Leticia's 22nd Birthday

We went out last night to celebrate Leticia's 22nd birthday. We went to Joker's nightclub which is in Accra. We had alot of fun. Wishing you many, many more birthdays Leticia!!!!

Tisha, Shaye and Nana.

Erin.

Nana and Shaye drove all the way from Tema and met us at Jokers for the festive occasion!

Coco, Leticia and Dena.

The Birthday Girl and Teniesha.

Melissa, Stephanie (sorry I got you Stephanie) and Desiree. We had a ball dancing!!!

Melissa

Coco and Dena.

Desiree is with the University of California program. She arrived for orientation ahead of her group and attended orientation with our group (California State University). We adopted her and she is now one of us.

Little Denise (Denise Lopez)

Teniesha lives in my dorm. She is with the University of St. Louis, Missouri-Africa program. She will be leaving in December. Will miss you girl!

Shaye, Leticia and Me.

Field Trip

Today, my Archaeology class went on a field trip to Shai Hill Reserve. We drove about 1 1/2 hours from campus. Our professor wanted us to observe baboons and write up a field report. Unfortunately, only a couple of the total population would come out from their hiding spots. It was a beautiful ride and walk around the park nonetheless. We stopped at a restaurant afterwards and had lunch and headed back to campus. It was nice taking a trip with my class-mates and getting to know some of them better.

This was the subject of our investigation.

These are two of my classmates from the Anthropology Department. They have saved me many a day in completing assignments and figuring out the in's and out's of campus life.

The gentleman in the striped green and black shirt is my archaeology professor, Mr. Nkumbaan. The other fella with the white hat was our tour guide. The others are students taking copious notes because we have to write up a report for our field trip.

These are some of my classmates from the Archaeology Department. In the middle is Patricia who is the class President. She befriended me early in the semester and helped me get acquainted with the Archaeology Department.

The Strike Is Over

Classes have resumed and the strike is over. The campus is back to being busy and full. It was good to be back in classes yesterday. I heard that the semester will be extended for three weeks, but I was told to check at the International Students' office to make certain. There are only a couple more weeks until exams so I'll be very busy trying to learn everything I need to be successful.

Weekend Trip

This weekend the Sociology Department sponsored a trip to Lake Nzulezo and the Amansuri Village, which is also known as the village on stilts. The village is in the Western Region and took us six hours to get there. We left campus at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. (We were supposed to leave at 12:30 a.m. I've adjusted to Africa time surprisingly well). Unfortunately, the air conditioner was on full blast and I've come down with a nasty cold.

The ride to the village took 45 minutes and was facilitated by our guide. There were three or four people per canoe. The scenery was unreal!!!It was so quiet and peaceful and I enjoyed every moment of it. The guide told us that the village was first founded by settlers that came down from Mali and that it has been inhabitated for the past 600 years.

Village School

Our Mode of Transportation

The ride was breath taking!!!!

Our Very Capable Guide, Evans

Getting Ready

Upcoming Attractions

Some Students From My Dorm

Mohammed and Nameba

Early Morning Showers

Thunderstorms in Ghana are unreal!!!!! The beautiful red clay earth turns to mud and you have to be very careful when walking. Glad we missed rainy season.

Ghana ooooooooooooo!!!!!

Made arrangements with my two Archaeology professors to continue to lecture on the material for the classes since the strike is still on. The Government made an offer on Friday and the Lecturer's will vote on it on Monday. If they do not agree to the offer, the school will likely close. There was another meeting with the Dean of International students on Friday, but I did not see the notice until it was too late to attend. In the meantime, I am enjoying the one-on-one instruction with my lecturers and I really like the fact that I can have all of my questions and comments entertained.

The water has been off more than on this past week. That and the hot muggy weather that now exists makes it a bit more difficult to be comfortable. When the water is on I get so happy and race in the bathroom to shower and get cleaned up. For the most part it is taken in stride and if it is off too long some students go over to other dorms and if their water is on, take a shower there. My ceiling fan is on all the time now and I am constantly dripping with sweat. Even after two months of being here, I am still amazed that I am in Africa!

The Department of Theater Arts put on a play last night called The Seamstress of St. Francis. It was directed by a visiting professor, Niyi Coker Jr., from the University of Missouri. This is a short blurb about the play:

"In North St. Louis, Missouri, during the summer of 1958, a woman is struggling with a secret and a prodigal sister unexpectedly appears like a force of nature. The storm that is sitrred up leaves behind both a trail of calamities and some unforeseen hope."

Of course with the story being set in the U.S., the students had to affect Black American accents and they did a pretty good job at it. The house was packed and it was nice to see a drama about the lives of African-Americans and made me proud of the history and strength of Blacks in America. During one of the set changes, I overheard a comment that was made by a student sitting behind me about Black Americans and It made me realize that our long, valiant struggle against oppression in America and the idioms that are a result of that struggle, are truly an inspiration to Black people around the world.

