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Greater Accra Travel Blogs

Background: Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and a ban on political parties. A new constitution, restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS, head of state since 1981, won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election, succeeded him.

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By robinray
December 14th 2009

"Dreamland" in Ada Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra

"Tro" story

Bonjour all, Well, finals have officially ended for me, the last was on Saturday. As I have mentioned, the school system is very different here, including how they do finals. Basically the examination period is three weeks long, and the exams consist of around 3-5 essay questions about the subject. You are given 2 1/2 or 3 hours to "write the exam," which comprises your grade for the entire semester. YIKES! I think I did allright, I am always overly critical of myself, so I probably did better than I thought, but there was one test that really gave me a [View Full Entry]

By t hook
October 27th 2009

Tomorrow is another day Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra

lazy day

A lazy day here is different from one at home. Because you have the sense that whatever you did or didn’t do, it was enough. It was enough to just live, to feel the sweat sticking the clothes to your body and feel the heat of the sun envelope you like a fire does burning embers. It was enough to step outside and leisurely make your way down the dirt road to greet the neighbors, to buy a yam and some oranges. Of course you may have slept too much and missed out on a more interesting excursion, but there’s always [View Full Entry]

By Marla
October 24th 2009

pictures up soon Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra » Legon

Hey everyone, I havnt had time to go through my photos or shrink any of them and thats why the're not up yet. I ll try to get to that soon. Today i am the official medic at a rugby tournament,: i have not the slightest clue as to how i got into that. Someone asked if people knew a little first aid, i said yes and they said im now the official medic... YIKES!@!! i hope there are no serious injuries or anything.. more updates later! [View Full Entry]

By Jaymie
October 15th 2009

Reflecting on my time in Ghana Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra » Abokobi

Looking back on my life changing experiences in Ghana, Africa, I remember each face, each smile and each unique quality that made me fall in love with the children in Abokobi and Accra. The extensive amount of education I was able to share with them was also an intense learning experience for me. Here is a list of all the fun teaching and learning experiences we shared together: 1. Created and implemented the first French curriculum for the school where I was teaching. -- I also began extra help classes after school for French and for Reading 2. Organized field trips [View Full Entry]

By robinray
October 9th 2009

How to cook (while a resident on campus) in Ghana Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra » Legon

Step By Step Directions on How to Cook in Ghana: 1) Walk 15 minutes to the front gate of school, get hassled by the cab drivers for ignoring them, and proceed to wait for an indefinite amount of time until you hear a tro-tro (the Ghanaian hybrid of public transportation and car-pooling) “mate” (guy who collects the money) yelling out “Accra, ‘cra, ‘cra, ‘cra, Tema Station.” Try not to get sardined into the tro by the other 50 Ghanaians waiting for the two seats available. 30 minutes and three buckets of sweat later (these large vans hardly have win [View Full Entry]

By t hook
October 8th 2009

Redefining the word "emergency" Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra

Fever's down!

Not quite as rural, but I almost feel like I am on an episode of ER in the Congo. Except there is no Dr. Carter at my side and no director yelling “Cut!”-- this is the solo, real-life adventure I always wanted. And I’m realizing that it’s not as fun laughing to yourself as it is constantly sharing those laughs with others. Still good, as Owusu says, but not the best. However, with a fever, nausea and a running stomach, I am not in the highest of spirits anyway. Most of the time in Ghanaian hospitals, in emergency departments especially, it’s [View Full Entry]

By Marla
October 5th 2009

A quiet weekend Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra

HI diving!

hey all, The last weekend leaves nothing really to report except that it was hot and getting hotter. I checked once and it was over 85 in my room with lights off fan on full blast and windows open for breeze! This will be a small not on beating the heat which has become my full time pursuit. here are my methods 1) swimming: good overall ,but the beach is a ways away. We went to a pool last week, but then got thrown out because apparently its not officially open. True the water was green, but it was cold and [View Full Entry]

By K 10
October 2nd 2009

Akwaaba to Ghana Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra » Accra

Oh…my…gosh, get your shots, grab your malaria medication and get your butt to Ghana. After one day I have been put under a Ghanaian spell and I do not really want to come out of it (it saddens me to know there are only three days left). Forget every single thing you thought about Africa and prepare to be amazed, if not by the cities, towns, or wilderness, by the people. I love Spain, and I loved Morocco, but Ghana, man, I wish there were words. It is a fantastically energetic country with culture, great food, and more than friendly people. [View Full Entry]

By t hook
September 30th 2009

The Becky Update Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra

In Construction

It has occurred to me that people might be wondering about Becky and the family that I am staying with. I feel like a full update on their situation is in order, since so many people contributed to their livelihood last year. In case you were out of the loop, Becky is a woman I met working in the street children's day-care I volunteered at (see "The Meaning of Christmas" entry) who was orphaned at age 15 and widowed in 2006. Our friendship grew from the time I first arrived in Ghana and though I knew she was struggling, she never [View Full Entry]

By t hook
September 29th 2009

Turning Point: an ordinary day seen in an extraordinary light Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra

Today I chose to completely let go and live moment to moment. Maybe it is because I wore high heels for the first (and last!) time in Ghana and knew each step had to be taken delicately. Or maybe it’s because I was tired of the worries that followed me overseas and needed to take action. But I think I made the choice consciously when I woke up early to finish reading My Sister’s Keeper and cried a little over a mug of tea, bread and groundnut paste. Thinking about people dying young made everything suddenly more vivid, every minute filled [View Full Entry]

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