In the U.S. the rich are separated by gates and padded by each other. We call gated neighborhoods “communities,” which makes them sound intentional, even spiritual maybe, though members are more connected by tax-income bracket than a set of beliefs. At the gate, there’s often some kind of horse statue or fountain, evoking visions of Read More …
When you look different from nearly everyone, there’s a tendency to notice those similar to you. I’m sure there’s some psychology behind it—an innate human desire to connect, to ask, “Hey! What the hell are you doing here, too?” So when I walked into HoneySuckle Bar’s happy hour yesterday, I immediately noticed the only other Read More …
This blog post is going to be short and empowering. Earlier in the week, someone unlawfully entered the home we have resided in since arriving in Accra in the early morning hours. The individual entered into two of the rooms in which our ladies slept in. Luckily, our graduate assistant was still awake and noticed someone Read More …
“Bitte bitte..boom boom…Bitte bitee…BOOM,” the merchant across from me said, as his palms slapped against the animal skin cover of a drum. “Bitte…bittee…..BOOM,” The drum sang as I tried imitating the same elegant sound he had just made. “No no no!” He grabbed my hands, moving them to the right area of the drum. “You Read More …
Kofi looked like any other five-year-old boy bored out of his mind at an event for adults: dressed in a striped button-down and slacks, his feet swinging inches above the floor as he fidgeted in his seat. Occasionally he whispered to his friend next to him, and they dissolved into giggles. Only from a certain Read More …
Graffiti shyly peeks out from under posters and old advertisements barely seen if you daydream while venturing through the streets of Accra. I easily miss most graffiti because of the brightly colored papers strewn on every open surface claiming their phone company is the best or their barbershop serviced Will Smith so it must be Read More …
Week 3 of Ghana has been completed. Surprisingly, it has been going by really fast considering my homesickness at times and I mainly think that is due to the impact that the people have played throughout my time here. I absolutely love the people that have been apart of this journey with me, especially this Read More …
I am thankful for sweat. I understand that sweat is an important bodily process that allows heat to escape and reduces the risk of overheating. As an active person, I enjoy sweating during physical exercise or while sitting in a nice sauna where I intentionally sought the heat to relax my muscles and body. However, Read More …
I was raised without religion or any knowledge of what it meant to belong to Christian, Buddhist or Muslim faith. Despite my parents both coming from traditional Christian families, they chose to leave religion up to my sister and me to interpret for ourselves later in life. It wasn’t until I was older when I Read More …
Accra is a city defined by its dizzying contradictions, lively atmosphere, and friendly people. The chaos of Accra can be qualified by its honking tro tros, enthusiastic vendors, never-ending traffic, bumping music and huge markets. There are slums and mansions on the same street, goats and chickens walking on busy highways and even the people Read More …
Here’s what a lot of people won’t tell you- behind every Instagram post, or “wish you were here” selfie that you send to your family back home, there were probably several other moments that weren’t that great. Moments where you maybe doubted yourself, felt confused or frustrated with the city around you, and even wished Read More …
This week Carlos, one of my Media in Ghana classmates who has an internship at Radio Univers, hosted the debut episode of his radio show called Abroad in Accra. The show is meant to give listeners a look at life in Accra from a variety of different perspectives. For his first episode, he had a Read More …
Last night, I hosted my first radio show. It’s called “Abroad in Accra,” and it was broadcast live on 105.7 FM from the Radio Univers studio located on the campus of the University of Ghana. It’s a show I pitched to the station director that focuses on the international student’s experience living and studying abroad Read More …
As I walked up the stairs to enter the second floor office of The Chronicle, I looked out nervously at what appeared to be a construction site below me. The day had not started off on a positive note. I spent the better part of the morning on a bus, and when it was my Read More …
As we conclude week two in Ghana and our first official week at work, it has been quite the journey to say the least. Last weekend, we were fortunate to have a weekend trip to Elmina before the start of our internships. As we departed our house in East Legon bright and early venturing out Read More …