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Published: February 11th 2009
Wow...
This is actually an old photo from my first trip to the ocean...truly amazing!Hey all!
Sorry for the delay in updates. Daily life, and weekend excursions have kept me pretty busy. It just occurred to me though that I've been gone for about a month...which is really weird because it seems both like I just left yesterday, and like I've been here forever. Huh. I'm just a walking paradox. At any rate, so much has happened since last I wrote. Classes, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Kakum... lots of C's and K's. I'll try and keep it brief...but I make no promises... actually, I'll gonna tell ya write now, this is gonna take awhile. In fact, maybe you should grab a snack or something. I mean...I would. But that's just me, anyway, let's get started!
So after attempting some clever manipulation, careful planning, dutiful prayer and a heaping load of good fortune, I've managed to only have one class a day, four days of the week, Tuesday through Friday. Yay for three day weekends! So on Tuesday I have Modern Western Political Thought, Wednesday, Masterpieces of American Literature, Thursday I have Early Modern Aspects of European History, and Friday I have Drama in African Societies. Couple those with evening Twi classes on Tuesday and Thursday to round out my academic schedule. Not too shabby. The scheduling of classes here in Ghana is bittersweet. While I only have class once a week, it's for two hours. Okay, two hours isn't that bad, but when it's difficult to understand the lecturer, and the rooms are super hot with hundreds of students, and you have back to back classes, and you have attention deficit disorder... okay, I don't really have ADD, but it sure feels like it. At any rate, life goes on, and everything else more than makes up for the minor discomforts. Most of my classes are very interesting, and I'm meeting a lot of really cool people. It's also great hearing the different perspectives and takes on certain issues here. You just have to keep telling yourself, "it's not weird, it's different."
The weekend of the 31st through the 1st was marked by our ISEP trip to Cape Coast and Kakum National Park. After spending about 3 hours just getting out of Accra (It's like driving through Dallas during rush hour...only scarier...didn't know that was possible, until now) we spent our Saturday afternoon touring the historically tragic Cape Coast Castle. A central hub and the first stop in the old African slave trade.
Sobering. Powerful. Painful. It was an incredible experience, that tugged at every human emotion. Anger and sorrow, disbelief and disgust, depression and rage. To view the dank filthy dungeons buried beneath an Anglican Church, made it all the more an emotional event. Even the smell of the castle was putrid; an overpowering stench of decay and rot seemed to hover over the ancient fortress. Yet, while the Castle held so many evocative negative emotions it also spoke a bigger message to me. It was inspiring. Inspiring in the sense that I was able to truly see, just how far we have come. By no means do I imply that we have accomplished everything. No, we still have a long way to go. But we have moved forward. This trip also served as a reminder to me. A reminder that, I can not waste the blessings and opportunities that I have been given. Too many people have fought for, died for, and worked for a better life for me. I was reminded that I am not alone in this world. I am carrying so many hopes and dreams, goals and desires. As I was sitting at the castle staring out into the ocean, the old proverb of "To those who have been given much, much is expected" rang continuously through my head. So this is my renewed vow, my renewed commitment, and my renewed thanks. To those of you have constantly been there in my life, driving me forward with praise and encouragement. For those of you who have touched my life and made me who I am today. I say thank you. I will not accept your love and aide without a second thought. Thank you for all that you have done and how you have all supported me. I have once again been reminded that "We are not blessed to be blessed; we are blessed to be a blessing." Obviously God wanted to remind me of a couple of things before I left that castle. I think I got the message.
Alright, I think that's enough gloom, prose, and deep heart wrenching thoughts. Back to the fun stuff! We left the castle to find our overnight accommodations, The Hans Cottage Botel. Question, can you just stick any letter in front of -otel? Any way, it was a unique place to lodge for the night because nearly a third of the Botel was situated on top of a miniature lagoon. Tons of birds, bugs, frogs and a few crocodiles could be found out and about the grounds...good times. The Botel was complete with a restaurant and live band. A jazz band! Food and jazz, does it get any better? That night I dined on grilled lobster and went for a nice relaxing swim in the pool...the non-crocodile infested one.
My only complaint at this point is paying for things here in Ghana...If you have exact change, life is good, if you don't...well, life isn't so good. Nobody has change, or I should say, nobody is willing to give you change. Any bills bigger than ten are basically worthless...I'm exaggerating. Wait. No I'm not. You know how everyone hates to carry around coins and change...I wish I had coins and change to carry around. Life is so much easier. Patience is a virtue you can not help but acquire, should you ever come here. You just learn to shrug it off, give a sigh, sit back in your chair, and say "Oh Ghana time!" But I digress...
