I will never forget the first email.  I think it was sent to every SOJC student, and the subject line – “Want to study abroad in Ghana?” – was basically click-bait before click-bait was a thing.  It was fall 2003 and that email outlined a new summer internship abroad in a place I’d never really heard of – Accra, Ghana. Given my summer job options at the time all involved cubicles and filing cabinets, I instantly developed an almost desperate need to be a part of this mystery email adventure.  I was ignorant to most of the realities surrounding travel and living in West Africa, but I knew, somehow, that it would have a profound effect on my life.  I wasn’t wrong.

It’s hard to explain how much the program changed me, but it was without a doubt the most transformational experience of my young life.  Pre-trip, Leslie and the staff at UO ensured our group was as ready for this trip we didn’t quite understand. They set up classes before the trip to strip us of typical biases towards Africa, hosted meetings to introduce us to expats, and set up dinners for us to sample cuisine.  I remember feeling so prepared when we left, enthusiastically ready to do anything.  I quickly, confidently, and badly mispronounced the name of one of the cities we were visiting to a local sitting next to me on the flight to Accra. 

But here’s the thing, that local, he didn’t scoff or laugh.  He taught me the correct pronunciation (koo-mah-see) and then proceeded to tell me all about the area, the food, the culture.  Anything and everything I could possibly want to know.  It was a kindness that surprised me initially but turned out to be the norm in Ghanaian Culture.  The friendly first nature of most of the Ghanaians we met was and is the most memorable part of the experience for me.  It opened up a new perspective on life for me, that people who were given almost nothing could also be the most friendly, helpful, and caring people you’d ever met in your life.  It made clear my worldview was filtered by privilege, and freed me of biases that would have stunted my personal development and professional growth. I’ve never forgotten that universal kindness, in most cases extended to complete strangers, and it’s become the bar for my social interactions as well a a life lesson to teach my children.

The trip itself was a whirlwind of horizon-extending planned and unplanned experiences I’ve recalled aloud too many times to count.  We visited the coastal slave castles (planned), the cultural capital (planned), and got lost more than once in massive city markets seeking out our preferred refreshment, Star Beer (unplanned).  We learned our way around, navigated to work ourselves (no easy task), and felt pride making our new lives inside a big city.   There were, of course, highs and lows while we were there.  The mosquitos liked us.  Our stomachs needed some time to catch up to the cuisine.  I learned the hard way you need to keep a look out for open gutters on certain roads.  No matter the issue, we were so well supported by staff and locals that we never struggled for long.  

As a member of one of the first official groups to participate in the Media in Ghana program, myself and eight other adventurous students were lucky to not only experience, but also influence the program and help shape it’s future.  I’m so happy to see that nearly 15 years later, the program is stronger than ever, and more and more kids are getting to experience something that contributed so much to my growth.

So all in all the summer of 2004 was pretty great.  And not just because I signed up for some cool new website called The Facebook.