Ghana

So when we first arrived to Takoradi, Ghana on Sunday I had to stay on the boat for three extra hours. This is what SAS calls “dock time”- kind of like a time out for doing something bad? Anyways, I got dock time for eating from the mini bar in Rio which carried onto this day. Needless to say, it was ridiculous and Semester at Sea is way too strict about things- I mean eating from the mini bar? Really? I even paid for it! Anyways, I didn’t miss much because people didn’t leave the ship until around 11. A couple of us decided to go to a local beach called Africa beach which was supposedly the nicest beach in Takoradi. When we first left the boat, I was very scared at what I saw and smelled… it smelled like burning chocolate mixed with cement and B.O. We had to walk about 15 minutes to get to a taxi- and this walk was brutal. It was hot as anything and smelled sooo bad! Great introduction to Ghana right?! Once we got to Africa Beach we met up with some people and just hung around the ocean with some locals. I met the cutest family and spent sometime talking to the kids and taking lots of pictures. The children here don’t see digital cameras that often so showing them the photo of themselves after I took it rocked their worlds! On our way back to the boat, we got harassed by locals to buy their stuff.  They asked us our names and on the way back into port they had made us bracelets with our names on it- crazyyy.. feeling bad, you buy them - its such a scam. Anyways, this day was pretty relaxed we went back to the boat for dinner and then all went to the same local bar called Ocean bar which was a great time. A ton of dancing with locals and I ended up out till 4:30am!! Lucky for me, I had already packed, so when our village drivers picked us up at 5:30am, I was already ready!

My friend Natalie on the ship had a connection with this Canadian woman named Linda who was married to an African man named Abraham. Abraham lives in a village about 4 hours north of Accra (the capital) and about 8 hours away from the boat. Linda and Abraham told Natalie she could pick 12 people to come with her to the village for 3 days and 2 nights. We had a group of us go- all soo hungover… but we made it. That morning we all got into this small bus with barely any air conditioning and started on our journey into Ghana. We stopped for breakfast (an egg on a piece of this sweet bread) in Abraham's brother's village, met his family and kept on driving. We stopped mid-day in Accra on our way. In Accra, the streets were bustling with people. The streets and buildings all looked like they were falling apart, they were dirty, and all the shops looked kind of out of business. Men and women lined the streets with huge bowls on their heads of different items such as plantain chips, African chocolate, gums, and random things such as pencils? It was bizarre (I made one of the woman put the bowl on my head so I could try holding it hehe).   If you put a dollar out the window, they would literally run up to your car and run with you even if you were going really fast. It was crazy! 


We went to the local market here and did some shopping/ had lunch. This market was the most amazing market for me because I literally turned into a celebrity. These people have never seen red heads before so I was a hot commodity... if I may say so myself! I had guys flocking around me trying to sell me stuff and giving me marrage proposals? Haha it was great! The best was this one man Sici who gave me his necklace and told me I should remember him forever. He was full of positivity and life- I will forever remember his smile. Literally, throughout my time in Ghana, I got 3 marrage proposals, 4 free items, and a ton of looks from women.. Once we left Accra it was a lot of uncle wiggly had for breakfast and 20 questions in the car. We arrived at the village around 8pm to Abrahams aunt dancing - she as so excited for us to come visit. Since it was relatively late, everyone was sleeping and we couldn’t really see anything (no lights anywhere) but it was okay- they fed us dinner (some local dish called foofoo and chicken) which was delishhh and we went to sleep in our bunkbeds.

6 am wake up by the roosters- we woke up to this little village and walked with the children to their school. The school was about half a mile away and had about 6 classrooms. There were 608 kids there, who all fell in love with us immediately. I think I had 7 kids on me at all times- especially this one girl, Manuella, ohmygosh was this girl a cutie!! I wanted to pack her up and take her home with me! Everytime, I got up she would follow me- ughh so precious! We taught some classes (aka played hangman with words like apple), played in a soccer game (I watched... duh), and just simply played with the kids. Oh, I also got a group of girls to Bat Mitzvah dance - it was hilarious! This was so rewarding and they loved having us. 


After our time with the kids, we went back to the village, where 6 men (good looking mind you) were ready for us on motorcycles. Two to a motorcycle, we scooted all around Ghana, we saw rice farms, went on canoes into the river, and saw some of the other villages (and met their chiefs!)- it was a great time and an amazing way to see the area. When we got back, we were surprised by the whole village coming to together (about 100 people) with drums and these crazy outfits all singing and dancing their local traditional tunes. The men would beat on the drums to these crazy beats and the women would dance (their moves kinda looked like chickens pulsating?)- it was great. We all put on their traditional skirts and danced 'till the sun went down.

Another 6 am rooster wake up call and we sadly had to say goodbye. We got in the car with Linda and Abraham and started on the 8 hour bus ride once again. Oh and one of the chiefs of the village came to wave us off- so I thought- nope, he came to say goodbye to ME ya. Ghana men - all about the redheads! Not too many stops this time but a lot of games! Once we got back to the boat, we were all dead tired, but we mustered up the energy and went to a local bar called spike. About 30 minutes into the bar, I all of sudden started getting the worst cramps ever! I immediately started throwing up and needed to go back to the boat... bc I was in desperate need of a toliet. Now of corse it’s the night that Semester at Sea decides to conserve water and they shut off the water sources on the boat. REALLY??? This was a huge problem. My body was getting rid of what ever it had in it in multiple areas including my nose (if you get what I mean) and I couldn’t FLUSH THE TOLIET. Needless to say it was probably one of the worst nights of my life and it continued for about 24 hours- water turned on at 6am thank god so I could rinse my mouth off and flush the toliet. Sorry for the TMI, but ya it was painful. This kinda sucked for me because the last day in Ghana I literally was stuck in my room puking and pooping (at least I was pooping!!)... but yea I still don’t feel 100% better but its okay, I'm paying for my Ghana experience, I guess.   Overall great trips and were all so pumped for Capetown!

Oh and my yoga classes are a huge hit- they have hired another teacher to teach beginner classes and there was like 40 people there today! Also I have mastered how to walk around instead of just showing the positions- this is a huge step and I am really proud of myself :)

Thats all for nowww

xoxo- QOS