People really love President Obama here. Whenever I'm talking with someone they always bring him up and say how much they love and appreciate him. I was talking with a gentleman on Friday and telling him some of the challenges President Obama is facing in America and he got saddened to hear the struggle that American's first Black president is having. They even have an hotel a little ways from campus named Hotel Obama and I was told that the name existed even before he became the President.

I loved the night sounds walking across campus back to my dorm after the play. All the night creatures make beautiful music and the warm night air was so calming to my soul.

Today I went to a meeting of the African-American Association of Ghana. There were about 20 members there. They have alot of functions and do volunteer work. Most of the members are retired and moved to Ghana permanently after retirement and others are younger. All of the members have been living in Ghana from two to 27 years and the founding member who has lived in Ghana for 27 years was also there. It was nice hearing their stories about living in Ghana and I took in some of the tips the members gave regarding adjusting to life here. The President of AAAG said it took her about three years to really get used to living in Ghana. I met a woman there who helped me find a volunteer opportunity at a Girl's home. They meet once per month and they were planning their Giving Thanks celebration which would be around Thanksgiving in the States. They will be having a catered meal this year with all the favorites from back home. Can't wait for the Giving Thanks celebration and getting to know the members better. They are also having a fund raiser to raise money for the organization which will be a concert featuring a local Ghanaian artist, KSM featuring his work, "Saga of the Returnee."

I spoke to a couple of people about how they liked living in Ghana and the areas they lived in. Some invited me to call so that they could show me where they lived. The meetings are held at the W.E.B Dubois center and their office is in the back of the complex. We sat outside in the courtyard and these very interesting birds were making wonderful sounds in the trees. It was so nice sitting out there with the beautiful breeze blowing through. The more I'm here, the more I fall in love with Ghana!!!

This is the mission Statement for AAAG:

The African-American Assocation of Ghana (AAAG) is an association of Africans born and raised in America, who have repatriated to Ghana. It was formalized in 1991, although African-Americans have been living and working in Ghana since the 1950's. Some came at the invitation of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, to assist in Nation Building at the dawn of independence. African-Americans continue to make great contributions toward developing Ghana through a broad array of businesses, products, and services.

AAAG:

-Is the official information source for the African-American community in Ghana.

-Serves as a support system for Diasporan Africans who are coming to live, invest, or visit Ghana.

-Is a resource center for public information about the African American community in Ghana.

-Intend to create a positive image of African-Americans in Ghana, by promoting and honoring our positive values that evolved from the African-American experience in the United States.

-Educate Ghanaians about African-Americans; our experiences, our heroes and sheroes, our culture.

-Promotes the re-integration of Diasporan Africans into Ghanaian culture and society.

-Encourage and practice respect for basic civil and human rights of all Africans.

-Promotes universal spirituality within the organization.

-Embraces Pan-African Nationalism, broadly defined as recognizing all Africans as one family, and being patriotic to our Motherland.

A New Week

Well, another week is upon us. The strike is still ongoing, however, some of the lecturers or their teacher assistant's have agreed to hold classes for the International students, which many feel is unfair to the Ghanaian students. Their reasoning is that the Ghanaian students live here and if their exams have to be put off until a later date, they can be accommodated. The International students, on the other hand, have definite dates of departure from Ghana so getting our exams completed before returning to our home universities is very important. Some International students are only here for one semester and must return home in December.

Of my classes, only my Intro. to Religion professor has agreeded to teach class. Nothing has been posted regarding my two Archaeology classes so I am praying that they will agree to hold classes. I am the only International student in both of these classes and one of the instructors speaks rather harshly against the Government at every class meeting so I'm thinking that he is not going to be open to teaching at this point in the strike.

We met with Auntie Irene at her house yesterday and she said that if the Lecturers start back to work in the next couple of weeks, the exams will be pushed into January. This now makes it difficult to make travel arrangements for Winter break. We had a barbaque afterwards and got back to campus in the early evening.

The long awaited match between the Ghana Black Stars vs. Sudan was this past Sunday. I did not go to the match. Was not up for the five-hour ride (one way) to see them play. Everywhere you went on campus you saw groups of people sitting in front of t.v.'s and at my new favorite eating spot, the room with the big screen t.v. was filled to capacity. I love the reactions of the many soccer fans. I remarked to a friend that I would have loved to have been in Ghana during the World Cup competition. The score was 0-0 and many complained that the Black Stars played badly.

The Twi instructor mentioned the final exam and what types of questions he will put on it. Can't believe that it is October so soon. A friend from home sent me an email and said that Fall has arrived in the Bay Area and it made me really miss home. The weather here is hot and muggy and definitely have to drink plently of water each day.

While off campus on Sunday a friend pointed out a funeral that was held earlier in a section of town. Their funeral gatherings are incredible!!! Many people wear Black and it is like a combination party/family reunion with music, food, dancing and ALOT of people. The mourners filed into the street and traffic was blocked for some time. It was a sight to behold!!!!!

Strike Update

Today the Dean of the International Student program met with International students and apprised us of the status of the strike. Apparently the Government is responsible for regulating the Lecturer's salary and currently there is a bargining dispute that exists. She said that they are hoping that the strike will be over by next week, but she is also preparing for a protracted situation as well.

