I guess the countdown begins...

Keeping up this blog has been quite the challenge for me as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Quite a while ago, CIEE took our group to Kumasi for a weekend. We all skipped classes on Friday morning, loaded up two coach buses, and set out to the northern region. To say the least, I absolutely loved Kumasi (but low-key, I’ve found that I love everywhere in GH except for Accra. Whenever I travel outside of the capital, I fall deeper in love with Ghana. Accra does the absolute most in the worst possible way. We have a very love/hate relationship). Arriving after a five hour drive, we checked into our hotel, had lunch, and went to the King’s palace (formally known as the Asantehene of the Ashanti kingdom). The castle and museum was very interesting, and our tour guide had the driest and most hilarious personality. He was tastefully awkward! We also went to Bonwire Kente village and did shopping. I got tons of gifts there for friends and family, and purchased a few kente cloth stoles for graduation (ekkkkkkkk so soon!). I’ll post photos of them on Facebook…after Bonwire, we went to the adinkra stamping village, and it was decent. Nothing too special. Lastly, we headed to the largest market in Ghana, and I had a ball lol. To start off with, as SOON as we stepping into the place, we saw this man get jumped by stall owners because he was caught trying to pick pocket a shopper. The vigilante justice is ever so real here. Next thing I knew he had tires being thrown at his head, and was getting belted by some man. It was clearly time for me to move along. In the market, I got tons of shea butter, black soap, waist beads, and ntoma (fabric). I was in fabric heaven. As an ntoma addict, I knew I had to hoard to get clothes made…and I did just that J As a random tidbit, I also head the best Indian food I’ve ever tasted in Kumasi. The irony…

The rest of April was pretty low-key. I didn’t do anything that would blow your minds away, but strangely enough it was my second favorite month in Ghana. I’m sure it’s because I’m fully adjusted to life abroad, and actually feel like I live here (which is gonna make it very hard to leave, but I’ll elaborate on that later). Classes ending the end of last month, and I couldn’t be any happier. I’ve been using my free time to just do what I want. Shelbie’s Brother Teddy surprised her from DC and stayed for a week. Her friend Rebecca from home has a house in Osu which was amazing to get away to. Like I said, any excuse to get out of Legon/Greater Accra is fine by me. We did touristy stuffs (lol insider) with him like visit the art market, practice bargaining, eat banku and tilapia, and head to the beach. I’ve still been going out, meeting randoms, and running amuck in Ghana. Y’all know how I do.

At the end of last month, I headed to Nigeria for a week to visit my family! It was a wonderful time. My first stop was Lagos w/ Aunty Ifeanyi and Unlce Tony. I went to her business where she does marketing, and makes party favors. It was actually very cool seeing how a business like that is run. I also learned the basics to sewing (which I will become a pro at by the end of the summer. I can’t come from Ghana where having clothes made is dirt cheap to buying like I used to. Oh no no Tito. Feel free to call me seamstress Oli from now on!) I then went up to Abuja to see Aunty Priscilla, Uncle Ife, and my little cousin Tobechi. Tobechi has GOT to be the most energetic/talkative/entertaining girl in Nigeria. She woulddddd not stop talking!! Lawd! In Abuja, I was shocked by how conservative the place is. I couldn’t go anywhere without being stopped and reprimanded about how my clothes weren’t long enough/hair not being tied, my one tattoo, being loud, etc. Women there are also hella docile. It pisses me off. I was actually starting to get very annoyed by how people there thought it was their place to tell me how to dress and behave, but luckily I left before I had to black on someone. My next stop was Asaba in Delta State with Uncle Enyi. He moved back to Naija last year after retiring, built a massive house, and now lives there permanently. It was great spending the night there. The following morning, he, myself, and his driver set out for Benin City. We stopped in Igbodo (my family’s village) to look around and drink palm wine (which I’ve taken fancy to thanks to Naija). I loved it! The men there thought I was his daughter, and kept trying to propose marriage. They also thought it was hilarious that I don’t speak Igbo. My name in the village was unofficially Oyibo girl which means white girl. Rude lol. Anyway, once we got to Benin, we stayed with Uncle Ben, Aunty Ivy, and Ebele. Uncle Ben is now called Grandpa Ben because he’s mad old. Like ancient. Great times all around learning, and seeing all of my family. Then I came back to Ghana.

