Wednesday, January 28, 2009

La Beach!





These are pictures from La Beach in Accra. Aside from people sitting in the sun and swimming in the ocean, there are several vendors walking around selling things as well as restaurants. There is also a sand sculptor at the beach. He made a this using only sand and water.







These are all pictures of the beach in Accra. There are several activities going on at the beach at any given point and time. Horse rides are available for 5 cedis (think of about $5), people are tanning in the sun, others are playing soccer (or football as they say), vendors are selling paintings and jewelry, and other people are swimming in the Atlantic.

Pictures of Ghana



This is the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial in downtown Accra. Kwame Nkrumah was Ghana's first president elected to office in 1957 when Ghana received their independence from Britain (hence the name change from the Gold Coast to Ghana, based on the ancient 13th century original Ghana dynasty). The tall structure is the mausoleum where Nkrumah's body is buried. The gold statue in the front is of Nkrumah. The mausoleum's design is based on an unfinished tree: the mausoleum is the root or trunk and the unfinished branches represent Ghana today. The people of Ghana now are the branches that are suppose to continue to grow and develop in Nkrumah's memory.






This is a snapshot of how some people in Ghana live. The disparity between the rich and poor is very obvious. Many poor people live in shacks such as these.



This is the Independence Arch in Accra. Ghana received its independence in 1957 from Great Britain. As you can see, the Black Star is mounted on top of the arch. When both President Clinton and President Obama came to Ghana to speak to the people, they spoke here at the Arch as huge amounts of people gathered for the events.

More Pictures of Ghana!



This is another picture of Nkrumah Circle. Once again you can see the people on the streets and the cars passing by as everyone is trying to shop.



Nkrumah Circle: The sidewalks are always overcrowded with people. It is very difficult to walk through the traffic. Instead of fast food restaurants, there are small open shops like the ones shown above where people are selling food they have made and vegetables and fruits from farms. The white vehicle is a tro tro, a type of transportation that carries about 10-15 people to different places in town.



Many Ghanaians eat food with their hands. The man in the upper left is eating what looks like fufu, a mash-potato type of food made from the root called cassava. Most people only use spoons and forks when eating rice, otherwise everyone eats with their hands.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Pictures of Ghana!






Togo borders Ghana to the east, the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south.



The red symbolizes the struggle and blood of their ancestors to gain independence. The yellow represents the gold of the country, and the green represents the fertile land of country as many people are farmers.

(Picture of grass and market) - This is known as the night market. It is a market that is right beside the dormitory I live in (International Students Hostel II). They make really good food here for really cheap prices. There is everything in here from egg sandwiches, to fried rice and chicken, to fruits and vegetables.

(Picture of City) - This is an overview of part of the capital city of Accra. This particular area of town is called Nkrumah Circle - it is a huge market better known for selling cell phones. As you can see, plenty of people line the streets buying items. This is a daily scene in Accra.

Cultural Correspondence class: Akwaaba! Welcome to Ghana


Cultural Correspondence Class: Akwaaba! An Intro to Ghana

Info About Me:

Nathaniel G. Myers, III

Sophomore (2nd year) at NC State University

Mechanical Engineering major; Entrepreneurship minor

From Andrews, South Carolina (that’s between Myrtle Beach and Charleston)

Exchange student at the University of Ghana

About Ghana:
Ghana is located in West Africa.

It was originally known as the Gold Coast because of all of the gold.

Capital City: Accra

Flag: It is red, yellow, and green with a black star in the middle. The red represents the blood and struggle of their ancestors while fighting for their independence. The yellow represents the gold the country contains. The green represents the land of the country, as many people are farmers in Ghana. The black star is a symbol of Pan-Africanism. This was a movement that involved people of color going to Africa back to their roots and showing great pride for their original homeland.

Togo borders to the east, the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south (it’s actually the Gulf of Guinea but that’s in the Atlantic Ocean).
Ghana is almost twice the size of North Carolina. It is about the same size as the United Kingdom and the state of Michigan.

President: John Atta Mills

Official Language: English (however they also speak a language native to them known as Twi)

Government: Democracy (just like America)

One cool fact: Because of how close Ghana is to the equator and the Greenwich Meridian Line (which is the up and down version of the equator), Ghana is considered geographically closer to the center of the Earth than any other country.
Ghana is five hours ahead of the eastern time zone in the US.

