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

At Least I'm Not Married...

Bonjour tout le monde! Here we go again...

1) Makola Market Debauchery

2) Still No Consistent Classes

3) There is NO Azonto Cap in Ghana!!!

4) Other Random Points

1) Makola Market Debauchery

Lawd, where do I even begin with this one?! My friend Sydney’s roommate (Manna…sp?) offered to escort us to Makola to get fabric, sandals, and scarves last week, and the whole event was tastefully complex. We left ISH around 10am and headed off campus to catch the tro-tro. I don’t know why there was so much midday traffic going to Accra, but it took us forever (almost an hour) to catch the bus to the market. Once we got to Makola, the madness began. We made our first purchase with a man selling what seems like a Mount Everest sized pile of headscarves. He was really friendly, funny, and enthusiastic about his hustle. The scarves were dirt cheap…like…50 pesewas cheap. I got 6, and am thinking about braving the ratchetness to go and get more. They’re perfect for the New England fall….but I digress.

Our next stop is where everything got real—at the shoe vendors. My goodness! First of all, there was a creepy man giving me the eye from the time we got to Makola until we left the place. He was trying to get me to come look at whatever it was that he was selling. I couldn’t deal. THEN, once we found a seller who had decent shoes, we were engulfed in a circle full of people tugging at us, taking our shoes off and insisting on putting the shoes they thought we should buy on our feet (Think Cinderella and the prince finally putting her retrieved shoe back on…except not at all romantic lol). I wasn’t realllllly in need of sandals, so I stood to the side. Before I knew it, a very aggressive man came up to me, grabbed my arm, and kept repeating “Marriage me. Let’s go get marriage.” At first I was dying of laughter, because it was freaking hilarious! Bad idea. He interpreted that as “try harder,” and proceeded to pull (when I say pull, it was more like a drag attempt. I promise I’m not over exaggerating!) The Crew and Manna were too busy bargaining to realize I was about to be some random’s wife, so I started yelling “help!” Legit though, I’m cracking up right now, it was just too much! These people are bold. Shelbie finally realized what was going on, put on her Superwoman cape, and came to my rescue, and at that point I was too through with the market and wanted to get out! We made a few more stops, I got sandals, kente cloth, and earrings. Let’s just say I’ll be waiting a while to visit any market again!

2) Still No Consistent Classes

Not too sure of what’s going on with the lecturers at UG, but a lot of people’s classes have not been meeting. The semester has officially started, and still professors aren’t showing up, students aren’t showing up, and administrative employees aren’t doing their job. I was talking to my roommate (who is a fourth year student) and she said it has never been this bad. Usually I’d be jumping for joy at the fact that I don’t have class to go to, but in all honesty, I miss the academic grind. I’ve been out of a classroom for almost two months, and these sporadic classes aren’t cutting it. I’m really not trying to be bored in Ghana. It is only Monday though….maybe things will change?

3) There is NO Azonto Cap in Ghana!!

So due to the International Students’ Durbar Celebration, our Cape Coast trip has been moved to this coming weekend. Therefore, we were able to go out on Friday and Saturday night, and this Ghanaian highlife/hiplife music lives on. They do not get sick of Azonto music at all!! It’s actually impressive (but redundant). Friday night was OK—just OK. I refuse to be out all night Azonto-ing, not really into that. I definitely miss parties back home with a variety of familiar music. I know, I know—this is Ghana. But DAMN!! We were all joking that if we heard one American song, we’d go HAM. Supposedly, the music at this club called “Twist” usually plays more hip-hop and such once the night goes on, but we were there until almost 3, and not one familiar song was played. Saturday night was cool. Highs and lows, but definitely more highs! As a “crew” we always seem to laugh in the face of madness, and that’s pretty much what was done all weekend hahaha. Butttttttt, the music is catchy. Here are my two favorite Ghanaian songs at the moment:

4) Other Random Points...

