Cape Coast

A few weeks ago, CIEE took us on a day-trip to Cape Coast, which is about 2 hours outside of Accra. Cape Coast is a popular place to visit mainly because of Kakum National Park and the slave castles.

We started our day with a tour of Elmina Castle, the largest of the castles in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. I’ve always enjoyed getting to experience history where it took place versus just reading about it in a book and this experience was no different. It was, however, one of the most emotional and heart-wrenching things I have ever been a part of.

Elmina Castle

Entrance to the castle

The tour guide was especially helpful when it came to telling us all about what happened in the castle. He brought us to each room and explained what it was used for. What was so surreal to me was that I was standing in a place where so many horrible things occurred. A few hundred years ago, there were so many people being tortured and neglected in the very room I was standing in. There was just so much to take in.

One of the slave dungeons

Another slave dungeon

In one of the slave dungeons

A few things stuck out to me that really helped me understand the stark contrast between what it meant to be white and black at that time.

At one point, the guide showed us two prison cells: one for whites and one for blacks. The prison cell for white people was used as a punishment for white guards who were misbehaving (i.e. not taking orders, etc.). We got the chance to go in the prison cell and it wasn’t all that bad. There were windows in a few places and it was pretty breezy. It was also in a spot where the sun hit, so it was so easy to see. The guards typically had to stay in this cell for a few days. Directly next to the white prison cell was the door to the black prison cell, which looked like a door to a dungeon. When the tour guide opened the door for us to go in, we could barely see where we were going. First of all, the cell was half the size of the white prison cell and it was very difficult to fit everyone inside. When we were all inside, the guide shut the door on us and it was pitch black. He explained that when captured slaves misbehaved (i.e. rebelled, tried to escape, etc.), they would be put in this prison cell. There could be up to 40 people in the dungeon at a time and once you went in, you weren’t taken out until you were dead. As a matter of fact, they wouldn’t clear out the prison cell until all the inhabitants were dead. Not only were the captured slaves subjected to several diseases and not given any food, but also they were expected to sit inside this cell and rot until they died. It was such a stark contrast to the prison cell for white guards, which was directly next to this cell. Two completely different worlds were represented, only a few feet apart.

Another thing that really spoke to me was when we went to the governor’s apartment, which was located in the castle. It was upstairs and it was huge. The rooms were vast in size and there was so much open space. It’s probably the equivalent of the size of my house at home. I just can’t understand how a person could live so luxuriously (especially during this timeframe) when so much injustice against humanity was being committed just a few hundred feet away. When I looked out the windows at this apartment, there was a clear view of the slave dungeons where people were being treated like animals. What perplexes me the most is how a person could live within this community and not feel at all guilty or responsible. While I will never understand why people thought that this kind of treatment was acceptable, it’s one thing to participate in this activity during the day and go home at night, but it’s completely different to live among this way of life and never feel any remorse. Humanity is sometimes so disgusting to me.

View from the Governor’s apartment

The most emotional and moving moment for me, however, was when we went through the door or no return. Slaves were led through this door (if they survived the conditions at the castle) and put on a boat to the Americas. This was the last time that slaves would be in their home country and there was no coming back. Our tour guide led us through the tunnel and the steps to the final room where the door of no return was located. He asked us to partake in a moment of silence and then had us sing ‘Amazing Grace,’ which was written during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It was such a touching moment and is something I will never forget.

Entrance to the door of no return

 

Door of no return

 

View from the door of no return

After the tour, we sat in a room and had a brief discussion just reflecting on our experiences and emotions. While I didn’t speak, I really enjoyed hearing other people’s thoughts on such a heavy topic.

Shame on the human race

After the castle, our day took a happy turn and we went to Kakum National Park to do the canopy walk. We went on a hike that consisted crossing over 7 canopies in the jungle. It was a lot of fun, even though the canopies were very rickety and some of the guys on my trip were shaking them. Talk about a true team-building experience!

A few people on the canopy walkway

 

Liz and I on the canopy walkway

Once we were finished in Kakum, we went to a late lunch at a crocodile resort in Cape Coast. After eating, I got to touch a crocodile, which was super cool! I’m so happy that I lived to tell the tale, because it kept moving around before I went by it to touch it! It was a close call.

