Life just happens and if you don’t keep up with it one day you will look back realize that it’s over. Which is why I know it’s important for me to record the beautiful, troubling, and puzzling things that happen to me as I live my life in Ghana…BUT sometimes I am so busy just living my life that recording and reflecting things seems a little daunting. So let’s play catch up and I can explain all of the things that are bringing me joy and what adventures I’ve taken since the last time we’ve chatted,
TWO WEEKENDS AGO:
Friday night was another fun night with my favorite of company that I love to spend time with. We are all very social and adventurous people who aren’t afraid to put ourselves out there and talk to new people. We’ve made some amazing Ghanaian friends this way who are always excited to see us out and greet us with a big “EHHHH!!” every time we run into one another (Ghana is small so this happens frequently) we’ve met owners of our favorite bars and clubs which usually includes lots of free drinks and some of my favorite conversations that can revolve around: cultural relativism, shared childhood experiences, current state of affairs in Ghana vs US, lots of smiles, and even more laughter. Any night with them is a good night and Friday wasn’t much different. After hanging out at Republic Bar which was packed with travelers that nights and we all got a little protective over “our” favorite bar which, made us all chuckle thinking that we are easily adjusting to life in Ghana since we have our official place that we got out to. After Republic we made our way to Bella which is an air-conditioned club that we always say that we are done with but, end up there by the end of the night..because, every night is a dance party in Ghana. Seriously, I love the Ghanaian’s ability to turn any and all situations into a dance party and moments of joy, it’s just lovely. The clubs in Ghana are way more fun than most in the USA because, everyone actually dances. None of this posted up on the wall or dancing only if you have someone to dance with. Men dance in circles with each other and break it down with some impressive moves. Songs have their assigned dance moves that everyone in the club follows and it’s just fun. I know almost all of the songs that the club plays and know that I am going to miss the music and atmosphere that clubs in Ghana foster. We drank Hennessy and Moet that night, thanks to our friends in the VIP area and danced until the club started to empty out. At least those kids from the States know how to have fun 😉 Of course we were busy having fun that we forgot that we had to be up and ready to go on Saturday morning at 8:30 AM for our program’s day trip to Boti Falls therefore the next morning was a little rough but, I showed up with my make-up from last night, hiking clothes, and backpack ready for the next adventure. You can sleep when your dead right?
Boti Falls Beauty:
Luckily the bus ride to Boti Falls was about 4 hours so it allowed plenty of time to sleep and I even had enough time to get an egg sandwich on sugar bread before we departed which was delicious! The only downside was that the bus was soooo air conditioned that I had to use my towel as a blanket to keep me cool, brrr. But I slept until we arrived and it was sheer beauty. I am a city girl and there’s no denying that. When I hike there’s a nice path laid out and maybe even a railing too haha. I don’t like bugs and I am more clumsy than I would like to admit (I have the bruises and cuts to prove it). But I never want to say NO to any opportunity just because, I think I won’t be good at it or because, it may hurt my pride. I can laugh at myself and push myself outside of comfort zone. Being around others who were sure footed and hiking enthusiasts was a little intimidating but, I did it! That’s all that matters 🙂 Plus being in the back of the group made for an entertaining time as we hiked down then up then to a middle ground. We got stopped by locals who were dressed to the nines and still hiking faster than me. No joke, the men were wearing blazers, loafers, jeans, and nice hats. While the women were in cute blouses, flats, and jeans. The pulled out their iPads, iPhones, and cameras and asked for photos. I am sure I looked a hot mess sweating out the alcohol from the previous night with a horrified look plastered on my face as I tried not the face plant but, like I said early I can laugh at myself. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (You get the picture!)
Sleeping beauties on the bus
You can take the girl out of the city but, you can’t take the city outta the girl!
The best hiking partners who were okay with sticking behind with me, the pokey puppy!
Just being silly and posing
The good news is that eventually we reached the flat path and it was a piece of cake by then. All was dreaming about was the water falls and plunging my hot sweaty body into some cool water and splashing around. After we got to the flat path all we had to do was walk down a lot of wooden stairs and we were sooo close I could hear the rushing waters cooing my name and I was ready to answer there call. There were two lovely water falls on each side, trees that offered their shade, children splashing around, mossy rocks, and even some fire ants…ouch! I threw off my clothes and jumped into the water which was the coldest water I’ve experienced in Ghana (this is coming from someone who takes a cold shower every morning!) it was a mixture of refreshing and shocking. Still it was a welcome relief. Our group swam, splashed, screamed, laughed, smiled, and marveled at how beautiful this place was. -The pictures don’t do it justice!- I floated on my back for sometime and tilted my head back and got the most gorgeous view of the falls highlighted by the golden sun. SOOOO LOVELY. I think that when my mom comes to visit that I will have to take them here it’s too amazing to not see. Little children began to play in the water with us and we started a splash war with one another laughing and wiping the water from our eyes.
