thoughts keep running back and forth in my mind
I dont know how to explain this feeling
about to port in my beloved india
why am i on the verge of tears when i think about it?
colors, poverty, smiles, spirituality, and head wobbles blur my sight
for all i perceive to be the truth is from pictures, books, and movies
but some feelings are coming out from my past
why do i have the feeling as if there is a pit in my stomach?
is this the true feeling of excitement and anxiety?
we haven't even arrived and I already want to go back
I've been inspired and touched by something divine
getting nervous no one will understand me
i know i've changed and i'm ready to arrive
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
My Darling Medwa
A Little Bit of Information on Medwa- my elephant from Elephant Whispers
I got this information at the elephant sanctuary and thought it was pretty cool so I wanted to share it with you if you were interested ☺
Medwa
Medwa, whose name means ‘thorn’ in Shona, is a 13-year-old male elephant who weighs approximately 2 tons. He is an exceedingly intelligent elephant: one week after he was rescued from a culling operation, he had already learnt to follow five verbal instructions. From the start, he has always been comfortable interacting with humans, often seeking out human company. He responds positively to challenges, he enjoys learning new commands and can become quite a show off when he has mastered a new skill!
His constant, happy, calm demeanor can be thrown off by Lindiwe; his jealous streak comes out when he sees Lindiwe getting attention, or treats. Separating them at the interaction site and in the stables easily solved this, and of course by giving Medwa the never-ending attention he so enjoys.
The wise saying that elephant never forget is proven by Medwa’s demonstration of his impressive long term memory. Medwa recognized a guest he had been introduced to by name, eighteen months later when she again visited. We asked Medwa to take a basket to her, she was standing with a group of guests, and without any hesitation he signled her out and gave her the basket. He knows all the Elephant Whispers staff members by name and by listening to us calling our pet dogs, even knows their names.
In March 2008, we were all most anxious when a lump in Medwa’s mouth had to be removed in a fairly lengthy procedure. Following this, Medwa’s mouth was a little painful and the stitches uncomfortable when eating, the softer food and tasty treats he was given during his recovery helped sustain him. The Elephant Whispers team was most relieved when the test results on the lump were benign and delighted when Medwa quickly recovered from his ordeal; once again demanding attention and trying to steal the limelight from Lindiwe.
A day with Elephants
October 7, 2010
Elephant Whispers-
On our last day in Kruger, we were given the opportunity to go to an elephant sanctuary to play with and ride elephants. The second this option was presented I was totally into it and could not believe it was possible. Elephant Whispers is the elephant sanctuary I mentioned in my previous blog that is home to 6 elephants from Kruger protecting them and learning from them. These particular 6 were at once threatened with death (all individually) and this organization asked to take them in and protect them. One elephant, Tembo, is 25 years old and weighs 6 tons! We got to stand under Tembo’s face and grab on to his leg and such to really get an idea how big he is in comparison to the rest of us. The rest of the elephants were around 12 to 15 years old and not as big as Tembo, but were so adorable and funny to “play” with. Each elephant there knows at least 80 commands and acts accordingly when they are told to do something. If they do it correctly they are rewarded with elephant treat type things, but if not nothing happens. They told us that they don’t want to make the elephants like circus animals so the commands are all really basic, like turn left/right, lift your truck, stay still, open your mouth, etc. In addition, we learned that these elephants are extremely smart and loyal. Right now they are testing elephants ability to find cancer in people and how they can help find it before people can, and also their amazing sense of smell and using that with checking for drugs. They are trying a variety of things with the elephants but are hoping that there can be some crazy change with more research of these incredible animals ☺ Obviously I’m excited and loved every moment of it. Riding the elephants was so much fun and really different to riding camels in Morocco, but I enjoyed it. There really isn’t much more to say, pictures are better for this experience. I had such a blast though and definitely bonded with my elephant Medwa ☺
Lions, Cheetahs, and Elephants, Oh My!
October 5, 2010
Kruger- we woke up this morning after another great night at Mitchells (the bar in port) and after about 4 hours of sleep to pack our bags and head to the best safari in all of Africa. The plane ride was about 2 hours, just enough to get a big nap in. Landing at Kruger National Park was pretty surreal. I had a window seat and could not help myself from searching for animals. I kept thinking if I looked hard enough I could see giraffes just wondering around minding their own business, but to my dismay, I was wrong. It was strange to land at this particular airport because for the most part the area around it was undeveloped, making it seem like there was just a runway and a building plopped in the middle of the park to serve as an airport. We then had a 45-minute drive to our hotel where we were greeted with orange juice, mixed nuts, and a buffet style lunch. There weren’t many vegetarian options but I was able to managed by eating the quiche and veggie pizza. After our quick lunch it was time to go on our first safari. We saw giraffes, hyenas and a lot of antelope in the beginning and before we knew it there were elephants, buffalo, rhinos, and hippos too! It was so cool to see these animals in their natural habitats and not in the zoo. They were completely different looking then at the zoo too. We weren’t allowed to get out of the car because they aren’t official park people, instead they work for a private company, but we still got pretty close. Ranger Chris was telling us stories about the different animals when we got close to them, which was really interesting. He told us that there is a really bad problem with poaching in the park especially with rhinos. Supposedly there were 13 incidents with rhinos being killed in the past few weeks in order to take their horn. People come in and kill the rhino just to take the horn because they are so valuable and can be sold for $100,000 sometimes. I thought it was pretty sad, especially since sometimes it’s the park rangers because they are allowed to have guns on them and aren’t usually suspicious.
