My semester abroad- October

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10/4/2010
Hello all! Ete sen? Sorry for not posting a blog for a while, there’s only 6 weeks of school left so my studying has been in full gear. Most of the professors here have gone on strike so now the international programs office has to work something out so the international students can have one-on-one lectures. A lot of the Ghanaian students have gone back to their homes so campus is pretty quiet and empty. My Twi class is going well and it’s fun to practice the language with the locals. So far I have gotten pretty good at bargaining in Twi at the markets, hailing taxis, and telling people about myself. It’s not much but you would be surprised how far you can get with just the basics.
Here’s an update on what’s happening at the little community school I volunteer at: The man who was letting the teachers use the property have told us that they are going to try and sell it so we need to find somewhere else to hold classes. There is another piece of property down the road that we think is going to work out and is available for rent. We are going to start working on cleaning it up and getting ready to build soon! Someone donated some blackboards to the school so it has become much easier to teach the kids as a group. I teach the third grade class, which is made up of only six students, four girls and two boys. I’ve only been there for about two months but they have already improved in reading, spelling, and math since we began. It’s amazing how fast these kids learn! They love to teach “Miss Nina” Twi phrases and ask me what schools are like in America.
I spent last week on campus and around Accra. I haven’t done much shopping since I’ve been here and was starting to get really tired of wearing the same old shorts and t-shirts so I went shopping in Osu with a few friends for a new dress. Osu is a popular district inside of Accra that has lots of shopping, restaurants, and nightclubs. You can find everything from clothing and beads to fresh fish and furniture. I did end up finding a long black dress with red and yellow flowers on it, so I had something new to wear for the weekend!
On Saturday a friend invited a few friends and myself to go to Ada beach, which is two hours east of Accra and probably the most beautiful place in Ghana in my opinion. We thought we would just be hanging out on the public beach but then found out once we got there that we would be boating out to a private island. On the island there was this huge house with a pool that overlooked the amazingly clear blue ocean. There were palm trees and beautiful flowers everywhere, giving us some shade and lovely sweet scents to smell. We all swam in the pool then got to have lunch under the beach canopy. I have seen the most humble lifestyles as well as the most luxurious while in Africa. There are many people who can’t even afford a pair of sandals and right next door there are people who drive BMW’s and have private chefs. I had never seen such class differences before I came here.
There is a Black Stars Soccer match next weekend in Kumasi and I really want to go. I have a friend who is an ex-Black Stars player who thinks he can get us tickets so I’m keeping my fingers crossed! I’ve never been to a big soccer match before so it would be really cool to experience one in a place where soccer is so popular and the whole country is watching.
It’s getting quite late here so I better wrap things up. Everything here is going well and I’m really starting to fall in love with this place. I have met so many people from all over the world. Just this morning I had breakfast with people from Australia, Denmark, Sudan, China, and France. I love hearing stories about my friend’s hometowns and what life is like in their part of the world. Everyday I learn something new! I love waking up every morning to the sun shining and listening to the African birds sing. I do miss Ethan and my family and friends from back home but I’m still not ready to go home yet. There is still much more exploring to do and fun to be had! Goodnight from Africa.

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