Halfway Post

 

A View of My Community

Hello! I am starting to post weekly instead of twice a week. This is not because I don't have things to share; rather, I am settling into Ghana more and my schedule is becoming more familiar to me. I have also been busier in school and haven't had as much time to post. It is around the halfway point of this trip for me. I have been here for over four weeks already and have four weeks left here. While I have had an absolutely wonderful time here and hope to continually make the most of this experience, I am looking forward to seeing my family again and having a snowy Christmas. Lately, I have become more comfortable here and have started experiencing more outside of the school.

This week was eventful at school. I got to grade ("mark") some papers ("scripts") and learn about how students are assessed. I also challenged myself by teaching an upper-level history class for two classes this week and teaching about a topic that I had not studied before coming here. This was my last week of full teaching as I found out that the students will be reviewing for their exams during classes next week. While I still get to teach, it won't be full-time because I haven't been here this whole semester and don't know what students learned in depth before I arrived.

Fruit 'Ice Cream'

On Wednesday, I got to watch a Geospatial competition between my school and another school. This was something that I didn't know much about but enjoyed learning about. Not only was the event interesting, but my cooperating teacher also picked up treats from the event for me (I had to leave early to teach a class.) I had a meat pie and a doughnut. Ghanaians don't eat much sugar, so the donut in particular was a treat. I also got to try Malta, which is a non-alcoholic Ghanaian malt beverage. Although I didn't like it at first, the flavor grew on me.

I had some more good food this week. I tried soda here. Fanta in particular is a lot less sweet and more realistic tasting than it is in the United States and I enjoy it here. I also had a GIANT bowl of fresh 'ice cream' made from fruit like bananas and pineapples. My host sister brought cake home from work last night so I got to enjoy more sweet treats and eat some delicious cake!

Fanta in Ghana

There is a seamstress in my neighborhood that sews dresses for a very affordable cost. I had ordered a few dresses from her and she finished them this week. I love these dresses as they are made of Ghanaian print fabric and are designed to fit my body. Many Ghanaians have their dresses and clothes sewn for them if it is an option for them, so it was cool to experience this. I bought some more fabric and plan to have a few more clothing items made while I am here to take back to America with me.

Today was a big day for me and I crossed many items off of my bucket list. My host dad and one of my host brothers took me to Accra (the capital) to go shopping. Not only did I get to get most of my Christmas presents to take home with me, but I also got to see many notable sights, such as the Black Star Gate and Independence Arch (seen below). We shopped at the Makola Market, which is likely the busiest market in Ghana. This was unlike anything that I had ever been in before. From the outside, it seemed like a busy farmer's market filled with all sorts of goods, but this market spans into alleys and surrounding buildings. Sadly, I did not get any pictures of this market because I kept my phone safety stowed while shopping because it was bustling and I did not want to have it out more than I needed to. Also, people were constantly moving around so I wanted to be as aware of my surroundings as possible. It was a wonderful experience and I bought many things, including African black soap, shea butter, fabric, and traditional African beads. I have heard so much about this market and am glad that I got to experience it and learn more about the shopping culture in Ghana.

After we went to the Market, we visited a few historical sights which made the history major in me very happy! First of all, we visited Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. This is a park that commemorates Ghana's first president and his push for Ghanaian independence. Ghana was the first African country to achieve true independence from British rule, which made this feat even more impressive. There were monuments to commemorate specific moments in the independence movement and artifacts from President Nkrumah's life. His final resting place was also located in this memorial park. Pictures were not permitted here but it was fascinating to learn about Ghana's push for independence in such a moving way.

Lastly, we went to the W.E.B. DuBois Museum. Even though DuBois is most known for his work in America, he spent his last two years in Ghana trying to create a new African encyclopedia.. I had not known about this aspect of his life and learned a lot in the museum.

I am excited to continue my experience here next week and to keep you all updated!