From "Obamaland" to Takoradi, Ghana - Africa

Wow...I really am not even sure where to begin....its been quite an interesting 36 hours filled with lots of emotions....including but not limited to: excitement!!, amazement, surreal feelings, "what's that awful smell?" feelings, confusion, scared, frustration and most importantly...RELIEF!

I think the easiest way to sum up the past two days is through the words of a favorite song by OneRepublic called "Good Life" An excerpt of the lyrics is below and the whole lyrics and meaning can be found at http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858804878/

Woke up in London yesterday
Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
Don't really know how I got here
I got some pictures on my phone
New names and numbers that I don't know
Address to places like Abbey Road
Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want
We're young enough to say

Oh, this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life
Say, oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

To my friends in New York, I say: "hello"
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Colorado
Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
We are God of stories but please tell me-e-e-e
What there is to complain about?

So the meaning of this song is obvious which is to appreciate what you have and make the most out of life. The lyrics and how they relate to me will be more clear by the end of this post (sorry it's so long) After driving around Ghana, it is obvious that the people don't have anything, yet at the same time, they have everything.

I guess I should start at the beginning. We arrived in Takoradi February 6th at about 8 am. Me being the non-morning person that I am made every effort to make sure I was up to see us pull into port. I had no idea what to expect. So at 7:30am I dragged myself up 3 flights of stairs and sloppily poured my Total cereal into a bowl with some instant milk (yum...) and scraped through the remaining fruit to find the scarce pieces of pineapple. 

I made my way out to the deck and was hit by a heat wave. Whoa it's hot...and REALLY foggy! The sun was rising and there were many large container ships in the harbor. The fog was so dense that you could only see their grey outlines on the horizon with the combination of the humidity and blaring hot sun.

Usually the tugboats come alongside the ship to attach the ropes and guide us into port. Not this time...instead five guys in canoes paddled out to our ship and got the rope..."So this is how they do it in Africa..." It was a really surreal feeling...the night before we were still in the Atlantic and then the next morning to wake up and be in Africa, wow...crazy. The people seemed so excited to meet us as we docked. We couldn't get off until the Ghanaian (Guinean?) immigration cleared the ship. So during this time I decided to go up to the 7th deck (the pool deck) and look down onto the port area. We are in a very industrial place so there are many factories, railroad tracks, and shipping containers all around us. Right near the port is a tiny market with way overpriced African souvenirs. To welcome us, about 8 people both men and women were singing, dancing, drumming, and stomping some sort of African Dance which was very exciting!

Finally the ship cleared and the main goal was to find an ATM to get Cedi's which are Ghana's form of money. So we set out on a mission that needed to be complete by 11:15 AM which was when Hannah and I needed to be back on the ship to eat lunch and be in the Union in time for the overnight trip to the city of Winneba which we were super excited for.

So we started walking towards the tiny market. Of course we are immediately swamped by African guys trying to sell us custom bracelets. We always say we'll come back later but I think they know we won't. I felt bizarre because I stick out so much compared to the locals. Brittany was joking that I'm getting tan enough to blend in with the locals (Yeah right!)

After we forced ourselves past the pushy guys we started walking past this factory which I later learned produces something to do with cocoa beans. It smelled AWFUL. We were gagging and holding our noses and attempting not to puke the whole way. The factory had very high concrete walls and we couldn't see inside. there was an open area between the top of the wall and the roof where they get their fresh air and light. All we could here inside was the chatter of the workers....apparently they're immune to the god-awful smell.

So after about a mile and a half of walking...we get to the teeny tiny town where we think there will be an ATM. Here a guy selling some soccer jerseys asked us if we were from "Obamaland." I shook my head and smiled and said "Yeah....yeah I am from Obamaland...." Of course there are no ATM's to be found...and the REAL town of Takoradi is a 20 minute walk or a taxi ride away. Of course we don't have cedi's to pay a taxi OR enough time to walk to town. So Hannah and I walk back to the ship while the others find a taxi that took US dollars. Hannah and I walked back the same way we came which was what looked like a run down closed railroad track. There were weeds everywhere and the track ended on both sides of town. It looked old and not used. So we were walking back past the smelly factory when we got yelled at by one of our ship's officers who was throwing his hands in the air and waving and yelling in broken English that we were being very unsafe. (We learned they use the tracks to push train cars back and forth between the "town" and smelly factory.