After getting back from our safari, we came back to the hotel and rested for a bit before dinner. Dinner seemed to be a bit traditional, with at lot of different barbequed meats, porridge, potatoes, vegetables, salad and bread. It’s not as hard as I thought it would be to be a vegetarian because all of the countries have vegetarian options or accommodate for vegetarians, which is really nice. We decided to stay up for a bit at the bar where I met three South African girls from Durban who are about 22 years old. I have really enjoyed the locals here because they are so open and willing to talk about anything. These girls and I hung out for hours playing South African Trivial Pursuit, talking about apartheid, racism, education, sustainability and everything in between. They were so great and I loved learning from them and they enjoyed getting to know Americans since they don’t always meet a lot. One of the girls, Kerry, told me that meeting me made her change her outlook on Americans because I wasn’t fat and stupid and actually was open to learn about the cultures and lifestyles of the places and people I am going to be visiting over the next few months. They taught me a lot of South African phrases and words and that I wasn’t in Kruger for a safari but instead a game drive. They thought I was crazy when I kept using the word safari so for the rest of the time I referred to my trip the proper way as a game drive. We talked a lot about the lifestyle of South Africa and how prevalent racism is still to this day. Roxanne told me that when she was younger she wasn’t allowed to be friends with kids who were black because it was seen as taboo. It has gotten better she said and now has many black friends but the racism is still bad. I actually had noticed this a few days before at this restaurant I was at. A white man in about his fifties came to talk to us about the football game that was on TV while a black waiter tried to get by him. I have never seen somebody look at someone else with such disrespect and degrading eyes. I was in shock. When I told the girls this they told us it was normal and how although the apartheid was over many of the effects are still here. With this, the girls informed me to make sure I treat everyone I meet with the utmost respect so they know I actually care about them as a person. I thought this was something quite obvious but they told me as if it was normal for people to be disrespectful. They started asking me questions about the United States, most specifically questions about our education system and stereotypes about Americans. I had a lot of fun talking to them and answering their questions and learning so much from them. Learning from the locals is such a different experience than learning in class. Not that my professors are wrong when they teach me something, but there is always something a little different or more when you here if from somebody who has been through it or lives it.
The next day we went on a game drive for the whole day, meaning we woke up at 4am and got back at 3, rested for an hour and a half and went out again from 4:30 until 8. Literally the whole day! We saw everything but I had two favorites. First we saw a leopard that had just killed an antelope thing and brought it in a tree where he was nibbling at it. You could see the blood and the dead animal drooping over the branches. I could not believe we saw that. It definitely was something you would not see in the zoo, which made it so much cooler. Obviously the park is so much better than the zoo and the animals are free and wild, but at times you have the feeling that its all staged because its just so perfect. However, when I saw this it was absolutely crazy because that was definitely something I would have never seen if it was not for Kruger. The second coolest thing we saw was a cheetah. Our ranger told us that it was so rare to see cheetahs in Kruger nowadays and we were so lucky to see one. I got some amazing pictures since it was about ten feet away from us. We watched it for so long but it never got boring. It was so beautiful and so strange to see in real life. All the animals were like that though. For example- my favorite wild animal is an elephant. I’ve seen them in the zoo and on TV and I know how cool they are. But in real life- Oh My Goodness! Its crazy! They are huge and so adorable! Elephants are one of the smartest animals and are very similar to humans. It’s sad though because Kruger is starting to have a problem with overpopulation of elephants. The carrying capacity (the number of something a certain area can sustain) for elephants in Kruger is supposedly 8,000. However, right now in Kruger there are 16,000 elephants (according to the people from the elephant sanctuary which I will talk about later). Therefore, there are people who come in planes and in 60 seconds with 60 bullets they kill 60 elephants. Elephants almost always travel with their entire family, unless it’s a lone male trying to find a mate, so its harder to only kill one, making it easier to kill multiple at a time. It’s so sad that this is happening because with the climate change occurring in our world today, it is estimated that by 2050 most of the megafauna in Kruger won’t be able to survive any longer. Luckily there are some organizations near Kruger trying to combat these issues and protect the animals within the national park, but it’s not always as easy as it may seem.
Great Whites Anyone?
