Thank you Gilman Scholarship

Today marks the 6 month anniversary of the end of my EAP Ghana Program.

It has been a weird transition back. Parts of me feel like I never left, and other parts of me cannot believe that I lived in Ghana for 5 months.

This trip would not have been possible without a number of people.


Thank you to...

> Evan, for being such a loving and understanding boyfriend throughout the entire process, from my first decision to go on this trip until the last moment I returned from it.
> Dawnis and Shamir for writing my letters of recommendation for the program :)
> UC-EAP office, for all their guidance and direction in preparation for the trip.
> Past EAP students, for your insights, packing lists, and for soothing nerves on the trip
> All the people who shared their pictures with me so I could post them with this blog :)
> UCLA Financial aid office, for providing so much support and information about financing the trip
> Gilman scholarship- for making this trip possible. Without your scholarship, I don’t know how I would have paid for the trip!

There are many more people that I need to thank, but I want to emphasize my gratitude for The Gilman Scholarship. This scholarship is actually the reason why this blog even exists to document this trip, and to share my experiences with readers like you.

The Gilman Scholarship Program seeks to diversify the kinds of students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go. Specifically, the Gilman Program offers scholarships for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in education abroad.

The Gilman Scholarship Program offers a competition for awards for undergraduate study abroad and was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000. This scholarship provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study abroad programs worldwide.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, this congressionally funded program is administered by the Institute of International Education through its Southern Regional Center in Houston, TX.

- Gilman Scholarship Website.

For more information about this blog, about me or about Ghana, please e-mail aliceichi@gmail.com. :) I would love to hear about your Ghanaian experience, or answer any questions that you may have about your potential trip. :)

Reflections on the trip...

My experiences in Ghana were unique and eye-opening. As a student, I was able to form friendships and relationships with my peers, exchanging experiences growing up and going to school in two very different parts of the world, while gaining insights on the culture, the values, and moral beliefs of the community. As a researcher, I was able to interact with government officials, traditional healers, and social change makers of the country, further building on efforts to develop an emerging health care system. As a clinical intern at the hospital, I was able to talk to and see the diverse range of common and uncommon illnesses that was common among Ghanaians as well as assist scientifically trained physicians and nurses in distributing medication and health care services to the local community. The five months was all encompassing, allowing me to build a new community and social network in this place I eventually grew to call a home.

As pre-medical student and having already finished my degree in physiological science, I took medically related classes in the humanities to further expand my perspectives and perceptions of medicine and health care. By taking Medical Sociology, Medicine and Development, and History of Western Medicine, I feel like I have a more holistic understanding of scientific health care and its place in the world. While studying these medically relevant topics at the University of Ghana, I also chose to volunteer and immerse myself in the Ghanaian health care system to better understand it. My 4-month volunteering experience encompassed assisting nurses and doctors, shadowing, and interacting with patients in multiple capacities, which in turn enabled me to learn more about the cultural customs, traditional beliefs, and traditional health care system of Ghana. Through my experiences, it became evident that colonial societal influences and indigenous cultural beliefs had clashed and resulted in a disparity between scientific health providers and traditional health providers and their goal to promote and provide health care to the Ghanaian population. As I learned about the Ghanaian holistic worldview of health and wellness and discussed the perceptions of traditional medicine with scientifically-trained doctors and nurses at the hospital, I decided to conduct an independent research project and document these observations. With guidance from the Head of the Sociology Department and with approval from a division under the Government of Ghana’s Ministry of Health responsible for promoting an acceptable and affordable health care system, I wrote a paper to document the different perspectives of the parties involved, hoping it would facilitate and encourage further discussion on the topic. I also provided suggestions for future collaborative efforts between the two teams of health providers, hoping that it would initiate the creation of a health care system that would truly address the needs of the Ghanaian citizens.

Now that I am back from this medical adventure in Ghana, I am more encouraged than ever to pursue my goal of becoming a doctor. My social science classes in medical systems have brought my pre-medical education to the brim of the glass. My volunteering experiences prove that I am able to work with a diverse group of individuals on many levels- as a friend, as a teacher, and hopefully in the future, as a doctor. The intercultural competence and new perspectives I gained before and during my time in Ghana has opened my mind to the importance of holistic healthcare to address the needs of a given population. A research project I conducted also proves that good care giving requires medicine that is not only accessible and affordable, but also applicable to the communities it seeks to serve.