Making friends

Peace&Blessings,

Paige

Rural Homestay and Palm Tree Festival

The weekend before I went to the stilt village, I spent my weekend at the Palm Tree Festival in the Volta region in Ghana. The trip was through the drumming department and we stayed in the hometown of a drumming professor in a small village. The trip was very fun and I felt like I was really able to understand Ghanaian culture better, especially since I was so far outside the hustle and bustle of Accra.

In typical Ghanaian fashion, we left an hour and a half late, so we got stuck in major traffic on our way there. Originally, we were supposed to travel luxuriously (in an air-conditioned bus), but since there were so few of us, we rode in a private tro-tro instead. Since being in Ghana, it’s rained about five times and on this day, it not only rained—it poured. About 45 minutes into the car ride, the ceiling started leaking in the tro-tro, but it wasn’t anything major, so we didn’t think anything of it. But, as the rain kept coming down, the ceiling eventually couldn’t handle it and there was water everywhere! I was sitting in the back row of the tro-tro with my friends Emily and Jeremy and we were the only ones getting soaked. Twenty minutes later, we were so wet that it looked like we had just gotten out of the shower. When asked what was going on by us, my Jeremy said it best: “It’s fucking raining back here.”

Needless to say, we pulled over multiple times to try and see where the water was coming from, but nothing helped. We had one person move up front, but Jeremy and me were stuck in the back in the pouring rain—you’d think we were in a convertible, not a tro-tro. Eventually, the raining ceiling started to get some other people wet, so we stopped at a gas station and the driver was going to attempt to fix the problem once and for all. The only issue was the fact that he was trying to seal the hole, but that was impossible since it was already soaked from all of the rain. At that point, I’d agreed to just suck it up and stay in the back since I was already wet, but then my friend Ally and I realized an even bigger problem than the rain—cockroaches.

We saw a cockroach crawl out of a hole in the ceiling and that was the breaking point for us. We told the professor and other Ghanaians we were with and they told us that they would switch seats with us. Luckily, Ally and I were up in the front, far away from the cockroaches, but we could still hear them squeaking.

When we arrived at the homestay, let me just say that it was exactly what I pictured Ghana to be like before I came here. We were in a small village with tiny houses and basic necessities. The house that we stayed in consisted of a single room, which is where we slept. The living room was outside of the house along with the bathroom. There was no running water, but there was electricity. The kitchen consisted of women cooking food on coals and fires outside.

Our room

 

The living area and bathroom

The next morning, we all woke up and got dressed for the day. The whole reason we came to the Volta region was to go to the Palm Tree Festival, which consists of celebrating the palm tree for all of its uses—the leaves, the oil, the bark, the coconuts, the alcohol, etc.

We started the festivities by going a few blocks away where there was a parade to the festival site. The “parade” consisted of hundreds of people decked out in traditional ware from waist beads to kente cloth. The chief of the village was carried on a throne to the festival. I was wearing a traditional dress and I was sweating profusely since it was so hot outside—I don’t know how the men in elaborate kente cloths were able to survive in the heat.

The chief being carried to the festival

 

Women dressed in their festival outfits

When we got to the festival site, there were people everywhere all sitting down waiting for the speakers to begin. About 20 minutes after we got there, there was much commotion going on since the former President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings, was in attendance. He came up to our section and I was only ten feet away from him—he even shook my friend’s hand.

Former President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings

Once the speakers began, they went on for hours and hours—all in the local language. We got there around 11am and we left at 3pm and the festival wasn’t even halfway over! While the speakers took up most of the time, there were several breaks where people performed or where there were traditional ceremonies in honor of the palm tree.

A child celebrating the Palm Tree

Once we left, we went home for dinner. Even though I’ve been in Ghana for 3 months now, it hasn’t been that hard to find food I like. Being in Accra, I have so many options about where to go and what to eat, but since I was in a rural part of Ghana, I didn’t have any choice when it came to dinner. That being said, dinner consisted of banku (a doughy ball that is everywhere in Ghana), tilapia, little fish, and sauce. I tried the tilapia, but wasn’t a huge fan since there were bones and skin everywhere, so I took a few bites of banku and called it a day.

Tilapia for dinner

 

Interesting fish for dinner

After dinner, we all sat outside and got to know the people in the neighborhood. There were so many people around and it was so nice to be able to feel like part of the community. Even though a lot of the people didn’t speak English, we were all dancing and drumming and having a good time—I guess it’s true when they say that music is a universal language. When we were dancing, I even got to do one of the traditional dances from my dance class, so that was a lot of fun since I actually knew what was going on.