Most recently (as in 30 minutes ago) I got back from a mid week trip to Cape Coast (again) with Shelbie and Afia. We left Wednesday morning, took a taxi to Kaneshie station, and boarded a sauna of a bus to Cape Coast. Afia’s cousin lived there, and since we wanted to make sure we went to Elmina Castle as opposed to Cape Coast Castle (did that a while ago) we decided to go! The ride was only 7 cedis and two hours long. Up up Jesus! We were going to stay at the Elmina Beach Resort, but it was entirely too expensive by anyone’s standards! It would’ve been around $200 a night, and that got an absolutely not. We ended up staying at the Sanaa Lodge Hotel for a much reasonable price. The first night, we hung out at this place called Oasis with Afia’s cousin and friend Ben. Since it was Wednesday, it was reggae night, so the hot mess of Rastafarians were out in the fullest of forces lol. We ate, drank, laughed, and were merry. A lot of stuffs happened in between, but this needs to be kept PG. If you’re really interested, just ask lmao. On Thursday, we slept in after our long night, woke up, had breakfast at the hotel, then headed to Elmina Castle. While the tour at Cape Coast Castle was more extensive, being in Elmina was much more real. Most notable, was the stench that still remains from the decayed bodies that were kept in the holding cells for months on end. I won’t even try to describe it, but it was scary! I’ve always read about it in books, and heard of it through people who have gone, but experiencing it firsthand was surreal. I will never ever forget Elmina, and am so glad we went! After our tour, we were ravenous, so we headed to the Cape Coast Castle Restaurant and had the best banku and Okra soup in the world. My belly was happy. Thursday night we didn’t do much since we were over stuffed. Just watched Naija films and slept. Woke up this morning and headed back to Accra.

So now I am back, with about 8 days before I head back to the States. If you would’ve asked me a few months ago, when being in Ghana was a little rocky, I would’ve eagerly jumped on the next plane back.  But at this point, I have absolutely NO desire to go home! Don’t get me wrong, I miss my friends, family, home, etc more than anything, but being abroad has enriched my life in ways that you couldn’t even begin to understand. I always laughed at people who overdramatically explained how spending a semester abroad has changed their lives, but I am now one of those losers. I have conversations with my friends everyday about how the quality of life is soooo much better out of the US than within it. We that being said, I have made it a mission to finish school, and embark on my 5 year plan (hopefully less) to move out of the States for good. I won’t go into too much detail here because my plan is not concrete at this point, but what I can promise is that my adulthood will be spent as an expatriate J Feel free to come visit me wherever I am.

For now, I am waiting to take my last two finals next week, pack, and head home L I’ll be working on Colby’s campus making it easier for me to focus, study, and plan. I actually just got so sad about leaving soon, so I’m gonna end here so I’m not an emotional mess at my laptop.

Sending pots of red-red and love from Ghana!

Xoxo

Oli Baby (tehehe)

Time is flying by...

....and it's a bittersweet feeling!

I cannot believe it's been almost a month since I've last updated you all. My fault. What have I been up to?

