was an old lookout for an old African state--they could see enemies coming at them from over 30 miles away up here. Many of the pictures are from this lookout area.

Next post: Monkeys!

Forest!

Lion King!

Phallic!

Kumasi: Home of Cool Thingz

I’ve found the source of all the cool things that fill up the markets around Ghana: Kumasi—the heart of Asante country. This city used to be the center of a powerful empire, and all the surrounding villages have specialized in a particular craft that used to supply the kingdom. We headed out to the Ghanian textile villages this morning to get some quality goods.

The first village we stopped at specialized in kente—a woven cloth that has symbolic patterns. The more expensive of the two common textiles, it can take a weaver a full day to create a two-yard length of cloth. Unlike other markets, every person I dealt with had woven all their own material—I even got to try my hand at weaving kente on their machines. I got two kente cloths—one for the kitchen table at Mom’s request, and a bigger blue kente that would make a great gift—or a pillowcase for me.

Where the Magic Happens

Web Gem

Homies 

Our second stop was at an Adinkra village. Adinkra is cheaper, larger fabric that has various signs and symbols printed on it with black ink. At this village, we got a walk through of how they extract black ink from the bark of trees—a pretty remarkable process. We got to make our own adinkra, I had to buy the Obama cloth, and I got another big one at a great price.

Tree bark

He liked my hair

Who could resist!

In more important news, our room here has A/C and I took a hot shower last night.

Shout out to my family in Humarock! We’ll be trying to celebrate the 4^th of July in Techiman—a tall task. Hope the fireworks and bonfires on the beach are better than ever.

African Cowboy

Took this picture a few days ago. That's a real, live crocodile I'm touching in Cape Coast right next to where we eat our meals. There was a lot going through my head in this pic. I was really excited to touch a crocodile, but also freaking out because its a crocodile and everything in me tells me I'm an idiot for getting close to it. Totally worth it.

Ride 'em Cowboy

Off to Kumasi, the heart of Asante country.

Elmina Castle

Today we explored Elmina, site of the biggest slave castle in Ghana. Historical sites always interest me, but it was unnerving walking through the old, cramped dungeons where tens of thousands of Africans were captive for several months before they were taken away across the Atlantic into slavery. My experience here has added a new perspective to encounters at sites like this. Not only was I thinking about the terrible things that happened there, but what went on at this castle took Africa from Africans forever. There are a lot of descendants of slaves who struggle with not belonging anywhere, and that problem can be traced back to the beaches of Elmina a few hundred years ago.

Top of the Castle

Door of No Return

Enough with the heavy stuff. There were some great views of Elmina from the castle, and walking around the town was a tiring but good way to see some more great views of an African fishing village.

Elmina from a hill

Soccer game

Eating with Crocodiles

This really feels like summer vacation! Had a great meal prepared for me that WASN’T rice and beans, my room has its own private shower—and there are crocodiles in the lagoon twenty feet away.

We arrived at Han’s Cottage Botel in Cape Coast, about 150 miles due west of Accra. This is the start of our big stretch of time away from campus where we tour the country as a group.

We got more exposure to African wildlife than we have yet on this trip. This place is actually right on a lagoon. There are crocs (the sign says they’re “friendly”), weaver birds, cranes, and lots of night noises made by God knows what. It reminds me of an Africa I’ve seen before—and know I love.

I went to a Nature Reserve that had a canopy tour where we walked on wobbly wooden-plank bridges 40 meters in the air. It was so awesome. Hard to explain, so I’ll have to let the pictures do the rest.

40 meters in the air

Chill view

Don't slip!

Off tomorrow to Elmina castle!

Blog update: Pics of hanging with Rastas

Will's took some sweet pics of our friends Cujoe and Kofi playing music for us. Seriously, some of the coolest people I'll ever meet.

Whenever the want, they just pick up the drums and sing songs they've made up. Cujoe on the right sings the main line and Kofi and the left harmonizes.

These pictures were taken right after we had lunch together. Typical meal includes a healthy serving of beans, rice, and Cujoe telling a great story about why everyone needs to work together to make things work.

Thanks again to Will for the pictures!

The Rastas? They're Hiplife Stars

That's right. Kofi and Cujoe have found the time to become musicians on top of running an elementary school. That was the big event of my day--heading to a recording studio with these guys. I woke up early and headed back out to their school where Will and I were greeted by a bunch of the kids that we had met on Monday. Even on a Saturday, these kids came to the schoolhouse to hang out with their three teachers and have a nice hearty lunch of beans and rice. It's great to see that these guys have built something that has become such a staple of the community.

