Global Gaucho

Maakye m'damfos! Good morning friends!

The Global Gaucho recently published a short article I wrote on my time in Ghana. Check it out below:

I remember thinking to myself, “I will be fine” when the Ghana returnees emitted their warnings about the lack of running water, pesky mosquitoes, and the absence of American fast food during the pre-departure orientation three months before I left on my Education Abroad Program adventure. However, there is a big difference between hearing about the difficulties of studying abroad and then experiencing them firsthand. The reality is that studying abroad in Ghana was challenging and pushed me completely outside of my comfort zone, but the rewards were well worth the struggle. After hand washing my laundry and taking bucket showers for ten months, I left Ghana with a new appreciation for the amenities that I took for granted in my life back in the United States. The decreased importance of technology allowed me to focus on face-to-face interactions and as a result, I developed strong personal connections. Although the slower pace of life in Ghana led to frustration at times, it also taught me to take a deep breath and live in the moment. Even though my time in Ghana may not have always gone smoothly, both figuratively and literally, the bumps I maneuvered abroad shaped me into a stronger, more confident individual with the tools to live in a culturally diverse world. 

- Heidi Graves, EAP Ghana

Tearin' Up Togo

I just can’t get over how different Togo is from Ghana. This whole year I had been reluctant to spend the money on purchasing a visa to visit Togo because my mindset was that Togo would be a mirror image of Ghana. Yet, despite the fact that the border was merely drawn in during colonialism, the two countries are seriously the difference between night and day. The second you pass border control, everyone is speaking French and not a tro-tro is in sight. Instead, motorcycles cover the roads taking passengers to their final destinations for a cheap price. Togo was once known as the Paris of West Africa but political turmoil has left the country with low tourist rates and once prospering restaurants, hotels, and clubs are now skeleton buildings. Surprisingly, the beaches and streets are much cleaner than Ghana. The gutters are covered, unlike Ghana’s open sewers. The money is in CFA’s and the most confusing currency I have ever dealt with- it is in thousands. And the food is AMAZING. Baguette and guacamole sellers on every corner. I really felt like I was in a different world when I was in Togo...it was one crazy trip.

                It began at the University of Ghana at 1 PM. I had a final that morning at 7:30AM and was exhausted but this was the final gap in my schedule to travel before I headed back to the good ole US of A. We made it to the border at dark and were bombarded by people trying to get us to exchange money or buy new phone cards etc. Luckily, we made friends with a Togolese guy by the name of Assan who became our knight in shining armor. Getting through the Ghana border was easy but the Togolese border control was grumpy with the fact that we couldn’t speak French too well. West Africans are simply able to walk through the border without questioning but if you appear foreign there will most definitely be a bribery exchange involved. After two hours spent with the Togolese border patrol we took a taxi to our hotel, The Galion. Although the hotel was constructed in a beautiful white colonial style on the outside, our rooms looked like they had not been swept in months and none of us could sleep because we were getting bit by bed bugs. After hours of travel, it was just nice to have a place to rest.