Drumming at night

The next day, we packed up and left for campus. Overall, I’d say my experience was very enlightening and enjoyable. Looking back, I like to describe it as my “Peace Corps experience,” because it reminds me of what it would be like to be in the Peace Corps, especially since it was such a small village with a language barrier. I really enjoyed myself and I’m glad I got to spend it with some of my close friends.

Peace & Blessings,

Paige

Stilt Village and Surfing

So I realized that I haven’t posted a blog in about a month, which is pretty sad. I’ve done so much since my last post and once I realized how long it has been since I last posted, I realized that I won’t be able to fully explain everything that has happened in these last few weeks. First of all, it’s important to acknowledge that today is November 7, and I only have just over a month left here. I still can’t believe how fast my time has gone here and that it’s almost over!

A few weeks ago, a group of friends and I went to the western part of Ghana to a town I can’t pronounce. We went to see the stilt village and let me just say that it was quite the experience. While it was cool to see a village on stilts, it definitely wasn’t worth the 11-hour journey it took to get there. The last leg of travelling consisted of a 45-minute canoe ride through crocodile infested waters. If that wasn’t bad enough, let’s just say that they overloaded the canoe and the canoe had holes in in, so one of my friends had the responsibility of scooping the water out of the boat the entire time. By the end of the boat ride, I needed a Xanax and a drink.

Us in the canoe (you can see us scooping water out of it)

If I’m being honest, I originally thought that it was a village of people on stilts, so I was a little bummed when I found out that only the village was on stilts. Despite that let down, I was still excited to see what the town was all about and how the people lived. When we got there, we got a tour of the village, which was a quick 20-minute walk through the place. After that, there was nothing to do since it was such a small village. Since we were staying the night, we put our stuff down in two of the four rooms in the “guest house.” None of them were clean, but we chose the two rooms by default since there was a bat in one and some type of animal poop on one of the other beds. Basically, we all just hung out and before we knew it, it was dinner, which consisted of jollof, yams, and an egg.

This is was just the calm before the storm.

In order to go to the bathroom, you had to use a key and there was one bathroom in the whole village. Most of the people peed in the water and only used the toilet when necessary, but they gave us the key for the toilet because they knew how us white people value toilets. During dinner, my friend Jesse dropped the key. Since it was dark, we were searching all over for it, but realized that she dropped it through the stilts and into the water. No more key for anyone. Since we’re all used to the fact that we just have to pee wherever we can, it wasn’t a huge deal to not have access to a bathroom….except if you had a bad experience with dinner, which was the case for a few people.

After we got over that issue, we decided to hang out in our rooms since there were so many mosquitoes around. Like I said, it was dark, so our room lights were the only things on and it attracted hundreds of moths to our room. It was literally an infestation of moths. We tried to kill them, but more appeared and they were everywhere—on the beds, on the floor, on our backpacks, etc.!

While this was happening in my room, the girls in the other room were screaming that they were locked in their room with all of the moths. Initially, I just laughed because I didn’t know how they could be so dumb, but when I went to open the door, it was locked and there was no way I could get it open. We went to get people from the village and they had to take a machete to the lock in order to bust open the door. It was like a scene from the movies where the cops break down a door for something. When the door opened, all I saw was Jesse screaming with relief, Viviane wearing a headlamp (classic), and Irini sitting on the bed meditating. I guess it’s safe to say that it was only an issue to some people.

After that, we decided to move outside to get away from the moths and we were having a great time just hanging out. About an hour later, I turned my head towards our rooms and saw a rat crawl into my room. A few other people saw it too and we were all collectively grossed out. If there’s one thing in the world that scares me the most, it’s rats and mice. I thought I was being pretty flexible with all that had happened so far that day, but the rat was definitely my breaking point. We joked that we would sleep outside, but a little while later we were all so tired and decided to suck it up and go to sleep in our rooms anyways.

It’s safe to say that I was pretty paranoid and every time I heard a sound, I switched on my flashlight to see if it was the rat. I knew I wasn’t going to sleep well that night.

As per usual, there was some commotion in the other room and we just assumed that they were filling their minds with crazy scenarios involving the rat. Of the three people in that room, two of them are probably the most anxious and high-strung people on this trip, so we just ignored them like usual. Then, about ten minutes later it gets quiet, and Viviane says, “Guys, the bat is in our room.”

