Well my three month adventure in Ghana has now come to its conclusion. First of all I would like to thank my family and friends for their support. I truly appreciate it.
I am also grateful to everyone who supported my fundraising efforts that enabled me to have this experience. Thank you to Campbell Cohen for their sponsorship and to Supermarche PA for donating 50 fruit and nut bars which sustained me when my (or my friends’) needs were dire.
I thoroughly enjoyed my internship from an academic, cultural and developmental perspective. I know I have learned more than I could possibly put into words. I found my research on the petroleum industry in Ghana fascinating and I am eager to see how the situation unfolds when oil begins to flow later this year. I sincerely hope that the citizens benefit from the revenue influx and that the government makes wise decisions regarding the allocation of funds. While it is next to impossible to sum up my experience this summer, here are my top 10 likes and dislikes about Ghana:
10 things I will miss about Ghana…
1. The fruit!
It’s always in season (cause you can’t get it out of season and it’s always cheap and delicious). That being said, I wish someone had told me there would be no more mangoes from mid-July onwards – I would have eaten so many more before then!
2. The best street snacks ever
My ultimate faves : Kelewele (fried plantain with ginger and spices that I will most certainly be re-creating at home), polo (coconut mixed with flour, sugar and then deep fried), groundnut cake (kind of like peanut brittle but in a triangular shape), popcorn, guacamole sandwiches, omelette sandwiches, roasted plantain
3. The music
WAY better than any North American Top 40 pop could ever be..the beats, the melodies… check out the following: Shorty by Ruff and Smooth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpcI62slGw8&feature=search), Kiss your Hand by R2Bees(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tfTz6OfBXU&feature=search) (anything by those two groups I love)
4. Guys that can actually dance
I swear it must be in their blood. It’s common to go to a bar and see a bunch of men together dancing– it’s so nice to see.
5. The friends I have made here – my sistas and Ghanaians alike
6. Tro-tros
Even though I sometimes wonder if I’ll get home in one piece or if a shard of rusty metal will dig into my skin as I disembark, I have developed a certain fondness for the tro-tro. Riding around on one feels like being part of a team – people get out of their seat so you can get off, passengers pass your change back to you and help you alight at the right place - it just feels so communal.
7. The friendliness between strangers
It can sometimes be inappropriate, but on the whole, Ghanaians are genuinely friendly. It’s customary to greet the brother or sister next to you in the tro tro and people that I’d meet for 5 minutes wanted to get my number and check on me periodically just to see if I was ok.
8. Salsa nights at the Coconut Grove Hotel
Witnessing people of all ages and backgrounds dancing salsa under the stars truly makes me feel alive.
9. Having so much time to read: book list (Denise Chong)
This isn’t particular to Ghana, but I was delighted with how much time I had to read for pleasure this summer. Two books I highly recommend are Beautiful Boy by David Sheff, which is a memoir depicting a father’s struggle with his son’s addiction to methamphetamine, and The Concubine’s Children by Denise Chong. It is a Canadian biography detailing her family’s immigration to Vancouver during the Great Depression.
10. Availability of stuff everywhere
A huge convenience is that one barely ever has to enter a store to make a purchase in Ghana. I realized on my way to work one day that I had forgotten my gym socks but it was no big deal, I just bought some out of my tro tro window right then and there.
10 things I will not miss about Ghana…
1. The lack of sidewalks and quality of the ones that exist.
I have immense respect for the women that wear high heels here. Serious props.
2. Poor air quality
It is common to see black smoke spewing out of exhaust pipes -having to inhale that while sitting in traffic is not pleasant.
3. The hissing
At first when I heard people hissing at me I found it offensive and derogatory because I thought it was only a man-hissing-at-a-woman-type deal. But then I came to realize that everyone hisses at each other to get their attention. My female co-worker hissed at me the other day. I wanted to say, I have a name! haha
4. Being a visible minority
I will not miss being a visible minority although it does occasionally have its advantages - I feel even safer walking around late at night since I practically glow in the dark and it’s convenient if you are meeting up with someone you have never met - they know it’s you ‘cause you are the only white person around for miles.
5. When there is no running water.
Quite often, I have found myself in situations where there is no running water. At restaurants, hotels, at home – it happens. Bucket showers just aren’t the same.
