Thursday, April 17, 2008

Cape Coast etc.

Looking out from a window in Elmina Castle


Elmina Castle

One of the cells slaves would be kept in before departure

The outside of Elmina Castle

Cape Coast fisherman- I love these boats!

more fishermen...



Beautiful Amy and beautiful beach

This guy was trying to catch some dinner as we passed

I was so happy to be able to capture the sun like this- when it gets cloudy the sun pierces through the clouds in this perfect circle and it's such a different kind of beautiful

Another jumping picture- they're so fun!
l-r: Stevie, Amy, Tamu, me, Stevie's Dad

This was completely candid- as we were about to take the picture, I pointed out to Rachel that she had a mystery bag on her foot that had floated in from the water :)

My nua (sibling in Twi), Rachel and our dresses that we got from Auntie Grace


This is the view downward from the canopy walk

Stevie and Travis just walking in some trees


The canopy walk ladder aka what our life depended on, haha

More tree tops



This past weekend was yet again tons of fun. I went with my program to Cape Coast, Elmina Castle, and Kakum. We left Saturday morning again and came back on Sunday evening. Saturday's events started out going through Cape Coast and then going to Elmina Castle. Elmina castle is a historical landmark in Ghana because it started out as a trading post for the Portuguese and later became a slave trading post for the Dutch. It was interesting to visit because so often we learn about the slave trade in our American textbooks and the reality of it can only come so close. You feel certain strong emotions of course, but to be in a country where slaves came from and to standing in the place where fates were sealed and people's lives were bartered was a completely different feeling. It was also so ironic because the area surrounding the castle is so beautiful. Beaches stretch for miles, palm trees line them, yet there in the middle of it is a dark place. But I'm really glad I was able to learn more about the slave trade in general as well as experience first hand one of the places of origin.

After we visited the castle the mood was much lighter as we headed to where we were staying the night. Dinner wasn't going to be for several hours so some of us decided to wander down to the beach and walk into town. The beach was yet again, gorgeous, and it was a really nice evening. We ended up walking for about 2 hours and ended up at Cape Coast castle, but it was closed and getting dark so we couldn't go in. It surprised me how poor the town of Cape Coast is because the castles are one, if not the, top tourist stops in Ghana. Everyone was still so kind and it was a great end to the day- but we definitely took taxis back to the hotel :) The hotel had air conditioning and water pressure so I was definitely a happy camper.

On Sunday morning we headed to Kakum we were able to hike to a canopy walk in the forest. For some reason I really love heights so it was so much fun for me, but it was a stretch of enjoyment for others. The ladders were about 180 feet off the ground and you didn't even get the full effect of how high you were because the tree tops gave you a false sense of there being something there. But the views were incredible and I loved every bit of it.

I just registered for classes today and that was sort of bizarre to me. I guess because I feel slightly removed from the University of Texas world so it was weird to be registering for a school thousands of miles away, and simply to be thinking about what I will be doing in 4 months. I don't know if that makes sense but it was just kind of ironic, I guess, to where I am now. But anywho, all continues to go well. Classes are keepin' on and my internship continues to go wonderfully. This weekend I am going to visit the place where I will be working this summer and I'm really excited about that. It's about 2-3 hours away and I'm excited to get a better idea of what I'll be doing and meeting people too. wooo! I'm looking for to it.

But I hope everyone enjoys the weekend and know that I miss you!! Can you believe April is coming to an end? Because I can't. baahh. Take care to all!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

2 months in...

The top of Wli falls

This was the view from our hike- the surrounding areas were so green!

Wli falls

Hikers extraordinaire :)

A Mama monkey with her baby at the Atome Tofi Sanctuary

The rains approaching on our boat ride to Togoville

Our sweet ride :)

A voo-doo fetish in Togoville

The glorious streets of Lome!


Pure bliss on my moto ride!

Moto-ing it to a delicious bakery

These guys were pulling in a load of fish from the shore- it took about 30 of them

Wes contemplating life on the ride to Togoville

The motor of our boat :)

This is Ophelia and her newly made bracelet- she's one of the girls at Today's Choices

The baking class making their jewelry at Today's Choices

Lindsay and I rejoicing in the goodness of baguettes and cheese in Togo!!

Our delicious dinner in Lome our first night- something other than rice! I was so incredibly happy!! yummmm...

My past couple weekends here in Ghana have probably been some of my favorite. I've been able to travel and see more of Ghana and West Africa and I just love it so much! West Africa holds so many different cultures and climates and scenery, that I'm really glad I could experience just a taste of it.

Each time I feel like I write about the heat and how it's getting really hot, because every time I don't think it will get any hotter...and then it does. So let's just leave it at the fact that it is really freaking hot here and I sweat a ridiculous amount but it's okay because so does everyone else. Last time it will be mentioned.

