I safely home after my 5 month adventure studying and traveling throughout West Africa. I got home really early Wednesday morning and loved sleeping in my own bed with a comforter!! I have been enjoying watching sports and eating a lot of dairy products. I went to the grocery store this morning and it was so odd: no one stared at me, I didn't need to bargain for anything and they had change!
I will keep you posted on other interesting experiences I have after being back. And I will also post more pictures as soon as I can!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso
May 11th
The combination of traveling and lack of power has made it hard to update my blog, sorry! I am now back in Ghana after two exciting trips to Togo and Benin and then to Burkina Faso. Togo is only about 3 hours away from Accra so we were able to take a tro-tro to the border and stay at a hotel right in the capitol, Lome. Togo does not use tro-tros they have moto-taxis, motorcycles, at first we thought having a group of four would be difficult to find 4 moto-taxis but it was never a problem. The first day in Lome we took moto-taxis around the city and then found an ice-cream shop for dessert! Ghana does not have any dairy products so ice-cream was a great treat. The second day in Togo we took another tro-tro to Kpalime, about a 3 hour drive, to see butterflies. We went to a beautiful waterfall and toured a coco farm - everything but butterflies, it was still a nice day trip. The third day we left to go to Benin, we found that ‘shared’ taxis mean 4 people in the back, two people in the front passenger seat and the driver. It was a little cramped but we were able to get there! That night we were able to go to the Grand Market and walked through the ‘fish aisle’ - about 10 to 15 fish in a bucket with just enough water for them to splash around - not the best part of the market! On Friday we went to the Ganvie Stilt Village where people live in bamboo huts. The Tofinu people fled there in the 17th century to escape the slave hunters, who were banned by a religious custom from going over water. Ganvie is just like a real town, except it is on water, it has a school and cemetery and there is a market where all the woman line up their boats and sell things right out of their boats. After Ganvie we went to Ouidah and saw the Sacred Forest with sculptures symbolizing African deities and beliefs. Benin’s national religion is Voodoo and we were able white flags hanging through out the village. We then walked the Route d’Esclaves - the final walk on African soil for slaves that lead to the Point of No Return Memorial. On Saturday we headed back to Accra to start studying for our finals.
I have had two of my four finals, I think they both went well. They both were essay questions that I felt I could answer, it is still a little terrifying that the only factor of your final grade is the final exam.
Last Tuesday we left for Burkina Faso, we were able to take a bus to the border of Ghana and Burkina Faso but had to spend the night because the border was not open at 3 in the morning. On Wednesday we made it to the capitol, Ouagadougou. The next day we went to a goat cheese factory - it was a room with 3 buckets and a house and a fridge - it was odd. The guide book made it sound like a really ‘must see’ attraction. Even though it was a little odd we were able to ride a camel! On Friday morning we left for Bobo - a town four hours from Ouagadougou - it was a nice little town with some amazing restaurants and pastry shops. The next day we went to Banfora - a 90 minute bus ride away - to go to a lake with hippos in it! We weren’t able to get too close to the hippos but it was so cool to see them. We then went to a beautiful waterfall, it was quite a hike, later that day we found out it was 110 degrees outside! We started heading back to Ghana at 11pm on Saturday and made it home at 3 am Monday morning - it was a long journey!
Burkina Faso is the third poorest country in the world so it was very different than Ghana, Togo and Benin. Burkina does not have tro-tros or moto-taxis and not a lot of taxis so it made traveling a little difficult but it was well worth it. I am so happy I had to opportunity to travel outside of Ghana and through West Africa, the countries are so different! Togo, Benin and Burkina were all colonized by the French so they spoke French, had cheese and baguettes - it was great for the food! As a white female traveling I felt more comfortable in Togo, Benin and Burkina than in Ghana. In Ghana everyone calls us ‘oboruni’ (white person) and hisses and make kissing noises to get out attention. We definitely did not have nearly as much as that in the other countries which was really nice.
I am leaving on Monday and I am ready to come home, I have had amazing experiences but am ready to be in a place I know and am comfortable. This morning was the last time I had to do hand washing!! I only rubbed three of my fingers raw - I am definitely getting better than in the beginning.
