One of my Harry Potter dreams come true!

Wow, it’s been a while since I last updated and a lot has happened in the past week and a half! I’ll start with our trip to Akropong and the Akrofi-Christaller Institute, then talk about the Homoa Festival in the Ga District, and then I can talk about finally starting classes!!

                We visited the Akrofi-Christaller Institute for three days last week, and it was amazing! The drive from campus to ACI is about 45km, which takes about an hour or so. We drove up a toll highway through the mountains, winding in, out, and around beautiful, lush, green hills. It was absolutely stunning! Every once in a while, the trees would thin out quite substantially to allow for a view of all Accra. It was quite something. When we arrived at the Institute, I was pleasantly surprised by how refreshing and quiet it was. The Institute was actually built around a 19^th century monastery (not 16^th, but still really cool!). It was founded as a school of theology for students who wanted to study theology in a particular culture. Now, it is a graduate school and a school of continuing education for pastors where the students study theology, mission, and culture. Each student does their studying, reading, assignments, and thesis in their own language, because the Institute believes that theology should be done in one’s own language. It sort of goes against what many early missionaries came to Africa to do. Instead of the idea that English is the language of civilized people, and Africans must become civilized and do Chrisitanity the Western way, the Institute wants to do theology and worship rooted in one’s own culture. I found it fascinating on top of being very peaceful. We have the opportunity to visit ACI on our free weekends, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to go up whenever I can!

                After we left ACI, we visited Boti Falls, Akaa Falls, the Umbrella Rock, and a three-trunked palm tree. The hike to the Umbrella Rock was similar to the hike to the Stawamus Chief, although much shorter. We paid 50 pesewas (about 35 cents) to climb up to the top, and the view was quite something. We hiked through a small village, and through a graveyard to get to the palm tree, which was kind of cool. We hiked back down the mountain, and then went to Boti Falls in the middle of a torrential downpour. Although we are at the tail end of the rainy season, it has not been very warm, and we’ve experienced quite a bit of rain. The falls were beautiful, but I liked the Akaa falls better, which were further up the river. They were just cascading down the rocks, with some pools at the bottom. We got to go swimming in them (don’t worry mom and dad, we asked about 6 different guides if it was safe, and you have to admit this water was far from stagnant!)! The water was a pleasant temperature, and it honestly felt like I was swimming in a tropical paradise. It was absolutely exhilarating!

                The next day, we went to the Homoa Festival in Amassaman in the Ga District. The Homoa Festival celebrates the first fruits of the harvest. We came early so that we could observe the preparations. We were invited into the chief’s palace, and we got  to help pound popoi, which is a mixture of corn, yams, and cassava (I think). Apparently I was quite good at it, and this time I managed to keep the mortar upright (or is it the pestle? I’ve never bothered identifying which one was which!). We got to sit in the government officials tent, which was right next to the tent for the chiefs and the mayors. We got to watch a dance troupe, and people drumming. When the big chiefs came in, they were sitting in chairs in the shape of lions which were being carried on the heads of other people. They were sort of danced around with for a few minutes before being set down on the red carpet to walk to their seats of honour. Then, the vice-president of Ghana came and said a few words. A lot of these festivals and ceremonies revolve around certain rituals like handshaking. Every dignitary shook hands with every other dignitary, and the vice-president of Ghana even shook hands with David! After the ceremony, we were invited to the mayor’s house for dinner. There were a number or dignitaries there, as well as a large portion of the police force. It was quite an interesting sight to see police officers drinking in uniform. The party was quite fun though, and the mayor wants to have us back for another gathering or even a cruise on Lake Volta!

