by McKenzie Days

As the aches and groans of my traveler’s sickness receded from week one, the brain fog cleared as well. I found myself having more mental clarity to reflect upon the aspects around me. One of the most prominent features I started reflecting on was the adjustments to the many aspects of a developing country.  

I started to understand how this study abroad program is more intense than the European programs. We don’t have any hot water (sometimes, we don’t even have ANY running water), most places don’t have toilet paper or AC, water is a luxury here and is not ubiquitous (we have to buy it constantly) random animals are sometimes in our rooms and most places are pretty unsanitary. In general, you can definitely feel the lack of amenities here. 

Obviously, it is a fact that living in the U.S. (and the global North more generally) provides benefits and opportunities to the people who live there compared to people in the global South. This is mostly because of the way in which the global North has disrupted many of these places and drained them of their resources. This is something I acknowledge. 

However, in all honesty, the absence of these amenities fostered some regret at times. During many of my difficult days when I did not have the comfort of a hot shower or bland food that didn’t upset my stomach, I found myself wishing I had decided to go on the less intense London or Barcelona study abroad trip. I felt like I had been way too arrogant in my choice and wished I had taken baby steps by traveling to another developed country beforehand (instead of taking the plunge straight into a developing country without any traveling experience). 

However, I also felt conflicted about these very feelings, since I had heard from my friends who traveled to Europe this summer that they felt differently. They felt that Europe had been too similar to America and they wished they had felt a “culture shock” there. Maybe, if I had chosen London or another European country, I would’ve also felt bored and empty.  

So on the other hand,  I do think there is something valuable about going to Ghana instead of those two places. A lot of people will travel to London & Barcelona and I’ll certainly get the opportunity to do that as well. But how many of those people would ever step foot in Ghana, let alone Africa? Probably not many. 

Overall, I think my main mistake was thinking that this would be a vacation for me. Instead, I’ve had a lot to process here very quickly and it’s been really intense. It feels like I’m surviving here more than vacationing. For now, my feelings towards Ghana will fluctuate & grow.