The combination of traveling and lack of power has made it hard to update my blog, sorry! I am now back in Ghana after two exciting trips to Togo and Benin and then to Burkina Faso. Togo is only about 3 hours away from Accra so we were able to take a tro-tro to the border and stay at a hotel right in the capitol, Lome. Togo does not use tro-tros they have moto-taxis, motorcycles, at first we thought having a group of four would be difficult to find 4 moto-taxis but it was never a problem. The first day in Lome we took moto-taxis around the city and then found an ice-cream shop for dessert! Ghana does not have any dairy products so ice-cream was a great treat. The second day in Togo we took another tro-tro to Kpalime, about a 3 hour drive, to see butterflies. We went to a beautiful waterfall and toured a coco farm - everything but butterflies, it was still a nice day trip. The third day we left to go to Benin, we found that ‘shared’ taxis mean 4 people in the back, two people in the front passenger seat and the driver. It was a little cramped but we were able to get there! That night we were able to go to the Grand Market and walked through the ‘fish aisle’ - about 10 to 15 fish in a bucket with just enough water for them to splash around - not the best part of the market! On Friday we went to the Ganvie Stilt Village where people live in bamboo huts. The Tofinu people fled there in the 17th century to escape the slave hunters, who were banned by a religious custom from going over water. Ganvie is just like a real town, except it is on water, it has a school and cemetery and there is a market where all the woman line up their boats and sell things right out of their boats. After Ganvie we went to Ouidah and saw the Sacred Forest with sculptures symbolizing African deities and beliefs. Benin’s national religion is Voodoo and we were able white flags hanging through out the village. We then walked the Route d’Esclaves - the final walk on African soil for slaves that lead to the Point of No Return Memorial. On Saturday we headed back to Accra to start studying for our finals.
I have had two of my four finals, I think they both went well. They both were essay questions that I felt I could answer, it is still a little terrifying that the only factor of your final grade is the final exam.
Last Tuesday we left for Burkina Faso, we were able to take a bus to the border of Ghana and Burkina Faso but had to spend the night because the border was not open at 3 in the morning. On Wednesday we made it to the capitol, Ouagadougou. The next day we went to a goat cheese factory - it was a room with 3 buckets and a house and a fridge - it was odd. The guide book made it sound like a really ‘must see’ attraction. Even though it was a little odd we were able to ride a camel! On Friday morning we left for Bobo - a town four hours from Ouagadougou - it was a nice little town with some amazing restaurants and pastry shops. The next day we went to Banfora - a 90 minute bus ride away - to go to a lake with hippos in it! We weren’t able to get too close to the hippos but it was so cool to see them. We then went to a beautiful waterfall, it was quite a hike, later that day we found out it was 110 degrees outside! We started heading back to Ghana at 11pm on Saturday and made it home at 3 am Monday morning - it was a long journey!
Burkina Faso is the third poorest country in the world so it was very different than Ghana, Togo and Benin. Burkina does not have tro-tros or moto-taxis and not a lot of taxis so it made traveling a little difficult but it was well worth it. I am so happy I had to opportunity to travel outside of Ghana and through West Africa, the countries are so different! Togo, Benin and Burkina were all colonized by the French so they spoke French, had cheese and baguettes - it was great for the food! As a white female traveling I felt more comfortable in Togo, Benin and Burkina than in Ghana. In Ghana everyone calls us ‘oboruni’ (white person) and hisses and make kissing noises to get out attention. We definitely did not have nearly as much as that in the other countries which was really nice.
I am leaving on Monday and I am ready to come home, I have had amazing experiences but am ready to be in a place I know and am comfortable. This morning was the last time I had to do hand washing!! I only rubbed three of my fingers raw - I am definitely getting better than in the beginning.
Monday, April 20, 2009
April 20th
This past weekend was our last trip with our program. We went to the Volta Region in the eastern part of Ghana, it was so beautiful and quite. We went to Wli Waterfalls and were able to swim, we had to hike for about 45 minutes through a rainforest, it was so quite and beautiful. On Sunday we went to a monkey sanctuary and went on another short hike through the forest to see the monkeys. I fed a banana to a monkey right out of my hand! It was my favorite trip with our program because we were able to be in the wilderness and not in a tourist area where everyone wants us to buy something. We stayed at a hotel on Saturday night, the same hotel the President of Ghana, Atta Mills, stayed at! We saw him from a distance. We have now stayed at the same hotel as the president and the Black Stars (the football team), it was very exciting!
