Weekend in Volta Region

I just returned from the most amazing weekend trip ever. After staying on campus for two and a half weeks, I was starting to feel a little trapped. I wanted to get away form the city, from the traffic (that I can say is worst than driving east on the 405 at 6pm because the traffic here is also coupled with horrible air quality), from the litter and immerse myself in something different. I wanted to go on a hike or do something that would just get me into nature. My energy was low from being homesick and being sick and I was starting to get tired of the routine I've established. A couple others were feeling the same way, so, somewhat spur of the moment (after consulting our guide book of course), four of us decided to take a tro-tro to Lipke Todome, a small village in the Volta region. It was right along the Ghana-Togo border, and our guide book told us that it was home to an ecotourism site which included very long and somewhat challenging hike to a series of caves and a beautiful waterfall.

Sounds good.

We leave early Friday morning and after a few hours of travel, we arrive in the small village. We settle in a very nice guest house, which we each paid a little over 2 usd for (I feel wayyyy overcharged in the states now…). We also pay for a guide and set off on the hike to the caves. Although it was near sunset, the guide still decided to let us go, but told us we had to set a quick pace... The hike was breathtaking. I can't even describe how much I enjoyed the hiking, the climbing, and the reflection time as I was walking through the tropical forest. You can see the pictures on my Picasa page.

There were six caves total hidden in the greenery of the hills. Due to our late start, we were only able to visit three of the six. The first was a small cave where the ancient cheifs of the village used to meet. The second one was a little more difficult to reach, we had to scale the side of the rocky-mini-cliff (if that makes sense- before we could reach the cave.) The third was the best. It was a place where the villagers would hide during times of war. We had to climb down a ladder into the cave, and after we stepped in, we were greeted by a swarm (is that the right word?) of bats. Everything was so natural and untouched by man. I loved it!!!

Sidenote, funny story. So, imagine this. We are in a pitch black cave. The only light shines in from the 20 inch diameter hole that we climbed in. My friend Osama starts touching the dirt and exclaims to us that this is the best dirt he has ever touched in his entire life. "It's so soft and rich, you could plant anything in this," he claims. The other three us start touching it. Megan starts rubbing the dirt on her hands, all over her arms, talking about how she's exciting to have all these natural minerals on her skin. I have a bit between my fingers and yea, its soft, but so what. Then, our guide, Boss exclaims, “This is not dirt, my friends. This is the shit of the bat!”

You can imagine our reactions.

Afterwards, we trek back down the mountain with the sunset and make it back to the village in record time. By the time we arrive, however, it’s night. Young girls are cooking by candle light and little children are running and playing in the dark, shouting oburoni and running up to wave hello to us as we pass. I remember feeling so safe and comfortable during that moment.

Sorry this entry is such a jumble and random string of thoughts. Now that I have apologized, I hope it's okay that I continue to jumble and throw down my thoughts.

My favorite things about this place was that it was completely sustainable. The waterfalls by the village supplied drinking, bathing, and cooking water for the entire village, as well as to the other villages in the nearby vicinity. The houses were all built of supplies indigenous to the area. Goats and chickens roamed freely across the village. The village people ate and fetched water with calabash, a gourd they halved and hollowed out from a tree that grows all over the area. The women would hike to the bat caves to gather the bat poo to use as fertilizer for their tomatoes, onions, and other crop. The children made spinners out of leaves and sticks, built small forts with sticks that had fallen off the tree. Everything was just so.. sustainable.

Ah, I loved it.

After talking with Boss, our tour guide, we eventually discover that the World Bank is importing cement and supplies to build a concrete path along the hike. There were also giving money to the chief of the village to pay the workers 3 cedi (about 2.5 usd) a day to build this concrete path. The four of us on the trip were a bit skeptic about this. Boss was so excited about this though, saying that these people were coming in to help them so much. "Now," he said “all the kids and bigger people can hike this trail too.” This seemed skeptical. I don't know too much about the World Bank and it's relations with Ghana, but something about this exchange of aid didn't seem.. right.

We ended up running into the village chief’s son as we were leaving the village. We gave him our concerns about the World Bank coming in, and told them to beware of their aid and service, for there might be smallprint in the contract that they might not be aware of. This place was so nice, I think Osama, Megan, Kevin and I all agreed that this was our favorite place in Ghana so far. We didn’t want to see it become commercialized and the natural beauty of this place to be taken away by foreigners. The chief’s son began asking us for our opinions as to how to help them develope and expand the place so that the small village could make some money to sustain itself and to continue development. We gave him our suggestions, and he seemed so genuinely appreciative of all we had to say.

