It rained Wednesday night and Thursday morning!! That meant that it was ‘cool’ until about 9 am! I walked to the orphanage around 8 in the morning and I walked by a father and a 4 year old boy wearing pants and a sweatshirt. Even though it was ‘cool’ to the Ghanaians, I was wearing shorts and a tank top and was still sweating! Apparently the rainy season starts around May or June and we just started the dry period. It has not been as humid as the first couple of weeks but it is still plenty hot.
On Wednesday I went with 2 other friends to a tribal ceremony and a naming ceremony for us. First we went to the shrine, it was in a circular hut, the ‘priest’ - I am not entirely sure what his title was - prayed and then passed around a bottle and a small cup. We poured some on the ground as an offering to the gods and then drank some and then poured the rest on the ground again. We looked what is in the bottle - sticks, fabric, shells and a chicken foot! Yes, a chicken foot. We tried to ask what all the objects, especially the chicken foot, represented or the reason they were in the bottle. The language barrier did not help with asking that question - so we don’t know why. After accepting the fact that I had just drank something with a chicken foot in it we entered the shrine. We sat in a circle with candles as the only source of light. We each had to go around the circle and say our names when it was my turn I said, “Clara” and they all tried to repeat it and finally the ‘priest’ said, “And that is why you need an African name, no one can pronounce it!”. My friends and I then picked folded pieces of paper and handed them to the ‘priest’ and he told us our names. My name is Nakokwe, meaning second born. After we were assigned names we had to make another offering to the god. We poured some on the grounds, drank some and poured some on the ground again. The names we were given are not in Twi, Ghana’s most prominent language, it was either in Ewe or Ga we think. It has been more difficult than any of us expected to meet Ghanaians so going to this helped us meet new people and experience a ceremony without 46 other white students.
Speaking of names, my name has been very difficult for everyone to pronounce. The letters l and r are very difficult to pronounce and therefore really messes up my name. I usually tell people my name is Sara, which helps a little. Or I use my ‘day-name’ which is Yaa. In Ghana your name is given to you based on the day of the week you were born. For example, every female born on Thursday is Yaa and every male born on Friday is Kofi. Not everyone has these names but a majority of people do or at least some variation of it.
On Thursday we were supposed to have our last day of Twi and our final. But, the power was out on the entire campus and they were not able to make copies of the test so the test was moved until Monday.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Feb. 23
Classes were very interesting last week, only one of my four classes actually met besides Twi. And Twi was only on Monday instead of Monday through Thursday. The professors just didn’t show up or class was cancelled because it was too hot. I am used to snow days and school cancellations because of wind chill not because it’s too hot! One of the classes we waited for 45 minutes for the professor to show up but instead a man walked in and started to preach about God in front of the entire class of 800 students. Some people listened while others kept going with their conversations, it was so weird to have a man start preaching in front of the class. This will be the last week of our 6 week Twi class. It has definitely been hard trying to learn a new language and to try and learn or get used to pigeon English.
On Friday night we went to a play on campus, A Diary of a Mad Black Women. It was very well attended and was very good. It was in an outdoor theater so that was very cool. The University of Ghana has an excellent drama department and has plays or shows just about every weekend. Next week will be the Vagina Monologues, the following weekend Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat and then Beauty and the Beast. Belle from Beauty and the Beast will be played by a girl from my CIEE program.
A group of 4 of us went to Shai Hills Resource Reserve for the weekend. Getting there was interesting because no one could tell us exactly what tro-tro to get on but we were able to find our way eventually with some fun stories in the end! We stayed at a hotel on Saturday night and then woke up at 5:30 to go see the animals. There was a family of baboons by the front gate of the reserve and we were able to feed them some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! We saw about 6 baboons and one of them was a baby on it’s moms back. It was so cool to see them so close, 5 feet away! We then went to the other side of the reserve so we could go to a bat cave. We hiked for about 4 km to the bat cave. When we were in the cave I asked the tour guide how far the cave goes back and he replied, “I will tell you when we are out.” It was an odd answer I thought but then moved on. When we were out of the cave he said there is a 13 foot python that lives in the cave so he didn’t want us to go back. I just wanted to know how far back the cave went not to actually go back there, lost in translation I guess!
