Too Much for One Week

Okay, so I have been through way too much in one week here in Ghana. The first day that we got to Cape Coast we went to "Festival" which is like the Ghana version of Carnival. It was pretty insane. They had this huge parade (for lack of a better word) and everybody was out in the streets dancing and singing. The parade included all of the chiefs (of the tribes in Cape Coast), the king of Cape Coast, and the President of Ghana. Yes, I saw President John Mills and his motorcade from a few meters away. The one thing that Haley and I thought peculiar was that they had blocked off all access to the president, but allowed us access so we could stand literally right across him. The reason was because we are white. The people of Ghana could not get to where Haley and I stood. The police and secret service treated us like royalty simply because of our color and gave us special permission that not even Ghanians had. That made me feel very uncomfortable. Anyways, after "Festival" we went to a restaurant called "The Castle" and of course I ordered pizza. It in no way tasted like pizza, but it was still good :) Haley and I must have been extremely lucky that night because "Korye" was performing. They are a famous dance theater group that performs traditional drumming and dancing. It was beautiful! I will put pictures up later when I have a reliable internet source. The next day, my host family picked me up and I came to the house that I will call home for the next 3 months. It is an upper middle-class home with a fridge and a tv with basic cable. However, there is no AC, dishwasher, or laundry machine.

Black vs. White?

So this is a very touchy subject but I feel obligated to talk about it because it is extremely relevant to my situation here in Ghana and with my host family. There is a stark difference between the locals and the “obruni”, or rather the white people. As an “obruni” I am treated literally like I am better than everyone else. It sucks! For example, when we were at the big festival of Cape Coast, the president of Ghana gave a speech and his motorcade blocked off a huge area so they could protect him. However, when the local Ghanaians tried to see him better the police naturally pushed them back but allowed Haley and I to move closer just because of our skin color. Even though it was an amazing opportunity to see the president, it was incredibly unfair that us “obruni” got to see him while everybody else had to stand behind barricades of police. Everywhere that an “obruni” goes, they are treated automatically with a tremendous amount of respect and are put into positions of leadership and power, including myself. One thing that has really stood out to me is that my younger host sister Charlotte does not understand the meaning (both good and bad) behind race. She told me the other day when we were watching the TV show “Everybody Loves Chris” that it was not for “obruni”. This TV show is about the supposed life of Chris Rock when he was younger, but it is a comedy for the whole family. I was so taken aback that she did not want me to watch it and I asked her why it was not for “obruni”. She simply said because I am an “obruni” and the show was for black people only since the majority of the characters on the show are black. I had no idea what to say to that. This girl is only 4 years old, and her family is the farthest thing from being racist. I think she gets it from school, neighbors, friends, etc. On the other hand, later that day she came into my room and told me I was beautiful and that said she wanted to be too. I told her she was so beautiful (because she is the cutest thing ever and will one day break hearts) and can you guess what her response was? “I wish I was white.” You have got to be kidding me! This little girl thinks that the only way she will ever be beautiful is if she is white! This is insane. Even now I can’t begin to describe my feelings on this. Let me give you a brief history of Cape Coast. This area used to be the number one spot where people would buy, sell, trade and clean the slaves before taking them to market and/or taking them to the Americas. I have yet to take a tour of the Cape Coast Castle because of my ankle, but I have heard many stories that everybody walks away crying. I honestly wish that people would stop looking at skin color as a way to judge a person. One color is not better than another! People say that the consequences of slavery and segregation have ended, but have they really?

Spanish-speakers in Ghana?

