Blogs from Northern, Ghana, Africa - page 5

I want to give my most sincere apologies to anyone who I offended when I said "Africans are a lot cooler than Americans." In no way did I mean that Africans are better than Americans, or even really that they're cooler people. I think all people are cool and equal and all that good stuff :) The other volunteers in Uganda and I had a joke and kept a running tally of all the ways that "Africans are cooler than us (Americans and Canadians)" because we felt utterly incompetent at some of the simplest tasks. For example, African women strap a baby on their back with a piece of cloth, carry something on their head, and a full jerry can of water in each hand... all at the same time. And us white people had trouble ... read more

It's taken a little longer than I hoped to get internet access, but I finally do! The flights were fine. The flight from Amsterdam to Accra was much more comfortable than the first leg from Newark to Amsterdam. Our first day in Ghana we were treated like royalty. We got a police escort from the airport to our lodging at a near by college. The next day we met the Ghana Minister of Education. That night we had a cocktail party at the U.S. Embassy. I think they were just trying to treat us nice because it's the last time we'll get treated like that in two years. I've started to get my regiment of shots. It's going to take a while, and I'll basically be a human push pin by the time I'm done with ... read more

In my first days in Ghana I was exposed to the staples of the diet. Fufu, Banku, and TZ. They are all starches shaped into balls and dipped into a soup or sauce. They all take a lot of hard work to prepare -- all so that the food will slip down your throat without the hassle of chewing. Imagine the surprise of my co-worker Jamilla when she discovered that in 8 months I had never actually prepared fufu. We had to do something about that stat! Here is a photo essay of how to make fufu. Enjoy! ... read more

Work Like You Don’t Need the Money: Volunteering in Ghana Ghana is full of volunteers. Some come from other countries, mostly large packs of girls fresh out of high school looking for a meaningful travel experience before starting University. They fill the orphanages in the mornings and fill the internet cafes and swimming pool in the afternoon. These volunteers are completely unpaid, some even pay thousands of dollars to come here for a few weeks or months. Others, like me, are filling volunteer positions through development agencies in our countries. We flood NGO offices in the daytime and drinking spots at night. The living allowancess we take home, while pitiful by western standards, is sometimes double or triple what our co-workers earn We all have experience or education in the field we are working in and ... read more

Next stop on our trip was Mole, Ghana’s biggest national Park. It’s shockingly hard to get from Weichau to Mole. Our bible, Ghana 4th edition, lied to us about this. I’ll skip the gory details, but after 2 bus rides (where the seat next to me was filled at different points by 2 deceased chickens, a live goat, several school children, and the occassional adult) and a really bumpy cab ride, we arrived in Larabanga, the village outside Mole. Larabanga also has the 3rd oldest mosque in West Africa, circa 1491. We stayed at the Salia Brothers’ guest house. The Salia brothers are pretty famous around Mole for their general wonderfulness, and my experience with them was no exception. We arrived ate some tezard (pronounced tz, pretty much like fufu, only made with corn and so ... read more