                The next morning, we went to the central market to exchange our money. The scene was like out of the movies…a man approaches you and asks if you need to exchange your money and you do it right there in the center of the street. I had previously heard nightmare stories of getting ripped off so I knew the conversion rate and when the guy told me half of what I knew was correct, I showed him on the calculator what the proper amount should be. His face showed his disappointment but he did not argue. There were four of us: Kassie, Mariel, Zoe, and I. Mariel and I decided to head north for some nature and hiking while Zoe and Kassie decided to stay in Lomé. We took a tro-tro about 4 hours up to Kpalime which is at the bottom of the beautiful Mount Kluto. Then, we did the inevitable and hopped on the back of a motorcycle for a gorgeous drive up to the top of the mountain. And this is where the confusion begins. We had been told to visit a Mr. Prosper because he is an environmentalist and works with the butterflies of the forest but the Togolese men who stopped us at the top of the mountain kept repeating that he is sick and needs an operation. Something about their story did not feel right but we proceeded to our hotel anyways before heading out for our tour of the forest. For the next four hours, we hiked deep into the forest with our incredible guide, David. Even though he spoke broken English he was lively and my friend Mariel was able to translate the French for me. He showed us all the different fruits and plants: coffee, papaya, mango, sugarcane, aloevera, tomatoes, bananas…the list goes on. He even cut open various plants to show how the forest naturally produces all the colors of the rainbow and then painted a butterfly on my arm. There were also butterflies flying everywhere even though it wasn’t the height of butterfly season yet. Mariel and I were beat so we cleaned up and ate a delicious meal before David picked us up for a night tour. We walked on the paths and he showed us HUGE bugs. We saw a slug that was larger than the size of my fist and was the color of pure white snow. We heard drumming in the distance and he asked if we would want to dance with the local villagers. After exploring an abandoned German hospital we headed to the town center. For the next hour, Mariel and I danced around the male drummers with women of all ages who showed us the Togolese traditional dances. Togolese dance is super different from Ghanaian dance and they got a nice kick out of my inability to move to the rhythm. Randomly, I ran into a girl from San Francisco State who has been studying for a year with me at the University of Ghana and had finished her finals and was travelling solo around Togo and Benin. She was the one who informed me that she was living with Mr. Prosper (the expert on butterflies that was supposedly sick)…so he did exist! Apparently there are two butterfly groups competing for the attention of tourists. Despite not meeting Mr. Prosper, our own guide David did a fabulous job at showing us the area so I was not in the slightest bit disappointed. The next morning David drove us to the base of the mountain to begin our journey back to Lome. We rode in a taxi (two of us squished in one seat up front) and five in the back…I have never seen eight people in such a small car before. 

                Back in Lomé we met up with Kassie and Zoe and took motorcycles to the largest fetish market in West Africa. The first thing noticed at the market was the smell: it was this putrid smell of dead animals, which is technically accurate. We got a tour from a nice man about the market and he explained how the dead skulls, hands, heads, feet (you name it) of monkeys, crocodiles, hippos, dogs, lions, snakes etc. surrounding us are used for a practical purpose today, treating followers of traditional African religion and voodoo. People travel from all over Africa to come to this specific market to purchase a specific item that was recommended to them by a traditional priest to help cure some ailment or misfortune. We sat in a room with the voodoo chief for an hour has he explained the different forms of white magic (good magic), super fascinating. I got to perform some rituals with the chief and communicate with the spirits by throwing cowries shells on the ground to bargain for prices. Although I was initially intimidated to visit the market, I feel that this really opened my eyes to the reality, complexity, and depth of traditional religion in Africa.

                A couple hours later we got dressed up and ate a delicious meal at a French restaurant where we got brick oven pizza. After eating rice and fried plantains for the last 10 months this was pure heaven. We then went to one of the local bars which was recommended in our guide book. We spent the rest of our night at the largest club in West Africa, Le Privilege. My friend Kassie won the azonto dance competition against 15 other girls, it was pretty epic. On the way home, our taxi got pulled over by the police. The police made us get out of the car and demanded a 15,000 CFA bribe, about the equivalent of 30 US dollars, which is a lot in both Ghana and Togo. After about thirty minutes sitting on the curb we got away with paying them 3,000 CFA and made it back to our hotel. It was definitely one of the most eventful nights I have had in West Africa.

                The next morning we bought fresh baguettes from a local bake shop and headed to the border. As expected the Togolese border control was not too pleasant with us but the Ghanaian guards were nice and I had them laughing with my use of Twi and we even did some Azunto dance moves.

                Despite our exhaustion we changed in thirty minutes then had to go to our end of year party. We ate a delicious meal, watched a video of all the events from the past year, and even got to swim in a pool. We were so excited to sit in a hot tub, only to realize it wasn’t heated OIG (only in Ghana). I said goodbye to my roommate, Ariel, which ended up not being our last goodbye. Her flight was cancelled a total of 6 times and she remained in Ghana for 2 extra days. Apparently United Airlines will not be flying out of Ghana in the next couple of months…so the rumors say.

                As for now, I just completed my final paper as a University of Ghana student. It is unbelievable how fast the past year has gone. I will spend my next few days packing, reflecting, working at the Radio Station, and hanging out with my neighbors. I am definitely overwhelmed but hopefully things will wind down in the next few days and I will be ready to leave Ghana.  