October 4, 2010
Today I swam with the largest sharks in the ocean- Great Whites. The company we went through, Great White Shark Diving, arranged to have drivers pick us up from our port and take us to Gansbaai for our dive. The drive was 2 hours away but allowed us to see a different part of South Africa than Cape Town. I really enjoy Cape Town but it is so modernized and city-like that I don’t really feel as if I am actually in Africa. Imagine you are in San Francisco or Seattle, or even Long Beach by the aquarium and that is what Cape Town is like. Absolutely beautiful, but it is its own world. Our drive showed us the actual reality- townships. I did not really understand what exactly townships were before coming to South Africa, but the best way to envision them are tin huts that are crammed together. They looked identical to the district for the aliens in District 9 (and no I am not exaggerating at all). Ghana is a very poor country and I did see a lot of poverty, but the poverty in these townships was incomparable. The disparity between rich and poor in South Africa is the highest in the entire world with a gini coefficient of .65 (again a 1 means the country is totally unequal). Although there are many wealthy people in this particular country, the poverty is unfathomable. When passing by the townships I could not and still cannot comprehend the fact that it was actually real and people actually have a life in there. You would hope that these townships would be small and just a few people live in them… but that is definitely not the case. When looking at them you could not even see how far back they went because it was and is so big. In just one hour we passed by 4 of these huge, poverty stricken, townships and those are just ones that are off the main highway. Driving through this area, on our way to Gansbaai, was only a small part of South Africa and the poverty that lies within. For the majority of South Africa, poverty is everywhere and hearing different students stories is so crazy to know that it really is spread throughout the country. It’s shocking and I really don’t know how to explain it that well. As we got closer to our destination, the houses began to get a lot nicer, probably similar to an average home in the United States (not a huge mansion but a nice sized home). However, something seemed to be different. There were bars on the windows and the houses seemed to be in lock down. We later learned from some friends we met in Kruger in the next few days that people in nicer areas have to have bars on their windows and actually have a lockdown area instead the house that separates the sleeping quarters from the rest of the house. Because robberies are so common there (like 3 times a month for some), people are always prepared.
After such a bizarre drive, we finally arrived to the shark diving site. It was pretty chilly outside and kind of rainy, but we were still allowed to go out. The ride was very rocky and we were all bundled up as much as possible. When we stopped the engines our captain began making his special chum and through a huge half of a tuna on a hook into the water to attract the sharks. It didn’t take long until we say our first great white. It was huge! He had some of us put wetsuits on, getting ready for us to go in the cage and some of my friends decided we would be part of the first 6 to go in. But our luck didn’t last for long and sharks were nowhere to be seen for some time. He decided to move the boat and find a better spot so all of us in our wetsuits sat around for a bit (I actually fell asleep…) I woke with a jolt when I heard our captain yelling for us to get it. We literally grabbed the weight belts and jumped right into the cage where you could see different great whites ripping a part the tuna less than a foot away from your face! It was so crazy and surreal! Animals that I have only seen on TV were inches from my face. Although it was hard to ignore the combination of the water temperature, the wind chill and the swell, the sharks were quite a sight. We stayed out there for a few hours, watching these enormous creatures swim around the boat until we finally called it quits and went back to shore. Shark diving was such a wild experience and actually not scary at all. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance to do it. I thought I would be really nervous but I have actually realized on this trip that you can’t hold your self back and when you know an amazing opportunity lies ahead you have to seize the moment and go for it. I mean you probably wont find me bungee jumping in China (since I didn’t do it in South Africa), but there are other things that I have just stepped a little out of my normal comfort zone and did it, which I so far haven’t regretted. I’m learning a lot about myself on this journey around the world and although shark diving isn’t a life changing experience, it still has enabled me to figure myself out a little more.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Dancing Queen
September 25, 2010
Father’s Home Care Orphanage
One my last day in Ghana, I was signed up for a service trip to Father’s Home Care Orphanage. I really did not have a clue what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to do a service trip and I absolutely love African children. To my surprise, Father’s Home is a community for orphaned, abandoned and needy children from infancy to 18 years of age. However, because it is a home, those who have lived at Father’s home are always welcome back no matter what age they are. This particular blog has taken me the longest to think about because I really haven’t been able to think of words to describe this experience. I took a lot of photos and video while I was there, hoping that would capture my experience but I know you won’t be able to see that for a while. Father’s home is a home with “mothers” and “fathers” who take care of these abandoned children while they are at school until they have a job of their own. It is a grassroots organization that started when a local Ghanaian saw a child on the street crying under a piece of cardboard in the rain. When he asked the child why he was crying, the child replied that he couldn’t go home until he has some money so until he does, he has to sleep on the street. After this moment the man decided to make a place of safety and shelter for children similar to this one and provide them with the basic needs to live. Children are brought in by social services for a variety of reasons and as of now there are 28 children who live at the home. The home is composed of a few bedrooms some with three beds in a room, in order to accommodate all of the children, a kitchen, a dining room, a library, and a few bathrooms. The hardest thing for me was the lack of a play area for the children since they are all so athletic and love to play sports, especially football (soccer). The only outside area they have is the driveway and asphalt, no grass field. However, Father’s Home is building a new location that has a bunch of grass and more space for the children and it should be finished by next year.