Because of contracts that exist between the University of Ghana and our home universities, Univ. of Ghana must provide a way for international students to complete their exams and adhere to a time table for submitting grades to our home universities. If the lecturers are not in agreement to teach the required course work to IP students, she is also attempting to enlist the help of graduate students.

She said that we should know by next week what the status is of her requests. In the meantime, classes have not been held all week. Some classes are still having tutorials, which are taught by the graduate students. The Dean said that the last time this happened was ten years ago.

Strike

Lecturers went out on strike this week. The issue is money, of course. Not sure what a typical college professor makes here, but from listenting to others talk, it is not that much.

So, until it is resolved, all classes are cancelled. I asked one girl how do you know when the strike is over and she said you just go to the class and the lecturers will begin to show up again. Wow! In the meantime, everyone is happy to have the time off and to catch up in all their courses.

It's Been Two Months

I cannot believe that two months have gone by so fast. I have seen so much and so many things have happened in such a short period of time. I wish I could slow time down so that this incredible experience could last forever.

I'm settling into life here. I've gotten familiar with the campus, learned the short-cuts and different routes to get to and fro quicker and easier, found my favorite eating establishment on campus, The Basement, and have acquainted myself with the various locations of the bathrooms on campus (this is very important!!!!). I ate something on Monday and had to bolt from the classroom and luckily I had explored the building before class and located a bathroom.

I'm even understanding my lecturers more and more and I'm finally starting to get their jokes. They tell jokes often and the whole class erupts into laughter and I could never "get it." One of the young ladies in my Anthropology class has taken me under her wing and now explains the jokes to me. LOL. Who knew I would need someone to translate jokes.

Many Ghanaians I've met seem to retire early in the evenings and wake up early in the morning. There are many Ghanaian students in the dorm and I notice when I get up to use the restroom in the early mornings, their lights are all on. The first month or so, I tried to get up early in the mornings and stay up late at night. Us Americans are used to burning the candle at both ends. As the young folks always say, I was doing too much. So, I've starting retiring early and this seems to be working better for me. Had to also find the balance between too many social activities and school work. They cautioned us during orientation that this experience is called "Study Abroad" not "Travel Abroad." So, this weekend I stayed in and wrote a paper and got caught up on all my school work. Thereafter, I will get all my studying done during the week so that I can get out and explore during the weekends. They posted the final exam schedule last week. I have two finals the end of November, which is right around the corner.

Finally made it to LaBodi Beach for Reggae on Wednesday nights. It was so much fun!!!!!!!! I went with Trisha, Shaye and Erin. Trisha and I had said we were only going to stay for one hour. We wound up staying until 2:30 a.m., which made getting up for my 8:30 a.m. Twi class very difficult. I have not danced that much in so long and dancing on the beautiful beach at night reminded me so much of Jamaica. The band was so good and the vibe was Irie!!!! Plan to go back there again and again while I'm here.

The weather has been getting hotter and hotter everyday and some days the humidity is too much for me and I have to stop, get plently of water and compose myself. Sweat is constantly dripping off of me now and I have my ceiling fan on 24/7. We arrived at the end of the rainy season and we are having fewer and fewer rainy days and more of the heat. I'm told that December is the worst month so I'm trying to brace myself.

Other than that, I'm busy planning my winter break vacation which is December 12th through January 12th. I'm trying to go to Senegal, The Gambia and Mali. It is proving to be a little more expensive than I planned so I'm working with a travel agency so that I can see and do most of the things on my list.

I'm still freaked out about the lizards, but as everyone keeps reminding me, they are harmless. I saw one last Sunday up on the third floor where my room is. I had previously only seen them on the first floor. Hoping that one does not get into my room. I've taken to stopping and watching them before class. The colors on some of them are really beautiful, but I've never been a fan of reptiles.

The lights going out now is common and the longest that they have stayed off is only a couple of hours. If it is at night, everyone gets out their flashlights and life goes on. I was sitting in the lobby last week when they went off and was trying to figure how I was going to get back up to my room. The lights came back on and a young lady from Charlotte, North Carolina came down with one sock on and one sock off telling me that she was trying to get dressed in the dark. She was saying how much she enjoyed the lights going out and I had to agree that I do too. We had a good laugh over that.

There is a weekend trip coming up in two weeks to Northern Ghana, and I'll be attending my first Black Stars (the name of the soccer team) soccer match next week. My friend Martin got me a Black Stars shirt from the market and I'm ready to cheer them on.

Friday was Nigerian Independence Day and as we have quite a few students from Nigeria on campus, there was a big celebration in the cafteria. Students were going from room to room inviting us to the celebration. There was food, dancing and the atmosphere was festive and happy. There are so many students here from all around the world and it makes studying at the University of Ghana such an interesting and fun place.

I do have my days where I want to leave and become an adult again and not live in this dorm, but I must admit that after two months, Ghana is becoming quite intoxicating and it is hard to imagine how I will ever leave this place.