As I stepped out of the air-conditioned Kotoka International Airport, the first thing that hit me was the overwhelming heat and humidity of Accra. I searched anxiously for the bus that would take me to my new home for the summer, noticing that everybody had a friendly smile on their faces. The positive attitude of the people in the airport instantly made me feel less nervous about the six-week adventure I was about to embark on.
It all started a few months ago when a speaker came to my journalism class at the University of Oregon talking about an exciting opportunity to work for a newspaper in Ghana. I decided to apply, and before I knew it, myself and 19 other students were on our way to Accra. We were all journalism students and all came from the United States, but other than that we did not know very much about each other. On top of that, I have never even been to Africa before, much less Ghana, so before I left, I had no idea what to expect.
I packed my clothes carefully, noting the packing list that my teacher had sent to all of us. Included on it were bug spray, malaria pills, sunscreen, water bottles, and hand sanitizer. We were advised to bring clothes both for the extreme heat but also be prepared for the possible monsoons. We were also instructed to bring nice shoes for our internships and walking shoes for our many outings. It was a long list, but I tried my best to pack lightly. After I received my visa, packed my bags and hugged my parents goodbye, I was off on my big adventure.
My first stop was a quick visit to England because I have family there. The weather was cold and cloudy, the complete opposite of Ghana’s. I visited the English countryside, ate fish and chips with my grandmother and went to a pub or two with my cousins. After a week of eating English food, I was ready and excited to try some Ghanian cuisine!
I boarded the plane extremely early on that Saturday morning and after a long day of travel, I arrived in Accra. I was taken to my new house where I set up my mosquito net, unpacked all of my clothes and began to work on the blog for our program.
After all the students arrived and got settled in East Legon, we began to explore Accra together. The first thing that we did together was visiting the Agbogbloshie market in Nima. I was completely shocked and surprised by the market. There were mangoes and onions stacked up in pyramids, next to baskets of chilies and dried fish, next to racks of clothing, which in turn were next to old car parts and tires.
It was a colorful and noisy place, but what affected me most was the awe-inspiring smell. Street vendors were grilling different types of meat, small restaurants were making various soups and stews, animals were running throughout the market and motorcycles were weaving in and out of people. The aroma of all of these things mixed together to create a fragrant odor that permeated the entire market.
Despite the vibrant sights and smells of the market, I was sad to see a river of plastic bottles and debris that cut the market in two. It seemed that most people threw their trash in the street, where it eventually ended up in the streams and waterways. Luckily for me, the other students and I were off to meet a young man who was very passionate about recycling.
At the University of Ghana, we met up with a fellow student named Jayson who is implementing a program to encourage recycling on campus. He and his team have made many recycling cans so that people do not throw away their trash. The recycled bottles and sachets are given to vendors, who create durable raincoats and purses out of them. We agreed to help him because Oregon is well known for their sustainability and recycling.
The next day, we visited the Aburi Botanical Gardens. They were calm and serene compared to the hustle and bustle of downtown Accra. In the Aburi Gardens there were trees, flowers, and plants that are native to Ghana, but do not exist in the U.S. A lot of spices that Americans love like cinnamon, curry, and bay leaf were grown there, as well as flowers such as hibiscus. All of these plants I had not seen grown before, I had only experienced them in the powdered or syrup form in American grocery stores.
That day we also had a very interesting lesson on Twi. We learned that Ghanaians are very polite, and like to say please (mepachow) before a lot of their sentences. We also learned how to bargain in the markets (te so, te so!) and how to thank people on the streets (medase).
As a group, we also went to visit the house of W.E.B DuBois. In the United States, he is considered one of the most important activists for African American rights of the early 1900s. He co-founded a very important American organization called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Visiting his house was enlightening and interesting because he was such an important figure in American history.
My favorite activity that we have done so far is a visit to the Anani Memorial International School in Nima. There, we watched a two-hour long performance put on by the students, each one clad in purple and white uniforms. The performances included singing of traditional Twi songs and contemporary American songs as well as various dance routines. Meeting the students afterward was also interesting. They spoke Twi, English, and French, and a few even spoke Chinese. I was really impressed with the school system in Accra, especially when I learned that the elementary schools were free.
Over the weekend, the other students and I took a trip to Cape Coast, to stay by the beach and visit some of the famous sites. One of the most poignant and moving visits of the trip was to the Elmina slave castle. We learned about the Portuguese and Dutch control of the castle and the many horrors and atrocities that were committed against Africans during the 350 years that the castle was running the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Equally as disturbing was our trip to another slave castle run by the British called the Cape Coast Castle. The abuse of women and children, as well as the torture of innocent people inside of its walls for so many years, made this visit a very difficult one. It was also incredibly heartbreaking to note how the slave trade of so many years ago was still affecting African Americans today.
On the lighter side, we had fun visiting the beautiful Kakum Rainforest Canopy Walk. There, we walked on small wooden bridges that hung above the canopy of the rainforest. The payment for this activity contributed to the conservation of the forest, which our guide referred to as his and his community’s pharmacy, supermarket and livelihood. At the coast, we also drank out of coconuts, saw an alligator pond and ate delicious coconut curry.
During our time on the coast, there was a festival that filled the streets. There were dance performances, street food and loud music throughout the city, and concentrated around Elmina castle. People wore colorful costumes and there was even a parade. After the emotional weekend of visiting the castles, this festival lifted our spirits.
One thing that I love about traveling around Ghana is trying all of the amazing food here. I have never had Jollof rice before coming to Accra and it is delicious. For lunch and dinner, the other students and I have had many preparations of chicken, including grilled, fried and in curry. I have also enjoyed Red Red and fried plantains. On the long bus rides, I love to snack on plantain chips. I also bought some ramen here, which I see advertisements everywhere for. In the future, I would like to try fufu and more traditional foods.
For the next five weeks of my trip here, I will be an intern here at The Chronicle. On the weekends, I will be visiting the Volta region and the city of Kumasi. I hope to explore more of Accra, listen to live music in Osu and visit the art galleries in Jamestown.
So far, I have been blown away by the hospitality of people that I meet here. Everybody smiles and waves on the streets, or greets me with a handshake and finger snap. I am very much looking forward to learning more about the vibrant culture of Ghana and meet more Ghanaians.