We first started off by mingling with the children by drawing and coloring. Again, similar to the village, the kids were more intrigued by the cameras then they were by us. We colored, photographed, and talked for a while getting to know one another. They were all so great and they way the children interacted and treated one another was inspiring. Even though they were not related, they treated each other like true family, maybe even better. After meeting a few different kids (some who were even just a few years younger than me) I finally met Eunice. Eunice is a 16-year-old girl whose smile lights up an entire room. We started to talk and immediately bonded over our love to dance. I totally took her as any other 16-year-old girl and their love to dance, but Eunice she is different. This girl has a talent unlike any I have seen before. She can move her body in so many different ways it is absolutely insane! I cannot wait for you all to see my videos of her! It’s just wild. Some of the boys brought out their drums (yes they don’t use iPod speakers but instead traditional drums) and started to jam. Eunice was the first on the floor and it didn’t take long to convince me to start dancing. It was so much fun! After about 20 minutes of straight dancing we both had to run out into the rain to clean off all the sweat! But I wouldn’t take back one moment of that. It’s funny because although I would not consider myself to be shy by any means, I don’t necessarily always consider myself to be outgoing. When I was in Ghana, however, I never let a moment pass me by that I knew I would regret if I didn’t do it. If someone told me to dance, I danced. If I was told to try something, I tried it. I wanted to engulf everything at every moment and not let anything pass me by and I did. Being with such a range of kids that day really taught me a lot and how just a smile can mean the world to someone.
Leaving Father’s Home was not particularly easy. We all stood in a circle and the leader of the home said a few words to us. He told us that although we only came for a day and that many of us may not be back in the future, we made a difference to each of the children around us. Whether it was words of encouragement, your actions, a conversation you had, or even just giving them a smile and engaging with them, they will be affected because of it. It was truly amazing. Eunice and I exchanged addresses and she asked me to send her a post card from India, telling her all about it and I know I will. It was so great to meet all of these wonderful people who because of Father’s Home will have a better life and have a chance to succeed, which I know they will. Its so hard to leave, not knowing if you will ever see this person again, with the chances be really slim, and having a child who is 6 years old wondering why you have to say bye and why you are leaving. But it was all worth it. It is programs like Father’s Home, grassroots programs, that are going to transform these areas. When locals are involved and addressing their problems, it seems as if more is done because they know exactly what the issue is. Like I said, this was such an amazing experience and words can’t express my thoughts and feelings, but maybe you will get a little taste of this experience one day- I really hope you do.
Father’s Home Care Orphanage
One my last day in Ghana, I was signed up for a service trip to Father’s Home Care Orphanage. I really did not have a clue what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to do a service trip and I absolutely love African children. To my surprise, Father’s Home is a community for orphaned, abandoned and needy children from infancy to 18 years of age. However, because it is a home, those who have lived at Father’s home are always welcome back no matter what age they are. This particular blog has taken me the longest to think about because I really haven’t been able to think of words to describe this experience. I took a lot of photos and video while I was there, hoping that would capture my experience but I know you won’t be able to see that for a while. Father’s home is a home with “mothers” and “fathers” who take care of these abandoned children while they are at school until they have a job of their own. It is a grassroots organization that started when a local Ghanaian saw a child on the street crying under a piece of cardboard in the rain. When he asked the child why he was crying, the child replied that he couldn’t go home until he has some money so until he does, he has to sleep on the street. After this moment the man decided to make a place of safety and shelter for children similar to this one and provide them with the basic needs to live. Children are brought in by social services for a variety of reasons and as of now there are 28 children who live at the home. The home is composed of a few bedrooms some with three beds in a room, in order to accommodate all of the children, a kitchen, a dining room, a library, and a few bathrooms. The hardest thing for me was the lack of a play area for the children since they are all so athletic and love to play sports, especially football (soccer). The only outside area they have is the driveway and asphalt, no grass field. However, Father’s Home is building a new location that has a bunch of grass and more space for the children and it should be finished by next year.
We first started off by mingling with the children by drawing and coloring. Again, similar to the village, the kids were more intrigued by the cameras then they were by us. We colored, photographed, and talked for a while getting to know one another. They were all so great and they way the children interacted and treated one another was inspiring. Even though they were not related, they treated each other like true family, maybe even better. After meeting a few different kids (some who were even just a few years younger than me) I finally met Eunice. Eunice is a 16-year-old girl whose smile lights up an entire room. We started to talk and immediately bonded over our love to dance. I totally took her as any other 16-year-old girl and their love to dance, but Eunice she is different. This girl has a talent unlike any I have seen before. She can move her body in so many different ways it is absolutely insane! I cannot wait for you all to see my videos of her! It’s just wild. Some of the boys brought out their drums (yes they don’t use iPod speakers but instead traditional drums) and started to jam. Eunice was the first on the floor and it didn’t take long to convince me to start dancing. It was so much fun! After about 20 minutes of straight dancing we both had to run out into the rain to clean off all the sweat! But I wouldn’t take back one moment of that. It’s funny because although I would not consider myself to be shy by any means, I don’t necessarily always consider myself to be outgoing. When I was in Ghana, however, I never let a moment pass me by that I knew I would regret if I didn’t do it. If someone told me to dance, I danced. If I was told to try something, I tried it. I wanted to engulf everything at every moment and not let anything pass me by and I did. Being with such a range of kids that day really taught me a lot and how just a smile can mean the world to someone.
