By: Brady Doran

I knew I would fall in love with Ghana, but I had never expected it would happen 35,000 feet in the air. An anxious feeling filled my stomach like a balloon as I approached my gate, but Ghana had my heart the moment I boarded flight 156, JFK, to Accra. An aisle seat is essential for any 10-hour flight if you have legs as long as mine, but you’ve got to get one if traveling with Ghanaians. I’ve been on many plane rides, but never have I experienced an atmosphere like this.I got more fist bumps and excited greetings than a Thursday night at Maxes tavern. It blew me away, quickly deflating that balloon in my stomach.

I spent the flight attempting to make conversations with older women who didn’t speak any English and playing word games on the Seat TVs with others. Believe me, when I tell you, Ghanaians get competitive. Although it took me some time to fully understand Ghanaian humor, we shared a lot of laughs on our flight. Ghana was already giving me a warm welcome, and I hadn’t even entered the country. When we landed, the cabin crew and our pilots received claps and cheers from the entire plane. It has been nothing but smiles and laughs since then. It was a truly unforgettable introduction to Ghanaian culture.

After spending a week in Ghana, I can confirm that it is just as beautiful as the locals make it out to be. My first week of July has been action-packed, and here are some of my highlights. Aburi Botanical Gardens. Only 27 kilometers north of Accra, the Aburi Botanical Garden’s beautiful environment looks straight out of a Star Wars film. If you want to understand how small you are, stand next to those trees. Dance class on Wednesday was my other highlight. When it comes to dancing, I’m more of a spontaneous “move to the music” kind of dancer, but these Ghanaians are something else. You don’t know multitasking till you are tasked with moving your arms and feet at the same time while singing. We collectively decided we are taking African dance in the fall.

Ghana has been nothing short of remarkable thus far. I am thrilled to start my internship at the Daily Guide next week and look forward to sharing that experience with all of you!