My perception of Africa was extremely skewed by the media in America. For a while, I thought there was nothing but safaris and deserts. A typical American view of Africa. I have to blame myself for thinking that way.

    It wasn’t until my roommate, Duane Harris, came to Ghana in 2017 that I learned Accra, Ghana existed and was a developed city. The stories he told motivated me to come here… and I’m finally here.

    To prepare myself before I embark on an adventurous journey, my professor held classes to learn about Ghana once a week. Within the hour and twenty minutes of class time, we would learn the history of Ghana — to an extent.

     We briefly learned about the culture, for example- popular music, types of dishes to eat, politics, and mannerisms, I had the opportunity to present to my class of how Ghana’s economy has changed since pre-colonialism. Within my presentation, I spoke about Structural Adjustment Programmed (SAPs). 

     Before I knew it, I was on a plane in San Francisco, California, heading to London. I’ll be honest, I was nervous to travel halfway around the world. Once I got to London, I had a four-hour layover that gave me time to gather myself after a ten-hour flight.

     Then, the flight was announced for boarding. Butterflies filled my stomach, yet I was ecstatic to finally go. 

     The airplane ride was smooth, didn’t have any trouble at all. I had the pleasure of sitting next to a local Ghanaian who was friendly. I was taken by surprise as I’ve always encountered strangers who don’t like to talk during airplane rides. 

     As we got closer into Accra, I could see the city lights — it was endless. I expected it to be fewer city lights but I was proven wrong — Accra is huge. 

     After claiming my luggage at Kotoka International Airport, I was warmly greeted by my instructors and peers. The humidity was thick, even though it was night time. I knew the next few weeks will be hot and sweaty during my time in Ghana. 

    My first week in Ghana thus far has been nothing less than extraordinary. As a cohort, we’ve toured the city of Accra, visited W.E.B. Du Bois museum, Anani Memorial International School, and visited Cape Coast during the Bakatue Festival.

     Visiting Du Bois house in Accra was a humbling experience. Du Bois is one of the founders of the National Association for the advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. Among many other great qualities, Du Bois was a civil rights activist. He combated racism, as this is an issue for African-Americans in America. To be able to see historic books, memoirs, and his dissertation was mesmerizing.

     This past weekend, I had the chance to visit Cape Coast with the group. While staying there, the Bakatue Festival was going on. To be in a city filled with most or almost all local Ghanaians of that city was incredible. I could feel the aura from the dancing, chanting, and celebration. As I was walking around, I noticed fish was the main product of consumption. I didn’t get the chance to eat one but it looked delicious. 

     While being in Cape Coast, we visited the Elmina Slave Castle. I wasn’t taught much of the transatlantic slave trade in high school or college. Skipping 400 years of history, why was it not taught to me? Having the opportunity to visit the Elmina Slave Castle opened my eyes. I learned the history of the slave castle… my emotions — indescribable.

     I felt numb during the tour. Absorbing the horrific information then visualizing it while being in the dungeon — left me speechless — emotionless.

     Visiting the Anani Memorial International School in Nima has been the most memorable thus far. Walking through the tight alleys to be warmly greeted by the children will always stick with me. The children prepared choreographed traditional dances, sang traditional songs, and also some American songs which was heartwarming. At the end, the group and I shared supplies we brought for the classroom, seeing the children’s faces brought tears to my eyes as they were in joy. Some of the students came up to me afterwards as well, asking me to teach them some sentences in Chinese. It was impressive because some of the students already knew their local language, English, and French. 

   Ghana is full of rich culture, hard-working people, and are genuine to others. I have five more weeks in this beautiful country and it feels like a blessing. I hope to gain more insight of the culture and hopefully get to immerse myself more. I can not wait to see what is next for me.