Okay, so I live on top of a huge hill. Actually, it is literally a small mountain. I have to walk up and down it everyday to catch a taxi to work. Thankfully, my work is in a town called Kakumdo, which is almost 15 minutes from my house depending on how long it takes me to get down the mountain, get a taxi, and traffic. However, as many of you already know I took a pretty nasty fall on one of the sidewalks and tore the ligaments in my right ankle. I am not supposed to walk on it for a couple of weeks and I have to have a cast on it. My mom ended up having to mail me some crutches because they don’t have them here, and an orthopedic brace so I can try and get around with less pain. There is no ice in Ghana, and consequently my right foot has been twice the size of my left foot. It is still painful but I can manage small steps after taking the makeshift cast that I had on off (you didn’t hear me say that Mom). I cannot be happier that I have a mom as wonderful as mine in my life to take care of me when I fall off the sidewalks in foreign countries (yes you Mom!!!!!). Initially, a stranger took me to the hospital in a taxi and then had an x-ray of my ankle done. The Ghanaian doctor thought it was dislocated my ankle, so he called in a specialist. After several hours of waiting, the doctor came and he spoke zero English. He said, “No broken, but need cast”. I was crying (how embarrassing), but he wrote a prescription for the items necessary to make a cast and one of the people from ProWorld went to the pharmacy while I waited at the hospital with the non-English speaking doctor. The doctor put me in a wheelchair and led me into a room with AC, pulled up a chair and asked me where I was from. After responding, I asked him the same question and he said Cuba. I was dumbfounded. I switched to Spanish and started talking to him and suddenly I felt more comfortable and at ease. He explained everything about my foot to me in Spanish and how he was a volunteer at the hospital and if I ever needed anything else to call him. Who would have ever thought I would use my Spanish skills in Ghana. I was so thankful! J

I think I am the new babysitter

I have 4 host sisters altogether here in Cape Coast: Acquaaba (10 years old), Maud (7 years old), Charlotte (4 years old), and Eden (3 months old). Don’t get me wrong, I love children and I love how they call me “Sister Sarah”, but there are definitely times when I need to have just “Sister Sarah” time. I made the mistake of letting them watch cartoons on my computer the other day and it is an everyday event now. I have no privacy, no personal space, and everything that is mine is now theirs; I guess I’m really part of the family now J I love it! Charlotte is always asking me if she can sleep with me in my room lol. All of the family members sleep in one room with 3 mattresses lined up in a row on the floor. They have plenty of room and it is a part of the culture to be without personal space. It is absolutely hilarious how Maud comes in my room to get my iPod, puts the headphones in backwards and upside down, and dances all around the house to the music. Acquaaba speaks the most English out of everyone, even more than my host mom Evelyn, and always wants to watch movies and cartoons with me. 

Where Did You Learn to Drive

So, it was a 4 hour taxi drive from Accra to Cape Coast and all I have to say is wow! All of the drivers have a complete disregard for stop signs, pedestrians, seatbelts, fear of getting hit by big trucks when passing on a 2-lane road (and the majority of the roads are only 2 lanes), animals, and speed limits. I felt my heart skip a beat at least every couple of minutes on the trip. When we went through big towns with markets, all the vendors on the street would smile at Hayley and I because we are obroni (white). The women and children would carry baskets full (and I mean FULL) of all sorts of food, water, candy, toys, etc. I really want to learn how to balance that stuff on my head, plus it would help with my posture. We saw a lot of funeral processions and weddings on the ride to Cape Coast. Typically all funerals are held on Saturdays, while most of the weddings are on Saturday or Sunday. Ghana is primarily a Christian country, but also it has Muslim and Traditionalist beliefs.

