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.