We heard from our host mom - she will return in 2 weeks!
I love getting emails or real mail too!
My email address is lund1007@morris.umn.edu and my address is (it only costs 94 cents for a letter J ):
Clara Lundgren
c/o Kwasi Gyasi-Gyamerah
Private Mail Bag 31
University of Ghana
Legon, Ghana
West Africa
On Friday night we went to a play on campus, A Diary of a Mad Black Women. It was very well attended and was very good. It was in an outdoor theater so that was very cool. The University of Ghana has an excellent drama department and has plays or shows just about every weekend. Next week will be the Vagina Monologues, the following weekend Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat and then Beauty and the Beast. Belle from Beauty and the Beast will be played by a girl from my CIEE program.
A group of 4 of us went to Shai Hills Resource Reserve for the weekend. Getting there was interesting because no one could tell us exactly what tro-tro to get on but we were able to find our way eventually with some fun stories in the end! We stayed at a hotel on Saturday night and then woke up at 5:30 to go see the animals. There was a family of baboons by the front gate of the reserve and we were able to feed them some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! We saw about 6 baboons and one of them was a baby on it’s moms back. It was so cool to see them so close, 5 feet away! We then went to the other side of the reserve so we could go to a bat cave. We hiked for about 4 km to the bat cave. When we were in the cave I asked the tour guide how far the cave goes back and he replied, “I will tell you when we are out.” It was an odd answer I thought but then moved on. When we were out of the cave he said there is a 13 foot python that lives in the cave so he didn’t want us to go back. I just wanted to know how far back the cave went not to actually go back there, lost in translation I guess!
We heard from our host mom - she will return in 2 weeks!
I love getting emails or real mail too!
My email address is lund1007@morris.umn.edu and my address is (it only costs 94 cents for a letter J ):
Clara Lundgren
c/o Kwasi Gyasi-Gyamerah
Private Mail Bag 31
University of Ghana
Legon, Ghana
West Africa
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Feb. 17th
Another successful week of classes in Ghana! Classes have been going well, getting used to the teaching style and finding it easier to understand the professors. The professors often make jokes and the Ghanaian students all laugh and all the international students just sit and look really confused, we aren’t able to pick up on the jokes that quickly!
Volunteering at the orphanage has been an experience! I am helping the children in the classroom with spelling and math. It is hard to tell what they should be studying at their age, because the education system is completely different than in the States.
Electricity and running water has definitely become more scarce the last 2 weeks in my home stay. We use a lot of flashlights and candles for light in the evenings. And try to have extra buckets of water waiting in case the water goes out and we need to use it. So many more things I will appreciate more when I am home.
On Friday some friends and I went to La Tawala Beach near Accra. It was so nice to swim in the ocean and lay on the beach with a good book, I am reading a lot here! On Saturday some friends and I went exploring in Osu, a neighborhood in Accra. We found an Italian restaurant and had alfredo and pizza!! We then wanted to find Global Mamas, a fair trade store with clothing made by Ghanaians. We spent almost two hours wondering around asking for directions but everyone was pointing us in different directions. We finally found it and it was so nice to shop in a place with set prices, therefore no bargaining in Twi, and in a store where people were not pressuring us to buy things.
The transition has been very difficult, but I am enjoying the experience!
Volunteering at the orphanage has been an experience! I am helping the children in the classroom with spelling and math. It is hard to tell what they should be studying at their age, because the education system is completely different than in the States.
Electricity and running water has definitely become more scarce the last 2 weeks in my home stay. We use a lot of flashlights and candles for light in the evenings. And try to have extra buckets of water waiting in case the water goes out and we need to use it. So many more things I will appreciate more when I am home.
On Friday some friends and I went to La Tawala Beach near Accra. It was so nice to swim in the ocean and lay on the beach with a good book, I am reading a lot here! On Saturday some friends and I went exploring in Osu, a neighborhood in Accra. We found an Italian restaurant and had alfredo and pizza!! We then wanted to find Global Mamas, a fair trade store with clothing made by Ghanaians. We spent almost two hours wondering around asking for directions but everyone was pointing us in different directions. We finally found it and it was so nice to shop in a place with set prices, therefore no bargaining in Twi, and in a store where people were not pressuring us to buy things.