6. Seeing garbage everywhere. I get upset in Canada when I see improper recycling but
Ghana is on a whole different level. There is trash everywhere – people throw things out of their car windows all the time – I always resist asking them: who do you think will pick that up?
7. Blatant intolerance towards homosexuality
Homosexuality is actually against the law in Ghana and some of the articles written about the subject in the newspaper would be considered hate speech in Canada. I do admit though, that Canadians reacted similarly 50-60 years ago and I’m sure in less time than that, opinions will change in Ghana.
8. Washing all of my clothes by hand.
I will appreciate my washing machine so much more! I just don’t have the patience for wringing out all the water and soap in my clothes so they never feel really clean and they take days to dry.
9. Paying for everything in cash
In 3 months I did not use my credit card once. This was very strange for me because in Canada I hardly ever pay with cash. Using cash was challenging at times because there is so much less money in floating around – it happened often that we’d want to pay for something that cost around 2$ with a 5$ bill and the vendor couldn’t break the bill! The situation was even worse in Togo and Benin. Thank goodness there were 3 of us traveling together - we had to take turns picking up the tab because they could only manage to find so much change.
10. Ghana time
Things NEVER start on time. The only advantage: one can never be late
All in all, a fabulous experience, I can’t wait to go back and see how the country has progressed in 5, 10, 15 years. Thanks for reading; it was great having your feedback on all my adventures.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
One week left...
I cannot believe this is my second-to-last blog entry! Before I wrap things up officially next week, I’d like to share with you some random observations on life in Ghana intermixed with the week’s events.
I love the way locals address each other here. For example, when my taxi driver got lost once, to get the attention of a man standing on the side of the road, he shouted “Boss!” And when I excitedly approach the produce market, the vendor gestures to me and inquires: “What do you want today, sister?” I find it reinforces the collectivistic mentality.
Last weekend, I met up with my sisters Alayna, Amanda, Sandrina and Jess at Kokrobite beach which is about an hour’s drive west of Accra. First of all, let me say how fortunate I feel to have spent the summer with them. We are all law school students and even though we know how to have a really good time, we can also have stimulating, intellectual conversations. International human rights law is of interest to us all, so it is my hope that we will be future colleagues in one capacity or another as well as 'sistas' for many years to come. We arrived just as an eclectic African dancing and drumming show was taking place on the beach. Those dances require so much energy and stamina – it was really quite impressive. We chowed down on delicious veggie kebabs as we caught up on a week’s worth of news. (We are placed in different cities in Ghana for our internships so we reunite from across the country on weekends) Among the crowd there were quite a few foreigners but also a ton of Rastafarians. Baba was the first one we met and I took full advantage by quizzing him on how he became a Rasta, what motivated him to take the plunge and how exactly Rastafarianism is connected with God. Baba explained that he grew up in an affluent family but his parents were always fighting and he was very unhappy. One day he was buying bananas from a Rasta and he realized that by joining the movement he could fulfill his need for love that his family failed to provide. He purported that Rastafarianism is all about making others happy so what goes around comes around…
I had the eternal debate over what to have for lunch on the beach the following day. The thing is, I love roasted corn but before I came to Ghana I was told time and time again to refrain from eating fruit and veggies that I did not peel or cut myself. Roasted corn is one of the worst in terms of sanitary food consumption because the vendor touches the cob every time she rotates it (how she doesn’t burn herself is beyond me) but being the rebel that I am I just couldn’t resist… Jess accompanied me so I didn’t feel so guilty and she wisely held me back from getting a piece of coconut that one is supposed to pair with roasted corn. (The pieces were floating in a bucket full of grey-coloured water which I could totally have gotten past, though I agreed with Jess that might be tempting fate). Since I went for the corn, I thought might as well go all the way and purchase a pineapple from the lovely lady strolling up and down the beach. The woman plucked one out of the bowl atop her head, cut it right in front of me and gave me toothpicks to facilitate immediate juicy consumption. All that for less than 1$!! Our second night, we enjoyed a live Reggae concert – it really makes the world feel small when you only have so many friends in a country and you randomly bump into 6 of them on a weekend getaway. We returned to Accra in a completely zen mood. A great way to spend our last weekend all together (Sandrina has already left us and Alayna leaves this week).