a. Little known fact—an Okoh designed the Ghanaian flag. #boss (I wonder if we're related. If so, I'm going to need a cut from all the profit Ghana flags make. Just sayin')

b. Ghana’s Black Stars soccer team is doing really well in the Africa Cup of Nations. Whenever there’s a game, it’s as if Jesus himself has arrived. It’s cute. *Eric voice*

c. I think my body has PTSD for the Night Market food. I tried again last night since the whole city was shut down for church/soccer. Epic fail. My tummy was not amused.

d. Hand washing your clothes really does get them cleaner than a machine does. Try it sometime.

e. On Friday, Shelbie and I introduced Ghanaians to tacos. They loved it. Sunday has been designated as “American” delicacy night. You can only eat red-red so much…I miss food from home.

f. My roommate is standing over me and has requested I tell you all hello on her behalf lol. She’s really quiet, but when she speaks, it’s nothing but hilarious punch lines. She’s a mess.

T’is all for now.

xoxo

It's 3am in Ghana...

BUT THE GIANTS WON!!!!

...I'll be the first to admit that I'm no avid (American) football fan, but when it comes to my city...

It's so silent in GH right now. No one cares about the Superbowl. I'll be singing this tune for a few days:

Life is Good!

Wo ho te sen? (How are you for you non-Twi speakers)! Here are a few updates :-)

1) First REAL Weekend Out in GH

2) Tour of Accra

3) Registration and Classes

4) This Coming Weekend

1) First REAL Weekend Out in GH

Last weekend I had an absolute blast! A few friends and I were starting to get a little cabin fever because we’d been confined to ISH (….maybe confined isn’t the right word choice, no one forced us to stay in lol. You get the point though!) for so long. We decided to go with the masses to this guy Keith’s 30^th birthday party. Now a little back story on Keith…

Keith looks exactly like Richard Simmons to me! Regardless, he was at our IPO Orientation last week acting all kinds of crazy. He would literally yell at the speakers whenever he had a comment/question/suggestion, and I wrote him off right then and there. As many of you know, I like to utilize my pending Psychology degree and diagnose people with personality disorders—he got Aspergers hahaha. Fast forward to the bulletin boards in ISH, and we see tons of hand written signs that are invitations to Keith’s 30^th birthday party (what he’s doing at UG at age 30 is beyond me. I’m done asking questions) at this bar/restaurant/lounge called Appetite in East Legon. There was no way “the crew” (Blog about those ladies in another post. We’re all a mess!) and I were going to go…until everyone in ISH said they were definitely going since it was free for ladies.

Anyway, we got to Appetite and had a blast. The music was great, the very crowded crowd was live, and everyone was having a great time. The people there were so varied, so it was cool to meet new people. We stayed there for about two hours before making our way to another part of Accra called Osu. There, a few friends took us to this club called Bella Roma. It was SOnice! Reminded me of the very upscale bougie lounges and clubs in NYC. The crowd there was very different. They were definitely older, more sophisticated patrons. A lot of the guys were business men from Ghana, Nigeria, the Middle East, and so on. Again the music was great, the dancing was great, and everyone had a good time. Ghanaians can surely dance! And they party ALL NIGHT LONG (Seriously. Until sunrise! But last Friday, we checked out around 4am. #lightweight)

Saturday we just “chilled” in true Ghanaian fashion. Students in ISH 1 are very social, so there are always people hanging out and socializing. It’s a gift!

(Birthday boy Keith and The Crew. I wish you could read his shirt. It says "My name is not Obruni!" #classic)

[Quick edit: Totally forgot to mention the Ghana vs. Mali football match we watched on Saturday night. Everyone went over to Tyme Out in Pentagon to watch it. I was so bored at first, but once Ghana scored their first goal, the whole lounge was turned up! I was DYING because as soon as we hit the first goal, Azonto started blasting, and everyone was jumping up and down, turning chairs over, picking each other up, and dancing. It was amaze. Ghanaians are the funniest to watch the games with! The pidgin tops it all off. T'was a great time, especially since we won 2-0]

