Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Canopy Walk at Kakum National Park!
Over this past weekend (February 14-15) I ventured to Cape Coast, the original capital of the former Gold Coast (now of course known as Ghana) and went to Kakum National Park. This park is famous as it contains the only canopy walks in West Africa. The canopy walks are at least 50 feet up in the air.
This is the beginning or frontside view of kakum national park.
A forest elephant model head located in the Kakum National Park museum. Forest elephants do live in the park, but they are rarely seen due to their quietness and shyness.
This is the canopy walk. There are a total of six of them that form a circular path. I was scared at first walking on the canopies, but as long as you hold onto the ropes, you won't fall. And also, it definitely does not help to look down, although I did several times and after a while I became very comfortable walking on the canopies.
Will load more pictures of the canopy walks. The website is down right now for loading.
This is the beginning or frontside view of kakum national park.
A forest elephant model head located in the Kakum National Park museum. Forest elephants do live in the park, but they are rarely seen due to their quietness and shyness.
This is the canopy walk. There are a total of six of them that form a circular path. I was scared at first walking on the canopies, but as long as you hold onto the ropes, you won't fall. And also, it definitely does not help to look down, although I did several times and after a while I became very comfortable walking on the canopies.
Will load more pictures of the canopy walks. The website is down right now for loading.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Cultural Correspondence Class Q & A
Okay cultural correspondence class, here are the answers to all of the questions you guys emailed me. You can also look at some of the pictures as answers to the questions as well!
Nautica- Do you like eating the fufu?
> Tatyana - Do you like taking cold showers?
> Rita - Are you having fun?
> Emily- What stuff have you learned in Ghana?
> Orianna - Did you ever get to meet Barack Obama?
> Jalen - Have you ever seen a sunbow?
> Shy - What do you like best about Ghana so far?
> Destiny - Have you seen a Diana Monkey yet?
> Reagan - Do you spend a lot of money in Ghana?
> Kilikena - Why did you choose to learn about Ghana?
> Nyasia - Have you seen a grasscutter?
> Satchel - How did the basketball tryouts go?
> Kayla - Did you choose to go to Ghana or did someone choose it for you?
Why?
> Alexander - Who have you met?
> Jashane - What other interesting things have you seen?
> Samuel - How long did it take you to get to Ghana?
> Michael - Is the sand sculpture you took a picture of still there? How
long did it stay there? Do you know the name of the person who built it?
Carlos - What kind of trips are you planning to take?
> Roemello - Are you learning any words in Twi?
Nautica:
Fufu is okay. I don’t dislike it, but it isn’t exactly my favorite either. It has a weird texture to it and you can’t chew it, you have to swallow it whole. It kind of tastes like mash potatoes except stickier.
Tatyana:
The first week I hated taking cold showers, now I absolutely (well not absolutely) love them. Before I came to Ghana I was not really excited about taking cold showers, but I didn’t realize how refreshing they are. Ghana is hot all of the time, so naturally I (and everyone else here) sweat a lot. By the time I get in the shower, I am already hot and sticky, so the cold water is really refreshing and cool.
Rita:
Of course I am having fun!!! Can’t you tell by the pictures!!! I am loving every bit of Ghana and this experience. Of course not everyday is a sunny day as some days are good and others aren’t as great, but it is really a life-changing experience. Sometimes things move way too slow here, but I am learning how to be patient and take in the frustrations as well as the good times as they come. Actually just this past weekend some friends and I went to the Volta Region, a beautiful region located on the eastern side of the country. There, we saw monkeys, a pineapple farm, walked into Togo (which is the country to the east of Ghana) and saw a waterfall!
Emily:
I have learned a lot about Ghana. Just to give you the brief answer, I have learned how to do some of the African traditional dances, I have been learning how to do African drumming, and I am learning about the various tribes and cultural practices here in Ghana. I have learned what fufu and banku is as well.
Orianna:
No, I haven’t met Barack Obama. I have seen his wife before, she came and gave a talk at NC State last semester.
Jalen:
Yes, I am pretty sure I saw one this past weekend actually in the Volta Region. I went to a waterfall and took pictures of a rainbow/sunbow at the bottom of the waterfall.
Shy:
The thing I like best about Ghana so far is the relaxed pace of life. Life moves much slower here as compared to the US, and granted that gets frustrating sometimes I enjoy taking things slow and one day at a time. It is really relaxing. But to be honest there are a lot of things I like about Ghana, including the food, the people, the beach, the various attractions such as the monkeys and waterfalls.