We left the Botel in the morning to travel to Kakum National Park. Where we ventured nearly sixty feet above the rain forest floor, walking on series of seven wood and rope bridges. My initial thoughts on the first bridge? "Wow!!!! This is incredible, look at this amazing view!!" Two bridges later, "Wow! This is pretty cool; though I wish this bridge wasn't tilting so much..." Three bridges later, "Wow...we're really high...how old is this bridge?" Last bridge, "This is amazing, truly amazing, I will definitely do this again...but solid ground has never looked better!" But seriously, it was tons of fun and a beautiful adventure, I'm definitely going to have to go back.
We finished off the trip at the nicest beach resort I've ever been to...which I realize isn't saying much, since this was my first beach resort...But everyone else agreed. It was paradise! Nothing like drinking Fanta from a glass bottle while laying on a white sand beach staring out into the clear blue waters. The perfect end to a fantastic trip. But my day wasn't over yet. After seeing all things Ghana had to offer, it was time for a little American exposure. And what better way to kill feelings of nostalgia then to get all your friends together, go to the bar, order some fatty American food and watch the Super Bowl? Good times. And not a bad game either. It was a weekend to remember...and I'm just warmin' up!
The remainder of the week was given to classes and random hang-outs. One thing I love about Ghana is the loose aspect of time. I can do three things here and call it a jam packed day.
I'll do my laundry, which takes any where from 1 to 3 hours depending on the amount and how clean I want them. I might have class, which is another 2 hours. A necessary nap and chill time, which goes for at least 2 more hours 😊 And polish off the evening by playing cards with my new friends from the United Kingdom. Alright, looks like it's time to call it a day! You can just feel stress melting away; I love it so much! It's gonna be tough switching back to the daily grind and fast paced American life.
The weekend of the 6th through the 8th was marked by another ISEP group trip. Our destination? Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, and home to the Ashanti King.
We left bright and early Friday morning, arriving in the late afternoon...another long trip... starting our Kumasi journey at the former seat of government, the old palace of the Ashanti King. While we were there we were treated to various history lessons and artifacts. We finished off the day at the Cultural Center, a nice shopping district that we visited all three days. It had various stores and merchants, and a decent selection of different crafts. We had amazing accommodations for the weekend. We stayed at a local tech college Guest House; complete with air conditioning and hot water! We were sitting in the lap of luxury to be sure. One thing I love about these trips is just how much bonding time I'm getting with everyone I'm traveling with. They are all such amazing people. I love em' to death!
Saturday we visited a couple of villages and learned the meaning of many symbols and the art of weaving the Kumasi famous Kente cloth. I also visited the Central Market of Kumasi, which was a lot like the Medina Market...just about 20 times bigger! Tons of sights and smells, people and products, all moving at 300 miles per hour! A whirlwind of an experience.
On Sunday, we visited a wood carving village, where I was quite literally overwhelmed with 20 merchants. And aside from being pulled to this guy's store, and then his blood brother's store, and then his father's store, and his really great cousin's store, and his best friend's sister's boyfriends' ... yada yada yada... Well I managed to find a couple of things that were really cool and well worth all of the trouble. Plus I was able to put my bargaining skills to a test. Then again, it's not really that hard to walk away when you don't really want what their trying to sell you. Anyway, the day had many high points, but overall, it was tainted with illness... Malaria pills - they give you so many side effects that I might as well have the disease. I don't mean that...it's the pills talking. The bus ride home was awful. The combination of already being nauseated and then riding on dirt, pot-hole infested, super bumpy roads for five hours made Johnny a very unhappy boy. I'll never complain about Missouri's highways again. Luckily I had people comforting me all the way back (Thanks Loren, you're an angel!!) Have I mentioned how much I love the group I'm traveling with?
Wow, this was kinda long... Maybe I should update more often or something... Sorry about that guys...did you at least get a snack? I hope you did. But to wrap it all up, life here is still wonderful. I'm constantly learning new things, meeting new people, going new places, and finding the greatest gifts and lessons in the most unlikely of places and people. Gotta love it. You get a lot of time to think here...I like that. Thank you all so much, for all the warm wishes, letters and prayers. I miss you all tons, and I hope you're all doing exceptionally well! Picture Gallery 3 will come...when my cameras stop being dumb...
Until then, stay frosty everybody 😉
Jonathan
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lprice4
Loren Price
Potel, Schmotel...
Yea really dude, update more often and it wont take me 45 hours to read your blog ;) ive decided you can put anything before -otel. "im staying in a potel this weekend" translation: im staying in a really cheap "poor" hotel lol!