Meet 'N' Greet Local Ghanians

Today I got to meet some people that just came to California from Ghana. Margo (my step-mom) works with this girl, Sia, who is from Ghana so I arranged to get coffee with her and her mom, Francisca. It was so cool to hear from them what it would be like. Top five pieces of info they gave me:

1. Ghanians are hospitable - Francisca told me that the number one thing that most people are surprised by when they go to Ghana is how friendly everyone is. She said that they call each other "sister", "brother", "aunt", and "uncle" even if they aren't related. I asked if I should give some kind of thank you to people after I interview them for my research and she looked confused when she asked, "Why would you? They will want to thank you for listening." Hmm, didn't expect that one. Although irrelevant, this picture is awesome: 

 

2. Wear whatever you want. - I've been worried because Elizabeth (the leader of the fellows) told us that we needed knee-length clothes with wide straps and no backs or middrift showing. Well that eliminates about 3/4 of my wardrobe (is that sad?), so I was tripping out about what to wear. But Francisca says that people wear the same thing there that they do here, like short shorts and mini-skirts. She said it would be fine to wear everyday clothes when I'm not working. Here's an example of traditional Ghana outfits (according to the web):

3. The food is bomb. - Both Francisca and Sia raved about the food. One dish they described (Fu Fu) involves mashed plantains and yams fried into a dough ball dipped in soup. Hmm. They said plantains are huge there  -- fried, boiled, roasted, sugared, and more. Also kabobs of meat, like chicken, is big, which sounds good. They said that there are women selling street snacks like prettily carved oranges and fresh fruit, and that it is safe to eat. Okay, I can dig that. Here is an example of Fu Fu:

4. There are not many (or any) ATMs - Apparently, Ghana is a bit behind on their technology. Could have guessed that. Hopefully I'll have internet, and if I'm really lucky, running water. 

5. Contacts of people to meet - They gave me the name, address, and phone number of like eight cousins of theirs that I should contact haha. They set me up with a relative in every city in Ghana, so that's cool. It would be fun to actually know someone and maybe meet up. I don't have a picture of their family (that would be weird), but here's a picture of another Ghanaian family:

It was really interesting to hear their stories too. I wish I had brought my flip camera to record our conversation. Francisca told me how she made it through high school (rare for women), and got into a foreign exchange program so she could come to America. From there, she worked hard to get into San Jose State to study nursing and then went on to become a nurse assistant. She later took her 10 year old daughter, Sia, to Ghana for six years, where Sia studied in a private high school. Then Sia came back to California and is now a senior at Prospect High School. What a cool mother-daughter pair huh? 

Where is Ghana?

You'd be surprised how often people have asked me where Ghana is. Someone thought it was in South America? So for everyone out there, here's a map:

I'm going to be right there. West Africa, next to the Ivory Coast. And now a picture for fun, since I just learned how to add photos...:

Watch out -- this may be me when I return. 

Dreams & Pre-Trip Thoughts

So I had a dream last night that I couldn't figure out how to pack for Ghana, and freaked out, and forgot a bunch of things like shampoo which I can't buy in Ghana. I guess having a dream like that is my subconscious telling me that I am a bit nervous for the trip, even if I don't consciously feel nervous.

The dream reminded me that this trip is a pretty big deal, and it's stretching my comfort zone. It's the longest trip I've ever been on - five weeks - and I've never been anywhere in Africa before so I don't really know what to expect. I'm not worried about anything, and I know I will have an amazing time, but still, it's strange going somewhere I can't even picture or imagine.

Ghana is going to be so different from here. I'll be staying on an agriculture site, which I've never done. We will be pretty isolated in a rural environment, which is very different than living in the middle of a huge city like I do for most of the year at USC. There is no running water, which is something I've never experienced. In Cambodia I visited places without running water but it was only for the weekend -- this time it's for five weeks.

Although I am starting to get a bit nervous, I am WAY more excited. It's going to be a once in a life time adventure. Who gets the chance to do a research fellowship in Ghana for the summer? That's a pretty spectacular opportunity, and I feel really lucky to have it. I can't wait to be immersed in a whole different culture from my own, and to experience a way of living that is very different from my home life. I'm excited to interview people and to do research, and gain insight into secondary education. Ah I just can't wait! Under a week now.... :)

REI trip

The weather in Ghana is 90 degrees with thunderstorms and rain, which presents a unique problem of clothing -- what am I supposed to wear??

Margo and Dad took me to REI today to try on Techwear clothes, which I've never had before. My dad pulls out all of these cement gray cargo pants and maroon unisex button ups -- now that's sexy. Do I need to look butch to be comfortable?

Finally we settle on a hot pink rain jacket, teal button-up (it's cute with subtle ruffles), and gray techwear pants that actually aren't that bad.

My first foray into the REI outdoors clothes realm makes me realize that I really am going into a whole different world, starting with my clothes.

Visa Trouble

Bad news bears came in the mail today. My visa application got denied.

The stupid visa took me three hours to assemble because you have to fill out an application, scan your passport, driver's license, and student ID, attach four recent photos, attach a money order (which I didn't even know what that was until this application), include a letter of recommendation from someone in Ghana, and two addresses of people you know in Ghana. Gesh! Then you have to FedEx the whole thing, and include a prepaid overnight FedEx envelope for them to mail it back to you in, which ended up costing a ton of money. So finally, finally I finish it last week. I track the package on FedEx every few days to see where my passport and application is. Today I get the package back, untouched except for a scribble written in a child's handwriting with magic marker saying "photo unacceptable".

What? How is my photo unacceptable? And seriously, after all that work?

So I'm a bit lost about what to do now. Hopefully I can resubmit the application in time.... :-/

First Entry!

So I thought that it would be a good idea to start a blog to share my adventures in Ghana with friends and family, and to remember my trip by. My goal is to post every couple of days and include photos and videos from my trip.

So here are some basics of my trip to get started:

-My trip runs from June 1st-July 5th
-I'm doing independent research on continuing education for females (what factors affect the decision to continue past primary school)
-I'll be staying with 13 other fellows and 3 leaders
-I'll be living at a school/agriculture site - it's a sustainable school model where the students work on the agriculture project to raise money for their school
- There no running water at the school, but there is wireless internet (weird?)
-I'll have e-mail, facebook, twitter, and my blog so stay in touch! I'd love to hear from you

I don't know too much more about my trip just now, but I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be an adventure!