I can’t wait to further pursue this career!

Costs

This entire entry will be in cedis using the conversion rate of 1cedi = 1.35 US dollars. :)


With my estimates, I spent about....

100-150 cedi on food per month.
- You can live off 3 cedi a day if you eat frugally.
- I usually ate an egg sandwich for breakfast (1 cedi), red-red and plantains for lunch (1 cedi) and shared a meal with someone for dinner (1 cedi).
- okay.. maybe 5-7 cedi is a more realistic expectation. It was weird eating out all the time, but then again, it was so cheap and much more easy than cooking, especially since cooking required purchasing all that cookware.
- If I cooked, I would spend less than that on cumulative groceries. and if I splurged and got fruit, or if I wanted a coke, or went to a nice restaurant, I could spend more. With all this included, I could comfortably live off 100-150 cedi a month.
- I rarely splurged on food. :)

30-50 cedi on phone credit and internet use.
- I would call my boyfriend and parents regularly (3-4 times a week) They would call me too, but receiving calls on a phone is free. :)
- Initial investment for a phone will be at least 35 cedi, so that take into account to.

anywhere from 1-20 cedi on gifts per person.
- earrings are as cheap as 1 cedi per pair.
- getting a shirt made for someone can be as much as 20 cedi
- I bought a drum for myself for 35 cedi, but it was from a really good friend who carved it himself. most people got from for 40-80 cedis.

I spent about 20 cedi on school supplies for the entire trip.
- you will need to buy course readers or packets of reading that are charged at 5 cents per page.
- you won’t need to buy any books.
- I brought my own school supplies so I saved money in that aspect, but you can buy notebooks and school supplies for cheap at the bookstore.

Most of my money was invested into traveling. I can’t quite remember how much money I spent traveling, but although hotels can be cheap (as low as 4 cedi for a tent on the beach to 20 cedi for a room and bathroom), it can add up pretty quickly. EAP takes you on a couple trips, so take advantage of those free car rides. :)

Other expenses
- laundry (soap, washing powder, buckets, or paying others to do it)
- health expenses (a doctor’s visit at a private hospital can be about, 50 cedi for check in, lab test, and medication)
- nights out in the town to see shows, visit clubs. This is a real money sucker. Taxi drivers know that they can get more money from you at night, especially since there are less taxis. And since its not as safe to take a Tro-Tro at night, it’s probably worth bargaining it down. Going out and paying for entrance fees, bar tabs, club admissions and still are significantly cheaper than US covers, but will add up if you go out a lot.

I probably spent about.... 2,500 cedi on the entire trip, not including what I paid to UC EAP for tuition and housing.

Rest in Peace Dr. Asiama

Picture of Dr. Asiama, taken by someone in the fall 2008 program.

I didn’t know Dr. Asiama for very long but he has left an impression with me that will last a lifetime. He was a truly one of a kind professor. I have never had a professor who was so enthusiastic about his course material and so enjoyable to be around. He somehow managed to teach Twi to us in such a unique and easy to understand way that the entire class became intermediate speakers of the language in a very short amount of time. My exceptional bargaining skills at the art center, my ability to converse with the nurses and patients at the hospital across the street, and the laughter I brought my Ghanaian friends when I attempted to speak to them in Twi were all made possible by Dr. Asiama. I still have the vivid memories of Tuesday and Thursday morning, when he would walk into the classroom, always on time with a giant smile on his face, ready to teach his seven students in the introduction to Twi class. He would joke with us, laugh with us and try to learn American colloquialisms and mannerism from us- he really made an effort to engage his students. With Dr. Asiama, the answer to “ete sen?” was always “eye paapapaa.” He was such an optimistic man with such a positive outlook on life. Though he is gone, his memory and good spirits will always be with us. It is a tragic loss to the EAP program, the University of Ghana, and to all the past, present and future students of the University, and it is unfortunate that such a serious illness had to claim his life. However, we all know that he is in a better place now, gracing others with the happiness and kindness he has so graciously shared with us. God bless you Dr. Asiama. Thank you for all the lessons you have taught me, and have passed on to all the other students that have come across you. We will never forget you.

- Written by me, for his eulogy.

The Day Alice, Megan and Ama prepared a feast.