The Beginning of a New Adventure

So when I landed in Accra (the capital of Ghana) and stepped off the plane the heat just hit me like a door. It was so hot, but luckily I went inside the airport and it had air conditioning. I had to go through immigration and customs, both a piece of cake, and then continue on to collect my bags. Needless to say, I am a very impatient person and after almost 45 minutes of waiting at the baggage claim I finally got all of my bags. I met one of the volunteer coordinators outside of the airport and we walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch. One thing that I have quickly learned is that the restaurant service in Ghana hardly exists. I’m not sure if it is because one does not tip in Ghana, but it literally took 2 hours to order and receive a TAKE-OUT order. Like seriously the waiter was just chilling and taking his time talking on his cell phone. Anyways, the volunteer coordinator took me back to the guesthouse (a small motel) in Accra to stay the night. I got as settled in as I could after my 11 hour flight from Washington, D.C. and proceeded to eat my lunch. I was taken aback by the “packaging” of my food because I ordered Beef Red Red, which is smashed black-eyed peas with small chunks of beef type concoction, and a side of fried plantains. I loved the plantains, but I no doubt didn’t finish the rest. Back to the point, the “packaging” of the Beef Red Red was in a plastic baggie and I had to poke it with a fork to open it. It’s really similar to the way I have to drink the water here in water satchels. The water is not potable in Ghana and so you have to buy a small Ziploc-bag type of satchel that is filtered water. In order to drink it you have to bite off one of the corners and you’re good to go. The main thing that I have noticed here is that the people here are extremely warm and friendly. They want nothing more than to be your friend and show you their country and culture. Of course, my first day in Ghana would not have been complete without the power outage we had at the guesthouse. I knew it was going to happen, and I was prepared with my little flashlight and lantern. Luckily it was only out for an hour, and afterwards another intern, Hayley, came from the airport to go with us to Cape Coast the next day. It took me awhile to fall asleep because I had so much going through my head. I can’t believe I’m in Africa right now! The people are so awesome and they are constantly saying that I will be a real Ghanaian after my 3 months stay! I hope so because I can barely understand anything they say, even when they speak English. In Accra they speak Tree (I don’t know how to spell it but it is pronounced like that), while in Cape Coast they speak Fante. But, like I said it is very difficult to understand their English so let’s hope that my language lessons here help!

Today is the Day

Ok, so I leave at 7:30 tonight. My thoughts are as follows: scared, nervous, excited, and stressed. Why stressed? Well, needless to say I have not packed yet. Okay, not entirely true as I have already packed all my toiletries (for 3 months!), all my gifts, and all of my electronics. I just need to pack shoes and all of my clothes. Yes, I am a major procrastinator! Anyways, I will let everyone know how I am doing when I land in Accra tomorrow. It is about a 10.5 hour flight from DC to Accra so I decided it would be worthwhile to download a couple new movies on my iTunes; I can't wait to watch them! Accra is the capital of Ghana and they say it is approximately a 3 hour drive to Cape Coast where I'll be staying. I believe that I am spending the night in Accra until Saturday morning and then driving with another intern to Cape Coast, after which we will go through orientation about cultural norms and safety precautions. Well that's all for now but wish me luck and I will miss everyone very much!

6 More Days

Okay, so I've already started to pack my carry-on luggage, which is already filled with crayons, coloring books, PSU t-shirts and recycled cloth tote bags. I hope my host family and the children in the community like their gifts! I almost forgot...I bought a solar powered panel pack to take with me so I can charge all of my electronics and my rechargeable batteries for my night-light lantern :P Apparently, they have a lot of power outages, as well as a lot of rain. Note to self: pack an umbrella!

The Final Details

So I just found out that I will be staying with a family that has 3 girls and 1 boy (and they haven't hit their teen years yet!). Ahh, I don't even know what I should bring them as a gift, maybe Penn State t-shirts or some kind of family friendly game? Any suggestions?! In addition, I will be interning with the HEPENS organization and boy does it sound like I have my work cut out for me. Apparently they are in desperate need of funding, and so I plan to pull all the resources I possibly can to make Cape Coast, Ghana a better community! But, at the same time I have absolutely no idea how to check someone's blood pressure or write a grant proposal....oh god what did I get myself into haha. Oh well, I'm sure they will teach me and my skills will be so stellar they won't know what to do. I can only hope :) So, yes I am in a great mood right now because I have everything finalized (and just came back from a bike ride!). Now the only thing left to do is pack. Anybody want to volunteer to help?!

