The Return Home

               For one of my last posts I would like to rate all my different experiences in Ghana. It should be interesting as well as extremely informative to future volunteers or tourists who want to know what were the most interesting experiences I had. Everything I did in Ghana was worthwhile and I wouldn’t take any of my experiences back for anything. But some parts were better than others so here are the ratings. 

Accra               B+

        I did not love living in a big city such as Accra because it is hectic and the very crowded. The worst parts are the traffic and the trash. However it does provide for plenty of places to explore and interesting things to do. Some of the places to definitely check out are Osu (although it is Obroni central), Tema station, Circle, Lascala, and Teshie-Nungua. Also try to check out Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum to learn about Ghana’s very influential first president. We did not get to go which I regret.  

        Labadi Beach Reggae night                    C-

            I went twice and did not really enjoy it. There is live music and often performances but it doesn’t start till 11 pm on Wednesday night which is inconvenient for most volunteers. Also it is flooded with Rasta’s enjoying some “herbs” and Obronis (often also there just to enjoy the herbs). 

      Accra Art Center                                      F

                I am not an art enthusiast but the merchandise here is very nice. Unfortunately all of the vendors are incredibly pushy and aggressive and the prices are outrageous. You can find the same quality things other places in Ghana although with a bit more effort. 

        Global Mommas                                      A

                An NGO started by some volunteers that teaches jobless Ghanaian women to make clothing and other crafts. The store then sells this high quality merchandise and a portion of the profits maintain the NGO. The prices are a bit higher but they have some very cool gifts that you won’t find anywhere else and it goes to a good cause. 

        Jamestown                                               B-

            Most guidebooks will tell you to visit the lighthouse and fort in Jamestown but it was pretty unimpressive. Go to Jamestown or Ushertown and walk around if you wish to experience extreme poverty and have a reality check but it is not a tourist destination. 

Volta Region              A+

      Volta region is amazingly beautiful with much fewer people and mountains all around. It is also the least visited region in Ghana, so you can escape all the tourists. The best parts are Wli (Agumatsa) Waterfalls, Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, and the Bead Market in Odumase-Krobo (trotro to Kpong). There are plenty of other places to visit that sounded incredible but I did not get the chance to do. Check out Likpe Caves/waterfall, and Amadwofe Mountain.

Eastern Region           A+

      Eastern region may have surpassed Volta region in its beauty. Go to the capital Koforidua, which is only a short 2 to 3 hour trotro from Accra (Great for a day trip!), and walk around the city a bit. Also a must is the Akaa village and Umbrella rock. The people are wonderful and the views can’t be beat. If you are willing to drive around a bit then check out the six-headed palm tree near Mamfe as well. There are 3 or 4 different waterfalls in this region as well including Akaa, Boti and   , which would be worth it as well although I only saw Akaa falls. 

Central Region                       A-

        The main attraction of the central region is Cape Coast. Definitely a necessity to go and visit the Slave castles in Cape Coast and Elmina. One of the main tourist attractions is Kakum National Park. It was an interesting experience but very busy and expensive so I don’t know whether it was worthwhile. More interesting was the Monkey Forest Resort located just down the street where you can see lots of African animals (although unfortunately not completely wild). Also a good time was Wassa Domama rock shrine although I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a full day and a burning desire for adventure. Lastly I didn’t make it to Hans Cottage but for about 5 cedi you can see crocodiles up close and personal which I think would be worthwhile. 

Food

      Fufu                                                               C (Akaa village Fufu though… A)

        Banku                                                          D

        Ground Nut Soup                                        B+

        Light Soup                                                   B

        Okra Stew                                                   B-

        Pepe                                                             D-

        Jollof Rice                                                   A

        Waakye                                                       A-

        Fried Plantain                                             A+

        Fried Ginger Plantain                                A++

        Redred                                                        B

        Grilled Street Corn                                     A

        Boiled Corn                                                B+

        Fried Yam                                                    A

        Bofrut                                                          A+++

        Alvaro                                                         A+

        FanIce/FanChoco/FanYogo                        A+

Ghanaian Street Acrobats

We saw these guys doing these crazy handstand things and had to check it out. Apparently they are an acrobatic group that has been training together since they were kids. However they also work construction and this was just a little free time spent impressing some Obroni's. The guys saw us watching from a ways away and invited us over to watch all these fantastic tricks and to take pictures. It is really really impressive and these may be some of the strongest guys I have ever met.