The idea was that we would get to their school, cook some food, then head to the recording studio, but Africa time kicked in again. We ended up kicking back and hanging out at their school from 11 am to 3 pm. We played drums, ate vegetable stew, told some stories--just relaxing. Even though it wasn't the most productive day, it was great to get out and spend the day with some people I got lucky enough to meet on a basketball court one day.

Link to Kofi and Cujoe during their "hiplife" days: http://bit.ly/jfdp4V
On the djembe drum. Music similar to what they play for us all the time: http://bit.ly/kNwkjP

Daily Chores

I settled into a rhythm this week. Here is a list of things I do most days:

·      Have an incredible egg and cheese sandwich from a lady with missing teeth at the nearby market for breakfast. The sandwich is a great dinner sometimes—like tonight, for instance.

·      Pop some pills.

·      Complain about my internet connection then do nothing all that important once it starts to work.

·      Take a nap.

·      Play basketball at the university courts. Regulars: Cavs jersey kid, Rasta guy, old man, Dr. J look-alike, pot belly man.

·      Drink a coke from a glass bottle. The low price and the glass make it taste extra good.

·      Play “Bounce” on my cell phone. Current level: 11.

·      Shower in the hottest water I can find.

·      Lose my breath for a few seconds because the hottest water I can find is always really cold.

·      Pretend my bed net gives me the canopy bed I’ve always dreamed of.

Most of these things are pretty great, but what makes days special are the things that happen in between. I'll do my best to let you know what those things are.

Jammin'

Check out this video recorded by my classmate during our trip to "Children of God" yesterday. The scene is the Rastafarian teachers dancing for the kids, and me rocking out on the drums.

6/20

Today was a great day. I went out to Salomon’s school in Adenta and was just blown away by the work these guys have done. These guys, Salomon and his three Rastafarian friends, have built, maintained, and run a k-4 school for the past few years. They were upset at the level of schooling children were getting in this poor community, so they decided to do something about it—and succeeded through sheer will. They wake up at 4:30 every morning to prepare for the day and they receive hardly anything for what is essentially volunteer work. Also, they feed the roughly 100 students a healthy lunch every day. They get by on donations and its incredible to see what they have done with so little. They love the kids, and its clear that the kids love them. This is by far the coolest thing I have seen since we got here.

The kids were really excited to see us. The original idea was that we would teach them, but most of what I did was play soccer, hang out, and help out when I was needed. It was fun to get all this attention from the kids—climbing all over me, curiously touching my strangely flat hair, singing songs they learned in class. I plan to make the trip to the “Children of God Community School” regularly.

Flat out Hustle

Rastafarians are pretty damn cool.

6/19

The weather didn’t cooperate with us today, so the beach was postponed to tomorrow. Itching to get out into town, four of us headed to the National Culture Center. The Center is a big craft market that has the reputation as one of the best in Ghana. It lived up to its reputation. This market had much greater variety than the vendors we saw on Oxford Street. Although there was still some aggressive hassling—this must now be expected—it was a great experience to walk around and see all their was to offer. I bought a few things: another Black Stars jersey, a cool silver Ghanaian bracelet, and a dagger and sheath. I need to stock up on gifts for people. The hardest part is that it will be hard to part with some of these things because I want to keep them for myself!

What I try to do at these markets is look for things I haven’t seen before. There is a lot of repetition at some vendors, but every once in a while there is really something that stands out. I have seen a lot of the same trinkets that were on sale at markets in South Africa and while they are great keepsakes, I don’t want them—I want things that say ‘Ghana’. Some of these things are too big to take back on a plane: swords, beaded wooden lions, handbags made of lizard skin (head and appendages still attached). It’s been very encouraging to see all the crazy things for sale. I am sure that I will be able to find quality things for everyone on my list.

Bartering is a big part of most transactions in Ghana, and I did a lot of bartering today. It can be hard, but you really have to stick up for yourself so that you don’t get taken advantage of. It can be a game of wills: as a consumer, the threat of walking away from the deal gives you the upper hand every time, but it can be unnerving to exercise that edge. I have yet to pay the asking price for anything negotiated, so if I haven’t gotten total command of the art yet, I’m getting a better feel for it everyday.