Destiny:
Yes I have seen several Diana monkeys and I have even fed them bananas. Hopefully I can figure out how to post videos because I took videos of them eating the bananas.
Reagan:
Unfortunately, yes I have been spending a lot of money in Ghana, but I am cutting back and budgeting much better. Everything here costs and the expenses add up. To be honest, I haven’t been going to the mall and shopping or anything, but when you have to buy food, pay for laundry, pay to ride in Tro Tro’s and taxis, and pay for phone minutes, the money really does start to pile up.
Kilikena:
I chose to learn about Ghana because I have always been interested in Africa and Ghana seem like a good place to go to learn some things about African culture. I looked up the University of Ghana and their program and I was highly impressed and I realized I wanted to have that experience. From a personal point of view, I felt as though I needed a certain “roots” experience and the African experience was good for that. Also, I am really passionate about helping people and there are several opportunities here to get involved in the community and help people.
Nyasia:
No, I have not seen a grasscutter in person yet, but I have seen pictures of them.
Satchel:
The basketball tryouts are going good so far actually. The coach is not going to officially announce the members of the team until sometime next week so wish me luck. Actually on Sunday I went to a neighboring city called Tema and played in a basketball league. The coach has a team in the Tema basketball league and to get extra practice he asked all of the players to join his team. I didn’t take any pictures of that on Sunday, but I will definitely have pictures and videos of my games for you to see.
Kayla:
I chose to go to Ghana myself, no one chose it for me. Actually, I originally thought about going to Mexico, but after doing some research, I fell in love with Ghana and changed my mind.
Alexander:
I have met a lot of people, including many international students from all over the world. I have met people from different states in the US, including California, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Michigan. I have also met international students from Norway, England, Ireland, and Germany. And I have met many Ghanaians so far that come from different places in Ghana.
Jashane:
Besides pineapple farms, monkeys, and waterfalls, I have seen both women and men carrying all sorts of things on their heads. I have seen very colorful traditional African outfits and I also have briefly seen three funerals in passing. At the funeral everyone wears black and at one funeral there were people marching down the street playing trumpets. I saw an acrobat performance group on the beach the very first time I went, and they were able to do all sorts of interesting backflips and other moves.
Samuel:
I took a flight from RDU in Raleigh to New York, which took about two hours. The flight from New York to London took 6 hours and the flight from London to Accra took 7 hours. So overall I was in the air for 15 hours!
\
Michael:
I don’t believe the sand sculpture is still there. I am not totally sure how long he keeps the sculptures standing before he takes them down. I am sorry but I don’t know his name either, but he is really talented.
Carlos:
Trips I am planning on taking include trips to other parts of the country, including Cape Coast to go on canopy walks and see the old castles, the Volta Region again to do more exploring at the waterfall and through the mountains, hopefully to Mole National Park in the Northern Region so I can see elephants, Kumasi – home and capital of the Ashanti people and also a beautiful city in the Ashanti Region known for arts and crafts, and other places that I haven’t thought of yet. Also, I may be able to take a trip to the Ivory Coast and possibly Nigeria if I make the basketball team.
Roemello:
Yes, I am learning some words in Twi, but of course I still have plenty of practicing to do. So far I can only say good morning, how are you doing, see you later, and thank you.
Nautica- Do you like eating the fufu?
> Tatyana - Do you like taking cold showers?
> Rita - Are you having fun?
> Emily- What stuff have you learned in Ghana?
> Orianna - Did you ever get to meet Barack Obama?
> Jalen - Have you ever seen a sunbow?
> Shy - What do you like best about Ghana so far?
> Destiny - Have you seen a Diana Monkey yet?
> Reagan - Do you spend a lot of money in Ghana?
> Kilikena - Why did you choose to learn about Ghana?
> Nyasia - Have you seen a grasscutter?
> Satchel - How did the basketball tryouts go?
> Kayla - Did you choose to go to Ghana or did someone choose it for you?
Why?
> Alexander - Who have you met?
> Jashane - What other interesting things have you seen?
> Samuel - How long did it take you to get to Ghana?
> Michael - Is the sand sculpture you took a picture of still there? How
long did it stay there? Do you know the name of the person who built it?
Carlos - What kind of trips are you planning to take?
> Roemello - Are you learning any words in Twi?
