This weekend we traveled to Cape Coast, a 4 hour drive from Accra. What should have been an uneventful drive up, turned in to a rather chaotic one. We arrived at a police barricade an hour into our drive. We were signaled to pull over to the side of the road by a police officer totting a rather large gun. When we pulled over one of the Ghanaian passengers in the car, Kojo, told us to drive off. 10 minutes later a taxi carrying the same two police officers drove up beside us and told us to stop. When we did one of the police officers pulled out his handcuffs and motioned to arrest the driver of the car, Zoli, a Hungarian native who had no idea what was going on. Kojo, Paul, and Zoli then ... read more

T.I.G. If you have ever found yourself watching Blood Diamond, then perhaps at the end of the movie you recall the saying T.I.A - This is Africa! Well for all of us African enthusiasts here in Ghana we have altered that phrase to T.I.G (this is Ghana). We use the phrase T.I.G to illustrate that whatever is going on would be something that would never happen in the states. Here are some T.I.G. moments that I have encountered here in Ghana. - There is no such thing as hot water - Almost getting in a crash at least 10 times every time you step into a tro-tro or taxi - Children trying to rub off the white on your skin - The unpredictability of the water in ISH - Oburni Traps! (open gutters along the side ... read more

Classes officially began on Monday, too bad the University forgot to tell the departments that because timetables were not posted until midday on Monday, and the History department timetables weren’t posted until Wednesday. I will never take another US registration for granted and the luxury of being able to register for classes online in the comfort of your own room. Here at the University of Ghana they do things a little differently. To register for classes you have to walk to each department, look at the classes that are offered because even though they are in the course catalogue doesn’t guarantee that they actually offer that class. Then you have to find the timetable. Once you finish that you have to them go into the department office and give them a passport photo and sign up ... read more

After failing at class registration me and a group of friends (Franciscka from Germany, Julie from New York/ Mount Holyoke, and Priscilla from Hong Kong/ University of Alberta) decided to travel to Kumasi. Kumasi is about 5 hours north of Accra and is home to the largest market in West Africa, as well as the Ashanti King's palace. We left for Kumasi on Wednesday morning at 5am to avoid traffic in Accra. When we arrived in Kumasi I had to use the bathroom, so I asked a woman near a chop shop if there was a bathroom I could use. She directed me to this concrete building and showed me what I thought was a bathroom. After standing in the room and not seeing a toilet or hole I walked out confused and asked a younger ... read more

here goes a second time, I thought I saved the last one but apparently not. I went to Commonwealth Hall the other day - it is an all male dormitory on the top of campus. Before we went in we were told that woman are not allowed to wear any red inside. I guess red is a color of power and authority and therefore woman cannot where it in this hall... Anyways the hall was beautiful, there were a bunch or courtyard, and the architecture was beautiful. There were also about a million lizards all of which were the size of my hand or bigger! Registration for classes is a never ending process here, I am on day 2 and I am still not done! It is basically standing in line for 30 minutes and finding ... read more