Let me take a moment to congratulate all those affected by the Supreme Court rulings in support of same-sex marriages. I am so proud to be a part of a country that is learning to accept everyone as equals. Although we still have a long way to go, this was a huge step in helping America become more unified.

I do not usually (or ever, really) voice my political opinions because I realize it is highly personal. It may also seem odd that I am mentioning American politics in my Ghanaian travel blog, but today, at the first day of my internship at the Public Agenda, my political opinions and moral beliefs were tested.

Although I nervously walked off the bus to my internship feeling like a timid child on the first day of school, my colleagues immediately greeted me with kindness and acceptance, a practice I am slowly coming to realize is simply expected here.

I introduced myself and waited for instruction, unsure of what to expect from the 8-person Christian-based staff. I felt a pang of relief when the main editor told me I could write a piece about the US Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage in all 50 states.

Phew, I thought. Something I know about. I can do this.

But when my boss, the second editor of the paper, and I began discussing the issue, my heart sank. I realized in this moment how deeply many Ghanaians feel about the issue of same-sex sexual interaction, and, to say the least, we have very different perspectives.

Side note: The punishment for same-sex sexual interactions between men can be as extreme as 25 years in prison in Ghana.

Now, for those of you who know me well, or at all, you know I have a somewhat difficult time holding my tongue. When I have something to say, I rarely hold back. So you can understand how hurt, confused, and defeated I felt when I had to stand by and listen to my beliefs being ripped apart by my superior.

Even worse, I had to go through hundreds of messages between colleagues discussing the “monstrosity of gayism” to get quotes for my upcoming story.

I write this now instead of writing my assigned piece only because I have no words yet. I know in this case, I can write a news article that contrasts the differences between traditional Ghanaian thoughts on homosexuality and the recent American verdict, but I get the sense that Ghanaians don’t necessarily want to hear about the advantages of same-sex marriage.

Just as I expected, this internship will certainly not come without challenges. My beliefs and confidence are tested everyday that I am in Ghana, but I am grateful for that. I know my discomfort will blow over as time continues because my coworkers really are wonderful people trying to better the greater Accra area. They do work for a nonprofit advocacy and awareness newspaper, after all.

I like to think that I am solidifying the person I know I am and the person I want to be. With time, and with experiences like this, I’m hoping those two people will merge into the same one.

And on that terribly cheesy note, I would just like to also mention that I successfully took my first trotro ride. The trotro is like a bus in Ghana, only it’s really just a beat-up van filled to the brim with sweaty Ghanaians in 24-hour rush hour traffic.

If only I remembered to jot down the location of the stop near my internship. After all, there are no street addresses here. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I will have an exciting story about getting lost in Accra.