2) Tour of Accra

Our program spent Saturday on a tour of Accra. We drove around, and were pointed out the major tro-tro stops, monuments, markets, etc. Our first major stop was Makola market. I thought Madina was packed….mannnnnnn! It has nothing on Makola. You can seriously get EVERYTHING imaginable there. I wanted to get these amazing backpacks made of Kente cloth, but the Mr. Gyasi said I could get it for next-to-free once we head up to Kumasi, so I’ll hold out. We passed by a few of the impoverished areas of Osu/Greater Accra/fishing regions, and it was rough! Very very rough! It’s hard/sad to think that some people have to live the way many in Ghana do. Our last stop was the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. The actual structure where he and his wife are buried is beautiful (I’ll add photos). The sky got really gray as we were entering, and it was clearly going to downpour, so people weren’t really interested in listening to the tour guide. She was pissed about that, and had the worst attitude for the rest of the tour. It was kind of funny, but y’all know my sense of humor…

(The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial)

(Dr. and Mrs. Nkrumah's burial sites)

(boss.)

3) Registration and Classes

Registration is very tedious. Although we signed up for our courses online, we still need to go to each department and make sure we’re registered properly. This could be putting my name in a book, signing forms, submitting a passport photo, or handing over my first born child for sacrifice (-_-). I spent almost 3 hours registering for two classes. I’m sure it would’ve been faster any other time, but the administrative staff is on strike because the University owes some workers over 24 months of overtime pay. To be honest, I would’ve gone on strike wayyyyy before they hit month 24! Classes have officially started, but it seems like most people won’t be going until next week. I have no problem with that at all, because after not being in a class room for almost two months, I’m not in an intellectual mindset. Our Twi class has started though! Professor Kofi is hilarious! After everything he says “Hallelujah, Praise the Lord.” It warms my heart.

4) This Coming Weekend

This weekend our group will be traveling to the Central Region of Ghana. Here’s what we’ll be doing:

• Batik Tye Dye Workshop at Cape Coast
• Visit the Cape Coast Castles
• A debriefing conversation (I don’t know what that means)
• Visit to the Kakum National Park
• Lunch at Hans Cottage
• Beach
• Back to Accra.

I’m excited for all of this! As always, I’ll keep everyone posted!

xoxo

A Few (Very Random) Photos. I Promise I'm Trying!

View of the yard in ISH (my dorm)

International Programmes Office (IPO)

Outside of IPO

The CIEE Office :-)

It's very strange being an international student...

UPal Gideon, Students Jeremy and Sydney UPal Evans, and Mr. Gyasi...the program director!


Student Bilal, UPals Kweasebia and Ohene :-) Kweasebia and Julia!

Bilal, Julia, Kweasebia, Yvonne, and I

How Conveniently Inconvenient...

Hello everyone J It’s time for another update…hope you’re excited about it. A lot has been going on since my last blog post, so to keep my thoughts organized, I’m going to stick with making lists of topics to be discussed. Here we go:

1) International Student Hostel & Day-to-Day Living

2) International Programmes Office Orientation

3) Random Shenanigans

4) An Interesting Observation

5) Ghana is Conveniently Inconvenient

6) This is Ghana!

7) What’s Next?

1) International Student Hostel & Day-to-Day Living

As mentioned in my last post, I have moved into my room for this semester on campus. It’s a pretty standard dorm room, with a armoire, desk, chair, end table, bed, and bookshelf. I’ll add photos to show you all what it looks like:

My roommate still has not moved in, but according to the porters, all other students will be moved in by Sunday. I liked the solitary feel of my room at first, but I think I’m ready for someone to move in. I live right below one of the lounges in ISH, so almost every night I hear people raging upstairs. It’s crazy how thin the walls are.

