Well, we’re here. This first week has been a whirlwind of experiences and emotions.
It’s been amazing so far, truly. The people in this group and the people of Accra have
made this period of getting settled enjoyable, to say the least. Accra is unlike any
city I have experienced before. The food is amazing, the people are friendly, and the
area is beautiful. What makes Accra so different than anything I’ve seen before is its
vastness. The night we landed I was looking out the window of the plane and couldn’t
see the end of the lights; it seemingly went on forever. When we drove around Accra on
the first day, it felt the same. Everywhere we went there was something new to see and it didn’t seem to end.
There are some things that have come easier than others. I don’t like saying no to
people and it’s something that I’ll have to get used to with people coming to the
windows of the bus to sell various items at every chance they get. The food, on the
other hand, I will miss tremendously when we leave. This first week has been awesome
because of all the different things we’ve been able to experience. We’ve visited the
University of Ghana, different markets, botanical gardens, and have been able to go
out and experience the streets on our own. We got to watch the Ghana football team
play, and win, a match. We were part of a group of at least 300 Ghanaians, gathered
around a huge outdoor screen. When the team scored, everyone danced and we got to see how much they care about their national team.
The most important thing that has made this first week so amazing is the people. The
people of Ghana and the people in this house. The spring term class introduced me to
everyone, but these first days have allowed me to get to know everyone much quicker
than I thought I would; they’re all awesome. The people of Ghana are also extremely
welcoming and warm. Everyone I seem to meet is funny and kind; with a constant smile on their face.
I have a nervous excitement about starting my internship next week but the excitement
outweighs the nerves. I’m eager to meet my coworkers and start working but I just know it is going to go by way too fast.
I’ll end this post with some photographs I’ve taken from these first couple days. They
aren’t of anything specific; just some examples of what I’ve seen so far.