At the end of these amazing conversations and exchange of ideas, we gave them our names, phone numbers, emails and mailing addresses so that we could all keep in touch in the future to help this small village known as Lipke Todome.

Sigh. What an amazing weekend. So many other things happened, so many other wonderful conversations, but I would probably bore you if I spoke of all of them. Boss told us that we were his favorite group of all the groups he has taken out for the past 26 years. I felt so blessed and happy to have spent the weekend with such amazing people.

What I’ve learned: Be open, be honest, be genuine. I have heard from other many times, stop and look around to take in the beauty of the scenery and the places around you, the places you love and call home, that you might be taking for granted, and just take it all in. Many times, especially for me back at UCLA, I got so caught up in how much I had to do and so focused on what I needed to accomplish, I never really stopped to appreciate everything and everyone that had already accomplished so much already. This saying of taking in the scenery also applies to people. Stop and talk to others around you. Talk to the person that sits next to you in class that you have no idea about, the co-worker that you merely greet everyday. I have tried that here, and each time, I have been surprised by not only what I learn about them, but also by what I learn about myself. The times where I have been authentic and generous to others, even if just in my interactions and conversations with them, I’ve be surprise at how much I’ve received and at how happy I have been after these conversations. Some may say that this is the nature of Ghanaians, they are naturally so giving and so friendly. Perhaps, but what makes them any different from any other human being in this world. I think we should all try to be a little more human. It’s a nice feeling.

Now to upload the hundreds of pictures from the weekend. ☺

There are a lot of lizards in Ghana.

They hide in trees and blend in with leaves.


They scamper on ledges and jump over bridges.


They come in many colors and run really fast...


But sometimes, not fast enough, squish squish.

My one word

In most traditional African dances, there are drummers that provide the beats and dancers that perform the specific dance that accompanies the beat. There’s usually a song too that the entire group sings. All members of the performance are important. However, the drummer (sometimes drummers) clearly dominates and leads the relationship. If their tempo is quicker than normal, the dancers must speed up their dance moves to match. When there are multiple drums, if one drummer is off beat, it is evident when the dancers are not in sync.

I mention this because the other day (actually yesterday), we were divided into groups of eight to perform in dance class. I felt like during my group’s performance, the drummers were getting tired of playing the repetitious beat and as a result, their tempo was not consistent. The dancers of my group were forced to speed up and slow down our movements to match, and it made the entire group fall in and out of sync. I wasn’t thinking about this too much, until later that evening. At the end of each night, Megan and I usually end up in each other’s room to talk about the day, or to share our thoughts about anything and everything that happens to us. It’s almost like an unwritten debrief date we have set at the end of each day. Yesterday night, we were chatting and she brings up this one snippet of her day. She was talking to a Ghanaian who had walked into her internship office. They began chatting and somehow, he ended up describing his work relationship with his boss to her. He used a single word in Twi to describe it. Megan couldn’t remember the word, but this one word is an adjective that sums up the relationship between the dancer and the drummer. This one word describes the dancer, saying that he or she has to be attentive and adaptable, so that whichever tempo and beat the drummer dictates, he or she is capable of following and perform. I want to find out what this word is. I feel like it is the perfect word to describe me.

What’s your word?

Malaria Scare

I woke up Thursday morning with the worst soreness and achy-ness I have ever felt in my life. It felt like I had over worked every muscle in my entire body, even though I hadn't been to the gym or put on my tennis shoes since I left the states in the beginning of January. My head felt a little light, but I thought it was maybe because I hadn't eaten yet. However, my lack of appetite seemed to say otherwise.

My grandma has ingrained into my mind that that I should never give excuses for not being able to do something. This was mainly applicable homework in grade school and chores at home, but her words have left a strong impression in my mind. Since my health wasn’t horrible, my limbs were still in tack, and I could still walk, I didn’t think it was necessary to confide myself to my room and skip class. Plus I hate skipping class. I’m almost done with my undergraduate career and I have just realized how much I love learning (nerd…..). I wasn’t going to give up four hours of lecture time to stay in bed and feel sorry for myself. Thanks grandma. So yea, I went to class. Everything seemed alright. It wasn't until after class that I felt like something was actually not right. Seriously. I hate complaining about my health to others, except for my grandma and to Evan since I feel the most comfortable around them. There are so many less fortunate than I am and when I think of others, I feel like I’m blowing my own illness out of proportion.