For one, about three weeks ago, Sydney, Shelbie, Tom, Harrison, Jeremy and I journeyed to the Volta Region to visit the New Seed International Orphanage. Not gonna lie, the ride there was not pleasant! After we said our prayer, we left ISH around 6am, and headed to Okponglo to catch a tro tro to Tema Station. Once there, we had to find one of the vans that would be heading up to Volta. This was moderately easy to do since it was semi-early and the market was kind of tame. Kind of. Once we found the proper van, we had to sit and wait for it to fill up!! Seeing as it gets to 150 degrees by 8am, sitting and waiting for an hour and a half in the sweltering heat is torture! The ride took about 3-4 hours, but once we got there it was so worth it. The children were wonderful, and so was all of the staff at the orphanage. We spent the evening playing games, dancing, teaching, and telling stories to the kids. They loved us (and we loved them of course). We left the following morning without the boys...they wanted to go to the Wli Waterfalls, Monkey Sanctuary, and juju doctor. As a Nigerian, I know to stay FARRRRRR away from any smell of juju, meaning that was definitely out of the question for me!

Last weekend was my friend Afia's 21st birthday celebration. In true princess fashion, she celebrated all week (#whynot? *Kofi voice*) I had a blast at each event. We did drinks at this place called Rhapsody in the mall (which is so swanky...even by American standards! The drinks were super pricey, but quite tasty). I had a good time laughing and hanging out there. The following night, she had her official birthday party at Sweetie's Lounge. It was dry at first, but definitely picked up. Most people/obrunis left around 2am, but Afia was not ready to go home so we ventured to my new favorite spot: Hollywood Blvd. O-M-G I had a blasstttttttt!! The music was on point, the crowd was tastefully ratch, and we danced till morning. I woke up the next day with a swollen knee and to this day I have no idea why I was in so much pain. Maybe it was the heels + dancing + jumping on couches (don't ask) but I was not happy when I awoke. On Saturday, Afia invited us to her family's house for her birthday lunch. And by lunch I'm sure they meant dinner. WE were told to get there by 2pm, but Emefa (Afia's roommate) warned us about how bad Ghanaian time is. We got there at 3:30 and were still early! Food wasn't served until 5pm, but it was totes magotes fine. We hung out on their patio with Afia's boo piece, his friend, and her family. It was a wonderful kick back!! Again, Afia wanted to go out, so we went to this bar/lounge called Lagos Ave. Afia's boo (his name is Julius...he looks EXACTLY like Beyonce's body guard which is a mind f**k) was a messss!! Jules is hilarious. I wouldn't even know where to start with him. It was one of the best weekends I've had in the GH! Good times. Good times.

This past weekend was another splendid one. Friday afternoon, Syd, Shelbie and I went to Okponglo to buy a few dresses and shoes. Such pretty designs, I wanted them all, but I gotta stop balling on no budget. I did get one though...20 cedis. Pas mal. Since we were close to the A&C Mall, we decided to have dinner at Luscious Temptations. This is another very chill spot. We got there at 6 which meant it was still happy hour. #badidea. They have these Ultimate Friday drinks which are MASSIVE (think the ones from BBQ's). Since it was bogo, the two did me in. Did me in well. I don't know how, but I was not ok after drinking them. I should've known lol. Last, there was a "Talkin' Tees" party in which the Syd and Shelbs modeled for at Exel Nightclub. I think there were only about 8 Ghanaians in the entire venue. It's a Nigerian club and you can tell!! It was entirely too live. I had the best time ever! It was also fun reading what everyone had on their tees. One thing I love about Naijas (esp in GH) is that they know how to have a good time. It was packed (in a good way) and the music was phenom. By the time we left the sun was up...and it was Easter Sunday lol.

Tomorrow is a holiday here in GH, so I don't have classes...not like I would've gone though. Just being honest *Kanye shrug*. I think we're going to go to the beach for the day. I just want to lay, maybe shop a bit. I heard Kokrobite beach has dress sellers that have clothes for about 4-5ghc. You know I'm there. This coming weekend CIEE is finally taking us to Kumasi. I am so excited! I need to buy some Kente (for graduation especially). Prof. Kofi (my Twi instructor) brought his to class the other day. I was the size of a blanket, and he said it cost him about 1000ghc -_- Looks like I'm about to drop cedi stacks at the Kumasi market....