When we travel long distances we always stop for bathroom breaks, some in nicer places than others. The last trip we paid 10 peswas (cents) to use the bathroom, it had running water, toilet paper and soap - very fancy! On other trips we usually just pull over on the side of the road. One of most memorable (not in a good way!) bathroom stops was on our way to see elephants. We stopped at a gas station and followed the other girls to the restroom - a whole in the ground with two pieces of wood for your feet - it was interesting to say the least.
On Wednesday a few of us will be traveling to the Nzuelzu stilt village and stop at another slave castle on the way. We were supposed to go to the stilt village a few weeks ago but were not able to go.
When we travel long distances we always stop for bathroom breaks, some in nicer places than others. The last trip we paid 10 peswas (cents) to use the bathroom, it had running water, toilet paper and soap - very fancy! On other trips we usually just pull over on the side of the road. One of most memorable (not in a good way!) bathroom stops was on our way to see elephants. We stopped at a gas station and followed the other girls to the restroom - a whole in the ground with two pieces of wood for your feet - it was interesting to say the least.
On Wednesday a few of us will be traveling to the Nzuelzu stilt village and stop at another slave castle on the way. We were supposed to go to the stilt village a few weeks ago but were not able to go.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Easter Sunday
Campus was closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday and I was able to stay at Gail and Stu’s at the U.S. Embassy housing. It was a very relaxing weekend and it was really nice to be in a ‘Western house’ with hot water! On Sunday I went with my host family to church for Easter. We got there at 8 am and first we had bible study then we went to the service. The first three hours was dancing and singing - a lot of fun. The pastor gave a two hour sermon and pulled 20 people out of the congregation, he then proceeded to pour oil on his hand and touch the persons forehead and they would be saved by Jesus and most of them passed out. It was really scary. After the two hour sermon the congregation proceeded to speak in tongues for an hour. At 2 pm the service ended - yes 6 hours - but then we went to a ‘picnic’ that served goat soup. After being at church for seven hours I went back to have dinner with Gail and Stu. Some other people came over from the U.S. Embassy for Easter dinner. It was great to hear about all the places people have worked and traveled and what jobs they did while overseas.
Tuesday was the last day of my classes and I have my first final on April 27th. This week I am trying to collect all the readings for my classes - most articles for classes come out significantly later than the actual day of the class. This coming weekend we are going on our last CIEE trip to the Volta Region. We are going to waterfalls and a monkey sanctuary. Next week some friends and I are planning on going to the stilt village and going to another slave castle on the way.
Wednesday I taught the kids at the orphange about snow, they loved it! I read them some books about snow, “The Mitten” and “The World’s Largest Snowman”. Then they all drew pictures of snowmen, it was great!
I have less than 5 weeks in Africa - time has gone so fast and in some ways so slow too. I have had some amazing experiences and have learned a lot about the culture and way of life here. This weekend I found out the living wage is 2.35 … a day. The class difference is so prominent here and the upper class definitely lets the lower class know it.
Tuesday was the last day of my classes and I have my first final on April 27th. This week I am trying to collect all the readings for my classes - most articles for classes come out significantly later than the actual day of the class. This coming weekend we are going on our last CIEE trip to the Volta Region. We are going to waterfalls and a monkey sanctuary. Next week some friends and I are planning on going to the stilt village and going to another slave castle on the way.
Wednesday I taught the kids at the orphange about snow, they loved it! I read them some books about snow, “The Mitten” and “The World’s Largest Snowman”. Then they all drew pictures of snowmen, it was great!
I have less than 5 weeks in Africa - time has gone so fast and in some ways so slow too. I have had some amazing experiences and have learned a lot about the culture and way of life here. This weekend I found out the living wage is 2.35 … a day. The class difference is so prominent here and the upper class definitely lets the lower class know it.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
April 8th
Two out of four of my classes are now finished, we still technically have 2 weeks of teaching left but the professors decided to end class. Starting in 2 weeks will be Revision Week, we are still not entirely sure what that exactly means but we do know that only 2 or our classes will meet that week, hopefully! Final exams start April 27th and end May 16th. I have one about once every 5 or 7 days so I will be able to travel in between and study of course!
Yesterday walking home from school I saw a lawn mower for the first time since I have been here. Usually men use machetes to cut the grass. The first week I was really surprised by the number of machetes but apparently it is a common gardening tool: digging up weeds, cutting grass, etc. When I volunteered at a school a girl had a machete one her desk, it was a Friday and therefore they had to do lawn work at the end of the school day.