So yea, I ended up sleeping all Thursday afternoon. I woke up with a fever, more aches and pains, and a pounding headache. The fever was what scared me, so I end up deciding to go to the hospital. I was too far from home to try to stick it out, and if this was malaria that I had, I wanted to get rid of it asap. Megan accompanies me to Trust Hospital in Osu, and I get it checked out.

A lot of people have had some pretty negative experiences in the hospital. There have been stories about people being refused treatment initially, being treated very rudely, long waits to even see the doctor. My experience was quite the opposite. The doctor was very friendly. The guy who drew my blood was very reassuring and told me about what he was going to do with my lab tests when he stuck the needle in my left brachial artery (haha PHYSCI). When my results came in, the doctor explained everything to me very clearly and gave me my treatment options.
Basically, my lab results tested negative for malaria. However, because of the malaria cycle, the malaria parasite they were looking for might have been isolated in my liver, or it could have been in very low concentration since I was taking Malarone. The doctor told me that I could wait to see if it got worse, or I could just start antimalarial drugs since all my symptoms were of that of malaria. He included that many times, people taking Malarone had to get tested 3 or 4 times before the parasite shows up in the lab results since it is the strongest prophylactic. Since I had a test the following Monday, I decided to begin the antimalarial treatment. I began my cycle Friday morning, stayed in bed all Friday. Woke up Saturday feeling 80% well and spent Valentine’s day with the UCLA girls. I was 100% by Sunday. Thank goodness for the antimalarial.

Some emotions experienced during this time..

1. PISSED OFF- I had spent hundreds of dollars on Malarone. Because I was leaving the country, my UCLA SHIP insurance would NOT cover my malaria medicine. A lot of others on this trip had the same problem. Since Malarone comes at about $8 a pill retail price, I assume insurance companies are very hesitant to pay the costs. Also, since it is a prophylactic, it is considered a “preventative” measure, and some other friends had the problem of getting it cause some insurance plans do not cover preventative measures. A pretty corrupted system I’d say. But yea, where I was going with this- I was pissed off because I had gone through SO much hassle to get the medication, had spent SO much money on Malarone- and I was still getting malaria. (Even though the results were negative, I’m pretty sure considering all my evidence, that I just got malaria.) Agh. It wasn’t even like I was skipping pills like some of my peers. I was pretty diligent about the bug spray and about covering up at night as well. What horrible luck.

2. THANKFUL- that I had friends who were willing to accompany and wait for me at the hospital, for friends who went to the market the next day to buy me herbal remedies for malaria, for friends who brought me my meals and fruits when I was too tired to leave the room. It was really nice. I was also thankful that it’s the year 2009 and not 1909, when British colonialists were still dying left and right from malaria because a remedy did not exist.

3. REFLECTIVE - This reminds me of why I want to be a physician. To be sick and not have access to health care or medical services is such a violation of basic human rights. It only cost me about 45 us dollars to get treatment, get a lab test, pay for medicine, and to take a taxi to and back to the University. Compared to the 80-dollar copayments I had to pay sometimes when I was kid without health insurance in the states, it wasn’t that expensive at all. I received excellent and prompt treatment in a relatively up-to-date private facility with knowledgeable and friendly doctors. There are so many others in Ghana who could never even imagine getting health treatments like I did.

All in all, I guess you could say this was a positive experience. Getting malaria wasn’t that bad. There’s a really bad stigma against it in the states. Yes, it has killed many, but with pharmaceuticals and drugs for the parasite now, it’s kind of like getting a really bad cold..
Don’t worry about me though. I want to be a physician one day, so I will take care of myself. If I don’t, how will I be able to take care of others?

Valentine's Day

So... I’m slowly recovering from my malaria. At least, I felt well enough today to go out for a Valentine’s day Lunch with Megan and Deborah.



We tried out this italian restaurant, and while we were the only ones in the restaurant, we had a blast taking advantage of the space, the music and the privacy.

Since we had not had non-ghanaian food since we arrived, this was definitely an (expensive) treat.








Here’s to us. UCLA in Ghana!! :)

1-month(ish) Reflections

We had an assignment due to the EAP office about our first month in Ghana, and our experiences thus far.