The day before Megan and I left for the States, we decided to prepare a meal for all our friends at our friend Ama’s house. After inviting about 25 guests, purchasing 50 dollars worth of groceries, cooking for 4-5 hours the morning of the event, and renting enough tables and chairs to seat everyone, it turned out to be a really fun and really successful event. Here is slideshow of the day. :)

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Hopefully no one got sick from oburoni Ghanaian food! :)

Fashion

So, when I came to Ghana, I wasn’t sure what to pack. Everyone at the EAP office told us to pack conservatively. But when talking to students who had returned from the trip, it seemed like everything was up for grabs. As long as you did not show any midriff or too much leg above the knee, you were fine! Spaghetti straps, halters and tube shirts were fine. Dresses are key for staying cool in the hot humid weather. Don’t worry about buying clothes to bring, because you can always get some made there!

I ended packing pretty conservatively, and wished I had brought more tank tops and tube tops. I ended up getting a couple dresses and shorts made to wear. i would recommend doing that, because not only is it pretty cheap (about 8 dollars to buy a pre-made dress, 15 to get a custom made one), but Ghanaians also have all sorts of beautiful hand-dyed fabrics!


pre-made dresses at Osu.


A bunch of Voltarians getting ready to celebrate Volta Hall’s 50th birthday. Look at all the colors!!


Performers dressed in traditional dancing garb.

They also like to print fabrics for different organizations. For example, this year was Volta Hall’s (the all-girls Ghanaian dorm at the University of Ghana) 50th birthday. In commemoration of this event, there was Volta Hall Fabric printed! A bunch of people bought it, turned it into an outfit, wore it on the day of the celebration.


Volta Hall porters. All the cubicles behind them is where we store our keys when we go out. There is only one key per room so you have to drop it off when you leave.

Even I got one made! Here is me with Uncle Ben, the head porter of Volta Hall:

Laundry in Ghana

There are two ways to do laundry in Ghana. You can take it to the launders (above), where they charge you based on the weight of your clothes. (I never used this option so I’m not sure how much it costs OR you can do it yourself!

Having never really hand washed my clothes before, I wasn’t sure how to do it so I had a few of my Ghanaian friends teach me.

First, you need a bucket filled with water. We usually did laundry early (like 7am) on the weekends, so here I am with my water, ready for laundry and my breakfast. :)



Here are all my clothes :(. So much. I would usually wash every other week, and it would take me anywhere from 1.5-3 hours to finish everything.



Using Omo washing detergent (you can kind of see it in the picture) and a bar of soap (not pictured), I would wash garment by garment, light to dark. After washing it, I would try to squeeze as much soap and water out of the garment before soaking it in a second bucket of water. That second bucket of water would usually have a few capfuls of dettol disinfectant (the bottle pictured next to the bag of omo detergent).



After soaking in the dettol mix, I would rinse it again in another bucket of clean water, getting all the soap and such off before wringing it dry and hanging it in on the clothes line in the courtyard. I wish I had a picture to show...

Laundry ended up being a really good time to bond and talk to people. Sometimes, when I didn’t have anyone to wash with, I would do it by myself, using the silence as a time for contemplation.

I am really thankful to have a laundry machine at home. However, washing by hand isn’t too bad. It was nice to slow down and shift the gears of life into park for a while.

Sharing Food

Okro stew (spinach, okro, crab, peppers, palm oil...) with rice. Usually okro stew is eaten with banku, but we opted for rice today.

I feel like you can really learn a lot about someone based on the way they eat.

During the month of finals (yes, there is a month long exam period), there are no classes. Thus, my friend Ama would come over just about... everyday, and we would cook! After cooking, we would invite all the girls in the hall to my room and we would all sit on the floor and eat out of a communal bowl. It was really cool. I feel like I bonded on a whole new level with these girls because we would always share our food and eat together. :) Ama would teach us how to make Ghanaian specials and we would, in turn, introduce her and our other friends to s’mores, pancakes, and chinese stir fry! :)

I loveee communal bowls. I think I will try to bring this to the US.


Sharing fried plantains with stew and rice. :)

Thirsty? Drink Pure Wat-ah

I don’t think I’ve ever felt as hydrated as I did when I was in Ghana. Water is so accessible. Whenever I was thirsty, there was usually someone nearby that sold “pure water,” these little bags of water, ice-cold, ready for you to drive. At less than five cents a bag, it is definitely affordable.




These water sachets usually have cool messages or designs on top, but there are a few brands of “trusted” water sachets available. My favorite is “Mobile” water.

