I like to think I’m pretty tough. I’m a farm girl. I do physical labor. Dirt and smells and creepy-crawlies don’t (often) faze me. Going into this trip, I was pretty confident that I was cut out for Ghana. Maybe it’s just a delusion of grandeur and I’m overcompensating for my smallish stature and a Read More …
My last day at work came all too soon. I became really good friends with my coworkers and I was sad to leave them. There were some coworkers that I hadn’t really talked to, but on my last day they kept giving me hugs and telling me how sad they were to see me go. Read More …
This past weekend I experienced the second best day of my life. I grew up with a deep admiration for monkeys. I single handedly supported every elementary school book fair with all of the non-fictional monkey picture books I would buy. I collected monkey everything: journals, stuffed animals, pens, backpacks, Band-Aids. Everything. I loved them Read More …
Every afternoon at my internship, the baby next door cries. Some days he relieves a whimper or two; some days he sobs for 8 hours straight. One day my coworker, Eugene, pulled me aside and told me the story of the house next door. The baby that I hear crying everyday is a two-year-old boy. Read More …
Ashley, Erin, and I decided to enjoy Ghana’s coastline last Friday and trek to the nearest/cleanest beach, Labadie. After our second trotro, the three of us hesitantly walked forward towards a lime green building. From where I was standing, the ocean wasn’t visible and there was no one in sight. I followed my comrades with Read More …
Internships, new friends and weekend adventures aside, one of my favorite parts of this trip has definitely been the food. A great deal of my life revolves around food. My family runs the only certified organic goat dairy in all of Oregon (Fraga Farmstead Creamery, in case you’re wondering *winkwink*) and throughout high school I Read More …
One of the coolest experiences since I have been in Ghana was when we went to the Volta Region and visited the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary. I was really excited because monkeys are my favorite animal. My goal once we got deep in the forest was to be able to feed a monkey on my Read More …
Today wrapped up the last day of my internship. I know I learned a lot about what ICT (Information Communication and Technology) is and I also learned more about what Penplusbytes is and how their company trains journalists in their New Media Hub. I think that going to meetings and conferences about things related to Read More …
I began my final week in Ghana with a weekend getaway to the Volta region. The bustling streets of Accra were soon replaced with vast expanses of trees as we made our way to the Wli Waterfall, the tallest waterfall in West Africa. The air felt cool and refreshing as we trekked along the 40-minute Read More …
In a few days, I’ll be leaving Ghana. Time flies by. Monday was my last day at Radio Univers. I didn’t realize my co-workers would be so heartbroken (not really, but they do express slight sadness towards my departure). Then again… I am quite oblivious towards most things. For example, on my last day, I Read More …
While radio journalist Nana Ama is used to the deluge of hateful comments she receives daily from Twitter, WhatsApp and even from coworkers, she was still surprised when an angry listener called her ex-boyfriend asking him to take her off air. In a country where 98% of people believe homosexuality is morally unacceptable, Ama, who Read More …
So, our time in Ghana is coming to an end. I can’t believe how quickly this time has passed by. There are so many things I’m going to miss – buffaloots, yam chips, the goats, and (some) coworkers – but there are so many things I’m looking forward to returning to. Some of these things Read More …
As my time in Ghana comes to an end, I begin to look forward to things I miss the most about America. Clean clothes, Starbucks, vegetables, Starbucks, and my cat are just a few things that come to mind. But as I come closer to leaving, I’m also reminded of the things I will miss Read More …
These last two days, I have been attending a conference at the Accra International Conference Center held by the Ministry of Communications. The conference is discussing the Broadcasting Bill and how Ghana is changing its regulations and policies to improve control over what is televised on local channels and the balance between foreign and local content. Read More …
I have always liked long braids because they’re beautiful on most women. Once I came to Ghana, I learned that wearing braids is a huge fashion trend. So one night while we were all talking, I got the idea to get braids. Another student in our group got her hair done and it looked great, so Read More …