                We finally started class on Monday. I like having a schedule again, even if it is very relaxed. Our classes are spread out between 8:30 and 5:30 from Monday to Thursday with long breaks (we have 2 hours for lunch!) in between. We start with Cultures and Ethics of Development on Monday morning, followed by a guest lecture in Peoples and Cultures, and we end with West African Literature. Our lit prof is hilarious! He did his PhD in Norway, and he’s full of very subtle humour. I think it’s going to be a very enjoyable class.  One Tuesdays, we don’t start until 10:30, and then we have African Politics and Development, followed by Twi, and then African Drumming and Dance. Right now, the professor who was supposed to teach us politics is in South Africa. He only told us this last week, so we’ve been scrambling to find another professor. We managed to procure one from somewhere, but he decided not to start this week yet. So, we have the luxury of sleeping in until 12:30 on Thursdays. Our Twi professor is quite intimidating, but he’s really nice. He expects us to listen to his every word, and he demands a lot of respect. I have also been made class prefect, a job I volunteered for because it makes me feel like Percy Weasley! I have to erase the board and hand out things to the class on occasion. I just like that I get to be called a prefect...I think someone should buy me a new owl J Twi is a lot of fun to learn, especially because our course is more practical than comprehensive. We’ve already been able to use quite a few phrases in the market, which makes the vendors grin and often give us ‘dashes’, or little gifts of extra food. Our drumming and dance class is quite a work out. We didn’t even do very much on Tuesday, but since it’s so hot and humid, you get pretty sweaty pretty quick. We learned a greeting song and dance on Tuesday, and today we’re supposed to learn drumming. I’m quite excited about it. Right now I’m sitting in the Calvin classroom in the Institute of African Studies, using our brand-new wireless router, which makes it very convenient to access the internet (finally...but that doesn’t mean it’s actually fast L). It’s a bit of a hassle to lug my computer halfway across campus, but the internet here is much better than the internet at the cafe at ISH.  We have about an hour left before the last class of our first week, which is drumming. Tomorrow, we’re going to go visit the Calvin Village in the Ga District where we can volunteer periodically throughout the semester. Being here is far from relaxing, and we’ve been going two weeks without stop, but it is so incredibly exhilarating and mind-boggling being here and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

One Week!

So, after one week, Ghana is starting to feel like home! we've been doing a lot of exploring in the past week, so I'm starting to learn my way around, which is really helpful. Today, we are driving to the Akrofi-Christaller Institute, which is about 30km away. Apparently it's up in the hills, so it will be gorgeous. It is also built around a 16th century monastery, which is really cool. Ghana is incredibly green and luscious. In contrast to Sierra Leone, where all I noticed were mango trees, there are so many different types of plant life here! I really want to get to know the names because they're so beautiful, and nothing I've ever seen before. There are trees with really twisty branches, and trees with very tall, thick roots with spikes on them, and beautiful plants with pink flowers, and so much more! The scenery is amazing here, and we are actually very close to the ocean as well. The other day, we went to the Labadi Beach Resort for dinner, and we got to play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Although many Ghanaians live near the coast, very few actually know how to swim. Still, we had a lot of fun!

We have also been exploring a few large markets, both near the University and in Accra. A few days ago, we took trotros (the Ghanaian equivalent of a bus - a large, old, rickety van that you stuff people into!)  to Medina market and explored. We have also been to Makola market and the arts and crafts market. Most Ghanaians buy everything they need from the market, which is not surprising because it has everything you could possibly need, from irons and ironing boards to hair dye to soap to clothes to fish to yams. However, there is a brand new mall in Accra. It feels very out of place, and is apparently frequented by only the very elite Ghanaians. We went to go watch 'Inception' at the cinema the other night, and it was actually a very strange experience. The mall was built by a South African company, so many of the stores in it are from South Africa. However, the malls in South Africa apparently cater almost exclusively to the white population, whereas here it is for the upper-class Ghanaians. There is a Nike store and a Puma store, a Shoprite grocery store, a Game department store, Silverbird cinemas, a few fast food restaurants, and many other stores. When you walk in, you could honestly be anywhere in the United States. It is such a contrast from the other buildings. Almost every building in Ghana is either concrete form or brick, and they are all very open and well ventilated. The mall is identical to any mall you would find in North America. I have to admit that I'm sort of fascinated by it. It seems so unnecessary! Everything is rather overpriced, sometimes as much as three times what you would pay in the market. I also saw a Platstation 3 for 1125 Cedis (the exchange rate is about 70 cents USD to one Ghana Cedi). Yet, it is always busy! When we watched 'Inception' (which was excellent!) I was so engrossed by the movie and in such a familiar feeling place that when I left the theatre, i had to remember that I was actually still in Ghana.At the same time, it is wonderful to be in such a familiar place. I don't think I'll be spending much time at the mall, but I do find it fascinating. It's been one of the most highly discussed topics for the past week :)