Until next time...

xoxo

Oli

You Know You're in Ghana When...

Two posts in one week. I'm on a roll! Here's a fun way of describing life in GH.

You know you're in Ghana when...

1) An event starts at 6, but you know it’s 100% acceptable to show up at 10….and still be early.

2) You call any of your elders “Auntie” or “Uncle”

3) You realize saying “sir,” “madame” or “excuse me” won’t capture anyone’s attention.

4) People use a snake hiss to hail a taxi, buy food, tell someone they dropped something, and get a female’s attention. All at the same time.

5) Ah! Oh! Chale! Daabi! Become necessary components of every sentence.

6) You spend more time trying to decipher the Ghanaian whisper than you do in actual conversation.

7) 9am is an appropriate time to eat emo, kontomire, egg, and fanta.

8) Flashing a friend has no sexual connotation to it at all.

9) You walk out of your way to avoid the food selling witch lady in the grass of ISH 2.

10) You’re better off taking a tro-tro to the hospital than waiting for an ambulance.

11) You see your Ghanaian classmates acting a ratchet fool in the club Thurs-Saturday, then they ask you why you weren’t at church on Sunday (*BBM blank stare*)

12) Not remembering someone’s name and calling them either Nana, Efya, Kwesi, Kwame, Kofi, Ama, Adwoa will elicit a response 92.67% of the time.

13) You Azonto to any song playing.

14) You start pronouncing “pepper” as “peppey.”

15) You see people and cars fall into the gutters…and think nothing of it.

16) You have an anxiety attack when you realize you left your toilet tissue in your hostel. (#tragedy)

17) The first question you’re asked when meeting someone is “Are you a Christian?”

18) You know the hand signals for tro-tros.

19) You have a real phone and a Ghana phone.

20) You can buy nsuo, a table, plantain chips, airtime, grapes, and fabric out of your car window at one traffic light.

21) Sleeping at your workplace is expected.

22) Not having a substantial amount of pesewas ruins your day.

23) You’re being courted by man A, his friend B, and his ex-roommate C, and neither of them know about each other.

24) A meal that costs more than 5GHc is entirely too much money.

25) It’s cheaper to have clothes made than buy new ones.

26) Mental preparation and powerful prayer is needed to survive the market.

27) It’s perfectly normal to answer your cell phone during class/church/meetings.

28) Hearing women yelling “Ice pure wata” during high heat is like the second coming of Christ.

29) You drop everything you’re doing to take advantage of a shower while the water is running.

30) You’ve given up on having clean, dirt-free feet.

31) You stop exercising because washing your clothes by hand is enough of a workout.

32) Air conditioning makes you shiver.

33) You laugh at Ghanaian’s r-factor (i.e. “Chale I dey bwoke.” Ummmm you mean “broke?”)

34) Drinks at Tyme-Out are a treat for surviving Professor Baku’s class every Thursday.

35) You see more Jamaican flags and “rastas” than you would in Kingston, JA.

36) You bargain for everything, then ask the seller to “to so” (add a dash) of whatever you just purchased.

37) Women with their boyfriends/husbands look at you with such hate, but say nothing because they have to be nice by Ghanaian standards.

38) You can say absolutely nothing, but get too much attention because you’re “obruni/obibini”

39) Describing your issues with bubble guts is normal.

40) You caution your friends as to which vendors to avoid at the night market.

41) You can spend more time at the beach than in classes.

42) Gypsy begging children are the only thing keeping you from shopping at Accra Mall.

43) Watching Chinese and Ghanaian students interact is the highlight of your day.

44) Nigerians and Ghanaians constantly bicker over who’s better.

45) A brigade of cars mean there’s a party going on tonight.

46) You walk half way to Okponglo Junction, and decide to take a cab because it’s entirely too hot.

47) You can hear Kolom, Agyeei, Over Again, Lapaz Toyota, Sweetio, Sorkode, and Oliver Twist multiple times in one night, and STILL go hammer time.