Last Tuesday I was very excited because CEPIL was hosting a Round Table Conference entitled: “Empowering emerging environmental leaders to promote sustainable mining, forestry and climate change practices and policies in Ghana.” Quite a mouthful, I know. Two American interns on a Fellowship sponsored by Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) delivered presentations on the technical issues related to cyanide tailings and the comparison between Ghana and the United States in terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. They were both very interesting in content and provoked a lively discussion amongst the participants afterward. Various civil society representatives were in attendance such as OXFAM, Oil Watch, Ghanaian journalists, etc. The conference was supposed to begin at 9am but we hadn’t started by 10:30!! That’s what we call “Ghana time.”
I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the different challenges Ghana faces regarding the mining industry compared to the US. Most of the mines in Ghana are located in heavily populated areas and the communities are displaced without compensation in order for the companies to begin extraction. In Ghana there is also little public opposition against companies’ actions and there is next to no access to information. Ghana’s Freedom of Information Act has been stuck at the bill stage for years. And finally, the Environmental Protection Agency in the US is required to complete an independent analysis of the findings rather than simply relying on the data provided by the mining companies.
I was expecting the Q & A portion of the conference to begin with a long, awkward silence as it usually does in Canada. Here, people couldn’t wait to put their two cents in. It was great! I also enjoyed the way the participants used Ghanaian proverbs to illustrate their point. We were discussing the mining companies’ bad record and a man said: it’s as if the person selling you cloth is himself naked.” As in, we can’t trust a mining company to behave in Ghana if they have a bad record in other countries. Another favourite: “If you want to eat with the devil, you need a long spoon.” I think the speaker meant be cautious in your negotiations with a mining company because you never know what they have up their sleeve.
I’ve noticed that there is a severe lack of dessert on offer in Ghanaian cuisine and this week I may have discovered the reason why. Talking amongst my colleagues at work it came up that generally speaking, Ghanaians only go to the dentist if they have a toothache – I spoke to three individuals all over the age of 28 who had NEVER been to the dentist! Ever! For the greater population, cost is a factor but these were lawyers I was conversing with who could definitely afford it – they just don’t have the same preventative attitude and dental health education here. I now also understand why chewing sticks are so popular. I always thought it was just a pastime but the sticks actually contain natural fluoride so they clean your teeth as you chew.
For Sandrina’s last night we went to our friend Alima’s resto-bar (remember the woman we met at the National Theatre who we then went biking with?) It turns out that her best friend is getting married and Alima invited us to the engagement party next Saturday! Attending a wedding was on my list of Ghana “to-do”s and apparently the engagement is a much bigger deal than the wedding so I am so excited! The bride wants everyone to wear white and gold so I am having a white linen dress made and Alima is arranging something gold for us to wear in our hair.
Only one more week left in Ghana – I’m determined to go out with a bang.
I love the way locals address each other here. For example, when my taxi driver got lost once, to get the attention of a man standing on the side of the road, he shouted “Boss!” And when I excitedly approach the produce market, the vendor gestures to me and inquires: “What do you want today, sister?” I find it reinforces the collectivistic mentality.