Leaving Father’s Home was not particularly easy. We all stood in a circle and the leader of the home said a few words to us. He told us that although we only came for a day and that many of us may not be back in the future, we made a difference to each of the children around us. Whether it was words of encouragement, your actions, a conversation you had, or even just giving them a smile and engaging with them, they will be affected because of it. It was truly amazing. Eunice and I exchanged addresses and she asked me to send her a post card from India, telling her all about it and I know I will. It was so great to meet all of these wonderful people who because of Father’s Home will have a better life and have a chance to succeed, which I know they will. Its so hard to leave, not knowing if you will ever see this person again, with the chances be really slim, and having a child who is 6 years old wondering why you have to say bye and why you are leaving. But it was all worth it. It is programs like Father’s Home, grassroots programs, that are going to transform these areas. When locals are involved and addressing their problems, it seems as if more is done because they know exactly what the issue is. Like I said, this was such an amazing experience and words can’t express my thoughts and feelings, but maybe you will get a little taste of this experience one day- I really hope you do.
Adjoa Poomah
September 24, 2010
Ghanaian Village Experience
My time at the village was a little different than what I was expecting. After such an authentic experience in Winneba, I assumed that for some reason the SAS trip to the village would be authentic as well. Instead there were about eighty of us students, which made the whole experience more of a tourist feel than realistic. Our drive up to the village was actually really great and we had an awesome tour guide named Yao accompany us to the village. He told us a lot about Ghana and the economy. Tourism is Ghana’s fourth main export with the mix of both tourism within the country and exporting items out for tourists to purchase elsewhere. We also learned that right now Ghana imports all of its oil and refines it in the country to be more cost effective. However, recently they have found an oil reserve off the coast and can drill/refine it themselves, hopefully boosting the country’s economy. Although Ghana is a poor nation similar to the rest of Africa, it is actually one of the more developing African nations. They are slowly growing and gaining the knowledge and proper resources to make the country prosper.
On the drive to the village, it was hard to ignore the poverty that surrounded you, but it also made you recognize the life that was around the areas. The village was off of a dirt road ten minutes away from the ‘main’ road that we had been on. It wasn’t necessarily in the middle of nowhere but there wasn’t really much around the area. When we arrived we were welcomed with a traditional welcoming ceremony with drumming and dancing from members of the local tribe. There were colors everywhere and each was so bright and lively. The dancers moved flawlessly but aggressive with fully of emotion at the same time. They were all barefoot on the bare ground, stomping and jumping around, but all you could see where the different emotions brought out by the dancing. We were then introduced to each of the tribal leaders before we were welcomed into their tribe. The main point of the village experience was to become a member of the tribe and given a traditional African name. Mine was Adjoa Poomah meaning born on a Monday, the firm one. It took awhile going through the people who were there and naming each and every one of them so we started to play with the children. It’s so funny how intrigued they are by the cameras and how much they love having their pictures taken or taking pictures themselves that we were all entertained until the ceremony was over. Afterwards, more dancing occurred but this time we were included and not only people from the tribe. Some of the women dancers were teaching us local dance moves and we were all soaking it in. It was then time for lunch, but instead of eating there in the village we were taking to a hotel. I was surprised by this since I assumed it was part of the village experience, but the locals there told us that we would not be able to handle the food they eat- our immune systems would not be able to process the food they eat there and instead we have to have it made special at a hotel. It, in the end, is kind of the same food, but made with clean food and water and in mass quantities for all of us. It's understandable since we are so used to eating in large quantities versus their smaller portions, but i do wish we would have had a completely authentic meal (minus the stomach pains that would have followed). Anyways, the food was delicious and I have a new obsession with plantains! :)
Ghanaian Village Experience
My time at the village was a little different than what I was expecting. After such an authentic experience in Winneba, I assumed that for some reason the SAS trip to the village would be authentic as well. Instead there were about eighty of us students, which made the whole experience more of a tourist feel than realistic. Our drive up to the village was actually really great and we had an awesome tour guide named Yao accompany us to the village. He told us a lot about Ghana and the economy. Tourism is Ghana’s fourth main export with the mix of both tourism within the country and exporting items out for tourists to purchase elsewhere. We also learned that right now Ghana imports all of its oil and refines it in the country to be more cost effective. However, recently they have found an oil reserve off the coast and can drill/refine it themselves, hopefully boosting the country’s economy. Although Ghana is a poor nation similar to the rest of Africa, it is actually one of the more developing African nations. They are slowly growing and gaining the knowledge and proper resources to make the country prosper.