Here is my paper.

A Paper about Alice in Ghana

I am a physiology major with aspirations to become a physician. My parents are Taiwanese immigrants who work 12-hour days, 7 days a week, yet, at the moment with the failing economy in America, they barely make enough to pay the bills each month. I grew up with my grandparents in a middle class suburban community full of Asians and Hispanics, living off social security wages but was fortunate enough to never have to worry about whether there would be food on the table or clothes on my back. I have never taken a class about Africa, much less West Africa. I am not a big traveler- I’ve been out of the United States twice in my life, once for a weeklong tour of Europe, a senior gift from my parents, and another time to visit family in Taiwan. The idea of traveling to anywhere in Africa seemed very foreign and unobtainable to me. It was never a place that I envisioned myself to actually be in. I spoke of and dreamed of volunteering in some “developing” part of Africa, but the airfare to fly here to volunteer was not something I could justify with my budget. However, through a series of events, everything somehow aligned and I was given this opportunity to select Ghana as a country to study abroad in.

Before I came to Ghana, I had no idea what the living conditions would be like or what the cultural experience would entail. Quite frankly, I had no idea about anything that was going on in this continent and my vague descriptions of Africa before I came can easily attest to that. The entire experience, from the day I started my application for this program until now, has been very surreal. I feel as if I can wake up any moment from this dream.

I literally had no expectations when I boarded the plane at Los Angeles International earlier last month. Thus, when I got off the airplane in Ghana, nothing was too overwhelming. I remember being very happy when I got off the plane, excited to start this new adventure that I had been planning for so long. I remember noticing the heat, the humidity, the smallness of the airport, my light-color of skin, and other subtle things about my surroundings and of my peers that I was traveling with. When we got on the bus and drove to the University, I remember my shock at how large the campus was. I thought I would never become acclimated and that I would not be able to find my way around. As orientation kicked off, I remember enjoying the food, the tours of Accra, and the lectures of Ghana’s rich history. I feel really lucky to have been presented with all the lectures, as it provided much welcomed background information about this place I would be living in for the next five months. By understanding Ghana’s family structure, it’s history of colonization, its struggle for independence and democracy, and its place in society today really enabled me to not only fully appreciate what I have at home, but also gave me a new perspective about the significance of my visit and how I would be able to help in the future with the Ghanaian struggle and its drive towards a more self-reliant and sustainable nation.

Everything that has happened so far has provided new stimulation for my mind. I love this aspect of my studying abroad. As the group visited slave castles and national parks, I remember pondering about the people, trying to envision the thoughts of the many Ghanaians and other Africans that had to live through these bad historical times and contrasting that thought with the amazement and excitement the Europeans must have felt to see such sights of beauty, grandeur, and wealth when they arrived on these coasts. The weekend we traveled to Kumasi, I remember my heart breaking when I saw the children running around barefoot, fighting for the small Styrofoam boxes of our lunch leftovers. The sight of their wide eyes, bright smiles and loud cheers when we passed their mother the last of our Jollof rice in a plastic bag will forever remain imprinted in my mind. In the Accra and Medina markets, I remember feeling sad as I watched mothers sitting at their stands with their babies sleeping in their lap, hoping to sell foods and goods to support their families. Many times, I would feel guilty for trying to bargain their prices down to a reasonable rate so that I would not be cheated, but always having the worry in the back of my mind that I would not be cheating them.

My emotions have been all over the place. Many sights I have seen in Ghana remind me of stories my grandparents’ have told me about their village life back in China. Seeing children serving “obrunis” alcohol at ten in the evening as Bush Canteen bring back memories of growing up and watching my parents break their backs to support our family while I sat in the back of the restaurant, watching my younger brother play in his crib until my mom got off work at ten in the evening. My childhood and my life up until now has left me with compassion and a sense of understanding for the other underserved communities of the world, and seeing similar struggles, of varying degrees in Ghana has really resonated within me.