ISH definitely has its pros and cons. All of the people on the program live here, so it’s really easy for everyone to hangout or get in contact with each other whenever we want. There are tons of international students living here (I swear there’s an equal amount of Nigerians as compared to the Ghanaians.) We have a small convenient store downstairs, as well as a very very mini kitchen that serves food. They have the best red-red and it’s very reasonably priced. ISH is also by the Night Market…and I must say I’m not a big fan. Now in my mind, I thought it would be like a Pathmark or something (ok, maybe not that modern) but I was shocked when I first went there. Imagine a bunch of wooden carnival booths bunched together in an abandoned parking lot…that’s the Night Market. You can find almost everything there, but the fact that the food stays out all day, unheated, and unsanitary makes me choose other options. I had jollof rice, plantains, and chicken from there the other day, and never again! EVER! ISH is also quite far from the main part of campus. To get to the academic buildings we have to walk at least 20-30 minutes, and then more time to your specific department. May not seem like a long time, but in the heat of Accra, it gets rough L. We’ve also been without water for two going on three days now. I’m currently typing this blog post after my bucket water bath, drinking water out of a plastic bag, sitting under a mosquito net. No one can EVER call me high maintenance again! I know it sounds a lot like I’m complaining, but I’ll make my point towards the end of the post.

2) International Programmes Office Orientation

YES! We had to go through a second series of orientation meetings this week. UGH has an international students orientation, and to be honest, slept through 80% of it lol. I really did try to stay awake, but they repeated EVERYTHING CIEE so eloquently outlined for us last week. Maybe I’m a jerk for it, but the fatigue won. It’s over now, so I can finally register for courses tomorrow morning (or whenever…depending on when I publish this post).

3) Random Shenanigans

Something I’m really excited about is the fact that Shelbie and I got our hair braided today in Madina! To get there we took a tro-tro (similar to NYC dollar vans, but cheaper. Our 15-20 minute ride was only 40 pesewas/ 25 US Cents!) into Madina, and it was completely bizarre. The only semi equivalent comparison I can think of is Chinatown—but even that’s not busy enough. Madina is so incredibly crowded. People were selling electronics, appliances, food, shoes, “obruni clothes” (think Goodwill), and of course hair. We were lead down some sort of back street, and got to the shop that sold packs of Kanekalon (all you black girls know I’m sure! HAHAHAHAHA) I got 4 packs of hair for 12 cedis. We then made our way to the braiding salon. Once we got there, it was like all eyes were on Shelbie, Kweasibea (our UPal), and I. It was very strange…but I’ll elaborate on why later. Kweasibea got us situated, and translated how we wanted our braids to the Madame of the shop. It took about 6 hours, seven women, and experiencing the ratchetness of Madina to get my hair finished. Would I do it again? Absolutely! My braids only cost 25 cedis/~15USD. When I usually pay 100-150 USD, I’ll take Ghanaians price any day!

4) An Interesting Observation

Here’s something a few friends and I have noticed about Ghanaian women. In general, when in the presence of Ghanaian women, one can feel a very cold vibe. I find myself completely frustrated and confused when with them because they have such a blank/intense stare that makes you feel as if they either don’t care/understand/both what you’re saying, which is so frustrating. But here’s the catch! Once they begin to speak to you, they’re some of the nicest people ever! It’s very strange, and I have to keep reminding myself that it’s just what they do. The NYer in me wants to black on them…but I quickly remember where I am and have a seat.

5) Ghana is Conveniently Inconvenient

Another student said this last night at dinner, and I thought it was so funny and so true. It describes how I’m feeling about GH at the moment. A love/hate relationship—with love greatly outweighing hate. While I’ve been having such a great time here, I get so annoyed at some things that are just 100% inconvenient for everyone. For example, it’s convenient to spend the afternoon walking with friends, catching up, taking your time, and enjoying the outdoors, but the open gutters alongside the road make doing so very inconvenient. The sachets of water quench thirst, but the bags are utterly ridiculous! OMG this is the one that bothers me the most---Ghanaians NEVER have change. I know it sounds crazy, but understand me here. It’s as if any bill over 10 cedis can’t be used in stores due to their lack of change. We get looked at CRAZY when trying to pay for things with larger bills, and then the attitude kicks in. I just don’t understand it. Everyone pays for everything in change/small bills, but owners never seem to have change. As I re-read this, I sound so crazy, but if you were here you’d definitely understand (at least I hope so!) The concept of time is very foreign here and it takes forever for things to get done. Daily productivity is definitely not a focal point here.

