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.