Gone to Ghana

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Gone to Ghana
By Jenafer Moldthan

From the very first greeting at the airport of Accra, I've felt so welcome in a country so completely different from my own. Akwaaba, the Akan word for welcome, is frequently used to, it makes us feel at home in a far away place, even more so than I sometimes feel in America. As opposed to America, I feel closer to a culture that embraces free expression through all interaction and communication. From the food to the festivities I feel an innate, organic sense of connection and certainty with my surroundings. New experiences-shaking, moving, changing and growing- that's Ghana. It's not the same prescribed, generalized routine they sell to you in the states, Toto, we're not in Disneyland anymore. Items are not manufactured they're home made, so that each thing has its own characteristic. The individual in Ghana makes for a full creative experience of culture and identity. Their willingness to welcome outsiders into their culture is replete. And their openess to westerners is suprising considering all the opression they've suffered through colonization. Their foundation lies in their tradition, which even through colonization and invasion they've managed to preserve. Preservation makes a culture rich, and richness of culture abides in Ghana. If you don't know how to live without, you will learn! Living without teaches you to live essentially; It teaches you to see things you did not see before- color, shape, love, creation- an amalgamation of the essential characteristics of life. Living in Ghana is LIFE! ; )

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