Economy: About 70% of the population are farmers, there are plenty of open markets where people are selling everything from food, to clothes, to shoes, cellphones, etc.

Food: Fried Rice, Jollof rice (which is kind of like a blend of dirty rice from Bojangles and rice with tomato soup flavor – at least that’s how it taste to me), chicken, sausage, okra, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, pineapple, apples, bananas, plantains, especially fried (my absolute favorite now, they are a cousin of the banana and look like really long green bananas. The very first time I tried them they tasted like a mix between a sweet banana and French fries), red red – which is red plantains, and black eye peas mixed in a red sauce, fufu (a type of starch food that looks like mash potatoes and is made from a root known as cassava).

My Encounters So Far:

Up to this point, I have gotten a good taste of culture life here in Ghana. They have mini vans called tro tros that take people from place to place around the city. There are hundreds of people along the sides of the street selling all sorts of items, and there are too many cars on the streets as it is hard to drive. The difference between the rich and poor is big. The rich communities are gated and have very nice homes. The poor homes are very dirty, and some are the size of shacks.

There is no hot water, so I take cold showers and I also have to hand-wash my clothes. I have hand-washed once already, and it was a great experience. After washing them I hang them out on a clothesline to dry in the sun.
Ghana is very hot, there are only two seasons here: hot and hotter (just joking). During the months of September to December is the wet season where it rains a lot. January to July is the dry season, called Hammaton (I am not sure if I spelled it correctly but that’s how it sounds).

At the university I have a Ghanaian roommate and I live with both Ghanaians and other international students from all over the world, including places like Norway, England, Canada, all across the United States, Asia, other countries in Africa, etc. One of my favorite classes is my African dance class (hopefully I will try to upload a video of me dancing at some point). We are learning a dance called Kpalongo (pronounced Pa-lon-go). It was started by the fishermen that live here in the city. It is based on them catching fish and twisting their nets.
Money: They call their dollar the cedi and instead of saying cents (such as 50 cents) they say pesawas. Just like we have a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter, they have a 5 pesawas coin, a 10 pesawas coin, a 20, and 50 pesawas coin. They also have a 1 cedi coin. All money in the US is green. Here their money is different colors. The 1 cedi (or $1 bill) is red, the 5 cedi is blue, the 10 cedi is green, the 20 cedi is purple, and the 50 cedi is brown.

Ghanaians are very nice and friendly people that enjoy helping others. They also love to play and watch soccer. Soccer is the most popular sport here, and boxing is the second most popular sport. I have gone to the beach and it is very nice. There were people there playing soccer, swimming in the water, and there were plenty of people selling all sorts of items. There was also a group of people dancing and playing the drums.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

In’s and Out’s of Ghanaian Life

In’s and Out’s of Ghanaian Life:

I have been here now a little more than a week and I must say that I absolutely love this place. However, for the first time since I have been here I have experienced moments of frustration, particularly in the past two days. First I am going to discuss this past weekend and then I will talk about the classes I am taking and my first two days of class.

On Friday I continued registering for classes during the day. For lunch we ate at one of the resident hall cafeterias. The name of the place was called Tyme Out, and it was set up like a restaurant and bar club-like atmosphere with pool tables in the middle of the floor, large U-shaped tables, and music playing. The food was also really good (although I will talk about Ghanaian food in another post). Friday evening was the first night my friends and I actually “went out”. We went with the RA – Prince, the greatest RA ever – and many of the other international students to a place called Chez Afrique (but when you here a Ghanaian say it it sounds like She a Freak). Chez Afrique is French for Dear Africa or Home of Africa. Chez Afrique is an outdoor restaurant with a dance area and live music about 15 minutes away from the campus in one of the wealthy neighborhoods called Opongo (I spelled this incorrectly but this is how the word sounds). Mostly older folks (30s and above) usually eat there. The food is absolutely delicious as of course I ordered a full catfish and fried rice. The night life atmosphere of Ghana is one of the most attractive qualities about the country. At Chez Afrique, the atmosphere is very laid back and mellow and the musicians play traditional Ghanaian music, known as highlife music (it has a nice reggae type of feel to it). They also play a good mix of hiplife – a fusion between highlife and hip hop. My friends and I all danced the night away that night as we enjoyed the music, the people, and of course the food.