The transition has been very difficult, but I am enjoying the experience!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Februuary 9
This past weekend our group went to Cape Coast and to Kakum National Park. Touring the slave castle was very intense. I was expecting the tour guide to give us more of a Ghanaian perspective on the slave trade, but he did not. The castle was so beautiful over looking the ocean, it was interesting to be in such a beautiful place where people were being sold and treated like animals. On Sunday we went to Kakum National Park and hiked through the rainforest. We walked over 7 rope bridges 40 meters above the ground. The canopy walk was so cool! We didn't see any monkeys or other wildlife but we it was cool just to be in the rainforest.
This is the fourth week of classes and they are going well. The professors show up about 20 to 30 minutes late and usually leave class early. Last Thursday our Human Rights in Africa professor walked our of class because 1 of the 500 students had not read the assigned handout. Apparently that will teach the students to read, or that's what the other Ghanaian students told us!
I am definitely starting to feel more comfortable getting around in Ghana. It is frustrating when the taxi driver and tro-tro drivers try to charge me more because they don't think I know the price. We have started to learn that if you know how much the ride should be we just pay the exact change and not even ask because more likely than not they will over charge us.
I am working at the orphanage 3 mornings a week, helping in the classroom. The first day I walked in one of the kids ran up to me and said, "Are you taking one of us?" It was so sad, I don't know how many of them well be adopted or how long they are able to stay.
My home stay has been good, not at all what I expected. Everyone is really nice, but the people that are there the most speak Twi, which after only having 3 weeks of classes I am not able to talk with them other than ... "Ete sen?" which is how are you? Our host mom is expected to be back beginning of March.
The food has been an interesting transition. It is very spicy but good. We eat a lot of rice, beans and plantains. My host family made fo-fou last week for us ... I did not enjoy it. It is fermented corn mixed with water and then pounded, it is not cooked. Your are supposed to eat with your hands with a soup. It reminded me a lot of raw bread dough. That is the only thing I have not been able to eat, so I am pleased about that!
This is the fourth week of classes and they are going well. The professors show up about 20 to 30 minutes late and usually leave class early. Last Thursday our Human Rights in Africa professor walked our of class because 1 of the 500 students had not read the assigned handout. Apparently that will teach the students to read, or that's what the other Ghanaian students told us!
I am definitely starting to feel more comfortable getting around in Ghana. It is frustrating when the taxi driver and tro-tro drivers try to charge me more because they don't think I know the price. We have started to learn that if you know how much the ride should be we just pay the exact change and not even ask because more likely than not they will over charge us.
I am working at the orphanage 3 mornings a week, helping in the classroom. The first day I walked in one of the kids ran up to me and said, "Are you taking one of us?" It was so sad, I don't know how many of them well be adopted or how long they are able to stay.
My home stay has been good, not at all what I expected. Everyone is really nice, but the people that are there the most speak Twi, which after only having 3 weeks of classes I am not able to talk with them other than ... "Ete sen?" which is how are you? Our host mom is expected to be back beginning of March.
The food has been an interesting transition. It is very spicy but good. We eat a lot of rice, beans and plantains. My host family made fo-fou last week for us ... I did not enjoy it. It is fermented corn mixed with water and then pounded, it is not cooked. Your are supposed to eat with your hands with a soup. It reminded me a lot of raw bread dough. That is the only thing I have not been able to eat, so I am pleased about that!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
January 31, 2009
Another successful week of classes! I have Twi class Monday through Thursday for an hour and a half and one additional class every day. I am taking Gender and Reproductive Rights, Regionalism and Ethnicity in Ghanaian Politics, Penology and Human Rights in Africa. The class sizes are HUGE and the professor is hard to understand/hear most of the time. It is a completely different lecture style than at Morris, the professor reads from his notes and everyone copies exactly how he says it, word for word in complete sentences.
I am volunteering at an orphanage 4 blocks from my home stay since I have most mornings free. My first day was Thursday morning and I helped some children write the alphabet. There are about 30 kids at the orphanage, from 3 months old to 10 years old.
