A Closer Look at the University of Ghana

---

Hey All!

So to quell any feelings of confusion, disillusion, or cynicism yes I do indeed study…just not that much… well to be fair the structure of the African educational system is not quite as demanding as its American counterpart. Not to say that I’m breezing through my courses by any means, but the methodology of instruction is a tad archaic in the sense that it relies heavily on the lecture system. Generally, classes are held once a week for two hours. Professors are often called lecturers, and rightly so. They talk, we write. Ergo, classroom discussion is limited, creativity in delivery is a rare occurrence, interaction between professor and student are scarce, and a personal touch to instruction and streamlined outlines are paltry at best. Such American luxuries are lost here. It’s not bad, just different. If you’re flexible and patient, maintain an open mind, and go into the classroom with a desire to learn, you’ll be fine. Now that I think about it, carry that attitude across the board and you’ll do pretty well at life in general. But I digress.

My biggest classroom woes stem from my politics course and my drama course. The first because I die of boredom, the lecturer has a very thick accent so it’s difficult to understand him, he reads from the text and we write down exactly what he says, verbatim style, and he tells stories that I don’t understand. But I’m making it sound worse than it actually is. The only real qualm I have with the course is the amount of wasted time. If I’m going to sit for two hours in a course, I better be doing something worthwhile, otherwise I don’t want to be there. Plain and simple. Stories are great! I love stories! But if I can’t understand you… okay, now I’m just venting… I should move on…yeah…time to move on.

My drama course…oh my drama course…where do I start? So, we’re basically half way through the semester, and my lecturer has decided to change the meeting time for our class…for the fourth time…GRRRRRRRRRR…. This class is also funny because we’re doing some sort of giant class project. A traditional African play. Oh! Cool! That sounds like tons of fun; what an amazing opportunity to learn about and immerse myself in another culture! Right!?! Yeah, not so much. It’s a traditional African play in Twi… … no problem… I’ll sign up for publicity or something like that… good times.

But once again, these classes are not that bad. Trust me; my other American counterparts have had much worse experiences. But that just comes with the territory. I chose to study here, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything! If I wanted something easy I would have gone to Australia… yeah, that one’s for you Lee 😊

My other two courses are my favorite, they both have their quirks and they’re both long, but they are definitely my favorites. Being a social science buff, I have a natural affinity for all things historical; so it’s no surprise to me that I enjoy my European History course. But before you say anything, let me say this first. An African history course was my first choice, but it wasn’t being offered. Consequently, I fell to my second choice. And I’m glad I did, I missed AP European History in high school, so I’m getting a chance to learn all the basics. Love it! The last course that I’m taking is the course that most resembles the teaching styles of home. This can be attributed to both a smaller class of about twenty students and the fact that professor taught in the States for a couple of years. Which is cool, because I we get the two perspectives on lectures and influences from both her years in America as well as in Ghana. It’s funny because I’ve learned more American Pop culture in this Literature class than I ever knew living in the states…funny. Then again she does have a teenage daughter, so need I say more?

But enough academics; time to shift to something closer to home…my home in fact… or my home away from home…I mean, my home while I’m here… which isn’t really my home but…whatever… you get the idea. There are actually two International Student Hostels, I live in ISH 1, because I’m number one…I’m not conceited… really. Both of the hostels are equipped with laundry rooms on all four floors as well as four bathrooms on all floors. While the two hostels are for the most part carbon copies of each other there are a few discrepancies. ISH 2, has a wonderful laundry service and a fairly large café that offers a wide range in food selection. ISH 1 lacks the washer/dryer laundry service but there are plenty of cleaning ladies you can pay to do your laundry for you. Or if you’re cheap like I am most of the time, you do it yourself. ISH 1 also has a café, though not nearly as big, but that’s okay, because we have Eve and her wonderful mini-mart. At Eve’s store we can purchase any number of things, toiletries, crackers, cookies, yogurt, soda, water, you know, the essentials. The ISH 1 café is definitely where I spend a majority of my time when I’m not in class, asleep, or traveling. It’s my office. And nine times out of ten, if you don’t know where I am, that’s where I am. Gotta love it.

But variety is the spice of life, and the ISH café can get expensive after awhile and Eve’s got a lot but she doesn’t have everything, so, sometimes you have to venture out of the Hostel to get what you want. Just down the road from ISH is the Night Market. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, you name it, they serve it. Need your shoes repaired? Want to buy cheap movies and DVDs? Looking for a power adaptor, an egg sandwich, fresh fruit, new clothes, or a bucket? Then the Night Market is the place for you. It’s basically Wal-Mart, only Ghana Style. A poor analogy but, I’m too tired to think of a better one!

Like I’ve said before, the campus is huge, as it is at least, and I do mean at least, a twenty minute walk to anywhere on campus from our Hostel. Well, except the night market, that’s more like a five minute walk. The entire University, city in fact, is riddled with enormous gutters, that have claimed more than one absentminded wanderers. Seriously, fall into one of these things and you’ll have a scar the size of….uhhh….the size of a…no…hmmm…ummmm…. Fall into one of these things and you’ll have a big scar. Yeah…we’ll go with that. Any way, the campus is beautiful and the long walks, while annoying when you’re tired, are still really nice. While it’s easy to get lost at first, like any college campus, you figure it out. Man, Emporia State’s gonna be a walk in the park when I get back.

There you have it. I still put the study in study abroad…every now and then 😊 Hope life is still treating you all well these days. Miss you all tons!

Until next time everybody, stay frosty

Jonathan

PS

How do you like the 3 for 1 special on blogs? I figured I had to make up lost time! 😊

---

« Previous Entry Next Entry »

Comments

[Thomas]

Haha
Wow Jon I just killed like 30 minutes of one of my classes reading these three entries. Thanks for the excuse to zone out of my Disney class!

[MoM]

Great Pictures
How Cool! Good to see pictures of you! Blessings... love you much, MoM

[rac026]

3 for 1, Ha! try 4 for 1!!!
Jonny!! So your 3 for 1 Blog special today reminded me of the evidentally very common 4 for 1 buisness suit sales in the centers of many of the mexican cities. They were so enticing. Why anyone would need 4 suits at the same time i have no idea, choices i suppose. But the deal alone almost got me, i just had to remind myself that i have no money to waste. That gets me through most stupid purchases. But yea so basically that's all i have i need to update soon, maybe after this next trip! I'm so glad to hear from you and to read that everything is going well. As you said sooner that we know it we'll be back in the states and this will all seem like a huge dream. But anyways Take Care and keep living your dream semester! Live life to the fullest, because then you don't have to worry about it being half full or half empty! ~Roberto

[Deb Kluttz]

Amazing scenery!
Wow, Jon! I envy you as I have looked through your photos and seen the breathtaking sites you have hiked, climbed and walked through! What a great opportunity! blessings!

[Patty Clark]

Just found you !
Your Mom passed on the information for us to be able to keep up with you! We're excited to get the chance to follow your adventure, it sounds GREAT so far!