Strength

Today was our sixth day in Ghana. We traveled to the central region today which is about a 2 hour trip. I slept most of the way but enjoyed the scenery when I was awake. Our first stop was lunch in Cape Coast and then we traveled to Elmina. Elmina is a small town in which the first European  castle ever built in Africa was constructed. It was also used as a trading post where gold, spices, and slaves were exchanged. Going into the castle I noticed the sharp contrast between the beautiful coastline and this grim bulky place where human lives were sacrificed for wealth.  The  castle and stories were very intimidating. As we continued the tour all I could think of was the humiliation and pain these group of people endure. It also stroke me to be very conniving of the Portuguese to use this as location holding Africans when they were granted the opportunity of a local chief to build the trading post. In its entirety the castle was overwhelming and a  physical manifestation of everything I had learned in school. The hotel was a peaceful in contrast to the castle.

Th Beauty of Nature

Well today is my 5th day outside the US and Im beginning to realize I am very spoiled with options for food and amenities. we visited pariliment and then traveled to eastern region were we visited an botanical garden and woodcarvers village. The drive was about an hour with a signifcant part in the mountains. The views were breathtaking. At the gardens stood 200 year trees and plants that produced things such as coco, cinnamon, lavender, and shade. We then went to the wodcarvers village which is basically merchants on the edge of the street selling art carved from wood.

Carved tree at the gardens

Different Place Same message

Today was our third day in Ghana. Like any other Sunday we attended church. It was very similar to those back home with the prasie and worship songs and the structure of service. The pastor mixed English and Tui, the common language spoken here, as gave the sermon to ensure understanding among the whole congregation. The neighborhood in which the church was located look to be detoriating at first glance but weas actually being develpoed. It is common here for families to slowly build houses so that when they are done, you own it completely. The houses were much like mansion and varied in architecture, color, and size. After church we went to La Pleasure beach for lunch and fun in the sun.  The beach was an experience to say the least. As we waited for food we were entertained by the most talented beach performers and hassled by the most annoying merchants.

Class is in Session

Today was our fourth day in Ghana. It was filled with two lectures on very interesting topics. The first was on globization and was given by a very dynamic lecturer by the name of Dr.Valdimir Antwi-Danso. He broke down the driving components of globization along with the pros and cons. We ate lunch on campus at " The Basement" . Our second lecture was an historical overview of Ghana given by Dr. Kofi Baku. He broke down the slave trade and explained the involvement of several countries that I was unaware of. He also explained the systems of colonialism.

Campus Dorms

Around Accra we go

Today was the second day in Ghana, and the heat is sweltering. We visited the memorial museum of the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. His first name tells you that he is male and born on Saturday. He was instrumental in the transition of Ghana formerly known as the Gold Coast from a British colony to independent nation. We also visited independence square which is an outdoor arena that holds thousands of people. We continued our tour and learnt small things about the culture from our manly tour guide George.

Dr.Kwame's final resting place

Back view of Independence Square 

Smooth Landing

Today was my first day not only in Ghana but outside the US. I am fulfilling my dream of visiting Africa  and today was a great start. My negative expectations of the 11 hour flight were wrong to say the least. I was BLESSED with an aisle seat and conscious seat mate. I slept pretty much the whole flight and received entertainment from the blunders of those around me. When we landed, there was so much chaos. We got bags, exchanged money, and skip customs. Throughout the rest of the day we relaxed and prepared for the next week filled with activities and excitement.   We had dinner and dancing at Chez Afrique were I had Chicken and Yam chips.

Restaurant

Chicken and Yam Chips