Friday night some friends and I went to a Lebanese restaurant – it was delicious. It was also really nice to not have a variation of rice, chicken and plantains! To get to the restaurant we had to take a 2 tro-tros, the way there was no problem at all. On the way back was an adventure! The place where we switch tor-tros is a station with about 100 tro-tros dropping and picking people up and also a market. We had no idea what tro-tro to get on so all these men were trying to help us (10 white people) and then it started to rain. The vendors at the market were running around trying to cover their things while people on tro-tros were yelling at us to get on. Finally some really nice man walked us exactly where we needed to go. By this point it was raining pretty hard and then I realized the seat I was sitting in had a broken window and I couldn’t shut it. Needless to say my left side was soaked. The mate (person in charge of money on the tro-tro) gave me a rag to hold over the window. It was definitely an adventure!
My dad found a high school friend whose sister lives in Accra, Ghana and works for the United States Treasury department. Her driver offered to give us a tour of Accra, it was so nice to learn about Accra and see so many different areas. We went to the National Museum (one of the two museums in Ghana), Nkrumah Mausoleum (the first President of Ghana), to the National Cultural Center (an art center with a lot of vendors) and some other places. After the tour they brought us to their house and we had potatoes, salad (with Ranch dressing!), broccoli and ribs with Famous Dave’s sauce. The leafy salad and broccoli was amazing, the only vegetables we can find are yams. It was interesting talking to them about working with the Foreign Service and all the countries and experiences they’ve had living abroad.
One thing I have noticed repeatedly in Ghana is the God references everywhere. For example, “In God’s Hands Hair Salon” and “By His Grace Fast Food”. Also, the woman and men carry so many things on their heads. There was a man carrying a box of chickens on his head, the picture won't upload because the internet is too slow, but I will try another time.
Another successful week of classes! I have Twi class Monday through Thursday for an hour and a half and one additional class every day. I am taking Gender and Reproductive Rights, Regionalism and Ethnicity in Ghanaian Politics, Penology and Human Rights in Africa. The class sizes are HUGE and the professor is hard to understand/hear most of the time. It is a completely different lecture style than at Morris, the professor reads from his notes and everyone copies exactly how he says it, word for word in complete sentences.
I am volunteering at an orphanage 4 blocks from my home stay since I have most mornings free. My first day was Thursday morning and I helped some children write the alphabet. There are about 30 kids at the orphanage, from 3 months old to 10 years old.
Friday night some friends and I went to a Lebanese restaurant – it was delicious. It was also really nice to not have a variation of rice, chicken and plantains! To get to the restaurant we had to take a 2 tro-tros, the way there was no problem at all. On the way back was an adventure! The place where we switch tor-tros is a station with about 100 tro-tros dropping and picking people up and also a market. We had no idea what tro-tro to get on so all these men were trying to help us (10 white people) and then it started to rain. The vendors at the market were running around trying to cover their things while people on tro-tros were yelling at us to get on. Finally some really nice man walked us exactly where we needed to go. By this point it was raining pretty hard and then I realized the seat I was sitting in had a broken window and I couldn’t shut it. Needless to say my left side was soaked. The mate (person in charge of money on the tro-tro) gave me a rag to hold over the window. It was definitely an adventure!
My dad found a high school friend whose sister lives in Accra, Ghana and works for the United States Treasury department. Her driver offered to give us a tour of Accra, it was so nice to learn about Accra and see so many different areas. We went to the National Museum (one of the two museums in Ghana), Nkrumah Mausoleum (the first President of Ghana), to the National Cultural Center (an art center with a lot of vendors) and some other places. After the tour they brought us to their house and we had potatoes, salad (with Ranch dressing!), broccoli and ribs with Famous Dave’s sauce. The leafy salad and broccoli was amazing, the only vegetables we can find are yams. It was interesting talking to them about working with the Foreign Service and all the countries and experiences they’ve had living abroad.
One thing I have noticed repeatedly in Ghana is the God references everywhere. For example, “In God’s Hands Hair Salon” and “By His Grace Fast Food”. Also, the woman and men carry so many things on their heads. There was a man carrying a box of chickens on his head, the picture won't upload because the internet is too slow, but I will try another time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