Along with my own reflections, I have also had many thought provoking and insightful conversations that have helped me learn more about myself. I did not fall in love with Ghana right away. In fact, I still do not feel like I am in love with this place. I really like it and I am enjoying myself, but I am not ready to tell the world that I love Ghana just yet. It is much like a developing relationship. I am still trying to figure out where I want to place Ghana. There are many things that I do like about this place. I like that I have developed a new sense of humanness and a new respect for humanity. There is also a greater emphasis on living as a community here. Growing up in America has, unrealized by myself until now, left me with the idea that each individual has to fend for his or her own. My education and my experiences have left me to feel this way. As a result, aside from my immediate family and my close friends, I feel that I have a very weak sense of trust for those who live around me. America is also full of independent people, with independent thoughts. It is not common practice for strangers to help one another out as it is here in Ghana. Each family fends for themselves. Thus, each individual has somewhat isolated themselves from their surroundings. They demand certain rights and services without realizing that another human being is providing them with these services. These practices have left me forgetting that all those around me are human as well.

In addition, the pace of life is much more relaxed in Ghana. As a result, there is time to stop on the street to greet an old, or a new, friend and to sustain a decent conversation. The fast paced lifestyle I have adopted at my home university has also me constantly craving immediate gratification with each task that I accomplish and left me with no time to sit and enjoy my surroundings and the people around me. It has taken some getting used to, but I enjoy this new pace of life.

But just as there is good about Ghana, there are also many things that are unsettling to me. Many know Ghana as a developing country. However, I have mixed feelings about this term, as “developing” is a very subjective word. There are many aspects of Ghana that are in the process of developing and will require further assistance to aid in its development. However, there are also other aspects of Ghana that are further developed than even countries such as America. In terms of sustainability and being able to operate and rely on its own production, it is underdeveloped. In terms of morals and ethics, Ghana is just as developed, if not more so, than America. Ghana has instilled women in power, it recognizes that healthcare and education are fundamental rights of the people, and thus, the government has taken steps to ensure that these rights are passed onto its people. Coming here has enabled me to realize that the whole world is developing together. Certain countries have strengths that are other country’s weaknesses. This thought has led me to believe that there is a great lack of understanding of just how small the world is. I feel that many people do not realize that halfway around the world, people are living just as they are. Perhaps it is due to the inherent human quality of being fearful of what is unfamiliar to us. Regardless, I feel that if people could just travel and mend this gap in communication, Earth would be a much more peaceful planet to live on.

This is no easy task through, as I have had my own internal struggles in trying to trust and communicate with the people here. Feeling safe in Ghana was something that was difficult for me in the beginning. In fact, my safety was something that was always on the back of my mind up until recently. This is not to say that I was worried about everything here. Before I was event granted permission to come on this trip, I was given a checklist of documents that I needed to read, sign, and bring with me to Ghana. One of these documents was a warning list of all the dangers and hazards of Ghana that I might encounter and should be aware of while abroad. I feel that this is given to any student traveling to any foreign country. However, when our study abroad group arrived on campus, another string of warnings were given to us. Various authorities warned us of where to go and where not to go; they spoke of places that were unsafe at night, described people that we should avoid, precautionary measures that we need to take to ensure our safety and the safety of our belongings. They told us types of foods to avoid, kinds of water not to drink, things we shouldn’t do, etc. My fellow international students and I were given so many warnings. From my perspective, they made Ghana out to be a very, very dangerous place.

I am sure the intent of these warnings were of good nature, but I must admit, I was pretty scared and paranoid that everyone was out to get me by the end of all these speeches. Thus, for the first month that I was here, I did not feel safe going out once the sun had set. I didn’t want to travel anywhere alone. I was very hesitant to give any of my contact information or just any information about myself to anyone. I felt like I could not trust anyone. It has been exhausting trying to be so vigilant and cautious all the time. Recently, however, I have come to a realization.

This realization came last Friday when I took my first journey alone to the Mampong herbal research center. My independent study professor had a name of a contact at the center and told me to ask for him if I were to ever go to the place. Since I didn’t have class Friday, I figured why not go and get a head start on the project. Earlier in the week, I had met a girl who also had strong interest in this topic. It would have been perfect to have her accompany me. Unfortunately, I could not get a hold of her. Around 10:30am, I finally mustered up the courage to suck it up and just go alone. I walk to the tro-tro station and get on a tro-tro heading toward the general direction of Mampong. On the tro-tro, I end up seated next to a girl who recognized me as one of two Asian girls living in Volta Hall. We started chatting and she eventually gave me specific directions to the research center. When we arrive at the junction where I needed to switch tro-tros, she exits with me and walks me to the tro-tro that would take me directly to Mampong. On this short walk from the first tro-tro to the next tro-tro station, I was hissed at and asked by a number of different men where I was going. Because I was with the other Ghanaian girl, I just ignored the hissing and the questions and continued walking. I walk past this group of hissing men without acknowledging them. However, as I am about to pass, a man grabs my arm, looks me in the eye and with an annoyed tone in this voice, asks, “Why do you ignore me obruni, I am just trying to help you.”

