Goodbye Ghana - June 6th

Today was our final day here, and it was definitely sad. Packing up our belongings, saying goodbye to our tour guides, and lining up at check-in to go home all had me pretty emotional. There is no doubt that I will miss Ghana dearly, and if I ever have the opportunity to go back again, I would love to. It's been a wonderful and inspiring three weeks and I'm excited to take this experience and these lessons back with me. So, I end this blog with my favorite lessons learned...

1. "There is nothing that is thrown in the sky that stays there." Everything must come to an end.

2. "Money doesn't work magic for anyone" If you aren't happy without it, you won't be happy with it. It seems to be a common attitude here among Ghanaians that money isn't all that important. It's necessary for life, to buy the things you need, support your families, etc. and people work hard for it, but it's not where you find validation and happiness.

3. "It's nice to be nice" I really don't think I've ever met people so kind to everyone they meet. I'd love to take that attitude back with me. In the states you learn from day one to be wary of strangers. I don't think I felt afraid or worried once during this trip. It was nice to not feel like I always needed to be on guard and to know that no one here is really a stranger, they're more like friends waiting to be made.

Of course those three statements don't sum up everything I've learned here in Ghana, it'd be impossible to do that. But those are my favorites, and the ones I want most to remember and carry with me. Ghana, it's been lovely. Goodbye.

Bead Making & Easy Listening - June 5th

Today was our last full day here in Ghana. Can't believe this is ending. It feels like we haven't been here long at all, but at the same time it feels like we've been here forever!

This morning we headed back towards where we had our naming ceremony, but this time our destination was Krobo. The first stop was to the Global Mamas office there, the one that focuses on bead making. That office didn't feel quite as joyful and awesome as the cape coast one though. But it was a rainy day, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt! It was raining so we had to trek through thick, sticky, slippery mud to get back to the thatch roof hut where the bead making was done, but it was all in good fun. Learning about the process and then getting to make our own recycled glass beads was awesome! It was kind of a long process, but I loved that we all just kind of got to hang out leisurely, talk, and eat delicious bananas. And the beads turned out so cute!!





We ended up getting back to the hotel around 4:30 or so and relaxed until dinner, another bittersweet affair. After dinner the FM girls plus Brennan (officially dubbed one of us) all hung out and worked on a card for Awuku and Francis while getting ready to go out. We met up with Pebbles and Inka and club +233, a really amazing jazz club that was just a couple minutes walk from our hotel. I spent the night talking with Inka, Katie, and Leyla. Inka had a lot of great advice for all of us and spending the night listening to awesome live music and having one last go with our Ghanaian friends was a great finish to our time here.

(I wore my dress by Ginatu, and she happened to be in the lobby on our way out. She loved it! That made me super happy.)



Tomorrow is the last day and we'll be heading to the airport in the afternoon. Sad but also sort of content with what we've done here and with the fact that this experience is truly ending.

Naming Ceremony & Farewell Dinner - June 4th

This morning started off bright and early with a LONG bus ride into the Volta region to go to the Torgorme village for our naming ceremony. Unfortunately the traffic delayed the trip quite a bit so we arrived late and Awuku had to apologize for us. Walking into the village with all of the drums, welcoming, and shaking hands with the elders and inhabitants of the village was just awesome. It was such a great experience to be a part of!! My name was Kwabo Nukunu, girl child born on Monday and wonders. Dancing with all of the kids was so much fun! Those girls were so sweet! After the dancing ended one just ran right into me with a hug, it was so precious. Then as we took our tour around the village I was never without little hands to hold and guide me along. They were beyond precious. Watching the clay pot making was amazing - that is seriously hard work. So impressed with those women. The whole morning was just wonderful and well worth the hours spent on the roads to get there and back!!









On the return drive we stopped by a wildlife reserve, but because of the mud we weren't able to drive back and see much. But we did get to see ostriches (probably one of the weirdest looking creatures in existence) and some baboons. After getting back to Accra I think we were all pretty excited! But we also had our farewell dinner which was great. The performers were really cool, though honestly I would have rather done without it and just have been able to talk to everyone. But they were still pretty amazing to watch. The teachers' introductions for each of us were so sweet and touching. It was all very bittersweet, but a good start to the winding down of our time here. It's been wonderful and I will miss Ghana dearly, but I'm so ready to take this experience back home and figure out what exactly it means to me and what I will do with what I've learned here.