48) Marriage proposals occur as frequently as sunsets.

49) You’ve rescued a friend from being married on multiple occasions.

50) You have a SIM card especially for numbers you refuse to answer.

51) You order plain rice and stew and are brought jollof rice, shito, indomine, and coleslaw.

52) Dog food costs upwards of 200GHc

53) Shopping at Max Mart is your bougie fix of the week.

54) Seeing the woman selling “hot bread” brightens up your day.

55) Internet peaks at 100 kilobytes per second.

56) Ghanaians don’t understand a word you’re saying, and you get laughed at when asked to speak in class.

57) When your professor threatens to slap your face (hahahaha)

58) Your taxi driver gets out of the car, and you immediately check to make sure all the doors can open.

59) There’s only one crank to manually open all four windows in a cab.

60) You know what day of the week you were born on.

61) All of your native friends are men.

62) You let someone know they look nice by saying “you are looking so sweet.” Male or female.

63) Being grabbed by strangers in public is to be expected.

64) You “invite” everyone to your food…no matter how hungry you are.

65) You don’t notice the “oh” at the end of most sentences.

66) You can open sachet water with your teeth without spilling a drop.

67) Asking for directions means the person is now your very own escort.

68) Pineapples are white, oranges are green, and they’re the best tasting fruit you’ve ever had.

69) You prefer talking with hostel mates than going out partying.

70) Auntie Peggy stops you to make sure you have a slip on.

71) Aunite Peggy tries to set you up with every Nigerian she knows.

72) Auntie Peggy sleeps more than she works.

73) You complain about the small things, but genuinely love GH!

xoxo

O

Yes, I Am Alive!

I’m backkkkkkk J Here’s what I’ve been up to!

Travel

A few weeks ago, the crew and I decided to take a break from Accra and explore beaches a little further away. Accra is huge, but can seem so small at the same time. I know I was getting some cabin fever from always being in Legon/Accra/Campus so I needed a brief getaway. On impulse one Saturday morning, we decided to pack up and head to the Bojo Beach Resort. Not gonna lie, we were quite scared since we needed to tro-tro the hour and a half journey, but we definitely had help along the way. For one, Uncle Renny (aka Lorenzo—the 30 year old man that works in ISH’s internet café. Lorenzo insists on professing his love for me on the daily, and thinks it’s funny to run around telling people we go together. Never mind the fact that he’s casually dating 43% of the women in ISH lol) called one of his “bloods” [verbatim] and got more concrete directions for us. We only needed to take two tro-tros and a taxi to get there. Our friend Phillip (aka Uncle Phil) kept true to his name, and called to check in on us to make sure we arrived safely in true uncle fashion. The trip was much easier than I expected. Once we got out of the taxi, I was SO happy we decided to suck it up and go. Bojo Beach is amazing (and beautiful!) We got there around 10am so it was still quiet and serene. We drank, ate, laughed, chatted, swam, napped in the hours we were there. The beach turned into a huge party around 3pm, and in typical Ghanaian fashion, the smell of weed/alcohol occupied the air, music started blasting, and people were daggering. We left before things got to crazy, because we wanted to be back before sundown. The journey back was also pain free (well…besides the fact that our tro-tro broke down on the way back…I called it as soon as we got on at Circle! That thing looked like it was on its last leg. It was fine though…it broke down the equivalent of a block away from where we needed to get down so I think we still won.) I really think we had such a good day because prayer warrior Sydney blessed us with her powerful words…but I digress…