So finally Hannah and I made it to the ship where we ate a most delicious lunch of Spinach pasta, chicken, salad, potatoes, and...CREAM PUFFS! SCORE! After that we went to the Union where officials from the city of Winneba introduced themselves along with the Chief who had a servant that carried around a pillow and umbrella for him. We learned that the city of Winneba and the city of Charlottesville, VA just created an agreement between them where they are now "twin cities" which is a HUGE overstatement. Apparently Semester at Sea and the Institute for Shipboard Education which runs SAS as well as the University of Virginia have partnered with the University of Education- Winneba. So part of our trip we were supposed to meet and interact with university kids.

I'm getting ahead of myself though. So there were 70 kids jammed into two "coach" buses. One with A/C....the other not. I was in the one that didn't have A/C plus they added another column of seats in the bus so on one side of the aisle were 3 people and on the other side there were 2. The aisle was soooo skinny and the seats were very close together. I'll never complain about being jammed into an airplane or anything...EVER!

After 3 long, hot, sticky hours of looking out the window and seeing nothing but poverty after poverty and women carrying loads of everything from eggs to dishes to sewing machines on their heads, we arrived at the government office in Winneba. They had a ceremony for us which consisted of throwing some water on the ground. We were supposed to be greeted by traditional drumming and dance from members of the two warrior groups from the region, but they didn't show and there was no mention of them. We were then told the 70 of us were split between three hotels- Windy Inn, Lagoon Lodge, and Relaxed Inn and we would have roommates that were assigned to us. To a bunch of college kids, this was no good very bad news. We then went to the Windy Inn which was very nice, had a pool, and a sports bar. Our hotel was 15 minutes away and was....interesting. There was no A/C, the double beds had separate sheets and separate mattresses but were next to each other in a single bed frame...European style. The toilet didn't flush and there was no warm water. The shower literally was a spicket on the wall. The people that were staying at the Relaxed Inn had dinner at our hotel because theirs did not have eating accommodations. Dinner was supposed to be ready in 2 minutes but was ready in 20. It was good though! Rice, chicken, hot sauce, ice cream, and fruit. We were able to get cleaned up a bit and then we piled back into buses and went to a ceremony at the University of Education where there was a performance for us which our group was late to. During this whole process, none of us knew what was going on because our tour guide, Rosa would not tell us anything which was very frustrating. Apparently the performance included mingling with other students but we didn't know so when the students started asking for our contact information it was very sketchy. The performance included the choir singing and some drumming. The main focus however, was educating the students and community members about SAS. To explain this program to anyone is hard to do, let alone to people of another culture. And it was very awkward when they talked about expenses for this trip because these students clearly couldn't afford it. The whole thing felt like a press conference between Winneba and SAS which was disappointing and a little long....2 hours of Q&A.

Finally when we left, we had to drop off the people at the Relaxed Inn which was a 30 minute drive from our hotel across bumpy, dark, and sandy roads. I was praying the whole time we wouldn't get stuck. We finally made it to their hotel...and then we thought we were missing someone. Thankfully...someone had miscounted and we were able to go back to our hotel. Lots of kids wanted to see the Super Bowl but had to miss it because there wasn't a TV playing it...they're big into futbol here...not football! So I decided to shower in a freezing cold shower and go to sleep. At 4 AM all I could hear was the sound of the maid sweeping. It was an interesting experience.