On the drive to the village, it was hard to ignore the poverty that surrounded you, but it also made you recognize the life that was around the areas. The village was off of a dirt road ten minutes away from the ‘main’ road that we had been on. It wasn’t necessarily in the middle of nowhere but there wasn’t really much around the area. When we arrived we were welcomed with a traditional welcoming ceremony with drumming and dancing from members of the local tribe. There were colors everywhere and each was so bright and lively. The dancers moved flawlessly but aggressive with fully of emotion at the same time. They were all barefoot on the bare ground, stomping and jumping around, but all you could see where the different emotions brought out by the dancing. We were then introduced to each of the tribal leaders before we were welcomed into their tribe. The main point of the village experience was to become a member of the tribe and given a traditional African name. Mine was Adjoa Poomah meaning born on a Monday, the firm one. It took awhile going through the people who were there and naming each and every one of them so we started to play with the children. It’s so funny how intrigued they are by the cameras and how much they love having their pictures taken or taking pictures themselves that we were all entertained until the ceremony was over. Afterwards, more dancing occurred but this time we were included and not only people from the tribe. Some of the women dancers were teaching us local dance moves and we were all soaking it in. It was then time for lunch, but instead of eating there in the village we were taking to a hotel. I was surprised by this since I assumed it was part of the village experience, but the locals there told us that we would not be able to handle the food they eat- our immune systems would not be able to process the food they eat there and instead we have to have it made special at a hotel. It, in the end, is kind of the same food, but made with clean food and water and in mass quantities for all of us. It's understandable since we are so used to eating in large quantities versus their smaller portions, but i do wish we would have had a completely authentic meal (minus the stomach pains that would have followed). Anyways, the food was delicious and I have a new obsession with plantains! :)
Overnight to Winneba
September 23, 2010
Winneba Trip
9/22/10-9/23/10
I'm in love with it here. Yesterday I went on my trip to Winneba and was able to spend two days getting to know local Ghanaians. Winneba, like the majority of African towns, is engulfed in poverty, but is was a great place. There are shops everywhere that are full of color and life and then there are shacks upon shacks that are homes and shops combined. Yes I felt engulfed in poverty because I was, but at the same time all the people there are so wonderful and happy that it didn't seem all that bad. I know it was and I know they are lacking so many basic necessities but it was such a different experience that I don't even know how to explain it. I have two more days here in Ghana so maybe I can come up with words to describe this experience during those days, but for now (when I can post them) pictures might just have to suffice.
When we got to Winneba we were introduced to the city council and they were so excited to have us there. They did a traditional welcoming which was so interesting and different to anything I have experienced and we met some of the chief warriors of the town. Afterward, we went to the college. It was similar to a lecture hall (it reminded me of a presentation I went to at San Diego State) but instead the class was filled with Ghanaian students and we were the special guests. We talked about our relationship to Charlottesville (the sister city in VA to Winneba) and talked about Semester at Sea. We asked each other questions about the others education and so forth, and were trying to encourage them to participate on SAS because since they are sister cities and Charlottesville is where the University of VA is (who sponsors SAS) they want to get some Ghanaian students to participate on the program (obviously for way cheaper). After the formal Q & A we all just hung out for a bit and talked to the students. They were so interested about the Semester at Sea program and about us as individuals that it was a lot of fun talking to them and getting to know them as students and people my own age in such a different place.
We then went back to the hotel for dinner and it was delish! A lot of rice, potatoes, and plantains, but it was sooo yummy I ate everything they served me (which was a lot!) The hotel was interesting but I can't complain. It was really nice, but of course totally different than what were used to. I really like being engulfed in the culture and did not feel out of place at all (I mean other than being white) but I really feel like I could go back and stay for awhile and be so happy. Today when we woke up it was pouring rain. We had plans to meet the Chief Fisherman of the town but had to delay that for a bit and meet him at the "city hall" instead of the beach where he usually works. So we went to the court to see how local court systems work in Ghana. It was pretty cool and almost everything was in English, except for when the plaintiff or defendant spoke since they didn't speak English. The court systems is really similar to the court system in the US since it follows the Civil Law practice that was brought over by the English in Ghana. We completely lucked out though and it turned out that one of the cases happened to be a couple's wedding! We watched the short ceremony occur, took lots of pictures, and were on our way. We then went back to the city hall area to meet with the Chief Fisherman, learn about his title, and then focused on conflict resolution in the fishing business. All the men were in traditional cloth and did not speak English so our friend Joe Bani (who has been on the ship with us from Morocco to Ghana, who is actually from Winneba and came with us for the trip) was our translator. Our next stop was the elementary school to give the children a soccer ball we brought for them. It reminded me so much of Jamaica. The children were so great and were so excited that we were there. I got some great pictures and had such a blast playing with them. Some of the girls grabbed me and we started playing a game. Its so strange that even though they are speaking a different language I knew exactly what to do and what was going on. We played their version of Little Sally Walker ☺ Before I knew it, however, we had to leave. Our final stop was the local market where we met the market queen. About 20 other women accompanied her, interested in learning our reasons for coming. We talked for some time and then were given a few minutes to shop around and talk to some of the locals. I loved it.