Right outside our dorm is what we call the Night Market. There is a huge variety of stands there, but we've picked out some of our favourites. Vivien and her sister Gertrude make us egg sandwiches or toast in the morning, and we've spent about 6 or 7 hours with Joana getting our hair plaited. It's been really fun getting to know some of the people in the market. Since school hasn't started yet, there are a lot of kids running around, and it's always fun to play with them for a few minutes while our breakfast is cooking! Yesterday, I got my hair braided by Joana, and a few of the other girls in our group came with me. We ended up all sharing our most embarassing moments, and Joana told us all about her daughter Pepetula who is in Class Four, and we talked about travelling too. Joana's goal is to move to the USA so that she can braid and style peoples' hair there. It's a lofty goal for someone who can't even afford a generator to power her shop right now, but I wish her the best of luck! We've been passing her name around the group and the dorm, so hopefully she gets a lot of business this semester!

Well, it's time for lunch before we head to the Akrofi-Christaller Institute. I haven't decided what I'm going to eat yet, but i was thinking either red red, a mixture of beans, palm oil, gari, and plantains, or else a piece of toasted bread with Laughing Cow cheese. I will try and update again within the week, so keep checking!

First Five Days

Akwaabe to Ghana! That means 'Welcome to Ghana'. We have heard that phrase many a time in our first five days here, and I'm sure we'll hear it many more times over the next four months, although hopefully we'll begin to blend in a little bit more as time goes by. Already we've been picking up a few useful phrases, so a few people are surprised when we tell them that we've only been here for three or four days :)

So, it's been quite an experience already! Hard to believe it's already/only been five days since we left Grand Rapids! Our flights went off without a hitch. In Chicago, we just stepped off the plane and onto our next flight to Washington DC. We had a three hour layover there, and then our flight to Accra was only 10 hours. I managed to sleep for a good four or five of those hours, so I was pretty well rested when we finally landed at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra. We found Professor Hoekema (who said we could call him David) and Roland waiting there for us, and we hopped straight onto our bus after picking up our luggage. We drove about 30 minutes to the University of Ghana, had lunch at the Institute for African Studies (where we will be taking all of our courses), and then moved into our dorm rooms at the International Student Hostel.

The first two days were incredibly overwhelming. When I was in Sierra Leone, we were living with families in their houses, so it was almost impossible not to feel an immediate sense of community, which only got stronger as the two weeks went on. Here, we have a place where we can retreat to and be away from everyone, which is kind of a temptation with all the overwhelming aspects of being in a new culture. The University campus is enormous! It takes 20 minutes to walk from ISH (the nickname for our dorm) to the Institute of African Studies, and they are only about 1/3 of the way across campus away from each other. The campus has its own hospital, fire service, and police station. It also has a gas station, a 'mall', plenty of restaurants, and many other stores where you can buy everything you need. It has a bank, ATMs, a post office, and quite a few internet cafes (I'm sitting in one that is on the second floor of ISH right now). There is no reason for any of the students to leave the campus, really. It is always busy and noisy, even at night, and school hasn't even started yet. It can be quite something to get used to, but slowly, I'm beginning to adjust. I'm actually excited for school to start, because I'm excited about the classes we're going to be taking, and I'm looking forward to having some sort of routine again.

This morning we went to the Legon Interdenominational Church, which is located about 20 minutes away, still on campus. It was really quite something! The building itself was very nice, and it had basically an open sanctuary (there were a lot of doors that could close it up, but the breeze was very welcome as church was packed!). We sang and danced and clapped, and then we had the sermon, which was actually preached by a guest pastor from the States somewhere. I enjoyed it, and I'm pretty sure I will be going back. During the announcements, all the new guests were asked to introduce themselves, and many people were excited to learn that Logan and I were from Canada :)

Tonight, we will be eating dinner at David's flat on campus, by the Commonwealth Hall (the most rowdy hall on campus. It is an all-male dorm, and it actually cannot be controlled. The University tried to kick the residents out because they were breaking rules and turn it into a post-graduate dorm, but the residents won their court case because of all the support of leaders who used to be members of the hall during University. They're not dangerous, just a little rowdy and uncontrollable.). Tomorrow, we're going to be paying a visit to the Ga district, which has been a sister city to Grand Rapids for 15 years. I'm excited!

So, that's it for now. There is so much I could talk about, but I will save those details for another posting. Once I figure out how to load pictures onto this computer, I'll be adding pictures too! Thanks for reading!