On Sunday we all ventured to La Pleasure Beach and enjoyed a nice day of the Atlantic Ocean. Although the beach was great, I became highly frustrated after a while. Besides going in the ocean and swimming a little bit, I also played soccer with several locals. Unlike American beaches where you go to relax in the sun and read a book, there is no way to do that at a beach in Ghana. There are hundreds of people selling paintings, shades, jewelry, and all other types of things. They all bombard you at once – especially if you are a foreigner and although it is nice at first it becomes annoying if you are trying to relax in the sun. There was a dance group who performed for us (I have it on video and will have those pics and video uploaded) and there was also a man making sand sculptures with sand and water. He made several beautiful sculptures of a man sitting down playing a drum and women laying down. Overall, the beach is very lovely, but in just experiencing how the locals are always trying to sell I have noticed that they are very aggressive. As mentioned before, everyone here is a salesman and entrepreneur. They are all trying to make money and earn a living. It is really appreciable to see people working hard and as we say back home – “hustling”. Everyone uses their talents – whether it’s painting or dancing – to sell to others and try to make money.

Okay so this is my classes and class schedule:

Theatre: Theatre for Development – time for the class has not been released yet
Sociology: Poverty and Rural Development – Friday 1:30pm – 3:25pm
Dance Studies: Traditional African Dance Technique – Monday 11:30 – 1:25 and Tuesdays 8:30 – 9:30
Dance Studies: African Drumming – Mondays 1:30 – 3:25
Business School: Export Administration (discussing the export business as a strategies of development for Ghana) – Wednesdays 12:30 – 2:25
Religion: African Myths and Symbols – Thursdays 9:30 – 11:25

The academic system here is very unique and interesting with how the classes are set up. Back at NC State, usually you have class either three times a week or two times a week. Here at UG, you only have class once a week for two hours. So for example if you look at my courses above you noticed that I only have religion once a week on Thursdays. After that class, I am done for the day to do whatever I want. In addition, most classes don’t give daily assignments, instead, they lecture and it is up to the student to read, research, and keep up. For most of the classes the only grade you get is the final exam grade – which is writing a paper (they place great emphasis here on papers and writing essays instead of multiple choice and fill in the blank). Most of my classes deal with development/entrepreneurial ventures (since entrepreneurship is my minor) and music/dance. There are opportunities for us to get involved in the community here, so I will update what I get involved with when I have more details. In addition, there are several sports teams that we can join and get involved with. I am going to see if I can make the basketball team (wish me luck). The way you join teams here at the university is first you have to join your resident’s hall team and then they have an interhall competition. From that, they then pick the best players from each hall and that makes up the university team. Classes started on Monday, (although most were canceled due to all students not being registered yet). I attended my dance class on Monday, and I really enjoyed my professor. He is very lively and loves to tell jokes. I love how personal and friendly the people here are. They make you feel part of the community and its like you are one big family. On Tuesday I also had my dance class early in the morning and we began learning dances today. It was a very exciting and great workout. We learned two dances, kpologo (pronounced pologo) and the Gota dance and we began learning the basic steps for a third dance called Bima (practiced in the northern region of Ghana). Although the moves felt a little weird at first, once you enjoy the drums playing and feel the beat you get lost in the rhythm and it is really enjoyable. As I have more classes I will update more about them.

Let me talk a bit about open markets here. There are no such things as fast food restaurants in Accra, no McDonalds, no subway, no taco bell, no burger king. There are restaurants (which are expensive), but there are plenty of open markets filled with vendors selling rice, chicken, fish, fried plaintains (it’s a cousin of the banana), and all types of other foods. Right beside the hostel I live in is a place called the night market (because people are usually there all night) that has all types of things from movies, food, fruits, etc. Some mornings I stop by a lady named Ms. Francisca and she chops me a full pineapple, or I may go to another vendor and get an egg and sausage sandwich and a coke for 1 cedi 50 pesawas (which is almost equivalent to $1.50). I love food from the night market because it is just as good as food from restaurants, they cook it hot for you right there, and it is really cheap. For example, last night I got a full plate of fried rice, vegetables and chicken all for 3 cedis (about $3.00). I like the idea of open markets here in Ghana (think of the fair or a festival in which people are on the side of the streets selling items) because they are much more personal and homey than a fast food restaurant. As I mentioned earlier, I really appreciate how everyone is a salesman and everyone uses their talents to make money – the entrepreneur way.

