After spending about 27 hours in airplanes/airports, my last plane landed in my hometown of Eugene, Oregon in the USA. It was raining, as usual, but didn't feel as cold as I was expecting. I walked out of the terminal to find my mom and dad waiting for me- it was great to get big hugs from the two of them! I was really glad to be home, but at the same time sad that my amazing adventure had come to an end. It was so surreal and strange to be home for the first week or two, but progressively got better as time passed. While the culture shock wasn't huge, it was there. The hardest part of being back to me was seeing the frivolous expenditures and how technology is ever-present in our everyday lives. It was hard to see people spending so much money on things they don't need such as designer clothing, televisions and ipods, after witnessing so many suffering from such abject poverty. Here people are constantly using their electronic devises; perhaps they should get their brains plugged directly into the internet to save some time... hahaha. In Ghana it is considered extremely rude and an insult to use your left hand; it was an adjustment to be able to do this - such a small thing, but it had made such a big impact on me! I can wave to people with my left hand, I can hand people things with my left hand, I can even eat with it if I want to! Yippe hooray!
Even though it's been almost three months since I left Africa I still think about it every single day. Ghana is never far in my mind, and I am constantly being reminded of my time there, by one thing or another. I have finally adjusted to the cold weather and my digestive tract is basically back to normal, which is a real plus!
Before I went to Ghana I was expecting a new culture and maybe even some culture shock, but gosh, it was SO different that I can't even really put it into words. It was hard at times, but all in all it was the best experience of my life, and it gave me a whole new perspective on so many things. What I miss the most about it is the incredibly rich culture, the vibrant colors, ancient traditions, and the amazingly kind people. There are some things I don't miss such as the excessive marriage proposals and extreme heat, but those were just necessary parts of the overall wonderful experience.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Please Help Poor People in Ghana, Donate
The NGO where I interned is in need of donations; especially money and used computers. If you have anything at all that you willing to donate contact me or donate directly at fightaidsghana.org. The monetary donations will be used to help pay the school fees for 10 children. Anything, big or small would be appreciated, even if it is just a couple dollars. Thanks!
Packing List For Future Travelers
Since a couple of my friends want to go to Ghana next year I put this list together, I hope it helps!
Clothing:
~3-4 skirts (knee length or longer)
~2-4 dresses
~15 underwear
~1-4 shorts (not too short)
~6-12 hot weather shirts/tanks
~1-2 long sleeve shirts
~1 pair sweat pants (nice for airplane)
~2-4 shorts for lounging around the house
~1-2 lightweight pj/sweat pants (for when there are lots of bugs)
~2-3 sleeping/lounging shirts
~2-3 pair socks
~bathing suit (modesty isn’t super important in swimming situations compared to daily life, most bathing suits are probably fine)
Note: it is difficult to keep things white in Ghana but it is usually very hot, so it's your decision whether you want to bring white clothing. Keep in mind that you will be washing your clothing by hand. I brought a lot of things that I was okay with leaving there. That was a good choice as a lot of my stuff got worn out, and I had more space in my suitcase to bring souvenirs home. I’m sure that you will find clothing you will want to buy during your trip also.
Shoes:
~2-3 pair quality sandals/flip flops
~1 pair chaco/teva/keen sandals
~1-2 pair dress-up shoes
~1 pair running shoes
Cosmetics:
~all the normal stuff
~1-2 bottles sunscreen + a little one for your purse
~bug stuff: repellent, itch relief cream, mosquito net
~acidophilus/probiotics
~laxatives and anti-diarrhea pills (hopefully you won't need either, but it's definitely better to be safe than sorry!)
~pepto bismol pills or chewable pills (I carried some around with me for unexpected upset stomachs or diarrhea)
~all the tampons you will need + extra (difficult to find in Ghana)
~sleeping pills (great for airplane and adjusting to new environment/time zone)
~malaria medication (I took deoxycycline and hated it. I recommend the one you would take weekly, a couple of my friends had it and the side effects didn't seem as bad.)
~electrical adapters (in Accra you will just need the three prong type like the one in the picture, can be found at travel stores or the internet; before you leave make sure that all your electronics can plug into it)
~electric surge protector (if you bring electronics that will need one, like a hair dryer or something)
~1-2 towels
~1-2 hand towels
~2-3 wash cloths
~water bottle
~boric acid or ant killer to sprinkle around the house?
~pillow (if you have space)
~favorite american foods
~coffee press? (most people just drink instant coffee, which we got very tired of! There is one real coffee shop in the A&C mall which we found to be quite the treat when we wanted a break.)
~school supplies (also good as gifts for poor children, they love pens)
~cards, books, MP3 player, etc.
