Another week in Ghana has passed, and despite myself I’m glad for it. As much of an amazing experience this is and how much I’m learning, I am ready to be home. I miss Oregon air and the water. Truthfully, living, working and commuting in a different country is pretty hard. Something that is harder Read More …
On my hour-long commute to my internship with StratComm Africa, I stick my head out the window of the tro tro I am on to catch a bit of wind as relief from the humidity. Being driven between my home in East Legon and Nkrame Circle where I work, I find myself mulling over all Read More …
Check out my first published article in Ghana! After experiencing my first ride in the Tro-Tro (public transportation system in Ghana), I had to share my thoughts. I peer out of the window of the third story of the glass building where the Business and Financial Times (BFT) resides and I think about the 55 Read More …
Wednesday was my second day of work. Day one didn’t warrant a post – it was mostly uneventful and consisted primarily of learning the who’s-who and what’s-what of the office. After asking several DG staffers yesterday if there was anything I could do or work on and being – mostly – told no, I was Read More …
Tuesday morning, the 14 of us still standing, after some questionable pizza last night, lined up outside our house for a picture as if we were attending our first day of school all over again. I was incredibly nervous and had no idea what to expect at the first day of my internship at the Read More …
I rode the tro tro for the first time today. Somehow, I managed to avoid it for nearly two weeks (thanks to Leslie and the bus). Casey and I are lucky, our internship at Emerge Advertising Ltd. is very close to the house, only about fifteen minutes. Some of my peers have to transfer tro Read More …
Seeing these kids singing and dancing for us, a memory from about 18 years ago started hitting me. “Old McDonald has a farm” was the first English song that I learned, and I learned it for a welcome performance for the American visitors who came to my elementary school. Read More …
My first day at my Ghanaian internship is officially complete, and I can definitely say that it was an experience I won’t soon forget. Tuesday, which was also the Fourth of July, was the official first day of internships for everyone in the Media in Ghana program. Everyone, excluding the four students who were sick Read More …
One of my biggest sources of anxiety since I landed in Accra was navigating the Tro Tro on my own. The Tro Tro is essentially a van crammed with people trying to get to their next destination. Instead of pulling a cord like you would on a bus in the United States, you call out Read More …
This past weekend I became acquainted with emotions that I didn’t know I was capable of feeling: everything ranging from a deep, gut-wrenching guilt that I still can’t shake, to a profound sadness fueled by frustration at my inability to change the past. I felt primed for our trip to the Elmina Slave Trade Castle. Read More …
The first thing that caught my attention upon my arrival in Ghana is how colorful everything is here; and I am not just speaking of the buildings and surrounding landscape, but also the vibrancy of the people and culture. Today we had the chance to visit the Artists Alliance Gallery in Labadadi, Ghana, where a Read More …
I woke up this morning feeling like a spring chicken. The 85 degree 100% humid indoor temperature surrounded me in my sleep like the sweaty, claustrophobic blanket I’ve been searching for. I took my first deep breath in and was immediately greeted by the therapeutic aroma of bug spray mixed with the natural fumes excreting Read More …
Earlier today I was standing outside of my new home, attempting to speak Twi with George. I noticed a distinct scar on the left side of his face and multiple scars lining his right cheek. The scar on his left cheek is a tribal mark that connects him with his tribe, which his father was Read More …
Today marks the 241st year of celebrating the independence of the United States. For the first time in my life, my day won’t consist of the Freedom Ride, a traditional parade through downtown Bend, Oregon, followed by barbecuing food and ending the evening watching fireworks shoot up above Pilot Butte. Instead, my day started with just a Read More …
Through a camera lens we can only see so much, what is within the frame, what is in focus, what we choose to capture. But what did we miss as we walked through the Aburi Gardens with cameras raised to document every picturesque scene, plant and story. How much have we already missed in the Read More …