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.

   

Welcome To My Life

A couple weeks ago I was talking to my dad on the phone and he complained about how he knew very little about my daily life at the University of Ghana. When I reflected on my blog posts I realized it is true, anyone who reads this has a skewed image of what my life is like in Ghana. I only write about the exciting adventures and have never described what the bulk of my life consists of. So here you go dad!

            For those of you who thought I was purely playing with monkeys and hiking through the jungle this is pure lies! Five days of the week, I am a student at the University of Ghana, Legon. Legon is a relatively rural town but it is located ten minutes outside of the capital, Accra. The University itself is MASSIVE- honestly feels three times the size of UCSB but maybe that is because I am walking it all instead of biking. 

            I am one of ten foreign students who have the incredible opportunity to live in Volta Hall. Volta is a prestigious all-girls dormitory whose motto is “Ladies with Vision and Style.” The dorm itself would shock most Westerners due to the beauty of the courtyard and lush greenery. Although Volta rarely has running water, it is one of the most competitive dorms for women to get into at UG. While most international students live in the International Student Hostel across campus where they are surrounded by foreign students, I have been fortunate enough to live amongst only Ghanaian girls 24/7. Considering Ghanaian girls are known to be extremely shy, it has been beyond helpful to live in a dorm where I am constantly interacting with them. It took the girls some time to warm up to me but this second semester Volta hall truly feels like home because of all the close friends I have made.

            Located in the heart of campus with a tall clock tower on top and water fountains in the courtyard, Balme Library is known as one of the most beautiful buildings on campus. To be honest, I actually have not set foot inside the library this semester but last semester I did much of my reading at a desk on the second floor where the breeze cooled me down.

            The majority of my classes are held in Jones-Quarterley Building or “JQB.” It takes me about a fifteen minute walk on a dirt road to reach JQB. The classrooms remind me of a stereotypical law school movie- long benches and desks cross the room. My classes have around 200 people which can be a struggle considering the microphones are pretty shaky and there is no PowerPoint system. A chalkboard sits at the front but it is rarely used. The lecture format has varied immensely in my time here. One of my professors reads monotone word-for-word from a printout that we already have purchased and read for homework. Another professor dynamically engages the class and randomly calls on students who aren’t paying attention. My dance class is pure blood, sweat, and tears as we shake our hips and stomp our feet for an hour and a half straight. My classes are definitely not up to the standards of UCSB but I have learned a lot from sitting in on classes taught from the Ghanaian perspective. Also, the lack of homework has allowed me to get involved in the University with athletics and at the radio station.

            The History Department is located right across the street from my dorm which has been perfect because I can roll out of bed and make it to class in five minutes. Although my large lectures are held in JQB, I have smaller tutorials where we meet with a TA to discuss the course material at the actual department. Almost all of my tutorials are held under a massive tree in the courtyard which is gorgeous but I am often distracted by the nature surrounding me.

The International Programmes Office is where all of the offices are for foreign students. There is also a computer lab that can only be used by foreign students and free wireless internet- because they know how much we need our technology. IPO is where I have my Twi classes and support group meetings.

Considering you have been asking me since day 1 where the law school is, I just had to include this. Brand spanking new building for all the future Ghanaian lawyers.

            One of my favorite places to buy food on campus is the Night Market. Located clear across campus from my dorm, the Night Market is known for its cheap food- but it also has unclear sanitation standards and is often accused for typhoid breakouts.  My favorite foods to get at the night market are egg sandwiches, jollof rice and plantains, bananas, pineapple, mango, and groundnuts. I have my favorite stands where I know all of the workers and they usually “dash” aka give me free food. On the walk back from the night market I pass basketball courts which are always bustling and the smelly trash dumpsters where 4 dogs always congregate to extract yummy scraps.

            An interesting thing about UG is that there are a million buildings under construction, but nobody ever seems to be working on them. These skeleton buildings stretch across campus and are evidence of the laid back mentality of Ghanaians. For example, I run at the track every week and although the track is in place, only about five rows of the stands have been built. Even though the project is clearly unfinished I have not seen a single worker ever. Instead, squatters have built their homes under the stands and pick weeds on the center field. My new habit is swimming at the Olympic size swimming pool. There is a four story diving platform that I have put on my bucket list to jump off. The problem is, they don’t let anyone dive off any of the diving boards. The best part about swimming at the pool is that most Ghanaians can’t swim so I have the entire deep end to myself!

            I remember thinking back in orientation how I would never be able to navigate the campus without a map. Now, I not only know the campus but have all my secret passages to get to class as quick as possible. While the campus seemed huge in the beginning, it has started to feel smaller and smaller because I now know students, teachers, and vendors on campus so I am constantly stopping to chat. The University of Ghana has definitely become my home away from home and I am going to miss the twenty minute walks across campus that leave me with disgustingly brown muddy feet.

            Last Friday was Volta’s Hall Week. The entire dorm was decorated in our colors- blue and gold- and every day was full of events. One of my friends Naa called me a week earlier and asked if I would model for the fashion show. Not realizing the depth of the commitment, I said yes. For the entire week she had me practicing all these poses and model walks for 3 hours at night. It was seriously exhausting, but I met some awesome new girls who also live in Volta. The show was supposed to start at 6PM but Ghana time took over and two of the designers did not show till 7:30PM. I was so nervous for my first walk- especially because I never wear heels and the runway included a set of stairs. However, when I first stepped on the red carpet, the crowd cheered because they were not expecting an obruni in the show. I modeled for two designers- Afromode Trends and Roche- and they both had me wearing modern African styles. I also was asked to do an impromptu walk for another designer with some other girls and the only male models for the show. The designer told me I could do whatever I wanted and to just have fun. At the end of the runway I broke out in Azunto- a popular modern style of African dance- and the crowd erupted in cheers. It was definitely the best moment of the night. Although I definitely think that this fashion show was my first and last of my modeling career, I had a blast!