[By Tai Le]

Pre-Trip Vibes

“Tai! It’s been forever since I’ve seen you! How are you? How are things? What’s new?” they asked while sipping their coffee in a local cafe.
“Not too much! I’m finishing up my final year with my master’s. I’m working on my defense for graduation at the moment, and then I graduate in June,” I reply.
“And then?” they ask, raising their brows.
“Then I head to Ghana for a summer internship,” I respond nonchalantly.
Their face drops with what seems like astonishment mixed with perplexion and a bit of confusion.
“Ghana? The Ghana?”
“Yes, the Ghana.”

Much of that conversation has been a repeated experience since I received the news that I was selected to participate in the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication’s “Media in Ghana” internship program. Since February of this year, I’ve had to share with countless people that I would be spending the summer after graduation interning– not in my city, the U.S.– but in an entirely distant country. Rather than feeling excited about the trip for me, many expressed their worry about the country and that I wasn’t focusing on finding a career right after graduation (love you, Mom!). I had a list of reasons why this would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. 

1. It is a once-in-a-lifetime trip (yolo). 
   • When will I ever find the time to live in a foreign country for six weeks and experience a new culture?
2. The skills learned will be so valuable!
   • I am a global strategist in communications. How much more helpful would it be to learn cultural awareness and strategies from another country in a different part of the world?
3. I love traveling and experiencing different cultures.
   • Though unexpected, this trip will bring me many more opportunities to learn about the world. 

For these reasons, I felt more than ready to begin my journey to Accra, Ghana, this summer!

Accra, Ghana

The trip to Ghana first started with a side quest to Amsterdam, Netherlands. I am all about maximizing my travels! When exploring flights to Accra, I found that most airlines had layovers in either London or Amsterdam. That said, I found flights that allowed me to stay longer in one of those cities. I have family and friends in Europe, so it was an additional trip to look forward to. My four-day layover in Amsterdam wasn’t too tough. I just had to make sure I could carry everything I needed for Ghana through Amsterdam. Those ramen packets better make it all in one piece!

Once I saw all I could see, from the canals of Amsterdam to Miffy of Utrecht, I headed off to the airport. My flight from Amsterdam to Accra had a layover in Casablanca, and I landed at 5 a.m. on a Saturday. I was picked up by my program advisor, Professor Leslie Steeves (check her bio out!), and we went straight to her hotel, where some of the folks in my cohort were already waiting. We checked into our apartment and settled into our accommodations – thankfully, my ramen packets made it!

As a world traveler, having an open mind to every new experience is crucial– especially in unfamiliar waters. Without, so many things may be jaded and affect your experience and outlook on the area being visited. However, when I first landed, I noticed that Accra oddly felt familiar. This was something I wasn’t expecting. I was expecting to be stressed going through customs. I thought getting my bags out through the gates would be difficult. But those flew by quickly. 

I don’t know why, but I see bits and pieces of Accra in the other places I have visited. The airport process felt like the airport when I visited Vietnam (another home where my parents are from). The airport smelled like the Incheon Airport (South Korea, where I spent many years studying and working). The outside weather – a bit warm, humid, and sticky – gave me the sensation of being back in Ho Chi Minh City. At the same time, the bustling people waiting outside the airport gates brought me back to waiting for my family to pick me up in Vietnam. The streets filled with Ghanaians reminded me of growing up in Baltimore, a neighborhood where the majority of my neighbors were black. It all felt familiar.

I can tell you that this kind of feeling wasn’t what I felt when landing in Amsterdam. Though I rarely saw many Asian people in Amsterdam or Accra, the other aspects of Accra lent themselves to feeling like my many homes. That helped me feel a bit more accomplished settling down in Ghana. For now, I am settling in quite well with the city, country, food, and people (cohort friends included)!

I will end this post with a language lesson on an essential word you should know in Ghana. The Twi language is one of the main languages spoken in Ghana, and you will find it everywhere in Accra. Even though people might not be part of the ethnic group from which Twi originated, most Ghanaians will be able to speak some Twi, so it’s pretty helpful to learn a few phrases to help you immerse yourself in the country.

 

Medaase.

Thank you.

 

Medaase,

Tai Le