The nearby Night Market is pretty clutch. There is little open on Sundays and all I had for dinner tonight was something I had picked up earlier in the city. Cesar, who along with Apostolos, Jerry, and Pascale had gone to see a Ghanaian church service instead of the market, had barely eaten all day so I went with him to the market. He was able to get the staple Chicken Jollaf (spices, rice, chicken), I got a loaf of bread, plate and cutlery, and Apo got a mango and a pineapple. All of this at very low prices. We had an unexpected feast. After today, I have a much greater appreciation for what you can find in a market if you really look around.

6/18

6/18

I went into Accra yesterday to check out Osu, their commercial center. The market was pretty overwhelming. I had some idea of what to expect, having been to markets in South Africa before, but some of the vendors were in your face about buying their things. Maybe I’m just forgetting how it was before, but I don’t remember it getting to that level in other markets I’ve visited. White people stand out very easily in Ghana—that could explain why vendors flocked to us like we had big flashing lights over our heads. One pretty good trick a lot of people had was meeting you and asking your name, only to find you five minutes later and present you with a bracelet that had your name on it that they tried to compel you to buy. I caught on early and told them my name was Xavier—they didn’t have a premade bracelet for that one.

I was able to get what I wanted—a Black Stars jersey—for a pretty cheap price. I had to haggle for a while and pick through things to find one I wanted, but I was successful. I also purchased a cool wooden crocodile bottle opener for a few Seti—a necessary purchase now that the lady at the shop downstairs judges us every time we ask to use her bottle opener. The market could have been very overwhelming if you weren’t prepared to say ‘No’ to people, but thankfully I knew what to expect and was able to walk away with things I wanted at a price that was fair.


Today was a pretty laid back one. Things seem to close up at the university on the weekends, so we couldn’t rely on our hostel café for lunch or dinner. I went to “Tasty Treats” down the road and even though they were closed, we managed to finagle some takeaway meals from them. This could be a problem in the future—we need to find reliable places to eat on the weekends when our first options are not available. On the way we saw a pet monkey tied to a tree. It was cool to see a monkey, but sad to see it run around the tree with a rope around its waist.

There are a group of missionaries on campus, and I ran into them near the basketball courts today. They’re nice enough, but it can get irritating when someone starts going off about Jesus. They told me about a Ghanaian league soccer game they might go to on Wednesday. That would be really fun to check out.

Will and I went to an open-air market on campus and checked out the bar shacks over there. It was an interesting scene. It was very much an “only in Africa” experience—not only because the drinking age is 18 here. It was nice to get over there and hang out for an hour in a new place.

I think people are a little intimidated by how hard it can seem to get out and find interesting things to do on a whim. Today was the first day we didn’t do a whole lot, and people seemed a little down tonight after a lethargic day. I am convinced that we will be able to find more interesting things to do as the days go on and we become more familiar with the city. Tomorrow we head to the beach if the weather cooperates. That should be a good start!

6/16

I was pretty tired this morning—for a great reason. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup! I was in Ghana, and I watched it live! Cesar and I had a great time at the expense of the Vancouver students who were with us. My friends from home went into Boston at the end of the game—I’m a bit jealous. Oh well. We didn’t get back to the hostel until 3:30 in the morning. Accra gets really dark late at night when no one is around. The major streets were hardly lit. After watching the game in “Champs Sports Bar” surrounded by ice hockey fans, it was quite a change to step outside and hail down a taxi on a dark, deserted major road. That’s what happens when you watch the Stanley Cup in Ghana.

Class was light today. Professor Akyeampong was away, so Professor Ben gave us his introduction to archaeology and we watched a documentary. A good, light day was welcome after waking up this morning a bit groggy from a late night of Timmy Thomas and crew.

The sports continued today. Will and I bought a soccer ball from the nearby Night Market and started a big game with a lot of kids who live near the university. They didn’t want to pass to us for a while—I think they were more interested in the novelty of playing with us than actually thinking we could contribute to a good game. I like to think we surprised them with our play because we weren’t half bad. Basketball afterward presented better competition than last time. We lost a few games, but we held our own and even beat some guys way bigger than us.