Women carry everything on their heads, buckets of water, firewood and even a refrigerator - a normal size fridge not one of the ones in dorm rooms, a normal size with a freezer at the top and fridge at the bottom - it was insane! Women also always carry their children one their backs using fabric. It allows them to have both of their hands free and be able to go about their normal day. I always imagine how hot it must be to have another body so close to you all the time in this heat, but everyone is so used to the weather and culturally people have less of a ’personal space’.
A few days ago we were sitting in traffic and saw some very interesting things being sold by hawkers. Some of my favorites have been: plunger, dead rats, plastic lawn chairs, children foam building blocks and machetes. You can also buy roles of toilet paper, towels, books, cds and whatever else you can think of you are most likely able to find it on the street.
Yesterday walking home from school I saw a lawn mower for the first time since I have been here. Usually men use machetes to cut the grass. The first week I was really surprised by the number of machetes but apparently it is a common gardening tool: digging up weeds, cutting grass, etc. When I volunteered at a school a girl had a machete one her desk, it was a Friday and therefore they had to do lawn work at the end of the school day.
Women carry everything on their heads, buckets of water, firewood and even a refrigerator - a normal size fridge not one of the ones in dorm rooms, a normal size with a freezer at the top and fridge at the bottom - it was insane! Women also always carry their children one their backs using fabric. It allows them to have both of their hands free and be able to go about their normal day. I always imagine how hot it must be to have another body so close to you all the time in this heat, but everyone is so used to the weather and culturally people have less of a ’personal space’.
A few days ago we were sitting in traffic and saw some very interesting things being sold by hawkers. Some of my favorites have been: plunger, dead rats, plastic lawn chairs, children foam building blocks and machetes. You can also buy roles of toilet paper, towels, books, cds and whatever else you can think of you are most likely able to find it on the street.
Monday, April 6, 2009
We only have two more weeks of regular classes, then is a ‘revision week’ and then three weeks of finals! Two of my four classes finished last week so that is nice. I am starting to read re-read the articles for class, apparently the final exam is only on the readings.
On Saturday I toured a prison for my Penology class. The prison was about an hour away and we took buses, over 300 students went! We went to the male prison and all the men in our group had to sign a paper but none of the females did, we were confused (like usual) but waited in line to enter. Each tour group had about 50 students and only one guard. It was a medium security prison but with the amount of barbed wire, gates and guards with guns, it seemed to be otherwise. The prisons in Ghana are over populated and many inmates have not even had a trial or been sentenced yet. One man was saying he had been there for 5 years without a trial. The guard said many officers bring men in and then get switched to a different area and are not able to be contacted and therefore the inmates just sit in prison. There were a total of 4 white students (all females of course) and the inmates were very interested in us. One guy even asked me for my phone number. The inmates are able to cook there one food if they wanted to, we were not informed on how they were able to get supplies for cooking though. We toured about 5 different compounds that housed men, it was divided by barbed wire fences and the men were split up by the length of time they have to spend there. Inside one of the compounds were saw a cell the size of a single bed - 5 men were assigned to one room. The prison lacks resources and therefore are unable to have individual cells for all the inmates. On Saturday morning we met at 8 am and left at 9 am (not bad timing!) and did not realize it would be an all day field trip. Around 1 pm we left he prison all the guys had to show the guards their ID card and cross off their name. We loaded the bus and at this point we were tired, hot and hungry. But we were informed we would be going to the female prison too. This time all the females had to sign their names. The female prison had significantly less people and more room for them. Some prisoners come to prison pregnant, there was a room with cribs for the babies, they are able to stay for a year and then they are sent to someone in the mother’s family or to social services. We were not informed about the crimes the females committed which was too bad. At the end of the tour none of the females had to show ID but the security guard really stared us down when we were leaving. Multiple times during the tour students would ask if we were ok (the 4 white girls) we would always reply, “We are fine, this is what happens when white people are out in the sun for too long and are tired.” Are faces were red and we were sweating, they would just laugh. On Saturday night we went to Joseph and the Technicolor Dream coat put on by the theater department. It was definitely entertaining with some African dance moves thrown in!
Next weekend is Easter and I am going to church with my host family. I went to church the first weekend and went to the children’s service with my little host sister, it was 4 hours long!
