I would like to think of this article as a blog post reflecting on my first few days studying in the city of Accra, otherwise known as the capital of Ghana which is located in West Africa. Although words cannot describe the range of emotions I’ve felt over the past three days, I will do my best to portray them through writing.
Our trip began in the city of Accra, where gentrification is quickly taking action. Our tour guide Maxwell, a local Ghanaian and recent graduate from The University of Ghana explained to us how the government is trying to make the area surrounding the airport look as updated as possible so that it's the first thing tourists see when they fly into the city. As we drove further into the city, the roads turned to dirt and it felt like a completely different place (keep in mind we only drove for about five minutes). It was then we saw numerous barefoot women walking while balancing large baskets of cold bottled drinks on their head to sell to locals and tourists. We stared out from the bus and the local people stared at us back. Not necessarily uncomfortable stares, but curiosity stares. It’s safe to say my classmates and I stood out like sore thumbs.
As our bodies adapted to the four-hour time difference, we began exploring the city of Accra. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with a friendly smile and a energetic, “Akwaaba,” which means welcome. We tried the delicious local foods which made our mouths burn because of the spices used. We visited places like the Aya Center, a center that houses temporary international students. We toured the city of Accra looking through the windows of our bus due to torrential downpours. As we drove along the coast, we passed a tall lighthouse that caught our eye. Maxwell explained the lighthouse was built in the early 1800’s by the British and was used to manage the transportation of slaves. He was pretty sure we were able to climb it, so out of the bus we went. We sloshed through the puddles in our flip-flops to climb a unique piece of African history. Although the inside of the lighthouse was dark and the stairs were extremely narrow, we made it to the top (97 steps later). The sound of thunder boomed around us as we squinted through the rain at the panoramic view of the city. Something about the dreary weather made the experience much more real and memorable for us.
Since our mission of the trip was to learn about African Christianity, we sat through several lectures to fulfill our minimum hours of classroom time. Lectures were given by well-known Ghanaian professors and by our very own professor from Manhattan College. The discussions were very intriguing, but as a class we were still new to the country and had lot more to learn.
One of the most dramatic experiences for me was visiting a local elementary school. As we anxiously walked around the outside of the school, the children waved and shouted out of the open and unprotected windows. As we entered, they ran up to us and embraced us without hesitation. They made silly faces, held our hands and took pictures with us. They threw up peace signs, smiled and laughed at this foreign experience. As one could imagine, the happiness I felt as a future teacher was overwhelming. But as I looked around the school I began to feel very sad. The one story building was in horrible condition and there were a lot of bugs inside because of the open windows. The classrooms were large dark rooms with a few tables and blackboards. Each class had about 30 students and one single teacher.
Later on that day, I learned the school we visited had made some sort of "significant progress." In my mind, I figured they enrolled more students or the students were doing well on tests. I was wrong. The major change the school had undergone was that each of the students had recieved their very own notebook. Individual notebooks for each child? That was the big deal? In that moment, a wave of sadness swept over me. Sure I had learned about underprivileged schools before, but seeing one first hand was intense. This visit enhanced my desire to become a teacher with the hope that I can help kids just like those that I visited. What struck me the most was how genuinely happy these children were. Their lives were so simple, yet so complex at the same time.
As mentioned before, it's nearly impossible to convey the overwhelming feelings Ghana has given me thus far. Not only have I learned about religion, but I have gotten a serious wake-up call. There I was whining about the quality of my iPhone 6 battery, while some of these people didn’t even have a pair of shoes. We have 10 days left in Ghana and I’m more than excited to see what else it has in store. I truly believe traveling is the best way to learn about others and yourself.