I have been emailing Jake and talking to him about Africa (since he was in Uganda for about a month) and just listening to the advice he has been giving me. Something stood out to me though and I want to share it with you. "Africa is a most horrid place, in a certain scope, but the soul and beauty of the land and people still take my breath away." For the past three and a half years, I have never been able to understand Jake’s description of Africa and his time in Uganda. Of course I loved hearing about it and knowing what he felt, but as they say ‘going is knowing’ and I never really knew what he has meant throughout these years until I got here. I couldn't agree more to what he said and I get this perplexed feeling when I think of these two contradictory things. But I love it. I love the energy I have felt, I love the smiles I get when I walk by the people, I love these people who are living such a different lifestyle then anything I have seen, but the same lifestyle as the majority of this world. But there have been times (and all this again has only been in the past 2 days) when I have cringed at the smells around me, where I have felt uncomfortable for a moment when I get my camera to take pictures of people like they are zoo animals even though we were all friends the moment before, and when I was in a somewhat clean marketplace with colors and shops everywhere and then to the right of that are "homes" that aren't even fit for animals. The feelings here are intense, and I have already had to stop myself from crying. It was a mixture of everything, the sensory overload of me finally being in a place that I have dreamed of coming to for years now and the way it is all presented. And to know that I am finally here and seeing things that are so hard to even describe, all the feelings messed with me and I started to get really emotional. I'm so happy I am here and I cannot wait for the next two days. I am trying my best to soak it all in and engulf myself in this new environment and I know I will.
Winneba Trip
9/22/10-9/23/10
I'm in love with it here. Yesterday I went on my trip to Winneba and was able to spend two days getting to know local Ghanaians. Winneba, like the majority of African towns, is engulfed in poverty, but is was a great place. There are shops everywhere that are full of color and life and then there are shacks upon shacks that are homes and shops combined. Yes I felt engulfed in poverty because I was, but at the same time all the people there are so wonderful and happy that it didn't seem all that bad. I know it was and I know they are lacking so many basic necessities but it was such a different experience that I don't even know how to explain it. I have two more days here in Ghana so maybe I can come up with words to describe this experience during those days, but for now (when I can post them) pictures might just have to suffice.
When we got to Winneba we were introduced to the city council and they were so excited to have us there. They did a traditional welcoming which was so interesting and different to anything I have experienced and we met some of the chief warriors of the town. Afterward, we went to the college. It was similar to a lecture hall (it reminded me of a presentation I went to at San Diego State) but instead the class was filled with Ghanaian students and we were the special guests. We talked about our relationship to Charlottesville (the sister city in VA to Winneba) and talked about Semester at Sea. We asked each other questions about the others education and so forth, and were trying to encourage them to participate on SAS because since they are sister cities and Charlottesville is where the University of VA is (who sponsors SAS) they want to get some Ghanaian students to participate on the program (obviously for way cheaper). After the formal Q & A we all just hung out for a bit and talked to the students. They were so interested about the Semester at Sea program and about us as individuals that it was a lot of fun talking to them and getting to know them as students and people my own age in such a different place.
We then went back to the hotel for dinner and it was delish! A lot of rice, potatoes, and plantains, but it was sooo yummy I ate everything they served me (which was a lot!) The hotel was interesting but I can't complain. It was really nice, but of course totally different than what were used to. I really like being engulfed in the culture and did not feel out of place at all (I mean other than being white) but I really feel like I could go back and stay for awhile and be so happy. Today when we woke up it was pouring rain. We had plans to meet the Chief Fisherman of the town but had to delay that for a bit and meet him at the "city hall" instead of the beach where he usually works. So we went to the court to see how local court systems work in Ghana. It was pretty cool and almost everything was in English, except for when the plaintiff or defendant spoke since they didn't speak English. The court systems is really similar to the court system in the US since it follows the Civil Law practice that was brought over by the English in Ghana. We completely lucked out though and it turned out that one of the cases happened to be a couple's wedding! We watched the short ceremony occur, took lots of pictures, and were on our way. We then went back to the city hall area to meet with the Chief Fisherman, learn about his title, and then focused on conflict resolution in the fishing business. All the men were in traditional cloth and did not speak English so our friend Joe Bani (who has been on the ship with us from Morocco to Ghana, who is actually from Winneba and came with us for the trip) was our translator. Our next stop was the elementary school to give the children a soccer ball we brought for them. It reminded me so much of Jamaica. The children were so great and were so excited that we were there. I got some great pictures and had such a blast playing with them. Some of the girls grabbed me and we started playing a game. Its so strange that even though they are speaking a different language I knew exactly what to do and what was going on. We played their version of Little Sally Walker ☺ Before I knew it, however, we had to leave. Our final stop was the local market where we met the market queen. About 20 other women accompanied her, interested in learning our reasons for coming. We talked for some time and then were given a few minutes to shop around and talk to some of the locals. I loved it.