They would do a handstand thing on these wooden blocks and then flip backwards onto their feet. It takes incredible balance as well as athleticism and I have to admit I'm pretty jealous.

This guy is halfway though doing his backflip from the handstand. These guys also did some straight flips off the ground that were really cool to watch.

I am not even sure what to call this

This was probably the most impressive trick they did for us. They actually stood like this long enough for us to take a picture.

This picture captured a guy halfway through a near fall. However as you can sort of tell they could stand on one anothers heads, so like stacking people. And they did not even use a stool or bend down. The guy one bottom would just sort of throw the other one up on his head. You have to be very strong but also compact and lightweight so that you don't put a burden on the other guys. 

Ya...he is actually balancing a shovel on his forehead.

They were pretty flexible guys. I know some people who can put a leg over their head but I don't believe any of them do it while standing on their buddies shoulder.

Incredible Pictures of Ghana

Sitting having a few drinks at reggae night on Labadi beach. That's me and Mica.

Some little children in Jamestown who were really excited to get there picture taken. Most are very willing as long as you show them the picture afterwards.

My roommate Chris having an intimate moment with one of the cows that had stopped along the side of the road.

This white bus is a TroTro. They are basically vans that can fit 15 to 20 people but they vary greatly in size and quality.

My housemates Chris (Canadian) and Mitchell (South African) with myself posing in front of the gate one night as we were waiting to be let into the house.

Mica, Mitchell and Myself with our newfound best friend in Wli.

Mica and Chris with our little friend, enjoying some corn.

Mitchell veiwing the cows and goats that we found grazing right next to the road we are living on. Imagine driving to school and a few streets down animals are just hanging out on the sidewalk.

Our favorite Rasta on Africa Union day at Labadi beach. He is actually a really nice guy and a good source of information. He even offered to pay for our cab ride home one night.

Soccer (sorry futbal) match going on in an abandoned courtyard near Jamestown in Accra.

Happened upon this outdoor pool game on the side of the road near Teshie-Nungua.

A beautiful picture by Rosa out the window of a TroTro as we were driving down Labadi road.

Africa Day

I have a feeling very few people actually know this but May 25^th was African Union Day!!!! It is quite a big deal in Ghana and many other parts of Africa. The Ghanaians are at the beach almost all day celebrating with music and dancing. There are also crowds of people who jog down the street and chant Ghanaian songs (quite an interesting sight actually). It is a giant celebration and even the hospital had a slow day because people were celebrating. We went to Labadi beach, which is about halfway between our house and downtown Accra. There were tons of people there, all dancing or simply running around like crazy. It was quite a sight. We also met some Rastafarian artists who were selling amazing paintings. We next went to Osu to meet Mitchell’s (my South African roommate) friends from his volunteer work in Ho (a smaller city in the Volta region, northeast of Accra). The other volunteers were 4 German girls who were spending 9 months to a year volunteering in Ghana during a Gap year between high school and college. I find everybody I meet from a different country has an amazing story.

                Discovered Breadfruit several days ago, as well as fan Ice, two delicious African treats. Breadfruit is a ball of dough that has been fried, much like a donut but without icing (and I dare say more delicious). They are only 50 peswes, or about 30 cents USD, and can be bought all around Accra. Also Fan Ice is the African form of Ice cream. It is basically just frozen chocolate milk that you squeeze out of a bag (much like the clean water we get here). It tastes delicious especially since anything cold is a precious commodity in Africa. I don’t know whether I can help myself whenever I see either of these, so they may become a staple of my diet.

                We managed to make it all over Accra several nights this week. I have been to Osu (not ohio state university but like O-sue), as well Independence Square in the heart of Accra, Tema Station, Jamestown, cantonments and Teshie. We had some interesting experiences bouncing between spots (the Ghanaian saying for somewhere to get food or a drink) in Accra. We got lost several times or did not know when to get off the trotro, but the people of Ghana are so nice and always willing to help a lost obroni. For instance, we were walking through a neighborhood trying to find a specific spot but couldn’t find it. We asked a man sitting in front of his house, but he didn’t know so he yelled to his neighbor to ask him. His neighbor did not know either so he got on his phone and called several friends to ask. Neither stopped until they had at least some information for us. It is the same for trotro rides where you can ask anyone where to get off and they will tell you or tell the driver. We asked a women one day which trotro was heading to Jamestown. She told us and then when the trotro arrived, she explained to the driver where we were going (in Twi) and made sure he would help us to get off. It is often quite amazing the lengths that Ghanaians will go to in order to be nice or helpful. Before you talk to anyone it is difficult to understand this fact, because most people will just stare at you. But once you start talking to them or asking questions you break a barrier and they can’t help but be friendly and helpful.