6) This is Ghana!

I feel as if this post is full of all the negatives I can think about in GH. If taken at face value, then yes, it is! But, while all the aforementioned frustrate me at times, they’re also the reason why I love Ghana. A few of us were hanging out with one of the UPals the other night (Atsu), and he put it all into perspective for me. As one of Ghana’s most admired dancers, Atsu has managed to stay grounded, humble, and simple. To him, it’s all about interpersonal relationships, doing well for yourself and others, and putting positive energy into the world! I wish I had the time to detail EVERYTHING Atsu talked to us about, but I’m going to keep that a secret. Just know it was beautiful, and made me appreciate the smaller things in life (ex: The water was one for about 20 minutes tonight, and it’s the first time I got to shower in two days lol. I was in the shower singing and dancing praises to the gods! Who would’ve thought someone could miss showering so much. I’m telling y’all…it’s a luxury.) The Dean of International Programmes also stated something that I put things into prospective for me as well. She said “The system may not always work, but the people of Ghana do!” Studying in a third world, developing country is not nearly as easy as I thought it would be. I often times find myself comparing Ghanaian ways with what I’m used to back in New York, and I’ve found that it only leads to more frustration. Whenever things don’t go as planned, we now just say “this is Ghana.” No water? This is Ghana. No electricity? This is Ghana! Mean faced women and pushy old men? This is Ghana! Black Star Football craze? This is Ghana! This mindset has helped me to manage the stark differences between GH and the US, and I’m really learning, loving, and laughing more than I ever have before! The convenient inconvenience of day-to-day doings complicates living in Ghana, and I thoroughly appreciate it.

7) What’s Next?

Classes start on Monday, and I’m so excited! As of right now, it’s looking like I’ll be taking Traditional African Dance, Ghanaian Dance Forms, Twi for Beginners, Textile Design (the one I’m most looking forward to), Abnormal Psychology, and The History of Western Medicine in Ghana. I might be auditing Medical Sociology, but let me see how I feel about these other classes before I add on another one. I still need to get the modem to have constant internet, but going to the mall is holding me back. Not really trying to venture out there again soon, but it’s kind of becoming dire. Maybe tomorrow…

Thanks for reading J

First Updates from Ghana :-)

Let me start off by stating this post is going to be a long one. To help you all pick which experience you’d like to hear about (although I don’t know whyyyy you wouldn’t want to read everything), let me break it down into a small list:

1) The Flight

2) First Impressions of Ghana

3) Orientation

4) CIEE Students

5) CIEE Staff

6) What's Next?

1) The Flight

I flew on a red-eye British Airways flight from JFK to London, had a four hour layover, then flew London to Accra. The physical commute across the Atlantic was absolutely perfect!! I got to JFK about an hour before takeoff, took all of five minutes to check-in and get through security, and had time to spare before boarding began. Once on board, I had my own three seat section as the flight was not fully booked (which was great for me sleeping through the 6 hour flight). After the plane landed in London, I realized that another CIEE student was on the same one with me, and to say the least we had an adventure trying to get to our next gate. Like JFK, they have sort of an “AirTran” to take you to various gates, but since we got there so early, none of our flight info was posted. We ended up waiting about 3 hours to figure out where we needed to go, but once we got there we met up with about 5 other students in our program

The flight from London to Accra was a little more eventful. First of all, it was to capacity. May not sound like a big deal, but sitting in coach with a bunch of half drunk Ghanaians, expatriates, and babies was hilarious! I sat next to an elderly gentleman whom when I was asleep tucked me in with his extra flight blanket. I woke up kind of freaked out—but hey! I guess it’s the thought that counts. (I guess it’s worth mentioning that once the plane landed he immediately asked me if I would consider marrying his son who was waiting outside. I laughed, but he was still looking at me dead serious. I guess he wasn't joking lol).