Apparently, some people (no confirmed sources on my end though) have conducted studies on these water sachets. They claim to find that about 70% of these water sachets contain some kind of contaminant. While I am unsure of what these contaminants are, I would like to say that I, personally, never got sick off of drinking a pure water. There will be times when these waters will taste a bit chlorinated, bleached, or rubbery, and if that is the case, DON’T DRINK THE WATER (I hope that was obvious..) So yea, use common sense.

When I first arrived though, I must admit I was a bit scared to try this. I never really liked the idea of drinking/eating/consuming anything out of a plastic bag except maybe a sandwich. However, it seems like everything comes in plastic bags in Ghana. Water, rice, salads, coffee, tea, fruit.. anything. If you want it, you can probably eat/drink it out of a small plastic bag. Also, I was scared of the quality of the water in these bags. Some of them lay lying out in the sun for days, and then when it’s time for them to be sold, they are put in an ice chest with a tub of freezing water. While I’m sure some plastics melt and have leeched into the water source, these sachet bags are the most affordable sources of water.

If you want to stay safe (and spend a LOT of money (relative to Ghanaian context)), feel free to drink Voltic bottled water. A liter of Voltic water is about 1 US dollar, although prices were on the rise when I left Ghana in June 2009. While it may not seem like a lot of money, when I was able to live off of three dollars a day, spending the equivalent amount on water seemed a bit silly and excessive. I rather spend it on amazing fresh fruit that is sold everywhere!!! (I wish I took a picture of this grand sight.)



I ended up spending my first two weeks on Voltic bottled water, but quickly made the switch to pure water two weeks into my trip. I found the transition pretty smooth. I don’t think anyone on my trip had any difficulties adjusting. There were a few people that resisted the bottle to pure water switch for safety reasons, but I think by month 3, everyone was drinking it. Pure water was much more accessible and affordable--people sold it everywhere and it was always five cents. Bottled water is harder to find, you would most likely have to go into a store to buy one, and prices vary per place.

I would drink about 4-5 pure waters a day to stay hydrated. I also cooked with it as well. Long live pure water! :)

Musical selection of my Ghanaian favorites

A lot of these songs did not have "official" music videos posted on youtube, booo... But the songs are still awesome.

Pretty much, these are my favorite remind-me-of-Ghana songs. There were played everywhere! and after we obtained their music files from our Ghanaian friends, my roommate and I would play them when we hand-washed our laundry in our room. :)

P-Square - No One Like You



D'banj - Fall in Love



Praye - Angelina



Black Rasta - Obama Song

Wanlov the Kubulor - Human Being

My favorite Ghanaian foods!

Ghanaian food!

This was my first meal:


(clockwise): Chicken, fried yam, fried plantains, some type of veggie peppe, stir-fried vegetables, jollaf rice.

If I could describe Ghanaian food in three words, I would say.. filling, satisfying, tasty. However, it is definitely something that I had to grow on me. When I first had the true varieties of Ghanaian food, I found it very heavy, carb-y, and oily. After realizing though, that many Ghanaians only ate once a day, with perhaps, a small breakfast of bread and tea, I could understand why they offered such big portions.

Here are some of my other favorites!


Fufu with groundnut stew and light soup and a piece of Chicken. Best eaten at lunch time to avoid sleeping on a full fufu baby stomach.

Fufu is pounded cassava-I actually made some on my last day there at a friend’s house. Goundnut stew is like.. a peanut buttery soup. However, I found it a bit too creamy and fatty for my liking, so I like to mix it with some light soup (spicy chicken broth of sorts) to lighten it up. Top it off with a piece of goat meat or chicken meat and I am a happy camper. :)

This mean costs about... (average 40 cents per ball of fufu, .60-2.00 for a piece of meat depending on where you go and how big the piece of meat is)


Alice and Megan special: two hardboiled eggs, a few pieces of fried plantain, salad with ketchup and salad cream, spaghetti noodles with tomato stew, on a bed of jollaf rice and waachye. Best for dinnertime when you wanted something on the “light” side.

Megan and I would always split this dish after class at the night market (eatery near the International Student Hostel). It would cost us about 2 ghana cedis (less than 2 US dollars), be completely vegetarian, and we would get our fix of raw veggies (via cabbage salad).