Eventually I gained enough courage to put my body under the water fall which is way more powerful than it appears. The water thundered at my body and pounded at my head causing me to express my emotions in a mixture of screams and smiles (reference pictures above!) I had the best company ever and it was such a fun day and a nice change to get outside of the city and be in nature…even for a city girl like me! After we were tired from playing in the falls we begin to get dressed and were greeted by fired ants that are sneaky little fellas but, if that was the price to pay for our day of fun then I would pay it in a heart beat! We loaded onto the bus and were feed large amounts of delish Ghanaian food which included: jollof rice, chicken, spicy chili sauce, water, and plantains. We quickly ate our meals and sleep found us as we made our way back to the city filled to our stomach’s and heart’s content. Life is good and oh so beautiful.
Later that night:
After resting and washing the fresh water off my body we decided to go to a concert on campus that featured Sarkodie and Chada Wali concert that was said to start at 8 PM but, thanks to Ghana Man Time (GMT) Started at 12 PM which allowed us time to drink some wine and get another egg sandwich for dinner on campus before, just chatting with each other. The concert was a lot of fun and was the rowdiest that I’ve ever seen a Ghanaian crowd get. I really enjoyed it because I knew almost all the songs that were played and could even try to mimic some of their moves 🙂 After about an hour the concert was over and so was my energy. A weekend full of friends, nature’s beauty, cold drinks, hot dance moves, sweaty hikes, and my new home of Ghana is one well spent in my books.
Concert time!
Sunday night was spent catching up on sleep and that’s about it!
Everyday I am faced with frustrations and consolations. Moments of joy are the ones that I want to focus on though because, it’s one of the things that I admire most about the people of Ghana. I never hear them complain and they are always there to offer you a “sorry!” sorry!” when they see you trip or hurt yourself not to be snarky or mean but, because they care and want you to know that. So to conlude this blog post I want to make a brief list of all the consolations/joy/beauty/lovely things and more that I appreciate here, in Ghana.
What I am thankful for:
- Having people say good morning/afternoon/evening to me every day
- Fresh fruit for breakfast
- Warm sun to welcome me every morning
- Hot delicious dinners made for me by my host family for dinner
- A bed and pillow to rest my achy body in
- African dance classes that make me feet red from pounding the ground but, happy to be able to move and shake it!
- Letters from home that give me a reminder that I am loved during my rough days
- Be able to successfully drink sachet waters without the blink of any eye
- Plantains for lunch, yummy
- The gorgeous sunrises that I witness on my way home from school
- A large campus that I can walk across
- Books to keep me company by night
- Journaling about the adventures that I never dreamed I would have
- Easily transitioning to my life here
- Daily conversations about social justice, White privileged, cultural relativism, and third culture perspective
- How easy it feels to laugh and smile about my life
- Daily reminders of humanity
- CHILDREN! Everywhere so free and happy
- Naa and Naco my host sisters who are happy when I come home
- MY WHOLE HOST FAMILY- they are truly amazing
- Dancing every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night
- Club beers on a hot day
- Spicy Kebabs from street vendors
- Food vendors in general, yummy
- How dusty my feet get after a long day exploring and washing away all the dirt and feeling accomplished
- The smell of sunscreen every morning
- The fact I can travel 3 hours outside of Accra and see a water fall
- The Atlantic ocean
- Swimming in the ocean
- Tanned skin
- The fact that I haven’t gotten malaria (knock on wood!)
- How blessed I am to have people back at home who I miss but, who don’t want to hold me back and are excited that I am here on my adventures.
This list could go on and on but, I will leave it at that for me now. What I am reflecting on is how bless and lucky I am to be HERE now with the company I have, the people I’ve met, the laughs and smiles we have shared. Even on the rough days I never wanted to forgot how magical of an experience this is. Life is beautiful and I am traveling it bit by bit and am excited for this journey that is life.
Until we meet again
XOX-Josie
Oh no! Another travel blog 