Breakfast in the morning consisted of toast, butter, and nestle instant coffee with goat's milk....mmm...interesting. I didn't quite feel good after that but maybe it was just in my head. So then we met up with the kids that were in the other hotels and we learned the Relaxed Inn wasn't so relaxed. Apparently the beds collapsed into the springs and were like boards. Five kids slept in one room since it had A/C and some slept on couch cushions. They had a rough night.... We then went to the Central University of Winneba where we watched another 2 hour music performance and interacted with more kids who creepily asked for our phone numbers. We were supposed to meet the market queen and chief fisherman of Winneba but that didn't happen either. Instead we walked around the market and they were selling everything from oats to fruits and chipotle peppers....to dead rotting fly covered fish with the eyeballs still in. YUCK!!!!!! There was a gutter running all through the market that I'm pretty sure people just go to the bathroom in. There were goats, chickens and dogs running around too. And to think this is where they do their daily shopping?!

I was so ready to get out of the sun at this point and so disappointed that nothing was going as planned. We went to the government office for a goodbye ceremony where the mayor answered his cell phone in the middle of his speech and talked to the people while he was standing in front of us for a good three minutes. We piled back onto the buses for the millionth time (I made sure my stuff remained on the A/C bus this time) and then went to our hotel where we ate lunch. It was good too...beans, pasta, plantains, vegetables and bottled water!!!

At this point we all just wanted to be back at the ship. Raja, one of the trip leaders did a little meditation practice which was neat and relaxing. Some kids at this point went to the beach. We were so frustrated, hot and tired that we wanted to go home. So we were supposed to leave at 3 but left at 2. First we had to find the kids who walked to the beach. We piled into the buses and went on a search and finally found them swimming with some little kids in the ocean. I wish I could have joined them! I'm glad I wasn't soaking wet the whole 3 hour ride home though! So then the bus driver told us we had to open the windows because he wasn't going to use A/C for three hours. It was a long ride home but it was nice to just finally rest. As I looked out the window, mile after mile all I could see was broken down huts, stores, kids playing outside without shoes, dirty stray animals everywhere, and just filth. But everyone is so happy. To us they have nothing, but to them, they act as though they have everything they could need and I bet they do. It's amazing to think how simply they live. America is such a high demand and high comfort society but it's what we're used to. As I looked out the window I felt privileged and way too demanding. Even though our hotel wasn't what I expected, at least we had running water, a toilet, and a place to rest the night. We had food prepared for us and water given to us....what is there really to complain about? I should be thankful to even have the opportunity to see these places and I shouldn't set my expectations so high. I mean really....I'm in Africa! There is no point in being frustrated.

Some people were probably looking out the window thinking "How can I help?" But to me....I think they're honestly happy living the way that they are. I've noticed that many people are interested in the Peace Corps that are on this trip.....not me! Is that bad to say? I kept on thinking that I was an awful person for not wanting or have any desire to help these people or set up some sort of non-profit and be a "do-gooder" This trip has simply just opened my eyes to everything that America doesn't let you see. It's a crazy world out here and I'm so grateful, blessed and thankful that I live in the good ole' USA.

It was the most amazing feeling in the world to drive into the port and see our ship. I took one of the best showers of my life....and at this point I WANTED a cold shower to cool down from the hot sun. Tonight I ate dinner and hung out with my friends. It isn't safe to go into town at night and really Takoradi doesn't have much to offer at night. So we made our own fun by playing piano, ping-pong and chatting. I decided I needed to write all this down before I forgot. So that's my first two days in Ghana. There are many more details but that's the jist of it. A little disappointed but we have three more days to make up for it!

Tomorrow I am meeting my friends and some other students to go on a service visit with Freedom in Creation. Freedom in Creation is a non-profit founded by Andrew Briggs, an SAS alumni. He was one of the do-gooders who wanted to make a difference. He started this non-profit which helps former child soldiers in Uganda by allowing them to draw and be creative to express the feelings that they may be keeping inside about their time as a child soldier. The foundation also helps bring clean water to these villages. I'm really not sure on all the details but we are going to a school in Accra, Ghana tomorrow to meet some local elementary school kids who will be helping us create a poster. Hopefully it will be fun and I'll have a chance to go to Accra which is one of the bigger ports in Ghana and is actually the capital of Ghana. I'm looking forward to that so I guess I should go to bed soon!

Sorry this was so very long! And just remember to appreciate what you have and make the most out of your life, because after all, this has gotta be the good life!

Goodnight everyone!