Nautica:
Fufu is okay. I don’t dislike it, but it isn’t exactly my favorite either. It has a weird texture to it and you can’t chew it, you have to swallow it whole. It kind of tastes like mash potatoes except stickier.
Tatyana:
The first week I hated taking cold showers, now I absolutely (well not absolutely) love them. Before I came to Ghana I was not really excited about taking cold showers, but I didn’t realize how refreshing they are. Ghana is hot all of the time, so naturally I (and everyone else here) sweat a lot. By the time I get in the shower, I am already hot and sticky, so the cold water is really refreshing and cool.
Rita:
Of course I am having fun!!! Can’t you tell by the pictures!!! I am loving every bit of Ghana and this experience. Of course not everyday is a sunny day as some days are good and others aren’t as great, but it is really a life-changing experience. Sometimes things move way too slow here, but I am learning how to be patient and take in the frustrations as well as the good times as they come. Actually just this past weekend some friends and I went to the Volta Region, a beautiful region located on the eastern side of the country. There, we saw monkeys, a pineapple farm, walked into Togo (which is the country to the east of Ghana) and saw a waterfall!
Emily:
I have learned a lot about Ghana. Just to give you the brief answer, I have learned how to do some of the African traditional dances, I have been learning how to do African drumming, and I am learning about the various tribes and cultural practices here in Ghana. I have learned what fufu and banku is as well.
Orianna:
No, I haven’t met Barack Obama. I have seen his wife before, she came and gave a talk at NC State last semester.
Jalen:
Yes, I am pretty sure I saw one this past weekend actually in the Volta Region. I went to a waterfall and took pictures of a rainbow/sunbow at the bottom of the waterfall.
Shy:
The thing I like best about Ghana so far is the relaxed pace of life. Life moves much slower here as compared to the US, and granted that gets frustrating sometimes I enjoy taking things slow and one day at a time. It is really relaxing. But to be honest there are a lot of things I like about Ghana, including the food, the people, the beach, the various attractions such as the monkeys and waterfalls.
Destiny:
Yes I have seen several Diana monkeys and I have even fed them bananas. Hopefully I can figure out how to post videos because I took videos of them eating the bananas.
Reagan:
Unfortunately, yes I have been spending a lot of money in Ghana, but I am cutting back and budgeting much better. Everything here costs and the expenses add up. To be honest, I haven’t been going to the mall and shopping or anything, but when you have to buy food, pay for laundry, pay to ride in Tro Tro’s and taxis, and pay for phone minutes, the money really does start to pile up.
Kilikena:
I chose to learn about Ghana because I have always been interested in Africa and Ghana seem like a good place to go to learn some things about African culture. I looked up the University of Ghana and their program and I was highly impressed and I realized I wanted to have that experience. From a personal point of view, I felt as though I needed a certain “roots” experience and the African experience was good for that. Also, I am really passionate about helping people and there are several opportunities here to get involved in the community and help people.
Nyasia:
No, I have not seen a grasscutter in person yet, but I have seen pictures of them.
Satchel:
The basketball tryouts are going good so far actually. The coach is not going to officially announce the members of the team until sometime next week so wish me luck. Actually on Sunday I went to a neighboring city called Tema and played in a basketball league. The coach has a team in the Tema basketball league and to get extra practice he asked all of the players to join his team. I didn’t take any pictures of that on Sunday, but I will definitely have pictures and videos of my games for you to see.
Kayla:
I chose to go to Ghana myself, no one chose it for me. Actually, I originally thought about going to Mexico, but after doing some research, I fell in love with Ghana and changed my mind.
Alexander:
I have met a lot of people, including many international students from all over the world. I have met people from different states in the US, including California, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Michigan. I have also met international students from Norway, England, Ireland, and Germany. And I have met many Ghanaians so far that come from different places in Ghana.
Jashane:
Besides pineapple farms, monkeys, and waterfalls, I have seen both women and men carrying all sorts of things on their heads. I have seen very colorful traditional African outfits and I also have briefly seen three funerals in passing. At the funeral everyone wears black and at one funeral there were people marching down the street playing trumpets. I saw an acrobat performance group on the beach the very first time I went, and they were able to do all sorts of interesting backflips and other moves.
Samuel:
I took a flight from RDU in Raleigh to New York, which took about two hours. The flight from New York to London took 6 hours and the flight from London to Accra took 7 hours. So overall I was in the air for 15 hours!