Let The Good Times Roll

      Three weeks ago I traveled to the Eastern Region to celebrate the Paragliding Festival in Nkawkaw. The Festival is sponsored by the government of Ghana in an effort to promote a form of modern tourism in the Eastern region. Ghana brings in a set of professional paragliders mostly from the United States but also from elsewhere to raise money for the community of Nkawkaw. It was by far the highlight of my stay in Ghana. Seven of us American girls made it to Nkawkaw in record time (around 4 hours) due to the sweet talking of our two Ghanaian guy friends (both named Michael) that tagged along. Our entire trip unfolded perfectly. When we arrived at the launching site there was already a nice sized crowd forming to jump. However, their paperwork had not been filled out. After the opening ceremony, in which there was drumming, dancing, and a visit from the chief, paperwork was distributed. While the rest of the obrunis and Ghanaians opted to sit in the shade, our group sat in the hot sun, strategically placed next to the organizers. By making friends with the Ghanaian ladies that ordered the paperwork, we managed to find ourselves as the second group set to fly. We all got a little nervous when a Ghanaian army troop practiced scaling down the mountain in preparation for any accidents. When the pilots arrived we all breathed a huge sigh of relief- the group looked professional and confident. The first couple launches were shaky- the wind was strong and there were trees on both sides of the runway so if the wind pushed you too much one direction you were in trouble. After around 11 people went, our group was up. I watched as all of my friend’s paraglided until I was the lone wolf left on the top. It had been a joke the whole time that we wanted the strongest men to be our pilots. Well, I ended up with the lone girl who was half my size with pigtails. She helped me into my harness and talked me through the takeoff. Basically, you walk at a fast pace down a steep hill until the parachute is above your head, then you take off running until it catches the wind and you tuck your legs up. Whereas my friend before me had a failed takeoff and had to restart, mine went perfectly fine. Once in the air, I was surprised to find that it was completely peaceful. The world was silent except for the wind blowing past and we swerved by lush cliff banks and circled around Nkawkaw below. Around ten minutes into my flight the clouds started getting really dark and I felt some raindrops on my leg. My pilot explained that we had to get down quick before the weather turned on us. We proceeded to do the coolest dive bomb circles so we could touch down quickly. Surprisingly, when you land all you do is merely stand up. Once on the ground, we unbuckled and my pilot got a radio to tell the mountain to stop launching people. I ended up being the final tandem pilot of the day. Only one more solo pilot launched after me and my pilot knew he was in trouble. The wind blew him off course and she left me with a bunch of other pilots in a mad pursuit of him and his paraglide. I did not hear anything about it until I read a newspaper in Accra the next day that said “paraglider crash lands in forest.” The good news is he was okay. Only twenty people got to paraglide that day and we were extremely fortunate that all of us had the opportunity. The rest of the weekend was gloomy so only another hundred people got to paraglide whereas hundreds more were let down. I was so inspired by my experience that I have also come to the decision that I will one day get my paragliding license. 

            The day after paragliding I went mountain biking in Aburi with Brittany and Mariel. Don’t ask me why but I had this image of a leisurely ride through beautiful scenery. In actuality it felt like Le Tour de France but at least I got the scenery. We rented our bikes from this shop that was formerly owned by a Swiss guy but is now run by a friendly Ghanaian man. We paid a cheap price for bikes and a tour guide who led us on our exhausting ride. The hardest part for me was adjusting from the cruiser bike I ride in Santa Barbara to a mountain bike- two completely different bikes. Our guide led us on a dirt road through the countryside where he pointed out all the wild agricultural foods- plantain, banana, lemon- and then he took us through a village where we met the chief. I was tired all through this but we had not even started yet. After biking through the village we hit a steep decline that was so rocky I was bouncing around and could not control myself. But somehow I did not fall. When it got too steep we parked our bikes in some bushes and hiked the rest of the way down to the waterfall. The hike was definitely the most gorgeous scenery I have seen in Ghana. We were ducking our heads through the lush green plants but every now and again, we would break through the thick shrubbery to a viewpoint of rolling green hills and massive trees. The best part was that nobody was around, just us and mother nature. The waterfall was incredible- hidden in all the greenery with multiple pools. My legs were so shaky that I had to sit down for the first hour as everyone else played around. On our way out, we saw a huge snakeskin that reminded me that we might not be as alone as I previously thought. If I thought hiking down the mountain was hard, hiking up was 10X more difficult. The most irritating part was that our Ghanaian guide was not tired at all- I felt like an out of shape American. After unlatching our bikes, I decided to walk up the hill to a leveled out area. The next hour was pure torture. My legs burned so bad and I felt nauseous with exhaustion (remember it is incredibly hot in Ghana). Somehow, I managed to bike up a huge hill but it took up the last of my energy. I was beyond happy to make it back to the shop and when we walked in to the store, they had a fresh pineapple cut up for us…pure heaven. I definitely know that mountain biking is not the sport for me now.

