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