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.