            The next weekend I traveled to the Western Region with my friends Zoe, Mariel, and Brittany. We left at the crack of dawn to make the 7 hour journey to the Green Turtle Lodge. The Lodge is popular amongst international students for its promotion of protecting the environment as well as the beautiful location. I was surprised to discover that the Green Turtle Lodge is located on a completely remote beach where there are no buildings of any kind. It only cost us 5 cedi (around 3 dollars) to sleep in a tent for the night. I guess I paid the rest by receiving 25 mosquito bites...on one leg. The next day we went to Busua Beach to check out the famous location of the Black Star Surf Shop. Busua is more of a “party” beach where there are many more foreigners and Rastafarians. The beach is particularly famous as one of the only surf spots in Ghana. Whereas the rest of crew headed home for classes on Monday, Zoe and I decided to stay one more night at the Alaskan Beach Resort. We ate our first burritos in months at a restaurant along the beach- even though the burrito only had jollof rice, avocado, and some tomatoes, it was heavenly. We spent the rest of our day lounging on the beach before cleaning up and heading to a French restaurant where we ate a banana split. We walked on the main street of the town and interacted with some locals before heading back to our room. Considering it was a Sunday night, nobody was around so we stole some plastic chairs and went out to the water’s edge where we stargazed and chatted late into the night. The next morning we awoke at 5AM to the lovely sounds of preachers with megaphones…honestly nothing new. I was exhausted when we caught our final tro-tro back to Accra and as is common in Ghana, we had a preacher chanting at us for the first two hours. We made it back to Legon just in time for my 5PM class which ended up being cancelled since my teacher decided to go on vacation to Europe.

            Saturday was the biggest event of the year for my radio station called Legon’s Heartbeat Reloaded. The morning started off with a sports competition. Even though I begged my boss to tell me the “real” time for the volleyball game instead of the Ghanaian time, I still ended up being two hours early. Our rag-tag radio station team got annihilated by the Sports Directorate (the Athletic Department at the University). That seemed to be the theme for everything else too…the soccer, Azunto competition, sprint race, egg balance, and swimming race. We lost every event. BUT the most awesome Sports Director ever, a cute 85 year old grandpa, gave Radio Univers the trophy because we show how “sports are to have fun, and not to win.” Later that night our station held a huge concert at the poolside that hosted big-named stars from Ghana. I definitely got the most attention I have almost ever experienced in Ghana since I was the only obruni but my staff was very protective and made sure that everyone knew I was one of them. Although the concert itself was a blast, the cleanup was even more fun. We got fed Ghanaian food and got an extra hour of music and dance. I really enjoyed this event because I got to see my coworker’s personalities outside of work and see them cut loose. The next morning my coworker George announced on the radio that I got an 8 out of 10 for my volleyball skills…not bad for the only girl on the court! I have a feeling he was only trying to be nice though.

            Today I was informed that I was nominated for the University of Ghana’s Community Excellence Awards as the Most Proactive International Student.

            In 1 month exactly, I will be boarding a plane back to the United States. It is truly crazy how fast 9 months can fly by. But for the next 30 days I hope to just keep THE GOOD TIMES ROLLING.