I have been emailing Jake and talking to him about Africa (since he was in Uganda for about a month) and just listening to the advice he has been giving me. Something stood out to me though and I want to share it with you. "Africa is a most horrid place, in a certain scope, but the soul and beauty of the land and people still take my breath away." For the past three and a half years, I have never been able to understand Jake’s description of Africa and his time in Uganda. Of course I loved hearing about it and knowing what he felt, but as they say ‘going is knowing’ and I never really knew what he has meant throughout these years until I got here. I couldn't agree more to what he said and I get this perplexed feeling when I think of these two contradictory things. But I love it. I love the energy I have felt, I love the smiles I get when I walk by the people, I love these people who are living such a different lifestyle then anything I have seen, but the same lifestyle as the majority of this world. But there have been times (and all this again has only been in the past 2 days) when I have cringed at the smells around me, where I have felt uncomfortable for a moment when I get my camera to take pictures of people like they are zoo animals even though we were all friends the moment before, and when I was in a somewhat clean marketplace with colors and shops everywhere and then to the right of that are "homes" that aren't even fit for animals. The feelings here are intense, and I have already had to stop myself from crying. It was a mixture of everything, the sensory overload of me finally being in a place that I have dreamed of coming to for years now and the way it is all presented. And to know that I am finally here and seeing things that are so hard to even describe, all the feelings messed with me and I started to get really emotional. I'm so happy I am here and I cannot wait for the next two days. I am trying my best to soak it all in and engulf myself in this new environment and I know I will.
Akwaaba!
September 22, 2010
Ghana- Day 1
I can’t believe I am finally in the Africa I have always wanted to be in. Although Morocco is in Africa it is so much different than what I have been looking forward too in an African experience. I woke up this morning, got breakfast and watched the ship get pulled in to port. I decided to start my morning by working out and doing some yoga before beginning my day. The air was much cleaner than Morocco and the sun was starting to shine through the clouds. I had to meet at 10am for Professor Toscano’s FDP (faculty directed practica) to Winneba. For this particular FDP, we would be going to Winneba, Ghana, the sister city to Charlottesville, Virginia (where the University of Virginia is located). We waited on the ship for a few delegates from Winneba to come join us for lunch and a tour of the MV Explorer. Most of the people who came worked for the municipal system of Winneba or were chiefs of tribes there. After lunch it was time to go. The drive was supposed to take about 90 minutes, but because there really is only one main road with a lot of people who want to drive on it, it took about 4 hours. The sites were insane, with the landscape changing every so often. There were markets left and right, then villages, then grass and trees and then it would repeat. The village/market scene was of course unlike anything I have seen before with so many colors and women and children walking around carrying everything on their heads. There were people everywhere and goats randomly roaming the streets- it was beautiful, but such a different beauty than one is used to. At times it felt familiar to me, like I was in Jamaica again, so I didn’t feel so out of place. After our drive we finally arrived in Winneba. I already love it here and it really hasn’t even started; can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip will hold.
Ghana- Day 1
I can’t believe I am finally in the Africa I have always wanted to be in. Although Morocco is in Africa it is so much different than what I have been looking forward too in an African experience. I woke up this morning, got breakfast and watched the ship get pulled in to port. I decided to start my morning by working out and doing some yoga before beginning my day. The air was much cleaner than Morocco and the sun was starting to shine through the clouds. I had to meet at 10am for Professor Toscano’s FDP (faculty directed practica) to Winneba. For this particular FDP, we would be going to Winneba, Ghana, the sister city to Charlottesville, Virginia (where the University of Virginia is located). We waited on the ship for a few delegates from Winneba to come join us for lunch and a tour of the MV Explorer. Most of the people who came worked for the municipal system of Winneba or were chiefs of tribes there. After lunch it was time to go. The drive was supposed to take about 90 minutes, but because there really is only one main road with a lot of people who want to drive on it, it took about 4 hours. The sites were insane, with the landscape changing every so often. There were markets left and right, then villages, then grass and trees and then it would repeat. The village/market scene was of course unlike anything I have seen before with so many colors and women and children walking around carrying everything on their heads. There were people everywhere and goats randomly roaming the streets- it was beautiful, but such a different beauty than one is used to. At times it felt familiar to me, like I was in Jamaica again, so I didn’t feel so out of place. After our drive we finally arrived in Winneba. I already love it here and it really hasn’t even started; can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip will hold.
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