Daily Life

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In the past couple weeks I have been trying to set up a place to volunteer. I want to work with children either in an orphanage or primary school, but it has not yet worked out. Last Wednesday I went to the Salvation Army Headquarters in Ghana with the volunteer coordinator from the University and a few other girls. We thought we would have the opportunity to work with street boys, possibly as tutors, mentors, or administrators, but the officers at the Salvation Army just wanted us to raise funds so they could build a shed for the boys to keep their schoolwork and other possessions so they would not get dirty or lost on the streets. As of now, the organization only provides dinner and a Bible study for the boys on Tuesday night and on Saturdays they are allowed to shower, eat a mean, and hang out for the day. Being on site at the Salvation Army’s facility I was disappointed to see that they have a large hostel and a huge courtyard where they could house the boys, but nothing of the sort has been arranged. Just from a half hour visit to the facility I could tell that there are many places where the organization could cut back (like turning down the air conditioners in the offices) in order to provide more for the boys and the other projects they work on.

From speaking with a friend who has already been here for one semester, it seems pretty typical that organizations see obrunis as walking ATMs good only for fundraising. Also, he said that many organizations are corrupt and are using the funds for the benefit of the directors only. For example, two girls bought several text and reading books for a school and when they returned the next week, the books were gone. They believe the school sold the books to make extra money for the administration. It’s hard to question the motives of organizations that claim to do great things for the local people, but it is impossible not to because the system is so corrupt.

Another point of frustration for me has been my coursework. While the university claims to replicate the western education system, I can say it is completely different and would not be up to American standards. Lecture halls are jam packed with people because there is no limit for class size and there is no regard for any sort of fire hazard this creates. Those who arrive early get to sit in wooden chairs with attached desks; others end up sitting in plastic lawn chairs and have to write on their laps. Lecture times and days are changed at the whim of the professor. For example, my geography class was double booked in the same room as a Spanish class, so now the class meets on a different day at a different time. Now my professor wants to have lecture at 5:30am because students frequently leave early and arrive late because of conflicts with other courses. All of these changes were made after add/drop period ended, so there is no way to change courses. Most lectures consist of a professor reading from a manuscript that is not available to students as a reference, so they speak very slowly and repeat themselves many times. I have heard that for our final exams we are expected to reiterate exactly what was discussed in class and we are not allowed to bring our own perspectives or opinions into our essays. The format doesn’t allow room for learning, forming connections, or developing original ideas; it is straight memorization and I have a difficult time accepting that.

Despite these sources of frustration, I don’t mean to imply that my whole experience is tainted by obstacles and aggravations. I am really enjoying my time here! Entering into such a different culture is bound to bring about mixed feelings of enjoyment, excitement, disappointment and frustration, and that’s what I’m experiencing. Luckily, I’ve found a few safe havens where I can relax and I have a large group of international friends to vent to and discuss our experiences. Like I said in my last post, campus and especially my building is a very homey environment. We’ve also found a couple places to eat American food when we get sick of jolof rice, chicken, and the other local foods. Every Tuesday night we go to Pizza Inn for their 2 for 1 large pizza deal. Also, in Osu, the touristy part of Accra, there is an ice cream parlor and a restaurant called Papaye that is an imitation of McDonald’s. After a month of living off rice, the thought of a McDonald’s burger sounds more appetizing than I would like to admit. I’ve had a few sub-par burgers since I’ve arrived, but the ones at Papaye are delicious (relatively).

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