Note: Don't keep valuables in the outermost pockets of your backpack or in other easy to access places, especially when going through crowed areas such as trotro stations and markets. Theft wasn't a huge problem while I was there but be smart or you could get ripped off.
Most American things can be found at the mall, but they are expensive, so it's best if you just bring everything you will need.
You can buy a cellphone there. I had a Tigo brand phone which did fine. It was relatively cheap to call the US from it, but occasionally out-of-country calls didn't work.
-------------------------------------
I had good luck finding plane cheap plane tickets on kayak.com.
-------------------------------------
Listen to popular Ghanian music at bigxgh.com.
My favorites: Away ~VIP, Angelina ~Praye, Kotosa (sa means dance!) ~Wutah, Swagger ~Ruff N Smooth
-------------------------------------
You can read about other peoples experiences who were in the AHA Accra program in these blogs:Gina's Blog (2010), Bethany's Blog (2009)
-------------------------------------
I found this youtube video of a food market in northern Ghana. It is really great that this guy got it on film because many Ghanians don't like to be photographed or filmed without permission. All the markets I saw in Ghana were very similar to this one.
-------------------------------------
If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment. I will reply as soon as I see it, but I only check about once a month.
Clothing:
~3-4 skirts (knee length or longer)
~2-4 dresses
~15 underwear
~1-4 shorts (not too short)
~6-12 hot weather shirts/tanks
~1-2 long sleeve shirts
~1 pair sweat pants (nice for airplane)
~2-4 shorts for lounging around the house
~1-2 lightweight pj/sweat pants (for when there are lots of bugs)
~2-3 sleeping/lounging shirts
~2-3 pair socks
~bathing suit (modesty isn’t super important in swimming situations compared to daily life, most bathing suits are probably fine)
Note: it is difficult to keep things white in Ghana but it is usually very hot, so it's your decision whether you want to bring white clothing. Keep in mind that you will be washing your clothing by hand. I brought a lot of things that I was okay with leaving there. That was a good choice as a lot of my stuff got worn out, and I had more space in my suitcase to bring souvenirs home. I’m sure that you will find clothing you will want to buy during your trip also.
Shoes:
~2-3 pair quality sandals/flip flops
~1 pair chaco/teva/keen sandals
~1-2 pair dress-up shoes
~1 pair running shoes
Cosmetics:
~all the normal stuff
~1-2 bottles sunscreen + a little one for your purse
~bug stuff: repellent, itch relief cream, mosquito net
~acidophilus/probiotics
~laxatives and anti-diarrhea pills (hopefully you won't need either, but it's definitely better to be safe than sorry!)
~pepto bismol pills or chewable pills (I carried some around with me for unexpected upset stomachs or diarrhea)
~all the tampons you will need + extra (difficult to find in Ghana)
~sleeping pills (great for airplane and adjusting to new environment/time zone)
~malaria medication (I took deoxycycline and hated it. I recommend the one you would take weekly, a couple of my friends had it and the side effects didn't seem as bad.)
~electric surge protector (if you bring electronics that will need one, like a hair dryer or something)
~1-2 towels
~1-2 hand towels
~2-3 wash cloths
~water bottle
~boric acid or ant killer to sprinkle around the house?
~pillow (if you have space)
~favorite american foods
~coffee press? (most people just drink instant coffee, which we got very tired of! There is one real coffee shop in the A&C mall which we found to be quite the treat when we wanted a break.)
~school supplies (also good as gifts for poor children, they love pens)
~cards, books, MP3 player, etc.
Note: Don't keep valuables in the outermost pockets of your backpack or in other easy to access places, especially when going through crowed areas such as trotro stations and markets. Theft wasn't a huge problem while I was there but be smart or you could get ripped off.
Most American things can be found at the mall, but they are expensive, so it's best if you just bring everything you will need.
You can buy a cellphone there. I had a Tigo brand phone which did fine. It was relatively cheap to call the US from it, but occasionally out-of-country calls didn't work.
-------------------------------------
I had good luck finding plane cheap plane tickets on kayak.com.
-------------------------------------
Listen to popular Ghanian music at bigxgh.com.
My favorites: Away ~VIP, Angelina ~Praye, Kotosa (sa means dance!) ~Wutah, Swagger ~Ruff N Smooth
-------------------------------------
You can read about other peoples experiences who were in the AHA Accra program in these blogs:Gina's Blog (2010), Bethany's Blog (2009)
-------------------------------------
I found this youtube video of a food market in northern Ghana. It is really great that this guy got it on film because many Ghanians don't like to be photographed or filmed without permission. All the markets I saw in Ghana were very similar to this one.
-------------------------------------
If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment. I will reply as soon as I see it, but I only check about once a month.
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