\
Michael:
I don’t believe the sand sculpture is still there. I am not totally sure how long he keeps the sculptures standing before he takes them down. I am sorry but I don’t know his name either, but he is really talented.
Carlos:
Trips I am planning on taking include trips to other parts of the country, including Cape Coast to go on canopy walks and see the old castles, the Volta Region again to do more exploring at the waterfall and through the mountains, hopefully to Mole National Park in the Northern Region so I can see elephants, Kumasi – home and capital of the Ashanti people and also a beautiful city in the Ashanti Region known for arts and crafts, and other places that I haven’t thought of yet. Also, I may be able to take a trip to the Ivory Coast and possibly Nigeria if I make the basketball team.
Roemello:
Yes, I am learning some words in Twi, but of course I still have plenty of practicing to do. So far I can only say good morning, how are you doing, see you later, and thank you.
Pineapple farm, Wli Waterfall, Togo
These are pictures of the pineapple farm. Pineapples grow in really bushy fields out of large plant-like leaves.
This is a sweet apple. I have not tried it, but on the inside is a soft white material that, as the name suggests, is very sweet.
The pictures below are all from Wli Waterall. This is the largest waterfall in West Africa. The images are from the lower part of the waterfall at the bottom, we didn't get a chance to hike to the top of the waterfall, which would have been an additional two hour hike. It took about 30-40 minutes to hike to the bottom of the waterfall from the village right below the waterfall. There were a lot of bats flying on the cliff wall right beside the waterfall.
The next few pictures are of Togo. The waterfall is located at the border between Togo and Ghana so it only took about 5 minutes to walk into Togo. Because we didn't have passports, we couldn't walk far into the country, but the pics show just the beginning forests of Western Togo.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monkey Shrine/Village!
The pictures shown below are pictures from my adventure last weekend in the Volta Region. The Volta Region is located on the east side of Ghana right on the border with Togo. A group of 30 students left on Saturday morning at 7:30am and we got back to campus at around 10:45pm that night. The monkey shrine and waterfall locations were about 4-5 hours away from campus. While on the trip, we saw monkeys (visited a monkey village), saw a pineapple farm, visited Wli Waterfalls - the largest waterfall in West Africa, and walked into Togo for about 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
This is a Diana monkey. This picture was taken from the monkey shrine village we visited in Volta Region. At first the monkeys were shy and did not want to approach us but when we showed them bananas they came down from high in the trees and closer to the ground.
It is really great and refreshing to witness and see how highly intelligent monkeys are. As seen in this photo, the person is giving the monkey the banana with the peel still on. All of the monkeys peel off the outside before eating the bananas.
The leaves are in front of his eyes, but you can see the banana hanging out of his mouth.
This is a Diana monkey. This picture was taken from the monkey shrine village we visited in Volta Region. At first the monkeys were shy and did not want to approach us but when we showed them bananas they came down from high in the trees and closer to the ground.
It is really great and refreshing to witness and see how highly intelligent monkeys are. As seen in this photo, the person is giving the monkey the banana with the peel still on. All of the monkeys peel off the outside before eating the bananas.
The leaves are in front of his eyes, but you can see the banana hanging out of his mouth.
Jamestown, the Coast, and the Old Slave Prison
This is the front door to the Jamestown Prison. Back during slavery days, the prison fort was used to house slaves and hold them in preparation to be shipped off to other countries. Up until four months ago, it was still being used to house inmates, but the prison has been evacuated and is now being renovated into a tourist attraction (I don't have pictures right now of the inside but I will post those later).
This is the lighthouse tower in Jamestown. People can go to the top of the tower and overlook parts of Accra and the Atlantic Ocean for 5 cedis (think about $5). If you look closely in the background to the left is the Atlantic Ocean.
This is what I call the palace. It was originally one of the slave trading castles during the colonial period when Ghana was formally the Gold Coast. Now it serves as the seat of government. In other words, this is Ghana's "White House". The current president, Dr. John Atta Mills, moved the seat of government back to the castle from another location in Ghana in January. This castle is off limits to the public.
This is a view of some of the coast line of Ghana. In the bottom part of the picture is a restaurant right on the ocean, fishing villages and sand line the coast, and the government palace can be seen in the far background.
This is another shoreline view in Jamestown. In the background are the fishing canoes of the fisherman as they are making their daily catches.
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