I finally talked to ProWorld Ghana staff

So I had my Skype interview with the ProWorld Ghana staff...finally! I coudn't be more excited! We talked about potential home-stay families, life in Ghana, and my internship placement. This is really happening to me. I'm finally going to West Africa to do exactly what I love to do, make the world a better place. Wow that sounds cheesy, but after researching the possible internship placements I believe I'll make one hell of a difference. The organization that I hope to be placed with is called HEPENS, Health Protection and Environmental Sanitation (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-Protection-and-Environmental-Sanitation-HEPENS/111234072270614). I can visualize my internship experience now... teaching communities how to enrich their lives by taking care of themselves and the environment. I was told by the ProWorld Ghana staff that I could be placed with a family that has little children, which made me even more excited! I had two young host brothers when I lived in Venezuela and it was the best experience coming home from school and playing games with them. The only thing that is making me a little nervous is the Ghanaian diet. I am told that they primarily eat rice, beans and plantains, which I can do but they also eat fish. I'm not a huge fan of fish, but I guess I will have to be less picky with my food. :)

Almost a month to go

So I haven't been online all that much since the last entry, partly because I was traveling cross-country. My first stop was in Wisconsin with my boyfriend and his family, and three days later I went to Alabama to visit my dad and brother. From there, we went to Las Vegas (as a college graduation present) and saw the Grand Canyon. All I have to say is "wow". I was never really scared of heights until we started our tour of the Grand Canyon. I can't even begin to describe its beauty and colossal size. Thankfully, my boyfriend joined me on the trip and we will surely be back to camp at the bottom of the canyon soon. Well, maybe in a couple years until we can get into shape. As for my Ghana trip, I haven't heard too much about it unfortunately. I was suppose to have an interview via Skype but the Internet in Ghana is less-than reliable. Hopefully I will learn more about my host family within the next week or two. I finished moving out of my apartment yesterday :( Surprisingly, it was very difficult to say good-bye after calling it my home for more than 2 years. I guess it has really sunk in that I am no longer a college student, but a young working professional.

Keeping Busy

So today is my clean the house/laundry/pack up my apartment day. Even though my lease doesn't end until August 6, I will be gone most of July. Devon (my boyfriend) and I will be visiting his parents in Wisconsin (he is on leave from Camp Pendleton, CA) for the 4th of July weekend. In addition, I will be going to Vegas...YES VEGAS...with my brother, dad, and Devon July 9th through July 19th. I am so excited! I have never gambled before, so wish me luck! We bought tickets to see the show "The Lion King" at Mandalay Bay, as well as a tour of the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. It will certainly be an adventure. But, like I said I am going to try and pack up my apartment now so I won't be rushing to do it come August. Although, I am having mixed feelings about it. I have lived here for 2 years and now I have to move to my mom's house. Yes I have a job, but it doesn't pay enough for my own place. Hopefully when I come back from Ghana, I can find a job and get my own place again. Oh yeah, and I'm going to try and work out today. I'm so out of shape it's not even funny :P

2 More Months To Go...

So I can't believe that I am leaving in 2 months. I have so much to do still, like get my visa, move out of my apartment and back into my mom's house, get malaria pills and buy enough bug spray to last a lifetime :). I just graduated from Penn State and ProWorld has allowed me to have the opportunity of a lifetime: to intern in Ghana for 3 months so I can build experience, gain knowledge, and help others. I could not be more grateful. I have always wanted to do something like this. However, I did attend high school for one year in Venezuela through Rotary International and studied abroad in Egypt for one month through Penn State's archeaology program. This internship got my attention because not only will provide me with professional experience (as I have a Sociology and International Relations degree), butI have never been to West Africa. I'm very excited to learn about my exact project in Ghana and meet my homestay family :). I have my Skype interview on Monday, so hopefully everything goes well. No matter where I end up interning, I will be happy to just be in Ghana making a difference.