Sunday Funday - June 3rd

Today was a free day so I spent the morning organizing and packing for our return to Georgia. Around noon I headed out with Olivia, Katie, Erin, Brennan, Ally, Caitlin, Leyla, and Dr. Okech to Cuppa Cappuccino, but sadly they were closed. Luckily, there was another coffee shop close by that was open. I got a cappuccino and a goat cheese pastry for 9 cedis, which is amazing. They were so good!! The cafe just felt like being back in America, it was a much needed taste of home. It was nice to just enjoy the atmosphere, the great food, and conversation with wonderful people.



While talking to Brennan About how the end of our trip was nearing I think I finally had a moment where I realized I was okay with going home. Not that I want to go home, or am so ready to leave Ghana, but just finally accepting that it's been a great experience, we've done so much, and there is really nothing left to do but go back to my life in America and take this experience with me.

After the coffee shop, Leyla, Olivia, Erin, and I caught a (cramped) cab with Dr. Okech to the grocery store in which he tried to marry us off to the cab driver, Nicholas. So funny. These are the fun little moments I'll remember and miss!!

Back at the CocoGrove I spent the next few hours doing work in my room with Katie before Ginatu arrived with some more garments! I was so excited to finally see my Agora dress made up, it is awesome!! I really think Airee is going to love them and I can't wait to see it in the other fabrics!! After Ginatu, INKA came by and it was just so great to talk to her as well. She really is such an inspiring, fabulous woman and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet her! I ended up buying one more necklace from her, for myself this time and she was sweet enough to give me these amazing pearl and string earrings as well. I'm so happy that she and Pebbles will be coming to our farewell dinner!

What I Will Miss About Ghana

1. Meeting people for whom the concept of "stranger" is nonexistent.
2. Being surrounded by people rife with positivity, regardless of the situation.
3. Reading the backs of tro tros.
4. Chuckling at the names of shops because they're totally unrelated to the products being sold.
5. Being on our bus with Awuku and Francis.
6. Francis's amazing maneuvers through any situation.
7. GHANAIAN FOOD!
8. The people in our group, all of whom I've come to really like.
9. Shopping in the markets.
10. Exercising my surprisingly great bartering skills when shopping.
11. Seeing people unafraid to wear bold colors and patterns and clothes that accentuate their bodies.
12. Sweet, sweet kids. Esther. Kwabi.
13. Not having to fear people you don't know or constantly watch your back.
14. Dressing for comfort rather than style.
15. Hilarious issues with water and power.
16. After dinner meetings with the FM girls and Blalock.
17. Dr. Okech's words of wisdom.
18. TAXIS - okay not really, but they were always fun.
19. Feeling like I'm doing good things and helping people who need to be helped.
20. Ghana. 

Lifeline Girls

Yesterday morning, the first thing we did was head to Kakum National Park to do an amazing canopy walk through the treetops! It was so much fun, but my thighs are killing me from that hike to the top!! The view was beautiful, and I really enjoyed it. I felt so adventurous! After that, we drove back to Accra (about two and a half hours) and then went over to the cultural center to kill some time. I bought a backpack, some ridiculous pants, and some jewelry for gifts. I also got a humorous marriage proposal from the guy who sold me my backpack. It is so nice to be back at our original hotel, I swear when we pulled up I thought, "We're home!" After dinner, Ginatu showed up for a fitting with all of our garments. I loved seeing everyone's designs and I was so excited about my green dress! She told me she was still working on my maxi dresses, but I have total faith. The green dress fits perfectly! I pretty much never want to wear something not custom made ever again! :)