On Saturday I toured a prison for my Penology class. The prison was about an hour away and we took buses, over 300 students went! We went to the male prison and all the men in our group had to sign a paper but none of the females did, we were confused (like usual) but waited in line to enter. Each tour group had about 50 students and only one guard. It was a medium security prison but with the amount of barbed wire, gates and guards with guns, it seemed to be otherwise. The prisons in Ghana are over populated and many inmates have not even had a trial or been sentenced yet. One man was saying he had been there for 5 years without a trial. The guard said many officers bring men in and then get switched to a different area and are not able to be contacted and therefore the inmates just sit in prison. There were a total of 4 white students (all females of course) and the inmates were very interested in us. One guy even asked me for my phone number. The inmates are able to cook there one food if they wanted to, we were not informed on how they were able to get supplies for cooking though. We toured about 5 different compounds that housed men, it was divided by barbed wire fences and the men were split up by the length of time they have to spend there. Inside one of the compounds were saw a cell the size of a single bed - 5 men were assigned to one room. The prison lacks resources and therefore are unable to have individual cells for all the inmates. On Saturday morning we met at 8 am and left at 9 am (not bad timing!) and did not realize it would be an all day field trip. Around 1 pm we left he prison all the guys had to show the guards their ID card and cross off their name. We loaded the bus and at this point we were tired, hot and hungry. But we were informed we would be going to the female prison too. This time all the females had to sign their names. The female prison had significantly less people and more room for them. Some prisoners come to prison pregnant, there was a room with cribs for the babies, they are able to stay for a year and then they are sent to someone in the mother’s family or to social services. We were not informed about the crimes the females committed which was too bad. At the end of the tour none of the females had to show ID but the security guard really stared us down when we were leaving. Multiple times during the tour students would ask if we were ok (the 4 white girls) we would always reply, “We are fine, this is what happens when white people are out in the sun for too long and are tired.” Are faces were red and we were sweating, they would just laugh. On Saturday night we went to Joseph and the Technicolor Dream coat put on by the theater department. It was definitely entertaining with some African dance moves thrown in!
Next weekend is Easter and I am going to church with my host family. I went to church the first weekend and went to the children’s service with my little host sister, it was 4 hours long!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
April 1st
This past weekend my program, CIEE, went to Kumasi, a city about 5 hours away. We left early Saturday morning and went to two different villages. One of the villages was where they stamped fabric with different African symbols and the second was a Kente village. At the Kente Village we watched how they made the Kente cloth out of beautiful yarn to make designs and different colors. Both the villages were tourist destinations so they had a lot of people just waiting for us to get off the bus and buy things from them. Looking at anything is very stressful, we have found that if you point to something or say, “That is nice” the seller will take about 6 different ones to show you and say, “What one do you want?” I did buy one piece of Kente cloth to show how intricate and beautiful the fabric is. After the villages we went to the largest market in Western Africa - we only walked around a small part of it but drove to the top to see the entire market - it was HUGE! On Sunday we went to a museum about the chiefs in the Asante Region (where Kumasi is) it was very interesting and very well done. On Sunday afternoon we went to the Ghanaian Black Stars football game against Benin. The game did not start until 5 pm but we arrived about 1:30 for a seat - apparently we had tickets but the seat number doesn’t really apply - it is a first come first serve basis. It was a beautiful outdoor stadium with about 10 different ‘bands’ playing music before and during the game. Each ‘band’ consisted of some drums and sometimes a trumpet or trombone. Before the game everyone was dancing and having a great time. The hotel we stayed at on Saturday and Sunday night was the same hotel that the Black Stars stayed in. We saw most of them but didn’t know them by name but we always said hi or good luck or good job. The name Black Stars comes from the Ghanaian flag - it has three horizontal stripes - a red on the top, yellow then green on the bottom - in the middle is a black star.
This weekend the theater department is putting on Joseph and The Technicolor Dream coat and I will definitely go and see that. On Saturday I am going to tour a Ghanaian Prison with my Penology class. Penology is the study of the prison system and is definitely one of my favorite classes. My other favorite class is Culture and Reproductive Health, it has only about 30 students in the class so we are able to have discussions.
This weekend the theater department is putting on Joseph and The Technicolor Dream coat and I will definitely go and see that. On Saturday I am going to tour a Ghanaian Prison with my Penology class. Penology is the study of the prison system and is definitely one of my favorite classes. My other favorite class is Culture and Reproductive Health, it has only about 30 students in the class so we are able to have discussions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
