After spending the past weekend in a wonderful beach side resort along Cape Coast, we had to head home. The following day would be Monday, aka the first day of internships. I was very excited for my internship, but the commute to and from work is what turned my excitement into more of an uneasy Read More …
My first week in Ghana was filled with curiosity, excitement, and a rollercoaster of emotions. On Thursday (our fifth day), we visited Anani Memorial International School in Nima. Anani is a primary school for boys and girls that is located in a less affluent area of Accra. The bus ride to Nima had the familiar Read More …
“You’ve gotta drive by the mall.” I tell my UBER driver. “If you follow the GPS it’ll take you onto the military base.” I knew from experience. Just the day before our UBER drive had driven me onto Burma Camp, a military base in Accra. I don’t know if it was the hat or the Read More …
Our first week in Ghana has been eventful and very sweaty. Having lived in Oregon my entire life, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced humidity like this. But it’s day four now and I think I’m adjusting – it just sometimes calls for a shower in the morning and a shower at night. Everyone said Read More …
As a child, I was fortunate enough to be raised in a family that could send me to a Waldorf school. My elementary and middle school experience was marked every morning by a short drive through a redwood forest to a school that prides itself on its garden, nearby redwoods, open playing fields and devoted Read More …
At this point of our trip, I’d gotten used to swerving around pot holes. They’re all over the place here, varying in size from that of a pineapple to some as big as a tro tro. But I wasn’t ready for the jostle as the pavement turned to dirt on our way to Kakum National Read More …
Just about half a week into my trip to Ghana, a few of my other group members and I decided to take a walk to kind of get used to the area. So we started walking down the main street by our house in Ghana that’s densely populated with stores and other bustling places. We Read More …
I’ve always loved flying. While many people see airports through the lens of stress because of delays, long layovers, lost bags, extensive security lines, and potentially unhelpful customer service attendants, I’ve come to find airports as a place of peace. I’ve realized that there are few other places that can regularly foster such polarized kinds Read More …
Before departing on our trip to Ghana, we were instructed about some of the unique aspects of Ghanaian culture that are distinctly different than back in the U.S.. Senyo Ofori-Parku, one of our professors for this program and a Ghanaian native, taught us about the bargaining tactic used to purchase food, clothes and more in Read More …
The time has finally come. After about two days of traveling I finally arrived in Ghana. When I first stepped out of the airport it was a sensory overload-my stomach dropped, but in the best way possible. We were greeted with Leslie smiling and rushing us to the parked car where she introduced us to Read More …
This first week in Ghana was filled with many never-before experienced sights, smells and the reaction to my senses, emotions. Coming to Ghana, I knew I would be pushing my boundaries further than they’d ever been pushed before. I was abruptly surprised to confront the fact that I was utterly and completely out of my Read More …
On July 5, the group had the opportunity to visit a school in Nima. The headmaster met the bus at “The Big Gutter”, where he and a few other teachers escorted us through the streets and alleyways to the Anani Memorial International School. As I walked through the archway, a young boy greeted and welcomed Read More …
I am currently flying over Africa and am excitedly awaiting our descent in a couple of hours. This trip has been abnormally intense so far and I haven’t even stepped foot in Ghana yet; however, the happenings of the past few days will not be forgotten due to the following: On my ten-hour flight from Read More …
“Today was today.” This was something Makenna and I heard, after waiting in line for food and lodging reimbursements for 4 hours. This was after 3 hours of flying out Paris, and the plane had turned back around due to technical issues. We made a friend, Mavis, who shared our frustrations trying to talk to Read More …