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!!!!

Welcome!!! 4 Days Until GH...Tripppppyy!

First and foremost, welcome to my study abroad blog! I've promised a few people (especially Professor Gilkes....HIIII) that I'd chronicle my semester, and I'm so excited to share my experiences as best as I can with you all...

Why did you choose to go to Ghana?
This has GOT to be the single most frequent question I've been asked whenever I let anyone know that I'll be spending the semester in Ghana (henceforth represented by "GH") so let me address it right out the gate. Explaining alllll of the reasons for choosing GH would take forever (OK not really, but ya know...) so let me bullet a few key reasons:

• As a Psychology & African-American Studies double major, it was extremely important for me to have first-hand experience in one of the countries that has influenced so much of what I learn within my AF-AM major. It's really easy to read, discuss, and judge countries, cultures, and peoples, but I felt it wouldn't be substantial if I didn't witness the aforementioned for myself.
• Ghana, for me, represents so much more than a hub for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. I'm Nigerian, and am interested in seeing how similar, or not, GH (and other West African countries) are to each other.
• I've grown so accustomed--dare I say spoiled, to Western life...and that's kind of not OK with me. In speaking with professors, advisors, and friends who've studied in GH, I got the impression that while the pace of day-to-day life is extremely slow, quality of life is extremely high. It amazes me that Ghanaian can have so little, yet be more appreciative of what small blessings they have (while we in the States complain about EVERYTHING. Case in point, the Twitter hash tag #firstworldproblems)
• Ummmm, the weather?! Yeah, 'nuff said :-)
• We all know Colby is seriously lacking in us "colored" folk. I have a feeling this won't be an issue in GH lol
• While we're on the subject of Colby, I needed to study abroad for my sanity. I think we all get to that point in which we're checked out, and ever since my aces graduated, I've been tooooo through with my undergraduate career. This semester will surely be a good break! Plus once I get back, it'll be time for me to graduate....well....almost. **sighs**

What does "Obruni" mean?

I took my favorite course thus far this past Fall. It was AY341: Culture, Mobility, Identity--Encounters in the African Diaspora with Professor Bhimull (sidebar: if you want to learn more than you ever thought you could in one class, take one w/ Prof. Bhimull. This is the hardest, yet most rewarding, class I've ever taken in my life.) Since it was an upper-level seminar course, each week, students would facilitate the class based upon the week's keyword. My facilitation week revolved around the idea of "return." We were required to read and analyze Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route (Hartman, 2007). In it, Hartman chronicles her journey back to Ghana, and her experiences with being "obruni"...a stranger. Now I coulddddd go into how many Black Americans never establish a sense of "home," "belonging," or "community," (think W.E.B. DuBois, James Baldwin, etc) but I won't. Instead, I chose "The Journey of Obruni" because in a sense, that's exactly what I want to be once I get to GH. My ultimate goal is to experience GH through "obruni' lens. To learn and soak in all aspects of my stay as if I'd never been exposed to it before. I refuse to head across the Atlantic and pretend to be "coming home." Why should I? And why should they accept me in such manner? Just a thought...

When do you leave? When do you come back?

I leave on Tuesday January 17th, and God willing I'll be back May 28th!!

I'm sure I have more to include in this first post, but I'm sleepy. I'll be posting a few more entries before I leave, and will try my hardest to keep this blog updated while I'm away. At very least, I'd like to keep to one entry a week. I'll have a Blackberry with me, and WiFi set up soon enough, so hold tight, and check back for updates.

Can't wait!!!

Olisa