A Chaotic Thursday and Another Birthday Abroad, by Nicole Lee

Week 4 in Ghana and where has the time gone? I am extremely thankful for this past week as I am officially a legal adult in America. But as I reflect on this past week, I am very appreciative of my Media in Ghana family.

We had a very exciting week as a whole, to say the least as we moved to a new house. It was a very chaotic and emotionally straining event that all of us were insecure on, but now that we are relieved of any further incidents to happen we are ultimately at peace. We have been lucky enough to move as we now stay at Webster University within their hostel like dorms. It has been a great transition as we all moved this past Thursday afternoon. I have been very fortunate enough to experience a wide arrange of things being an intern at Insel as I am frequently included in a lot of hands-on tasks including this commercial. I had a very exciting and busy day earlier that morning waking up at 4:30 in the morning for a work event that I was lucky to be a part of. I had the opportunity to attend a television commercial for a gas company, Shell and their loyalty program in Ghana. My task for that morning was to call several of the actors at 5 a.m. making sure they were all awake and reminding them of the shoot. I arrived on set at a Shell gas station in East Legon a little before 6:30 in the morning as I was the first to arrive. I was amazed on how many people were starting to roll in as the day went on. I was able to witness the fast pace of a makeup artist doing a handful of women’s faces in ten minutes or less. Making sure that all the actors ate, were prepped, and signing their appropriate contracts. There was a lot of back and forth between the changing rooms of the office space and the main area of shooting. So many things to look at and absorb. I was in fact very intimidated, but it did not stop me for taking it all in as I have never experienced anything like it before. All of the equipment that was set up, actors that were set in place and being on the sidelines, and aligning the ideas of the mood board to reality. The CEO at my internship even allowed me to be featured in the commercial as well as a “bit” which is essentially an extra. My commercial debut will feature me walking across in front of the camera as it transitions. Throughout the whole eight hour day, I got to experience the many different steps in the making of a television commercial, be featured in it, and learn from my colleagues on what it is like to be behind the scenes.

Later on in the afternoon, it was time for me to leave the set and start the process of the hectic move. I arrived at Aya Centre and all of my friends were not looking forward to the move. We all embraced our space for the last time together as we all were going to get split up and not be all under the same roof. We all frantically gathered our luggage and hauled it to Webster. We took our individual Ubers and Bolts and arrived in a bright blue house within a gated fence. As we made our way up that first level of stairs, we were amazed by all the amenities that we now can embrace that we did not have back at the Aya Centre. We walked into a big air-conditioned room, individual closets, a big bathroom (with hot water!), a better kitchen, and a washer. All of us were shocked and in denial as we felt very grateful in the end for what the experience at the Aya Centre had brought us in order for us to move to Webster University. It made me assure that everything happens for a reason and that this experience clearly brought a major impact on our outlook on situations like these. Once we settled in, we met our RA’s and people apart from the management of the University as they gave us a brief breakdown of the house and the rules. We were honestly too excited for it to where we just wanted to get settled. That evening, all of us slept with ease and security for the first time in over a week. The one thing that I must say is that I am grateful for all the moments that all of us shared in the Aya Centre, although all of its mishaps, I do miss the moments we all shared together under one roof.

That Friday was also the start of my birthday celebration weekend. I was so excited to celebrate it with everyone by going out. We went to our favorite bar in Ghana that Saturday night and had a really good time. It started to pour rain once midnight hit and many of my friends embraced it soaking wet by dancing. It was so much fun and the following day was our little family potluck. Everyone collectively contributed to the occasion and it turned out really good! I also was very surprised to have received a birthday cake! I was so shocked as everyone sang to me and helped make it happen. Definitely made me grateful that I have such loving people on this trip and made the day special despite being home.