I was laughing so hard, but I was so thankful that I was in the other room. They were all squealing and yelling things and were afraid to get out of their bed because they were afraid the bat would land in their hair. Viviane had the wonderful idea of turning on her headlamp (she was still wearing it) to see if the bat had moved. Luckily, she didn’t (and thank god, because if the bat came near her she probably would’ve had a panic attack—something a Xanax wouldn’t be able to help with).

They were locked in their room again, but after some fiddling with the door, they were able to get out. While Irini and Viviane decided that they were sleeping outside that night, I knew Jesse would freak out, so I volunteered myself to sleep outside instead and she could take my spot in the bed. It was a win-win: she didn’t have to sleep outside and I was away from the rat. We all thought that it was hilarious that we actually slept outside, but let me just say that it was the best night’s sleep I had in a while.

Us sleeping outside

The next morning, we were all over being at this village and we just wanted to leave. Our canoe was scheduled to pick us up at 9am, so we decided that we would pay for our rooms early so that we would be ready to go once the canoe arrived. The guy who we made our reservations with went to the mainland for the day, so we were left with two women who were trying to overcharge us. Before we got there, we had to pay 17 cedis for the canoe ride and we were told that this also included our food since we were staying the night. The only thing left to pay for was the two rooms, at 40 cedis each and then we were good to go. The women wanted to charge us for the rooms and the food, which was overpriced and not that good. Instead of paying 80 cedis, they wanted us to pay 120 cedis, something that was not going to happen. We were explaining to them what we were supposed to pay and that we had already paid for the food, but they didn’t care. We spent over an hour and a half arguing with them and they would not change the price.

We were all so fed up, but there was no way to get off of this island because our canoe still hadn’t arrived. When it finally did arrive, we all tried to get in the canoe and leave, but one of the women took the paddles away and wouldn’t give them back until we paid her price. We ended up paying 105 cedis instead of 120 cedis, which isn’t a whole lot more than the 80 cedis we thought we were going to pay. It was just really frustrating that they wouldn’t listen to us when we said that we didn’t use one room because of the bat/rat/being locked in dilemma.

Once we left the village, we were all so much happier, even if we were still a bit worked up. The canoe ride was hell, but nothing compared to being at the village. I’m writing this 4 weeks after going to the stilt village, so I know my anger has since been repressed, but I’m being honest when I say to never go there if you come to Ghana. Even though people don’t have any customer service skills, I have never felt so disrespected and taken advantage of in my life. Plus, there are no people on stilts, so it’s not that exciting anyways.

After we got back to the mainland, we went to this little Spanish restaurant and it was absolutely delicious. After that, we travelled about two hours to Busua, a little surfing village where we spent the night and got surfing lessons in the morning. It was nice being in a real hotel, even if I did find a lizard in my towel. Surfing was a lot of fun, despite the fact that I never stood up on a wave. It’s a lot harder than it looks.

Pre-surfing

Action shot

Even though the weekend started badly, it ended on a completely different note and I’m glad that I went. If anything, I came back with a few stories.

Peace&blessings,

Paige

The 8 People You Will Meet When You Study Abroad

Since being abroad, I’ve gotten to know so many different people, especially the ones on my program. When I’ve spoken to my friends who are also abroad, I’ve noticed that there are many parallels when it comes to the people on our programs. When hearing a friend talk about someone on their program. I immediately thought of a similar person on my program. That being said, I’ve compiled a list of the types of people you will probably meet while abroad. Keep in mind that this list is subjective and only meant for fun.

1.    The Photographer

This is the person who always has their camera ready to document every moment of the trip. This person can be found taking pictures even where pictures aren’t allowed. By the end of the trip, you’ll probably see a picture of every meal they’ve eaten in the past 4 months, complete with Instagram filters. Besides always taking pictures themselves, they’re constantly asking people to take pictures of them for the sake of showing everyone at home what a great experience they’re having. Yes, this person often utters phrases like, “Take a picture of me with this African child,” and “Ooh, can you snap a pic of me holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa?” When you do finally take their picture, they’ve already shifted their attention to finding the perfect filter for their new profile picture. This will continue for the duration of your trip.

