Day 2

Today was a long and eventful day. First off, we had an orientation with our ISEP advisors at Ghana University and met with a professor who will be teaching the Twi Language course. He was a great teacher, and he taught us some different customs and behavioral things to watch out for with Ghanaians.  Including the fact that you are not supposed to do a thumbs up (which is a huge insult)---which as a side note Jenny told me before I boarded the plane--- but instead to say like “good job” you make a peace sign. We also learned not to gesture or hand something to someone with your left hand. (another one that I think my sister researched for me before I left).

After our orientation we went on a tour of the city of Accra where we are staying. We saw the monument to the first Ghanaian President for the first Republic of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. He was incredibly influential in Ghana, but also for all of Africa. He fought for Africans to take back Africa from the colonization of the Europeans. His slogan was “Africans should control Africa” and as simple as that sounds, it was able to create huge waves throughout Africa, causing the entire population to finally cry out for their freedom for the European colonization. It’s amazing to me that one man could to so much to help change the history of, not just one country, but an entire continent. 

Memorial to Kwame Nkrumah

Statue of Kwame Nkrumah

Cool poster of Kwame

Peacock that we saw roaming at the memorial

Kwame Nkrumah's car (pretty sweeet)

We also went to see the house and resting place of W.E.B. De Bois which was really awesome. I had no idea that he was buried here. In fact, to be honest I had no idea until now the real significant role that Ghana has played in Africa’s independence movement and in the liberation and education of African peoples. It was a truly fascinating experience to learn all of these things though.

W.E.B. Memorial

W.E.B. Dubois' last house

Finally, we went shopping and saw a bit of Jamestown, which is right on the ocean. It’s a small town on the outskirts of Accra and it’s very poor, but it’s mostly a fishing area and beaches. We also went to the Osu Oxford Street Market and were ambushed by sellers. For anyone who has been to Turkey, it was almost exactly like that. “Buy Buy Buy Buy!” That sort. And everyone is very close to you trying to talk you into getting things. They are a bit more subversive about it here though, talking to you for several minutes about everyday things before bombarding you with merchandise. I actually got cornered by a guy who was like putting a necklace around my neck and I kinda freaked and pushed it away from me cause I didn’t know how to react. Then I thought he was trying to give it to me, and I didn’t want to pay for it so I then felt bad for like shoving away a gift. But then I started talking to him again and realized that he wanted money for it still. So I walked away. But like 2 minutes later he came back and tried again, and he kept acting really offended whenever I said I wouldn’t buy it. But then before I could get on the bus he gave me another necklace, a cheaper looking one, and just handed it to me. But I said I didn’t want to buy it, and I thought he said to take it as a gift so that I would remember to come back and buy from him. So I didn’t want to be rude and I took it. THEN when I asked the student guides about it, they seemed surprised that he hadn’t asked for money. But I checked my stuff and I still had everything I brought with me, so I wasn’t robbed. But then I almost felt worse because it wasn’t acceptable for me to take it without paying. So, yea. That’s been my cultural blunder so far.

lighthouse at Jamestown

Waves hitting the rocks

The Accra Beach

Me at the beach

Wearing the "cultural blunder necklace"

After all that, I met a ton more people who just moved in to the international hostels. I signed up for a Ghanaian roommate, which I’ll move in with in a week or so. I’m kinda scared to do it, but my roommate was already signing up, so I decided I might as well. AND I took my very first shower today, which is quite a feat since the running water here doesn’t always run. Lol. There isn’t always pressure to make the showers work. So there was this evening when I went to shower, and I promptly slipped and fell when I had finished my shower. So yeah, that was a bit embarrassing. But anyhow, I’ll try to post some pictures chronicling Day 2 soon, I just need some sleep now, early day tomorrow.