Airport chaos

According to my mom, you should be around 2 hours early to the airport. We left Auburn at 6AM for a 1PM flight out of San Fran. Meaning, we arrived at 10AM and mom got some heckling from me and dad. I feel like the statement "mom knows best" is so widely heard because there is a large amount of truth to it. When checking my luggage we discovered that one of my bags was 7lbs over and would cost $200 to ship internationally. So what did we do? Solution: we bought a whole new bag for me to fill up and carry with me on to the plane! I hug my parents goodbye, make it through security without the slightest suspicious look, wave once more to mom and dad, and head out for my gate. Currently, I am waiting to board my plane which heads to Washington DC before switching planes and landing in Accra, Ghana. So I felt I should take this time to address some questions that people commonly ask me.

Why Ghana??
 The first thought that flashes through my mind when people ask me "Now why the heck are you going to Ghana?" is Why not? But, my answer isn't that simple in retrospect. At UCSB I took a couple of African history classes that really sparked my interest. One of my professors gave passionate lectures on the history of slavery in the United States, as well as discussions on eugenics, white man's burden, and eurocentrism that really caught my attention. Ghana is located in the perfect location for my studies of all these topics. Positioned in West Africa, Ghana was a part of what was formerly known as the "slave coast." Another aspect is that I really wanted to travel somewhere completely different. Most students at the University study abroad in Europe. Not that I have anything against going to Spain or Italy, but I really wanted to go abroad to a country that made me step out of my comfort zone. I feel like Ghana is the perfect place to give me a new perspective on life and truly appreciate what I have in America.

What Will I Be Doing?
I am currently signed up to be in Ghana until December 17th but I may extend until the end of May. While in Ghana, I will be studying at the University of Ghana, one of the elite Universities in West Africa. Also, I will be working with 2 other students through an organization called Exponential Education to create a tutoring program for middle school students taught by high school students. Finally, as of now I plan on playing some tennis. The University has a tennis team that plays on clay courts, so we will have to wait and see on that. Other than that I will be traveling and trying to take in as much as possible!

Image: The University of Ghana


That is all for now! I have zero idea of how long I will be out of internet but stay tuned!

Why blog?

Considering communication will be difficult while I am in Ghana, I set this blog up to keep everyone posted on my experiences abroad.


6 days and counting!