A new possibility opened up today. A Rastafarian I met yesterday, Salomon, works at an elementary school in a neighboring town and has asked if we want to help out there in our free time. I met him and two of his friends this evening, and some of us are going to go check out the school on Monday. We do have a fair amount of free time, so this could be a good structured way to get out and do something different. His two friends are aspiring musicians, and they sang an a capella reggae song for us. I was surprised—they were pretty good.

Tomorrow is our first day off. The pool should be open, and Accra or the beach are hopefully in my future.

6/15

Tonight is very exciting. I just saw a lunar eclipse, and in a few hours I’ll be watching the Boston Bruins play game 7 of the Stanley Cup at Champs Sports Bar in downtown Accra. Cesar and I are representing the good guys against the slew of Vancouver kids staying at the hostel that will be joining us for the game. I don’t have any Bruins gear with me—not that I own much Bruins gear—but I’ll be wearing my US Soccer jersey with pride. There’s nothing more American than putting Canada back in its place.

Today we had our first really legitimate day of class with lecture and discussion. I was worried that getting through 3 hours of class 3 days in a row would be tough work, especially with two hours of discussion each day, but today it was enjoyable. We talked about how Africans and African-Americans remember the slave trade. I felt somewhat out of place talking about the subject. We have a 50 year-old African-American who sounds strikingly similar to the author of a book we read this week, and after hearing her very vocal thoughts on the issue, I felt like I didn’t have much authority to pass judgment on the matter. I hope that class continues to be interesting and that I grow to be more comfortable about talking about the Atlantic slave trade in the company of Africans and African-Americans for whom this issue touches much closer to home.

Our group has befriended a Ghanaian who lives at the hostel, Antonio. He’s been a real help. Very friendly, he’s studying something to do with computers and he’s helped us figure out all of our technological issues of phones and Internet connection. He is a very nice guy and genuinely wants to be our friends. I hope that he doesn’t become overbearing or a burden to anyone, because while I think everyone likes having him around I could see it becoming an issue down the line. He means well and doesn’t want to take advantage of foreigners—he just wants to be our friend.

Will and I played basketball with some people this afternoon. It was a group of 15 year-olds, a quick 23-year old, and a Rastafarian. The Ghanaians are better at basketball than I thought they would be! Being one of the tallest on the court I easily held my own, but it was really fun to get out and play pick-up with people. Sports are a great way to interact with people and remove a lot of barriers. I’m definitely going to play a lot of basketball this summer.

An interesting note: When the Red Sox won the world series in 2004 there was a lunar eclipse. It’s a sign. Go Bruins!

6/13

I got up early after a very restful night of sleep. Will was not awake, having battled the last throes of jet lag at 4 am, and there was no basketball going on. Oh well. I went on a long walk around campus anyway. People get up and get going pretty early around here—the campus was hopping at 7 am. Walking around in the morning son, the place felt much more like a campus than it had the previous day in the rain.

Today was orientation day. The first two days have been a lot about us relying on other people to do things for us, which I find somewhat frustrating. I know that it is necessary to get our bearings in a foreign country, but it feels like we’re in camp sometimes. I mean, Appo, a guy in our program, is 30 years old! And there are two 25 year-olds with us too! Once we figure out how to get food and get around by ourselves to cool places, it will be a welcome freedom.

The campus is very beautiful. Our classroom is about a mile away, and once you get over there it really looks like a campus with a main drag, the big buildings, departments, all that. The administrative center is on top of a big hill, power always stays uphill, and there is a beautiful panoramic view of Accra and the ocean to the south and some “mountains” (glorified hills) to the north.

We got a driving tour of Accra as well. Some highlights: W.E.B. Du Bois center with the grave of the Massachusetts native himself, the aggressively big U.S. embassy, Oxford St—the Times Square of Accra, Independence Square, Freedom and Justice circle, and the beachfront. I will definitely be visiting all of these places and will be able to describe them all in greater detail once I do.

I’ve gotten to know the 7 other people in our program pretty well by this point. Everyone is different from one another but it all works in a way that everyone’s quirks seem to complement each other. We will be spending a lot of time together these next two months, so it’s a good thing that we are getting along. Otherwise it will be a long two months. It is still going to be a long two months either way, but the happy way is much more enjoyable.

I really feel like a got a much better handle on this place after today. I got my cell phone working, I met some of the other students staying at our hostel, and I can now point which direction is class and which direction is the beach. Where else do I need to go?