Two weeks ago my program divided us up into two groups and half of us went to the Volta Region (Eastern Ghana) and the other half went to Cape Coast (which is the western coast). This weekend we will switch and go to the other place, but my group went to the Volta Region and visited Wli Falls and the Atome Tofi Monkey Sanctuary. My group was the smaller of the two and I really enjoyed the people I went with. We left early Saturday morning and it was about a 3 hour bus ride to the falls. The Eastern region is much more tropical and green and it was great to have such a beautiful change of scenery. We went to the falls in Wli first (which is near Ho, a city in the Volta region) which consisted of about a 45 minute walk to the base. The jungle/forest was so green and simply gorgeous- I had to keep reminding myself that I was walking through a jungle/forest in Africa and not somewhere in America. It is still so crazy for me to wrap my mind around everything I'm seeing and doing sometimes I feel that it's hard to soak in. But none the less, the falls were amazing and the water was so cool and it felt incredible! I had never been in/under a waterfall before and it was a really neat experience. After a much enjoyed hike back to the bus, we had lunch at a nearby hostel and it was delicious. Since being here I have absolutely fallen in love with plantains in any way, shape, or form and if they are in any meal I have I am a happy camper :)

We then drove another hour to the monkey sanctuary and didn't stay too long but it was still really cool to see monkeys upclose and even get to feed them! There was only one type of monkey there, and I can't remember what they are called, but they were cute all the same. After that, we went to our hotel. All these activities took place pretty much in the middle of nowhere (ie not near a city) and out hotel was no exception. It was perched on the side of a mountain and was absolutely perfect! The rooms were so nice and the bathroom was HUGE! It was clean, with soft sheets, and above all... AIR CONDITIONING!!! It was the best nights sleep I've had while I've been here. We were all pretty tired, so after eating dinner there we kind of hung out and hit the hay early. Sunday was nice and relaxing too and after lunch we headed back home. I guess I loved it so much because even though it was action packed, we saw some beautiful places and but had fun and were able to relax.

But this past weekend was the kicker. We were going to have to turn in our passports this Monday to get renewed authorization and wouldn't be getting them back for a while. Therefore some friends and I decided to carpe diem and take a weekend trip to Togo (the country East of Ghana) before we had to hand them in. It only took us about 4 hours to get there. We took tro-tros going both ways and it was a straight shot in and out of Accra. The tros took us to the border town of Aflao, and there we exchanged some money and crossed the border, purchasing a visa as we went. It was one of the craziest feelings crossing that border, because never have I ever experienced such a drastic change of culture happening only with in 100 feet or so. They speak French in Togo, which I do not speak a lick of, and it very soon came to my attention that tro-tros and taxis are not the main form of place to place transportation- motorcycles are! At first I thought there was a hog rally going on, African style. But then I realized (as two pulled up to Lindsey and asked where we wanted to go), that this is how people get from place to place. I can't tell you how free and wonderful I felt riding around on one! haha. I guess I never really thought I'd like to ride one but now I want one! Or at least someone to drive me places on one :) I just loved it so much and couldn't stop smiling when I was on one!


But we stayed at this little hotel called Hotel le Galion near the beach. We stayed in Lome, which is right next to the border and is the capital city. It was neat because not only did the language change, but the entire culture. I didn't get called 'oboruni' or any other name that seperated me, there were baguettes being sold on the street, the architecture was different, and it was right next to the freaking beach! It was all in all so wonderful. We had amazing food that night which included hummus and tabouleh (I thought of you, Jor) and this really neat, funky place with live music. The next day (Saturday) my friends Lindsay, Wes and Grace and I traveled to Lake Togo and Togoville. We soon discovered that to get to Togoville we had to cross Lake Togo, and therefore we experienced a fun, gondola-type boat ride across the lake. We barely missed the down pour that occurred nearly after we got a shore, but it was much needed. Togoville had some interesting history, but it was mostly nice to just see some different towns landscapes. We returned back to Lome that evening and just relaxed at the hotel and headed out to try some Togo street food. I had some delicious cous cous, and experienced a new flavor of Fanta- Fanta Citron. It was incredible, but the sadly don't sell it in Ghana :( It was a pretty low key night and we just got up early that morning and hit the markets. Bargaining in Togo is much more of a workout and you definitely have to earn the good deals you get with them. Lindsey and I literally spent 20 minutes sitting with this man going back and forth over some silly bracelets- but we were victorious in the end. They have nice leather there too, so I spoiled myself with some new sandals :) That afternoon (Sunday) we headed back to Accra and to good ol' Ghanian culture.

This week was also great because Thursday at my internship we had a special Domestic Violence and Rape Education day. Lindsay came in and spoke and we all pitched in about various topics. The girls all repsonded so well, asked a lot of questions and I couldn't have been happier with it all. And last week on Thursday (Thursdays tend to be our activities/non-teaching days there) or friend Lizzie came in and taught bracelet/necklace making with beads. They all really loved it and it was neat to see them making something on their own and be proud of it. Everything is still going great there, and it's just a day to day learning, challenging and growing experience.

I know this has been a long one- sorry for my long-windedness! I hope everyone is doing well and you know that I miss you all dearly. Take care!!

ps- sorry the pictures are a little out of order- I'm still getting used to this blogger thing!