Today, our morning started off at the Lifeline Girls Project, an organization that takes girls who live and work on the street and gives them a place to live, medical care, schooling, and teaches them a trade (hairdressing, cooking, sewing, batiking, etc.) that they can use to make products to sell or get jobs with. It was so great to be there and talk to all of the girls and help out. The FM girls had put together a new project for the sewing girls to make - fabric flowers. So we split the girls into groups of three or four and each of us went over and taught them how to make these new products. It was a little difficult, because many of them didn't speak English and the ones who did didn't speak it exceptionally well. So I had to really simplify my words and teach more by demonstration. It was an interesting experience. I always wonder how I would fare as a teacher, but hey! If I can reach girls who don't understand me how to do something, I must be alright! My group of girls were awesome! They picked up on how to make the flowers so quickly. I was really, really impressed. Apparently they all knew each other and were friends and they were from the Northwest part of Ghana. They told me they had only been at Lifeline for 2 days! They seemed pretty happy to be there though and were so sweet and smiley throughout the few hours we spent there. It really was such a great experience and I love that we not only got to hang out with them, we also were able to introduce new product to them that doesn't currently exist in their market and would sell well to visiting "obruni." I'm so happy we were able to be a part of this program!





After having a delicious lunch at Papaye (grilled chicken with garlic sauce and amazing rice), we took a second visit to the Global Mamas shop and I couldn't resist; I bought a wrap skirt, a handkerchief and a couple more bars of handmade soap. But I really don't feel bad about spending money in that store because of the mission and where the money is going.


(This photo is actually from our first trip there, I didn't have any from today!)

Tomorrow we're supposed to go to an art museum, casketmakers, and a campus bookstore. I'm hoping I can find a college student at the bookstore to interview, because I have two interviews I need to complete as part of my course work and of course, typical me, I haven't done either. The idea of talking to people is just so stressful! But I have my questions at the ready, so hopefully opportunities will present themselves in the next day or two for me to get these done!! We are also supposed to have Ginatu over tomorrow evening (I think) so I'm really excited to see the dresses she made for my retailer since she didn't have them the other night. Hopefully they're as awesome as I've envisioned. Designing things and having them produced by someone else has been quite the experience. It's really neat to see how people interpret your designs, like I really love the was Ginatu cut the fabric in particular ways so that the pattern would compliment the design. Really, really clever.

A Day of Rest

Today was a really easy and fun day, our instructors decided that after how busy we've been these past few days and how intense yesterday was, we should have a little break. So, the only school thing we did today was a lecture at the University of Cape Coast this morning. Both lectures were very interesting - one was on African religions and the other was on Ghanaian family structure. I really love that we're able to go to lectures like this and learn more about the culture we're currently living in. I'm still kind of amazed at the treatment, view, and discrimination against women here. But at the same time, I see and speak to women here daily, and they seem to have no complaints. So I suppose it's all a matter of socialization and what you've learned to be "normal" and "right."

After that lecture, we had lunch at the Coconut Grove Resort and then relaxed on the beach and by the pool for the rest of the afternoon. It was really fun and really relaxing. Towards the end of our time I ended up pulling out my iPad and watching an episode of Doctor Who while I lounged out. I think we were all refreshed by having some down time.




(This photo is actually from yesterday, I just forgot to include it / it didn't really fit the mood.)

The last thing we did, after dinner back at the hotel, was to go to a late night dance and drum workshop on the beach.ma local group came out and taught us some traditional drumming and dancing and then performed for us. It was pretty amazing! we all had a whole lot of fun, but I'm sure we're all exhausted (I know I am!) tomorrow we leave this lovely resort and the first thing we're going to be doing is a canopy walk in the rainforest! Then it's a two hour drive back to Accra! I'm really hoping that Harrison is there waiting for me, but I've pretty much gotten used to not having him. Mostly.

Fishmongers, Mamas, & Castles

The first place we visited today was the Fishmongers Improvement Association. We listened to Victoria, the founder talk about how the program started and what it was all about. She was really and truly inspiring. She's been pouring her own money into the education and improvement of women since the 1980s, in an effort to improve the status and power of women in society. She taught the women about proper clothing (they had previously walked around bare chested), birth control (the average woman in the area had 8-11 children), openeing a school to educate the community's children, pursuing careers, and so many other things to aid in their empowerment and ability to provide for their families. She worked in the community for about two years before anyone would listen to her or trust her. That's incredible. She is such a strong woman to have endured being ignored for so long while spending her own savings in attempts to better people who wanted nothing to do with her. The area we were in was the first time I had really seen true and utter poverty here in Africa. I mean, I've seen some people who obviously don't have much and probably live hard working lives, but we hadn't encountered anything like this before. If you think of the stereotypical, exploitative, National Geographic type imagery of Africa with hungry, dirty children and ramshackle buildings - that's what we saw today. It was pretty unreal and intense. What was even more appalling, was knowing the amount of work Victoria has put into this community for YEARS, and that this is BETTER than it once was. I can't imagine.