6/12

I arrived in Ghana today at 11:15 a.m. after an 11-½ hour flight from Atlanta. I almost didn’t make it to that flight. Delta only gave me 45 minutes between my arrival in Atlanta and my departure for Ghana. When we were 15 minutes late getting in to Atlanta, I didn’t even have time to get any Popeye’s chicken. But I made it on the flight in time. I slept pretty well too—a rarity for me on airplanes.

This place is definitely tropical. It is the rainy season here, and sure enough rain was the first thing to greet me when we landed. Although the rain keeps the temperature down to a manageable and humid 80 degrees, I hope that we’ll see less rain and more shine while we’re here.

We are staying at the International Student Hostel at the University of Ghana. My roommate Cesar and I are living in a spacious double with a porch. The place is about 5 stories high with a courtyard in the middle, and rooms surround the courtyard in a single wrap-around hallway on each floor. There are other students here, but I haven’t met them yet.

At first glance, there’s not a whole lot to do at the Hostel. A few kids got here yesterday and it seems like they’ve been doing a lot of hanging out. It’s a good way to get to know each other, and it’s a good way for people to nap off their jet lag, but we’ll need to figure out ways to make sure that doesn’t last. I guess a lot of things are closed on Sundays as well, so I expect that there will be more options for adventure tomorrow once the week starts up.

We did go to a small market a few blocks down the street. The word is that the tap water is not OK to drink and you shouldn’t eat fruit that has already been peeled, so I went hunting for things that weren’t that. I got some grilled chicken and a big bottle of water for a cedi each. A cedi is about 60 cents; the dollar travels far over here. I’m hoping that things will continue to be cheap her. Got to love American privilege.

I like the people in our program I’ve met. There are 9 of us, and 8 of us are here already. There are 3 people who are a part of the Harvard extension school and are a few years out of college. Everyone seems to be at the “I’m am very excited but also how do I do this” level. It’s good to know we’re all stepping into something no one has experienced before.

Africa time is definitely in effect. We were told we would go to the Accra Mall at 5 to get some necessary provisions and food, but our ride did not arrive until nearly 7. At the mall, which was very westernized, I got toilet paper and shampoo. I still have to get my hands on a mosquito net, but I haven’t seen that many mosquitoes, so it’s not the end of the world if I spend a night without one. I still have to get the internet figured out and get a SIM card for my phone.

Hoping to play basketball tomorrow morning with some Ghanaians. Will Brophy, a rising sophomore on the trip who I already know, and I are waking up at 6:30 to see if the rumors of early morning basketball games at the university courts are true. I’ll keep you posted!

Pre-Departure

Hey everyone,

Tomorrow I'm off on another adventure! I'll be in Ghana for the next 8 weeks to study at the University of Ghana and explore what sounds like an incredible country. 7 or 8 other Harvard students (forget the right number) and I will be staying at the student hostels. Accra, the bustling capital of three million people, is a 20-minute bus ride away. Tomorrow I'll say goodbye to home and head off on the biggest journey I've ever taken by myself before.

I expect Ghana will be totally different than anything I've ever experienced. Even though I've been to Africa a few times, I'll be 3,000 miles away from now-familiar South Africa. It's not like I'm travelling to a new part of a country. Yes, I can say that I've been to Africa before, but really I have no experience whatsoever with a place like Ghana.

The general idea is I'll be taking an 8-week course on the Atlantic Slave Trade at the University of Ghana. It will be taught jointly by professors from Harvard and the University of Ghana. It should be fascinating to learn about this from a very different perspective. We will take several field trips around the country to see the old slave ports and palaces and learn more about Ghanaian culture.

As interesting as class will be, I am very excited to explore Accra in our free time. Class is only 3 mornings a week; most of our time in Ghana is up to us. I don't know a ton about the city yet, but I hear they have great nightlife, sweet beaches, and pretty cool markets.

I'm a bit nervous about leaving. I love summer here in Massachusetts: spending time with my family, hanging out with my friends, relaxing at Humarock. I will definitely miss all that. I'm sure I'll feel better about it once I'm in Ghana, but right now with all that around me, leaving for Africa does seem a little bittersweet. I will have two weeks once I get back to do all those things, but it's tough making tradeoffs sometimes. I can't complain much though. Choosing between two great ways to spend the summer is a great inconvenience to have.

Almost all packed up, watching the Bruins, enjoying my last night at home. Next post in Ghana!