It was sooo good!


in the back: Red-Red (deep fried plantains with oily beans). Usually only served at lunch, best for lunch in case the beans don’t sit well :)

This was another lunch-time favorite for me. I would usually get it with a side of avocado to mix up the flavor. My favorite place to order red-red was at the one stand right when you enter bush canteen. I would get 40 cents of plantains, 40 cents of beans, 20 cents avocado and a side of pure water. I would be full till dinner, sometimes even the next day.


Here’s another special- vegetable stew with rice- that we would cook all the time in our room. Vegetarian friendly!

There are usually a set variety of things that Ghanaians eat. I would usually purchase from various stands on and off campus, and each stand would sell a specific type of food. It was all so cheap, so simple, and with such fresh ingredients--I definitely miss it. Top off a meal with a 10 cent orange or some fresh cut pineapple and I was ready for the rest of the day. :)

These were my four favorite Ghanaian dishes. There are more Ghanaian varieties in the Cooking entry. :)

I wish I took more pictures. Some of these shots are courtesy of friends who went to Ghana. :)

Cooking in Ghana

Cooking usually took place in my room or in the Volta Hall B Block kitchen.

After a trip to the market, I would gather with friends to cook mostly native dishes. I have the recipes written somewhere but I can’t find them anymore. i will upload them as soon as I come in touch with theme.

Here’s a collage of some of my cooking experiences! :)

We cooked on hot plates.

Tro-Tros...

Heading down a street in Accra.

The most convenient way to get around is via Tro-Tro. The EAP office is strongly against students riding in Tro-Tros in Ghana. They claim they are dangerous and unsafe. While this warning does hold some truth, I felt like it was such a cheap and convenient way to get around, I couldn’t resist.

This is a Tro-Tro:


Sometimes, I felt like the rest of the world sent their near-broken-down vehicles to Ghana, where Ghanaian Tro-Tro drivers would then run them into the ground.



Here’s how it works.

There are designated Tro-Tro stops all across Accra. The closest stop to campus is right outside the main entrance. If you walk out of the campus main entrance and head toward your right, you could find a Tro-Tro to Osu, Circle, Accra Market (aka Makola), among others. If you cross the street and take a Tro-Tro, you would be heading toward a closer and smaller Madina Market (where I did most of my grocery shopping).

As Tro-Tros drive by, a “Mate” will be shouting the Tro-Tros destinations out the window. Sometimes, when demand is low, they will stop and wait at a stop until the car fills up. This usually occurs for longer distance trips.

If you flag it down and get on a Tro-Tro, the Mate will be near the door rushing you in. They will also collect your money based on your destination, and will alter the driver to stop at these said destinations. I feel like these doors are sometimes unreliable, so I feel that the Mate is also there to hold the door shut. This can be seen below.



Again, the EAP office heavily warns against riding Tro-Tros because they feel that riding in them is dangerous. For example, this one time, the tire blew out on me while I was on my way back from a trip. Luckily, when this happens, make sure your driver does not slam on the breaks and instead, lets the car stop on its own and he steers it towards the side of the road. Any skilled Tro-Tro driver should know this.

Usually, for short trip, this is less of a worry. If a Tro-Tro breaks down, you can just get out and hop on another one. For longer distance trips though, you might want to make sure you get a newer looking Tro-Tro, or perhaps ride a bus instead. (Bus times and routes are pretty set, and can be found in the Lonely Planet Ghana Guide).



However, when stuff like this (above picture explains) happens, everyone is really quick to help. If there is no spare on the car, or in case the spare is flat too, other drivers with spares have been known to stop and help.

Here’s what the inside of a Tro-Tro may look like. This is the EAP/campus Tro-Tro that we took once in a while. Often times, I found Tro-Tros I hired myself to be much more crowded. There is so such rule as one passenger per safety belt, so they usually just stuff the Tro-Tro full of people. If you feel unsafe though, never be scared to get out and get in a newer, less crowded Tro-Tro. Most drivers I met were pretty sensible, but there were a few that really wanted to make that extra fare.



The best part of riding a Tro-Tro is reading the signs on other Tro-Tros.





I rode countless Tro-Tros during my five months in Ghana. I feel like you’d miss out if you didn’t ride it at least once in Ghana.



However, if things just don’t feel right, there are also Taxi’s everywhere that you can take. and with Taxi’s, always feel free to bargain down their prices. Never pay more than 1/3 of what they start with.