First Day in Ghana

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Hello!

I'm writing this travelblog from the lobby of the Coconut Grove Hotel in Accra, Ghana. The weather is wonderful and I've met a fluffy blond dog named "Cookie", who likes to walk around and make people feel welcome. By the way, "Akwaaba" means "Welcome" in Twi, the most commonly spoken African language in the Southern region of Ghana. When someone says "Akwaaba", it is appropriate to reply, "Medase", or "Thank you".

Our room is very nice. The program coordinators are keeping us in rooms at this hotel for two days during orientation. I am pleased to say I have gotten into the homestay program. I don't know my host family yet, but I will be introduced to them on Wednesday. Right now, I am rooming with a very nice girl named Stephanie. She's from Maryland.

When I was catching my flight in Dulles, I wasn't quite sure where to go and kept getting these paranoid fears that I'd somehow missed my flight. Then, I saw two men dressed smartly, one of whom was wearing three hats on his head piled one on top of the other. A sense of relief flooded me, and I followed them to the correct gate.

The group of students in the CIEE-Ghana program all arrived on the same Washington-Accra flight and we crammed into a new-looking van (with air-conditioning!) along with two UofG students, Gyetsi and Wanafi, both very hospitable women. We have arrived at the hotel in high spirits and are now lounging around, calling loved ones, checking facebook, etc. I will have to try to call my friends and family later in the evening, since Ghana is four hours ahead of Indiana and most of the people I know will probably be working or busy.

Ghana is very colorful and very neat. The buildings here are well kept up, from what I can see. People dress professionally for their jobs, no matter what those jobs may be. I learned very quickly that unless you want to be chased down the street as you are driven away, you must never, under any circumstances, make eye contact with a street vendor. It is also not advisable to look at their wares, as this may also give them the mistaken impression that you want to buy a poster-sized, multicolored map of Ghana or a box of melting chocolate wafers.

The cars are fun to watch. The driving is not as different from the United States as I was given to expect, but the cars definitely are! Most of the tro-tros (old minivans crammed past maximum capacity with commuters) have mysterious metaphysical slogans on the back. Things like, "All my enemies Are Not God" and "Love is Love" and "Hinsha Allah!". The area of Ghana where I am staying is predominantly Christian, but there is a significant Muslim minority, if the crowds on the streets are anything to go by. Generally, though, the Muslim Ghanaians reside in northern Ghana.

And now that I've finished sounding like a Lonely Planet Travel Guide reporter, on to the personal stuff!
I love and miss all my friends and family back in the states. I will try to call fairly often. Internet is not very reliable here, but hopefully within a few weeks, I will have staked out a couple of Internet cafes to keep in touch at. I will not be able to call every day, unfortunately. If you email me, I will be delighted to reply. If you facebook me, I will also be delighted to reply to that. I have a skype account, for those of you who skype. Other than that, I am afraid I will be somewhat hard to reach for about four and a half months. I will miss seeing everyone!

Love,

Claire

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Comments

[Black]

Fluffy
Lol I know that dog Glad to know Ghana from another perspective

[Mike]

Accra
Claire, it's ok to look at everything, including stuff street vendors are hawking. One thing you should do is say "d33bi, medaasi" d33bi (picture the '3' reversed; sounds like 'd+air+bi') means "no." So you simply wave your hand(s) with a a smile and say "d33bi, medaasi" "no, thank you" and they'll respect that. They'll also love and appreciate that you're learning to use Twi.

[Philippe Myer]

timeshares in Africa
Today, Africa is becoming a haven of many timeshare properties. I hope that you will enlighten us with an article about timeshares in Africa next time. What we always hear and read nowadays are those owners trying to get out of their timeshares. An article about timeshare properties in Africa will be highly appreciated.

[David Endicott]

need some help if u hav time
im currently on line with someone that lives in ghana she is a christian girl and im just interested in how it is there. i may be visiting there in jan she lives off the kanda hwy and 4th area just wondering how that area is

[Eclaire]

Response to David
I'm not quite sure about that area. I live in East Legon, a few miles away from Accra. But most of the areas of Accra, and the few areas outside of Accra that I've visited, are similar. The people are polite, and will generally try to help you if you ask them nicely. It is considered good form to say, before any sort of interaction, "Good morning/afternoon/evening". I've found that it helps to keep a sense of humor about things, and always try to remain friendly, even if something is really getting on your nerves. Get used to bad driving and terrible traffic. There is no such thing as "pedestrian right-of-way" here, and there are very few crosswalks or lights, so be very careful in the streets. And try not to fall into any open sewers. And if someone calls out "Obruni", it means "white person". Don't use your left hand to give or receive things, to shake hands, or to eat food. Especially in business transactions, this is very important, as the left hand is considered unclean and using it is a sign of disrespect. I could go on for pages and pages, but most of the stuff you'll quickly pick up on if you visit. Best of luck to you, David!

[Eclaire]

Timeshares
I haven't done much investigating about timeshares yet, but I'd like to see what they're like over here. I'll see what I can find out!