I was kind of shocked. I paused, pulled my arm away, apologized for ignoring him, and thanked him for his concern. My Ghanaian friend pulled me and continued walking, but all I could think about was the interaction I just had with this man. I eventually recalled to the entire scenario and asked myself why I was ignoring him in the first place. I think it was because I have been conditioned and cultured to fear things here. We had been given so many warnings about being vigilant and cautious with whom we interact with at the market; I was just heeding their warnings. However, in doing so, I didn’t even think about the people on the other end that we were being warned against. They were human too. Maybe I needed to let my guard down a little and trust a little more. I started to feel like a horrible person, but this was a good lesson for me.

This trip to Mampong was the first one I had taken alone, and it’s left me with this lesson that I feel is very, very valuable. I need to start trust my own judgment. I need to start listening to my own thoughts instead of letting other's influencing and overshadowing my own. I will be in Ghana for another 4 months and I cannot be scared and fearful of everything that comes my way. Unfortunate incidents will happen along the way, (In fact, we were stolen from the other day at the beach.) but I should not let these incidents stop me from exploring and experiencing. I just need to acknowledge and beware that these things can and might happen. It could happen anywhere. If I am in a constant state of worry and caution, I might go home with less than I came with.

A month has passed; there are three and a half, almost four months left. So much has already happened in this past month. I have never spoken to and gotten to know so many people so well in such a short amount of time. The students on this education abroad program with me are very special. There is such a strong sense of community. Whether this feeling of community is due to our inherent natures or is influenced by the Ghanaian lifestyle, it is an amazing feeling having eighteen other brother and sisters watching out for you. I look forward to more travels, to diving further into my academics, and to learning and growing more as an individual of this world’s future.

A Culture of Fear

Before I was granted permission to come on this trip, I was given a checklist of documents that I needed to read, sign, and bring with me to Ghana. One of these documents described all the dangers and hazards of Ghana that I might encounter and should be aware of. When we arrive on campus, another string of warnings were given to us. Various authorities warned us of where to go and where not to go; they spoke of places that were unsafe at night, described people that we should avoid, precautionary measures that we need to take to ensure our safety and the safety of our belongings. They told us of foods to avoid, water not to drink, things we shouldn’t do, blah blah blah. They gave us so many warnings. From my perspective, they made Ghana out to be a very, very dangerous place.

I’m sure intentions were good, but I must admit, I was pretty scared and paranoid that everyone was out to get me by the end of all these speeches. Thus, for the first month that I was here, I didn’t feel safe going out once the sun had set. I didn’t want to travel anywhere alone. I was very hesitant to give any of my contact information or just any information about myself to anyone. I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. It’s been exhausting trying to be so vigilant and cautious all the time.

Last Friday though, I came to a... realization. Here's a little backstory.

Last Friday, I woke up with the goal of traveling to Mampong (a small town about an hour north east of Accra) to visit a herbal research center. I’m currently conducting a research study on the role of herbal medicine in modern Accra. I met with my research adviser last Thursday to talk with him about my research project, and he gave me the name of a friend at this research center and told me to ask for him if I were to ever go to the place. Since I didn’t have class Friday, I figured why not go and get a head start on the project. Earlier this week, I also met a girl who was also had strong interest in this topic. Thus, it would been perfect to have her accompany me. However, I couldn't get a hold of her. Around 10:30am, I finally mustered up the courage to suck it up and just go alone. I walk to the tro-tro station and get on a tro-tro heading toward the general direction of Mampong. On the tro-tro, I end up sitting next to a girl who recognized me as one of two asian girls who lives in Volta Hall. She’s a Ghanaian, level 200 student, and I think her name is Franz. We started talking (she was very nice and very interesting) and she eventually gave me directions to the research center. When we arrive at Pongo(?) junction, she exits with me and walks me to the tro-tro that would take me directly to Mampong.