Our second visit was much more lighthearted - the Global Mamas corporate office. It was fantastic! I think all of us were just so inspired and we're now just dying to come back for an internship. Basically, the company was started by two peace corps workers as a fair trade organization for local craftswomen. They provide steady employment, fair wages, and a number of other benefits to the women they employ, "mamas". They teach them to open bank accounts, keep books, and improve quality among other things. The women are batikers, dyers, and seamstresses and the products are sold in a boutique in Accra and exported to various retailers across the world. (I was wearing my Global Mamas dress today, and she really loved that.) I'm just so in love with what here doing and I feel like a career in something similar would be the perfect way for me to combine my fashion merchandising and sociology studies. I would love to come back and do a two month internship, and who knows! Maybe one day I could open a similar or spin off company elsewhere!









Our last visit today was to the slave castles here in Elmina (which we can actually see from our hotel) and that was just a really interesting experience. They were built by the Portuguese, apparently simply to store gold and other resources and eventually were used to store and sell human slaves. Standing in the dungeons and cells, walking through the halls, still being able to smell what happened there years ago ... It was all really sobering. Our tour guide did a really excellent job of presenting the information to us in such a way that we could really visualize and feel all that had taken place right where we were standing. Everyone said it was a really emotional experience for the,, and I'm not sure I really felt that too much. I think I tried to just distance myself emotionally and take it as information, but it's probably good to take in the emotional side as well. I think I just need more time to process all of that before I can even write much more about it.













Liked the original audio file more, but I changed it so that hopefully it will play now! (The original video is on my Facebook, check it out if we're friends!)

Arriving in Elmina

Today was spent driving and relaxing on the beach. Not much of interest to report, instead I'm just going to put up a few photos and a little video I made while we were hanging at the hotel and taking a walk on the beach.

GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You are so Kentucky Derby right now." - Jennifer, regarding my ridiculous hat.



Today was a free day, so this morning I chose to go back to the Kumasi Children's Home. Since it was Sunday, they had a church service and I held a sweet little girl (who i also played with on friday) through the service and she fell asleep the instant she laid her head on my chest. It was really nice, though I felt a little uncomfortable when he called us visitors up to the front and prayed for us. But it was sweet. Kwabi (I learned the name of the little boy from Friday) turned around and saw me during the service, did a double take, and then just got the hugest smile on his face. It warmed my heart so much that he remembered me and was excited to see me. I definitely shed some tears when I had to walk away from him at the end of the visit, because I knew this time there would be no seeing any of them again. On a happier note, the kids all remembered me as the camera girl (of course) so I shot through another pack of film for them, and they just loved it. I hope that they are able to keep those photos for a long time and that they'll think of me, and all of the other great people that came with our group, whenever they look at them.



Our next stop was a "football" game featuring Kotoko (the Kumasi team) vs. T. Youth. Girls got in free (woo-hoo!) and the best thing was that we got to bring Edward and Solomon, two of the older boys (our age) from the orphanage, along with us. They were such nice guys and I know we've all really bonded over this week. It's not everyday that you can make such amazing friendships in such short periods of time. Goodbyes after dinner were another teary affair, but I know that we were all so happy to have gotten the opportunity to know one another and I really hope we can keep in touch. Back to the game, it was actually a lot of fun! I'm not crazy about soccer, but the atmosphere was just wonderful. The band never stopped playing, people never stopped cheering and blowing horns, and everyone just seemed so engaged and joyful. It was a really great thing to be a part of. The Kumasi team was victorious (with a thrilling end score of 1-0 <-- sarcasm) which was really great! Our bus driver Francis who is typically so stern and reserved was hilarious, donning random Kumasi paraphanelia and getting in a heated debate with another attendee about who the best soccer team was. It was all spoken in Twi, but it didn't matter, we all found it hilarious anyway. I really love that our driver and tour guide have pretty much become part of our group and join us and have fun with us on all of these outings. This evening we asked our tour guide if we were his favorite group and he just nodded his head. success!!