Last weekend, I met up with my sisters Alayna, Amanda, Sandrina and Jess at Kokrobite beach which is about an hour’s drive west of Accra. First of all, let me say how fortunate I feel to have spent the summer with them. We are all law school students and even though we know how to have a really good time, we can also have stimulating, intellectual conversations. International human rights law is of interest to us all, so it is my hope that we will be future colleagues in one capacity or another as well as 'sistas' for many years to come. We arrived just as an eclectic African dancing and drumming show was taking place on the beach. Those dances require so much energy and stamina – it was really quite impressive. We chowed down on delicious veggie kebabs as we caught up on a week’s worth of news. (We are placed in different cities in Ghana for our internships so we reunite from across the country on weekends) Among the crowd there were quite a few foreigners but also a ton of Rastafarians. Baba was the first one we met and I took full advantage by quizzing him on how he became a Rasta, what motivated him to take the plunge and how exactly Rastafarianism is connected with God. Baba explained that he grew up in an affluent family but his parents were always fighting and he was very unhappy. One day he was buying bananas from a Rasta and he realized that by joining the movement he could fulfill his need for love that his family failed to provide. He purported that Rastafarianism is all about making others happy so what goes around comes around…
I had the eternal debate over what to have for lunch on the beach the following day. The thing is, I love roasted corn but before I came to Ghana I was told time and time again to refrain from eating fruit and veggies that I did not peel or cut myself. Roasted corn is one of the worst in terms of sanitary food consumption because the vendor touches the cob every time she rotates it (how she doesn’t burn herself is beyond me) but being the rebel that I am I just couldn’t resist… Jess accompanied me so I didn’t feel so guilty and she wisely held me back from getting a piece of coconut that one is supposed to pair with roasted corn. (The pieces were floating in a bucket full of grey-coloured water which I could totally have gotten past, though I agreed with Jess that might be tempting fate). Since I went for the corn, I thought might as well go all the way and purchase a pineapple from the lovely lady strolling up and down the beach. The woman plucked one out of the bowl atop her head, cut it right in front of me and gave me toothpicks to facilitate immediate juicy consumption. All that for less than 1$!! Our second night, we enjoyed a live Reggae concert – it really makes the world feel small when you only have so many friends in a country and you randomly bump into 6 of them on a weekend getaway. We returned to Accra in a completely zen mood. A great way to spend our last weekend all together (Sandrina has already left us and Alayna leaves this week).
Last Tuesday I was very excited because CEPIL was hosting a Round Table Conference entitled: “Empowering emerging environmental leaders to promote sustainable mining, forestry and climate change practices and policies in Ghana.” Quite a mouthful, I know. Two American interns on a Fellowship sponsored by Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) delivered presentations on the technical issues related to cyanide tailings and the comparison between Ghana and the United States in terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. They were both very interesting in content and provoked a lively discussion amongst the participants afterward. Various civil society representatives were in attendance such as OXFAM, Oil Watch, Ghanaian journalists, etc. The conference was supposed to begin at 9am but we hadn’t started by 10:30!! That’s what we call “Ghana time.”
I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the different challenges Ghana faces regarding the mining industry compared to the US. Most of the mines in Ghana are located in heavily populated areas and the communities are displaced without compensation in order for the companies to begin extraction. In Ghana there is also little public opposition against companies’ actions and there is next to no access to information. Ghana’s Freedom of Information Act has been stuck at the bill stage for years. And finally, the Environmental Protection Agency in the US is required to complete an independent analysis of the findings rather than simply relying on the data provided by the mining companies.
I was expecting the Q & A portion of the conference to begin with a long, awkward silence as it usually does in Canada. Here, people couldn’t wait to put their two cents in. It was great! I also enjoyed the way the participants used Ghanaian proverbs to illustrate their point. We were discussing the mining companies’ bad record and a man said: it’s as if the person selling you cloth is himself naked.” As in, we can’t trust a mining company to behave in Ghana if they have a bad record in other countries. Another favourite: “If you want to eat with the devil, you need a long spoon.” I think the speaker meant be cautious in your negotiations with a mining company because you never know what they have up their sleeve.
I’ve noticed that there is a severe lack of dessert on offer in Ghanaian cuisine and this week I may have discovered the reason why. Talking amongst my colleagues at work it came up that generally speaking, Ghanaians only go to the dentist if they have a toothache – I spoke to three individuals all over the age of 28 who had NEVER been to the dentist! Ever! For the greater population, cost is a factor but these were lawyers I was conversing with who could definitely afford it – they just don’t have the same preventative attitude and dental health education here. I now also understand why chewing sticks are so popular. I always thought it was just a pastime but the sticks actually contain natural fluoride so they clean your teeth as you chew.
For Sandrina’s last night we went to our friend Alima’s resto-bar (remember the woman we met at the National Theatre who we then went biking with?) It turns out that her best friend is getting married and Alima invited us to the engagement party next Saturday! Attending a wedding was on my list of Ghana “to-do”s and apparently the engagement is a much bigger deal than the wedding so I am so excited! The bride wants everyone to wear white and gold so I am having a white linen dress made and Alima is arranging something gold for us to wear in our hair.
Only one more week left in Ghana – I’m determined to go out with a bang.
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