On this short walk from the first tro-tro to the next tro-tro station, I was hissed at and asked by a number of different men where I was going. (The hissing is actually quite common here- it’s a way for people to get each other’s attention. Personally, I find it very rude.) Because I was with the other Ghanaian girl, I just ignored the hissing and the questions and continued walking. I have a tendency to do that here. When I’m heading toward a destination, I will greet others when they say hi to me, but when they start shouting “obruni, obruni” or when they hiss and ask me to give them my number, I just brush it off and keep walking. Today was just like any other day, so I walk past this group of hissing men without awknowledging them. I don't think anything of it. However, after I pass the group of guys and am about to squeeze between a tro-tro and a wooden pillar, this guy grabs my arm, looks me in the eye and with an annoyed tone in this voice, asks, “why do you ignore me obruni, I am just trying to help you.”

I was kind of shocked. I paused, pulled my arm away, apologized for ignoring him and thanked him for his concern. As this is all happening, Franz just grabbed my other arm and pulled me to keep walking with her.

Ugh.

That took me by suprise. What just happened? Was it really that big of a deal where he had to stop me by grabbing my arm like that? Then I thought back to the entire senario and asked myself why I was ignoring him in the first place. I think it was because I’ve been conditioned and cultured to fear everything here. We had been given so many warnings about being vigilant and cautious with whom we interact with at the market, I was just heeding their warnings. However, in doing so, I didn’t even think about the people on the other end that we were being warned against. They were human too. Maybe they aren’t as bad as the EAP guides and such state. Maybe I needed to let my guard down a little and trust a little more. I started to feel like a horrible person.

When I finally got on the tro-tro to Mampong, I sat sandwiched between a very quiet girl and a guy who looked like he did not want to be on this tro-tro. I greeted them and sat, and eventually started talking to the girl, asking her where she was going and trying to get to know her a bit better. Eventually, the guy jumped in on our conversation, and the hour long tro-tro ride turned into a much shorter one. They even helped me identify the correct stop and wished me well on my way out.

I think this was a good lesson for me. This trip to Mampong was the first one I had taken alone, and it’s left me with this lesson that I feel is very, very valuable. I need to start trust my own judgment. I need to start listening to my own thoughts instead of letting other's influencing and overshadowning my own. I’m going to be here for another 4 months and I can’t be scared and fearful of everything that comes my way. Unfortunate incidents will happen along the way, (In fact, we were stolen from the other day at the beach.) but I can’t let these incidents stop me from exploring and experiencing. I just need to acknowledge and beware that these things can and might happen. It could happen anywhere, you know? If I’m in a constant state of fear, I might go home with less than I came with.

Thanks for listening.

Address!

So I have some entries that I wanted to post, but the USB port on the computer I am on does not work... so I guess I will post later.

In the mean time, here is my mailing address fo those who wanted it.

For Letters
University of Ghana
UC-EAP
PO BOX LG 356
Legon
Accra, Ghana

For Packages
UC EAP Centre
Room 4, Ground Floor
KAB Jones Quartey Building (Right Wing)
Osu Street
University of Ghana Campus
Legon
Accra, Ghana

Until next time! E-mail me your address if you would like a post card! my e-mail is iotterpop at gmail dot com. :)

Ghanaian Hospitality

When I first arrived in Ghana, I didn’t fall in love with the place right away. (In fact, I’m still not in LOVE with this place. I really like it and I’m enjoying myself, but I’m not ready to tell the world that I LOVE Ghana just yet.) One thing that I noticed right away was that it was hot and humid. It wasn’t as bad as I imagined, but still, humidity makes you sweat. Even if you try your hardest not to move, you still sweat. Back at home, I hate being sweaty. I don’t particularly enjoy the feeling of being sticky all over, of sweat dripping down your face if you walk too fast. Couple that with the dirt roads everywhere; eeek. I wanted to just shower all the time, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to waste water. I’m used to it now though, so it’s all good. ☺

Anyways, that was a tangent. Where I meant to go with this entry was… When we arrived in Ghana, a lot of my peers were claiming that they loved Ghana because of the amazing and kind people. “You will meet some of the nicest people in Ghana!” Hmmm... Personally, I felt like my first few weeks here were filled with overly friendly and aggressive men and under friendly and somewhat unapproachable women. Part of it was probably due to my own perceptions (edit: read the next entry on “fear” to understand this point more), to me still trying to adjust to the food, getting over homesickness, trying to feel comfortable and safe in this foreign place, and get into the groove of everything, but part of it was their body language and their expressions as well. I never really felt that kindness others had claimed until this past week. I mean, the people here are friendly in the sense that if you greet them, they will greet you in return and ask how you are. If you ask for help, they will try to help you even if they don’t know anything about the question you are asking. If you try, it is pretty easy to get into conversations with people here; no one rejects your offer of trying to become acquainted with them. All my encounters with Ghanaians up until recently were not too different from interactions with people at home. People respect each other (for the most part), but I didn’t feel like Ghanaians were the nicest people I’ve ever met. It’s a pretty broad stereotype.