We met up with other students on a KLM flight, went through immigration and customs, and were met by two U-Pals (UGhana students who serve as our mentors) Kwabesia and Gideon. They’re both so nice, so funny, and so helpful! Once everyone claimed their luggage, we boarded the bus and went our way to the hotel…

2) First Impressions of Ghana

- Ghana is beautifully HOT! We’ve been indoors/in AC most of the time but spend most nights outdoors hanging out. I’m sure I might have a different opinion on the weather once classes start, and AC isn’t readily available!

- The people are truly kind. Everyone’s very willing to help…good intentions? Je ne sais pas. But I haven’t had any issues yet.

- Everything is cheap cheap cheap!

- Although Ghana is remains a developing nation, I was so surprised to see huge buildings, Western businesses (as soon as you get off the plane, there are ads for KFC, TacoBell, The Marriot, even the Kardashians -_-)

- Bargaining is the key to survival. I kind of had a problem with this at first because to me, as the prices are so low, I don’t see a need to bargain. But considering that minimum wage here is 2USD, typical Ghanaians haggle for EVERYTHING!

- In terms of safety, I haven’t felt unsafe at all! But again, we’ve been in the safe cradle of The Ange Hill Hotel since Wednesday so maybe that will change too!

- The men in Ghana…man! So aggressive. I’ve had countless attempts at getting my cell number, email address, BBM, even requests for Visas! No marriage proposal yet though lol Not to worry! They're also very friendly, respectful, and love to strike up casual conversations about absolutely nothing. (For example, one of the hotel employees continues to follow me saying "Olisa...I'll never forget that beautiful name. His agenda however: "Olisa...I like you so much now. You dey have cellular? Chale dash me!" HAHAHA I guess there's a trade-off!)

- I’m sure there are more…but I’ll update later.

3) Orientation

Orientation has been very thorough. We’ve learned about academics, Ghana safety, modes of transportation, been to the Accra mall to get cell phones, internet, etc, and basic adjustment topics needed to survive in Ghana I guess. To be honest…I hate all kinds of orientations. I feel like I’m a freshman again. I know it’s needed, but still—I get so bored! Tonight we had dinner and went dancing at this spot call Chez Afrique. The food is AMAZING! (Sidebar: I love the food here. The perfect level of spiciness and it all tastes so similar to Nigerian food. One thing I’m not a big fan of is how heavy all the meals are. Tons of rice, yams, plantains [kelewele is my new favorite though!], and multiple kinds of meats each meal.) After which we danced inside, were drenched in sweat, and walked back to the hotel. I’m glad Gideon and other UPals taught us how to Azonto (Although I probs look a mess doing it) because that’s seriously all the natives do now. I battled one man at Chez Afrique..…I lost

4) CIEE Students

There are a little fewer than 40 of us here, and the students are from all over the place! Some have mutual friends with me, some I actually haven’t spoken to much, some I have. Everyone is friendly though. Can’t say I’ve been hanging out with a group of people exclusively…trying not to get caught up in the safe American student net. I’m sure it’ll be easier to branch out with non-Americans once we move in tomorrow! All in all, everyone in the program is wonderful!

5) CIEE Staff

HILARIOUS!!!...and helpful! Really not much more to say about them.

6) What’s Next?

Tomorrow I believe we have morning orientation, lunch, and then pack up to move into UG! I’ll be living in the International Student Hostel (ISH). I went with UPal Gideon and Evans to see Pentagon (which is where I wanted to live *side eye*) and it looks just like newly remodeled apartment complexes we have back in the US. Once inside though, you know you’re in Ghana. Gideon and Evans live in a room with two other people, have their own kitchen, bathroom, and balcony. It was spacious enough…but I think it would be hard to have 4 men living in the space. Hopefully my room will be decent (as will my roommate). Regardless, I’m excited to be done with CIEE orientation, out of the hotel, and really immersed in Ghana. I’ll be meeting up with a few Ghanaians (some I know personally, some are friends of friends, and one family is my boss’ parents. Hype!) Once I get settled in ISH. They’re all so excited to hang out which I love! This semester is already shaping up to be a great one and I couldn’t be any happier with my decision to come. I promise I'll add photos to the blog...once I start taking some. I'm horrible at capturing photos though. Just a heads up!