Our next trip was a CIEE excursion to the Eastern Region of Ghana. While there we went to the cocoa farm where all of the chocolate, cocoa butter, black soap, and cocoyams people around the world eat come from. It was hot, sticky, and buggy, so I barely paid attention. But it was interesting finding out how they process each and every part of the cocoa seed for production goods. For example, the shell of the cocoa seed is used to heal asthma and boiled to make black soap. The inner fruit of the cocoa can be eaten as a fresh fruity snack (it tasted like ginnips) or fermented naturally to make chocolate/coffee. Afterwards, we went to the wood carving region where I bargained the hell out of all my purchases. I ended up spending about 30USD on sculptures, jewelry, bags, and gifts. Shopping outside of Accra is always such a pleasant experience because it’s not too hectic/overwhelming. Out last stop was Aburi Botanical Gardens….again, I barely paid attention, but it was really pretty J

Taking Over Ghana

We’re going to be superstars soon lol. Shelbie and Sydney modeled a few pieces for an international award winning clothing line called “Clothing Qui Parle.” The designer ‘Milo’ is very kind, and asked them to walk in his fashion show during international students week. Now as I am no model, I decided to help out and do the makeup for the show. They were definitely on GMT (Ghana Man Time) so the show started about 2 hours late -_-. But we had a good time. There was some Biggie vs. Tupac type drama going on between the Nigerian and Ghanaian students. I don’t know all the details, but I know the Nigerians were mad that three “black Americans” were walking in Milo’s show and upstaged everyone *Kanye shrug*Regardless, the show went on, and everyone looked great in the clothes. Some other people “modeled” and performed, and…well….I’ll let you see for yourselves when I post the videos. Be prepared to DIE of laughter hahahaha.

We’ve also been stepping our entrepreneurial skills up in these past few weeks. Syd’s already booked for more photo shoots/fashion shows, I’m commissioned for makeup at events, and Shelbie is the mastermind behind party promotions. Our next big event is an American college themed party. Yet another friend Frances is helping us get the venue booked (he’s a god when it comes to party promotions. He’s working on getting one of the Ghana Black Stars’ mansions in East Legon for us. There’s also a good possibility that the event will be sponsored, so all the money we get from tickets can go to an orphanage called the Beacon House. Partying and humanitarian acts? That’s dope.) We have plenty other things in the works, but those need to stay hush. I don’t want anyone else stealing our ideas.

Life Otherwise…

Classes are still nothing superb. As a matter of fact, I won’t be updating on academics here anymore because you’d be bored, I’d be mad, and I don’t want to continuously throw shade on the entire UG educational system. That’s that. Social life is great. I’ve come to the conclusion that I cannnnnnottt do clubs in GH anymore. I barely like going to clubs in the US, and Ghana is that much more intense when they party, so I’m sticking to kick-backs/house parties for the rest of my time here. Although, to contradict myself, on Friday night I went out with a friend to this lounge in East Legon and had a blast. We partied to the latest Naija hits (the night was DJ’d/reserved for Nigerians. I’m starting to feel a riff between Naija students and GH ones. But we all know what team I’m on #IgboKwenu). His roommate’s sister knows my family in Nigeria, so they she loved me J It was good to finally spend time with women! We left the lounge around 2:30am for a house party in Madina. When we pulled up to the house, I could not believe it. First of all, it was a mansion…scratch that…super mansion! Fountains, waterfalls, a pool, basketball courts (yes courts) just astonishing! It was already 3am by then, and the party was still LIVE! Ended up staying there until about 6am (put this on everything, I left at 6 and people were stillllll partying. They have so much energy, I was done.) but left because I felt like I couldn’t go any longer. Got back to ish quarter to 7, saw Atsu off to his graduation and passed out.

We only have a little more than two months left in GH. It seems like a long time, but I know that at the rate the time’s been flying by here, May 27^th will be here before I know it. I feel like I still have so much to do here—mostly traveling. I’ll be going to Togo in 2 weeks, followed by Benin, then Nigeria for a week to visit family. It’s looking like South Africa won’t be until May, but that’s totally fine! Again, the time away from Accra will do me well, because I was too through with GH last week or so. I ate bad food from the Night Market, and felt like I was two feet away from death. Simply miserable. I should’ve known not to eat the “fresh” salad from there, but y’all know how stubborn/hard headed I am. I have definitely learned my lesson though. I still have PTSD from my week of bubble guts, so even the sight of produce turns me all the way off lol.

