It's only been a week!?

Tomb of Kwame Nkrumah

Hey everyone!
It's crazy to think that I have been in Ghana for over a week now, we have done and seen so much and I can't wait to see what else is going to happen on this trip! On Monday we moved into the international student hostel and sat through more orientation at the university. It was great to finally be on campus and start adjusting to life in Ghana. The dorms are pretty nice and right outside is the night market where you can buy anything from spaghetti to towels to fruit. For dinner Monday night we went to the Bush Canteen, which is another little market place where you can get your hair braided or clothes made. I tried fufu with groundnut soup, which was interesting. Fufu is basically a dough made from cassava and you break of little pieces to scoop up the soup with. I decided next time I try it, I'd like a smaller bit of fufu and hotter soup with meat and veggies in it. I also had jollof, which is a red spicy rice.

Jollof

The next day, Tuesday, we had more orientation with the university and we were told about the process of registering for courses. The process is slightly complicated and really disorganized, basically you have to go around to each department and check for which classes are being taught and by who and at what time. Sometimes times or professors aren't listed so you have to go back. Other times nothing is posted and when you talk to the office, they tell you it will be up Monday, which is the first day of classes. This is what I experienced with the geography department. The whole process has been a great way to tour the campus, but it does make you wonder if there is a simpler process. After finding your classes, you then register online. So far, I'm registered for four classes. Two poli sci, one history, and one geography along with the required Twi (language) course and my internship. I did find out that I’ll be interning at WiLDAF which is an organization called Women in Law and Development in Africa. The organization works with women to increase their political and economic justice through advocacy and addressing common issues in society. I’m super excited to start it!! Tuesday and Wednesday we toured the campus and looked for courses. On Wednesday afternoon we got to watch the Ghanaian football game at a local bar! It was great to relax and experience the culture.

Thursday, I spent time updating emails. For all wondering, my wiscmail account is really hard to access here, so I will mostly be using my gmail account. At night, we decided to take advantage of Ghanaian nightlife. So after asking around for recommendations, we decided to go to a local bar called Jerry’s. We enjoyed some prime Don Simon sangria (Ghanaian’s finest) that comes in giant juice boxes before we left and then we successfully found a taxi. Jerry’s turned out to be a great little neighborhood bar, so we got some Star beers, which are huge and sat down to enjoy the night. After sitting for awhile a guy walked up to us and started speaking French. I was super pumped to use my skills and learned that he was from Togo and worked at a restaurant. After awhile though he proved to be like most Ghanaian men and started asking us to go out dancing or something about paying for his immigration. One cultural fact about Ghana is it is very common for men to propose right on the spot to foreign women. I don’t know if they’re actually serious, but we have yet to experience an actual proposal. Needless to say, after this guy from Togo bought us more drinks (which we sent back) and gizzard kabobs (also didn’t eat) we figured it was time to go. Our wonderful cab driver had waited for us the whole time and drove us back to campus.

Friday night was the official welcome dinner at a restaurant called Chez Afrique. It was delicious food and there was a live band, which was fun to dance to. Our whole program got up and danced for awhile after dinner. We then got word of a pool party that was being held by some friends of our Upal (a Ghanaian student that works with CIEE). It was quite the experience to get to the house, but when we finally arrived it turned out to be in a really wealthy Ghanaian neighborhood. Free drinks, a huge house and pool, security at the door. It was all a little bizarre, but a night to remember. Everyone was super nice and welcoming and it was a great way to spend the first Friday night of our program.

Saturday, we decided to conquer the local transportation system of Trotros on our own and go to the beach. It was a little hectic and confusing but we made it there, and it was a great day for the beach. I got to wade into the Atlantic and enjoy the sun. Our way back was a little more difficult and we ended up going the opposite way for some time, but we eventually made it back to campus just as it was starting to downpour. We got drenched running back to our dorm, literally the wettest I’ve ever been, but it was fun and we made it! Saturday night we just chilled in the dorm because the power went out from the storm.

This Sunday we took a tour of Accra, which was really fun and saw the tomb and museum of Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana.

Tomorrow is the first day of classes and I can’t wait to start them.

Miss you all!

Love,

Audrey