Of course I will have more updates on other tidbits of Ghanaian life, other types of Ghanaian food, how classes are going, and of course pictures. Please bear with me and keep in mind that internet here is much slower and more frustrating to use. Not everyone has a computer and computers are scarce in numbers here. Thanks for reading!!!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

First week recap

Okay, so right now I am going to give a first week recap, but from now on I at least hope to update daily and pictures will be up on the web shortly. Just to give background, I am studying abroad through NC State's exchange program with the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana (Accra is the capital city). There are five other students (4 of us from NC State and two from UNC) in my group.

The first week here in Ghana has been a great and eye-opening experience. But I still feel as though the adventure is yet to really begin. I arrived on last Sunday, the 12th at around 10:30pm (Africa time, Ghana is five hours ahead of the US). The flight just to get here was an experience all by itself as it was very long. I left from RDU in Raleigh and caught a plane in New York. From New York, I went to London and then finally down to Ghana. The flight to London was six hours and the flight to Accra from London was another seven hours. We arrived in Ghana Sunday night only to find the lights were out in our hostel (International Students Hostel II). So we had to move our bags up stairs and into temporary rooms all in the dark. The lights did however turn back on later on that night.

So far the week has been filled with orientations, tours, and registerations. We have registered as students here at the university and began registering for classes on thursday. Our coordinator, Dr. Charity Akotia and her assistant Gabriel (we call him Gaby) have been showing us around the campus and have taken us into the city to look around at the various markets and different places. The campus is absolutely gorgeous. There are huge trees and small trees everywhere, a lot of greenery (definitely a lot of green and no red bricks), gardens, sculptures, and the architecture of the buildings is fascinating (pictures will be up later to help with descriptions). The campus is really large and although all of it is in one area it is very spread out (my hostel is on the far west side of campus). As far as the city goes, it is both huge, congested, majestic, amazing, and sad at the same time. There is a tremendous disparity between the wealthy and the poor. The wealthy communities we have passed through so far has included nice cars (even nicer than what most people drive in the states) such as mercedes, honda, toyata, jaguar, and other foreign brands, beautiful two-story homes, and I have even seen one large mansion (I mean really really large). On the other hand, the poor live in shacks on dusty dirt roads and cracked streets. The conditions look horrible and one day I even saw a little boy washing outside. Clothes are outside drying on hanger lines, and most shacks have 5-7 people moving in and out of them. The streets of Accra are overcrowded with open markets and side vendors selling everything imaginable. It is really neat to walk the streets and be approached by every one trying to sell everything from food to cell phones, watches, shoes, belts, clothes, etc. They are all salesmen and entrepreneurs!

Of course the weather here is hot and humid. Actually, in the mornings (at least before 10) and at dusk and into the evening the weather is really nice with the temp being around 75 degrees. However, in the middle of the day it is so hot and humid - everyone is carrying around a towel at their side wiping sweat from their faces. Accra is located in the dryest region in Ghana, so naturally it doesn't rain here as much as other places in the country.

I have been exhausted at each day's end because of all of the walking around and the heat. Ghanaians work and live at a much slower pace than we do in America. As a result, it takes much longer just to do one thing here and sometimes it takes all day. For example, my cell phone doesn't work here so Gaby decided to take us out into the city to buy some. We left thursday at around noon and didn't get back until 8:30 that night (that is a story in and of itself that I will tell in another post).

So far, I just wanted to give a brief introduction to what has been going on here so far in the first week. In the next post(s), I will go into more detail about the city, people, what they are like, how the academic system is set up here at the university, classes I will be taken, places to go and see, and my take and perspective on the economic disparity of here in relation to back home in the states as well as the open market environment here. Thanks for reading and keeping up with me!