After getting back from the game there were guys around the hotel selling, as always, and I ended up getting two leather bags. And I didn't have to pay for them! I traded a pair of ked's, three thrift store shirts, a bottle of lotion, and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Say what?! I wish I had known that American items were things they wanted because I would have stocked up. I think it's interesting, but maybe not so great, that western wear is such a huge deal here. He asked if I had any men's clothing, because visitors like us are often the only times they have access to these unique types of clothing. There's quite a huge secondhand market in most parts of Africa and the prices they charge are SO much more than what the items are worth or what we would pay back in the states. I think it's really unfortunate that our western style is dominating consumer wants and pushing out the desire for local and traditional garments in some social groups. In addition it makes people feel the need to spend exorbitant amounts on "obruni wawa" (literally translates to "dead white man's clothing") which does nothing to promote their own artisans, industry, and culture. In these next few days, I'm planning take more notice of the way people are combining the two styles and possibly ask some questions to get a few opinions on the influx of western dress.

Tomorrow we head for Cape Coast, where we'll be staying at a fancy schmancy resort on the beach for a couple of days before heading back to Accra! I'm so excited!!

Craftapalooza

Today was our big craft day; we visited the kente village, the Adinkra village, the woodcarving village, and the Kumasi cultural center. The day was pretty much focused on shopping, and I did manage to get all of my gifts (I think!) while we were out. We started the day at about 9:30 and got back to the hotel around 5:45.

Our first stop of the morning was the Bon Wire kente village where we learned a bit more about the history of the kente cloth and were also given the opportunity to try weaving it ourselves. The loom uses your entire body so it's a little complex, but those guys work through rows of the cloth like it's nothing. The man speaking to us said that they could complete 8 single weave strips in a day, spend an entire day making a double weave strip, or make a triple weave strip in about two and a half to three days. I found it interesting that only men are allowed to weave kente cloth, and I'm really not certain why that is - but I'd like to look into it. I ended up buying a few wallets for my retailer, a double length strip (possibly for me, possibly as a gift - I'm not sure yet), and a pretty large piece that I plan to put on my bed as like a quilt / throw. It was a lot of fun and everything was absolutely gorgeous.



Our next stop was the adinkra village, where again, we learned about the history and meanings of the craft. We were able to choose our own fabric strips and stamps to make our own adinkra cloth with a special meaning to us. I chose two symbols:Hye Won Nhye - "that which does not burn" - symbol of imperishability and endurance; and Duafe - "the wooden comb" - symbol of feminine essence of life, inner and outer beauty.



So, my design pretty much translates into something like strength of a woman, which is funny, because that's what this whole Ghana community trade program is about. Our goal is to learn from and empower female entrepreneurs both here and back in Athens. So that was pretty perfect! I'm not sure what I'll use it for, but I do really love it!



Our next stop was the woodcarving village, which is where I laid down a good bit of money (in addition to the kente village)! I bought something which shall no be named for my father; I was having second thoughts, but everyone here thinks its the coolest thing ever, so we'll see! I also bought a really beautiful elephant covered in seed beads with a Gye Nyame symbol on its back, which is supposed to be representative of god and his omnipotence, which is a meaning I'm not crazy about, but it was just so beautiful! I also bought a cute giraffe statue for a certain friend and found two snakeskin leather bags for my retailer. There were so many gorgeous things and I'm kind of having buyer's remorse in the opposite - wishing I had bought more things! But I'm sure it's for the best that I didn't. Go me!

Lastly, after exchanging some currency, we went to the Kumasi cultural center, and I didn't really see anything I wanted there. I bought a brass pendant with our program's adinkra symbol, the ram's horns representing strength and humility and a set of brass hooks with an Asanti king and queen mother. I really enjoyed today because we were able to learn about all of the really important crafts that originated here in Ghana. They are all beautiful and I think we were all honored to be able to try our hand at reproducing them.



We finished off the night with dinner at the pool and a little dance party. It was so much fun to see everyone (even our stoic bus driver Francis) dancing and having a great time together. I'm so in love with this "hip life" music, and will definitely be bringing the Azonto back to the states.