But right now, I am overwhelmed by the kindness I have just received.

Before I get into this, I just want to say UC-EAP is a pretty legit study abroad program. Because its linked with the University of California, grades are easily transferrable, financial aid is applicable, and everyone, at home and here, really take care of you. At the University of Ghana, the EAP kids have their own office. Along with this office, we get a staff of advisers and assistants that help us adjust not only to university life, but also to Ghanaian life. They take us traveling to a couple of the major attractions in Ghana. They prepare an orientation for us, they feed us for the first two weeks that we are here, and provide extra classes about the history, the culture, and music, and the dance. All the other international students are clumped together in another office upstairs. Their orientation isn’t as extensive. They kind of have to figure things out on their own.
Anyways, the EAP-liasion for my program is a woman that goes by the name Auntie Irene. I’ve come to learn that she is a very important and well known figure at the University here. She has very extensive education (I hear 2 Ph.D.s?), has started two non profits in Ghana (one relating to dealing with children in conflict areas and another relating to women empowerment), she’s held a number of teaching positions at the university, she works closely with the president of Ghana, hold a position with the UN, etc. etc… and she is our liaison.

So here’s what happened the other day.

Part of my plan when coming to Ghana was to volunteer. Since the first two weeks here were pre –scheduled for us, there was not much time for trying to find a place to volunteer. When we finally had free time, I immediately drafted a letter of introduction and passed it on to the educational adviser for our program to submit to hospitals for me. I also made friends with a student at the University of Ghana Medical School who helped turn my letter to the executive secretary of the teaching hospital at Korle-Bu, one of the medical teaching hospital here. After waiting a week, actually, 2 weeks, I had still not received notice from anyone. Apparently, the education adviser had not turned my letter anywhere. He said it was not good for the program to turn a letter in to an organization, receive a response, and then reply with a rejection. Thus, you submit your letter to each place, wait for a response, and then move on to the next accordingly. So basically, he wanted me to hear back from Korle-Bu before he proceeded. Ah. After waiting a while, I started to get anxious. What if I never found a place. I started semi-beating myself up for not finding a place before I came. A whole month was already passed, and I still hadn’t done much with my time here. Ahh. So after class last Thursday, I go to the EAP office and walk to Auntie Irene’s desk. She offers me a seat and I ask her if I can ask for her opinion on my situation. I explained my situation, about my desire to volunteer in a hospital or some medical facility. I told her my dilemma about already submitting my letter to Korle-Bu and not sure where to proceed from here. She immediately offers me sound advice that settles my nerves. She gives me some alternative solutions, and after seeing my reactions to them, she begins to work.

As I’m standing there, she tells her secretary to draft a letter to the director the Legon University Hospital, located across the street from the University of Ghana, for me. Then, she calls the University Tro-tro driver Solomon and tells him to come to the office. She calls the director of the hospital to make sure that he is available. She give Solomon the keys to HER car, and tells him to drive me to the hospital, even though I could have easily walk there because it was right across the street from the Uni. Solomon drives me over, waits for me to turn the letter in, and then drives me back to campus and drops me off where I needed to be dropped off. It was wonderful! AND SO NICE OF HER. She did not have to do any of that for me, but she did. I maybe had one or two conversations with her before this incident, so it wasn’t like she was doing this because she knew me well or anything. It made me feel warm fuzzies inside.

So that was last Thursday. Today is Tuesday. I just got back from my third visit to the hospital. I went in yesterday to see that my request had been approved. When I went in today, I met with the second head nurse, who helped me arrange a schedule for volunteering. I’ll be starting next Friday, and will proceed to spend 3 weeks in the pediatrics ward, then 3 weeks in the general ward, 3 weeks in the maternity ward, and 3 weeks in the emergency and accidents ward. My exact jobs have not been decided, that will be determined by the head of each ward but eeeeee, it’s all worked out.

I feel really lucky right now.