2.    The World Traveller

This is the person who has been to more countries than you can count. Not only have they been to the popular ones, but they’ve also been to countries that you’ve never even heard of. They’re so cultured and they don’t seem to be phased by anything. Culture shock isn’t in their vocabulary and when they see other people experiencing culture shock, it’s with a “been there, done that” mentality. They might start their sentences with a, “When I was in Kenya…” anecdote. This person is always prepared for everything and has just about every travel gadget you can imagine. They probably brought half of the things you did because they knew exactly how to pack. Plus, when you compliment them on their awesome wardrobe, they’ll probably respond with something like, “Oh this old thing? I got it in Cambodia/ The Galapagos Islands/Zambia years ago.”

3.    The Drunk

Let’s face the facts: One of the most exciting things about being abroad when you’re under 21 is being able to legally drink alcohol. We’ve all experienced that moment of independence when we walked into a bar and didn’t have to whip out our fakes. Even though it’s a great feeling, there’s always one person who takes it a bit too far. Maybe this person won’t be 21 when they get back to the US or maybe they drink so much because the alcohol is so cheap. Whatever the reason, this person probably goes out 4-5 times per week (maybe more) and always takes advantage of the open container laws of their host country. Even though I haven’t been able to pinpoint a person on my program as being the drunk, I’d be lying if I said that none of us ever exhibited these characteristics from time to time.

4.    The Constant Reminder

This is the person who will always tell you where you are, what you’re doing, and why it is so exciting. If you ever forget what is going on, they will be there to remind you every 10 minutes. This person probably hasn’t travelled that much, so they’re excited to experience everything. This person might exhibit characteristics of the photographer as well, because they’re trying to document all of their awesome cultural experiences. They’re usually found saying things like, “Guys, I can’t believe we’re sitting by the Eiffel Tower drinking wine and eating baguettes. We’re so French right now,” or “Before I leave Ghana, I have to go on a safari because if I don’t see Elephants or Tigers, I’m gonna be pissed. It’s the true African experience.”

5.    The Free Spirit

This person always goes with the flow and will try everything once. They will eat all of the food all of the time and go on every adventure without ever blinking an eye. They won’t understand why everyone else on the program is disgusted that they’re eating a raw fish from the side of the road. They’re not afraid of getting traveller’s diarrhea—they don’t think anything of it. This person is probably super cool and you should try to get to know them. If you hang out with them, you’ll probably end up doing a super cool cultural thing that you never even knew about.

6.    The Local

Within 2 weeks of being in your host country, this person’s friend group consists entirely of locals. How they even met all of these people, you have no idea. All you do know is that they’re never around because they’re out a friend’s house or at a festival of some sort. They actually make an effort to speak the host language and they speak it exclusively with their new friends. If you can’t figure out who this is on your program, it’s okay, you probably haven’t met them yet since they’re so busy.

7.    The Parent

This person is always looking out for everyone on the program and they are always prepared for every situation, no matter how unlikely it may seem. Oh you got a snakebite in Denmark? Don’t  worry—they have a cream for that. Or maybe your computer died in the middle of the desert. You’re in luck—they brought their computer charger with them. If you ever feel sick, you can just go to them and they will ask you all of your symptoms before whipping out their first aid kit filled with every item known to man. This person can’t wait to tell you everything they know and they love it when you come to them for anything.

8.    The Outlier

This is the person who you will definitely meet when you’re abroad in a non-traditional location. When you see some of the things that the outlier says/does, you often think to yourself, “Why did you even come here?” I see this on a daily basis. This is the person saying things like, “Ew, we have to bucket shower? I’m so not doing that.” Or “The bathroom is a hole in the ground? Where are we?” This person might be a diva or they might not be afraid to say what’s on their mind. Regardless of the reason, they’re like an open book and can be found complaining to someone in person or on the phone.

As I mentioned before, this list is just based on my experiences so far. Even though some of them sound mean, I think it’s safe to say that we all have characteristics of each person I’ve listed above. I’d be lying if I said I never complained about a bucket shower or if I didn’t comment on how cool it was to be in Ghana. Being abroad is great, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that even though you may be doing everything together, everyone experiences things differently. It’s natural to be excited about experiencing a new culture and it’s also natural to be hesitant about some things. At the end of the day, everyone adjusts differently to a new culture and we all have our own ways of adjusting to change.

Peace&Blessings,

Paige