I think that’s all I have for now. I should probably go and do work since this week is full of exams, papers, and assignments due. Realistically though, I’ll be napping.

Miss you all!

xoxo

O

Sorry for the Delay!!!

I just realized I haven’t updated the blog in a while. My fault. It’s weird though….a lot has been going on in Ghana, but at the same time, NOTHING has been going on. Let’s see what I can think of.

Weekend in Cape Coast

CIEE took us on an excursion to Cape Coast about two weeks ago. The bus ride that should’ve been two hours turned into four because of traffic and the narrow roads leading down to the coast. When we finally arrived, our first stop was the Cape Coast Castle. There, we did a typical tourist tour, got to explore the dungeons and such, and were spoken to about the history of the slave trade. To be completely honest, I didn’t pay too much attention to what the man was saying because it’s all be sterilized to meet the needs of tourists. However, physically being in the castle was very taxing for me. I was in my own world trying to attach history to a tangible place. It was a lot. A few people on the program were talking crazy at the mouth, so I withdrew myself so I wouldn’t have to act out on the tour...

We then went to Global Mamas which is a fair trade batik fabric company here in Ghana. We got to make our own printed fabric, tie-dye it, and submit it for our CIEE team competition. I did a lot of printing, so when they were dyeing the fabric, I stayed outside and played with the kids around of workshop leader’s shop. In typical Ghanaian fashion, they kids were amazed by us because we’re “Obruni/Obibini.” Some of them even started to cry when we were leaving. That was cute lol. It was fun nonetheless! The following day, we went to Kakum National Park to do the infamous canopy walks through the jungle. I loved it! I hike up wasn’t bad at all. It only took about 25-30 minutes to hike to the canopies, and even less time to hike down when we were done.

After lunch, we boarded an airplane sized bus and headed back to Accra!

Classes in Ghana?

I still don’t feel like I’m a student in Ghana! The support staff at UG are on what seems like a permanent strike, so my classes barely meet. They are locking up classrooms, offices, and departments in efforts to demand pay that they’re owed, so there’s no way for lecturers to hold classes. I thoroughly annoyed with the “education” system here. Of the classes I’ve been to so far, my History of Western Medicine, African Dance Technique, and Landmarks in African American Literature courses are my favorite. (On another note, Ghanaian students that I’ve encountered know close to nothing about Af-Am history. It’s crazy! I was in my class, and the professor was discussing how we’d eventually get to literature in the Jim Crow era. A girl turned to me and asked “Who is Jim Crow?” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry…so I gave her one of these -_-)

The Post Office and Greater Accra

I thought about giving you a play-by-play of this adventure Shelbie and I went on to pick up her package at the Accra Post Office in Circle, but I realized it I told you all of everything that went down my family would send for me to come home immediately. It was not a pleasant experience at all…but luckily, I don’t think I’ll ever have to go back there again! God is good.

This post doesn’t seem too dense with useful updates, but I promise you nothing extraordinary has been going on! I’m still alive and kicking in Ghana. The time seems to be passing us by so quickly. We only have about 8 more weeks of classes, a month of exams, then I’m home! I can’t believe more than a month has already passed by. I love Ghana (for the most part. Plenty of things annoy me, but it’s definitely more love than anythingJ) but I’m at the point in which I very deeply miss the convenience and familiarity of being home! Here’s some fun news! Next month I decided to head down to Cape Town, South Africa to visit a friend from Colby (Jemarley). I am sooooooo excited about that. Seeing as it was my second choice for where I wanted to study abroad, I’m sure I’ll have a blast. Jemarley is also ratchet as all hell, so that’s also a plus.

That’s all the updates I have. Any questions? Ask! That’ll help me figure out what to write about next. Until then!!

xoxo