Ete-sen! (Hello, how are you?)

First off, I would like to thank ClarkU Study Abroad for hosting my blog - I am grateful that they have decided to share my experiences on the website!

I left off my last post with a snapshot into my life with my amazing host family, the Kumordzi's (pronounced Coo-mode-gee). I have been so happy living with this family, which consists of Mommy Veronica, Edmond, my two host brothers Lesley and Oliver (both around my age), and my host sister Pearl, who is married to Robert with a 6 week old baby, and has been staying in the house so Mommy can help her with the baby. The food is amazing and I love having so many people in the house.

I had a very interesting cultural experience last night: watching the Ghana v. Mali soccer game. I know that Ghanaians love soccer, but honestly, I never really understood why. I still don't really get it, but I'm starting to see the addicting qualities to watching the game. Most of the game consists of intense concentration and exclamations when there is a foul or a close goal - typical stuff. Now, when Ghana scores, all hell breaks loose: everyone leaps up and screams, jumping up and down, hugging everyone in sight! One guy even took his shirt off and started dancing on the bar. Now comes my favorite part! The celebratory "Azonto" dance. With every goal follows five minutes of Azonto, a music and dance that is comprised of two-stepping to the beat and making various work related gestures such as washing, boxing, ironing or driving. (video below)

At the song's end the bartender will promptly turn off the music and everyone will sit back down and continue watching the game like nothing happened - kind of like living in a Ghanaian musical. Now I don't know what happens when the other team scores (Ghana won 2-0!), but I would like to remain in the dark if it is anywhere near as emotional as when Ghana scores. Go Black Stars!

I have been loving my time in Ghana - the CIEE Legon program has been absolutely amazing. I have felt very secure throughout my time here, and the program does a great job of having activities, educational events and setting us up with opportunities such as internships and volunteering. However, with such a great support it has been easy to forget that I am living in a country where many people are living in very poor conditions and do not have access to the luxuries that I have as a foreigner. At my home-stay and on University of Ghana (UG) campus, I am surrounded by others of privilege and I have access to everything I need to thrive. I am hoping that through my internship and my classes, I can connect myself to the realities of this country that could be so easy to shy away from. I would like to expose myself more to the Ghana that I would never have to see. In researching Ghana, I stumbled across this striking image, which was taken about 20km away from where I enjoy my Ghanaian life as an international student.


A Global Graveyard for Dead Computers in Ghana

"In Agbogbloshie, a slum in Accra, the capital of Ghana, adults and children tear away at computers from abroad to get at the precious metals inside. Left, David, Akore, 18, and other foragers."

Credit Pieter Hugo for the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/08/04/magazine/20100815-dump.html

I don't mean to end on a low note, but I want to emphasis the stark coexistence between human despair and human joy in the same space - from football games to toxic waste, Ghana is beautiful, but there is also poor human condition that is unacceptable, and often times the negative byproduct of capitalist superpowers such as the United States. I hope to learn more about both sides of Ghana as I continue my cultural and academic study over the next four months.