Blog again soon!!

Waiting for Tonight (Ohhhh-Ohhhhh)

Tonight's the night!!!

NYC---->London---->Accra

Thank you everyone for the wonderful messages, texts, calls, and emails!! Your well wishes and encouragement are definitely helping to put my nerves at ease. Praying for smooth travels across the Atlantic. As soon as I touch down, I'm hitting my Azonto lol

Until Ghana...

What Not To Wear

Not much to update the blog on today. Seriously, the only thing keeping me from feeling 100% ready for GH is this damn packing business. It's going to be the bane of my existence. If you know me, you know I live for clothes, shoes, makeup, etc. Trying to pack for 5 months in two suitcases under 50lbs will be a task.

But let me get back to it.

Results soon come...

In Case You Were Wondering...

Just kidding, I've got one more post in me for the night. This is what happens at 3am when I'm not sleepy.

Things I'm excited about...

1. The weather. I don't think anyone understands how much I loveeeeee hot weather. Like, brutally hot weather. I'm all over it. I go to school in Maine, so a winter without snow and negative gazillion degree weather is everything to me.
2. The fashion. I cannot wait to make my way up to Kumasi especially and get amazing fabric to have clothes made. Is it just me, or does anyone else get offended when high end designers like Burberry, Michael Kors, Donna Karan draw upon their "African-Inspirations" for their collections? I always wonder if they truly value the premises in which the colors, patterns, and materials influence wardrobe. It's been made very clear to me that in GH, everyone dresses to impress--all day, errrrr day! I'm for that life. Colby students fall wayyyy short to this culturally understood dress code, and since I'm such a girl **twirls hair around finger** I'll have no problem with this.
3. The food. My obsession with spicy food is only going to go into overdrive in GH. Luckily since I won't be in a homestay, I'll be preparing all of my own food. Since fresh fruits and veggies flow freely through the Accra/Legon markets, I'm sure I'll be in heaven. Ghanaian food is very much so similar to Naija food, so it's very starch and meat based. That might be a slight issue for me. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly appreciate a good piece of meat, but all the time though? That's too much. But I'll deal.
4. Meeting Ghanaians. Pretty self explanatory....
5. Visiting Cape Coast, the slave castles, and waterfalls. Rich history. Rich present. Rich errrrthang.
6. Music and Dancing. This might be the one thing I'm most excited for. I can seriously spend all day singing (off key) and dancing, and since both are essential components to Ghanaian culture, I'm going to make it a point to do as much of both as possible. I've already enrolled in two African dance courses, and hope to squeeze in a drumming one at some point. Watch, when I get back, I'll be a one-woman performing troupe lol.
7. ME time. I look forward to leaving many of my worries at home, and reflecting on my future once I get to GH. I'm considering deactivating my Facebook (most likely than not, it'll be gone while I'm abroad. Twitter however, stays lol). Immersing myself in the moment, not worrying about much, and appreciating everything will be my central focus.

Now for a few things I'm worried about:

1. Getting sick. I hate being sick. It doesn't happen too often to me, but when it does, it's always horrible. Like, two seconds from death horrible! I've accepted the fact that I'll get travelers diarrhea, but malaria, typhoid, even the flu creeps me out. I'm going to be such a germ freak once I get there. I have an insane arsenal of antibacterial soaps, lotions, OTC medication, bug sprays, SSS, etc. Let's hope I'm covered!
2. Sanitation. Or lack there of...
3. Running water. Or lack there of...
4. Missing my family and friends. I never, ever, get home sick. Then again, I've never been out the country alone for such a long period of time. I know I'll survive, but it's gonna be tough a some point I'm sure!! My best friends (heyyyy Ms.Moo Goo, JessBelle, Delly) and I have weekly (hilariousssss might I add) conference calls, and I'm so sad to not be a part of them for 5 months. I'll definitely miss my Colby crew too! You all had better keep me posted though, or else lol.

That's really all though. I'm not worried about too much. Nothing (IMO) too irrational either. SO SOON SO SOON SO SOON!!!!