                Anyway we also went to Tema station which is a madhouse of people selling things. We bought some sugarcane (just pure sugarcane which is really good) and then walked into Accra. We passed by the memorial to the first President, which is a massive beautiful monument. We walked through Jamestown, which is the fishing district of Accra. It is also incredibly poor and there was a makeshift shantytown by the docks. Apparently the fisherman in the Gulf of Guinea are overfishing and depleting the pool of fish. So they are forced to catch the smaller younger fish instead of throwing them back, only exacerbating the problem. Not only are they struggling now but just to hang on they are ruining their hope for the future. 

                When I have some more interesting stories from the hospital I will make another post; probably around Wednesday or so. I will also try and get some of the pictures my roommates took of Accra. Here are a few more Twi phrases.

Twi phrase:        ete sen?                              How are you? (Greeting)  This is the shorter version 

                         Me da ase.                          Thank you

                         Maaha                                  Good Afternoon

Arrival in Accra

I arrived in Ghana late Saturday night, exhausted from 20 hours of sitting on several planes. As we got off the plane, an older American woman asked me if I could help carry a bag of laptops for her. She was donating the laptops to a school in Ghana, so of course I helped. The flood of people from the plane were all funneled into a narrow hallway where a women was checking our yellow fever vaccination booklets. She took all of 5 seconds on mine and I find it hard to believe that everyone was adequately checked. Anyway we went on to the passport check where they took our picture and scanned all ten of our fingerprints (high security measures) but I was not asked a single question before getting my passport stamped and sent on my way. There were several lines, one for Ghanaian Nationals, several for Other Nationals and one whose sign read ECOWAS Nationals. I could not figure out what this meant so I had to look it up; it is actually the Economic Community Of West African States, which includes 15 countries in west Africa. A giant sign overhead read Akwaaba, which means "welcome" in Twi, one of the many local languages. We passed through to the checked luggage pick up and of course many of the bags were “misplaced”, including mine. The Ghanaian people on my flight were quite unhappy at this and after much yelling the bags were “found” again. The 30 minute wait for my bag was undoubtedly the most stressful part of my trip. I continued on through customs (without checking my bag or anything) and down to the waiting area. Paul Badasu, the Director of Humanity World International, HWI, (humanityworld.org), was there waiting for me along with another volunteer, Chris, who had arrived on my same flight from London Heathrow. Chris is from Montreal, Canada (I can show you where Accra, Ghana is on a map but I realized I could not show you Montreal) and is here for 4 ½ weeks working on legal work. He is currently a law student.

                As we drove back to the house I noticed several things. For starters the roads are paved but are very rugged. Also there are not a whole lot of street lights, or road rules of any kind for that matter. On either sides of the street are many run down houses or shops, mostly made of sheets of metal. Right next to the airport are several very nice hotels (they look just about like any hotel we have in the U.S.) that I am sure many travelers stay in. Most people walk right along the sides of the road and I was sure we were going to hit a few.

                We arrived at our compound which is in Nungua, a district of sorts in Accra. The house is surrounded by a stone wall and a gate with a padlock. The house itself is very nice and very simple. When you first walk in there is a large room with a couch, several chairs and a TV as well as a little dining room table. The main room also has a small fridge where the clean water (that comes in a bag) is kept. There is a small kitchen with a fridge for food and a microwave. It is not much to look at but during the week we have someone to cook for us. There is a washer sitting out in the hallway that looks quite old but I am looking forward to trying to wash my clothes by hand. There is a bathroom with a shower and toilet, but the night we arrived the water was not flowing. So showers had to be bucket showers and the only way to flush the toilet was by pouring bucket water down it. Paul told us that the water often was not working but the tank out front was filled at the beginning of each week, so some sort of water was always available. The bedrooms consist of two double beds and a table with one single light overhead. Not much to look at but enough for anyone to live in.

                The hardest part so far of being in Ghana is the heat. It was only in the mid-80s today but I was sweating the whole day. I am sure I will get used to it, but for now I only have the fan to help keep me cool. I apologize for my writing, I am a biochemistry major and writing is not my strong point, but I will hopefully have interesting stories to come. Look for a post in a couple of days when I begin working in the hospital and I will try and post some pictures of our house.