Hour of Worship

Dancin at Church

This past Sunday I had my first Ghanaian church experience. A friend from school plays the keyboard for his church and invited myself and two other Americans to a music program the church was putting on. By now I am getting used to the fact that the sense of time in Ghana is very different than time back at home. So when he told us the 3pm service wasn't starting until 3:30, I wasn't very surprised. We took a tro-tro from campus and met up with this friend and he took us to his large chruch, which was under construction so it was semi-outside. When we arrived, there were only a few other people there (and no other Americans) but we figured it was an afternoon service and not too many people would show up. We kept waiting and pretty soon it was past 4 and more people slowly trickled in, decked out in bright colors and fancy suits. The band finally began playing and the pastor welcomed us to the Hour of Worship, only a little bit late.

The opening number was quite a shock to me. There were three backup singers, a lead singer, 3 keyboards, drums, guitar, bass, and backup percussion and the place came alive. Everyone was singing along and dancing in their seats, and halfway through some people went to the front and began dancing. Pretty soon half the congregation was out on the dance floor, doing any sort of dance moves they felt like. They band would slow down for a bit and some people would sit down, but then they would pick it up and everyone would come back out dancing down the aisles.

We were welcomed again to the Hour of Worship and the band played another number. At about 5, a new man came to the front and officially welcomed us to the Hour of Worship which is when we learned that this program was a collection of choirs who would each perform a few numbers. By now the church was full and a new choir took the stage. All of the voices in these choirs were amazing and the band was spectacular. Some songs were in English, some were in Twi, but they all had everyone singing along.

The Hour of Worship ended at after 8pm but was well worth the time. I have never experienced such an energetic service where anyone could sing whenever they wanted and dance when they felt moved.

Food For Thought...

Typical Ghanaian Food mmm...

Its a good thing I like spicy food or else I would be living on white rice. Almost all of the food here has a bit of spice but I am loving all the flavors. I have tasted almost all of the main dishes here (there are not too many) and so far my favorite is red red - a delicious blend of beans, palm oil, and plantains. Some of my other favorite dishes are the jollaf rice, which is just rice cooked with some peppers and spices, fried rice, pasta, watkee (beens and rice), and banku and fufu. These last two are very typical Ghanaian dishes and are eaten with the hands, which I found quite surprising. They are large balls served in soup (ground nut is my favorite) and have the consistency of chewed gum, but not quite as sticky. A small piece is broken off and dipped into the soup, then swallowed without chewing. Although I wouldn't say I am a huge fan of these dishes, they are slowly growing on me.

The fruit here is absolutely amazing! Bananas like I have never tasted, and very tasty white pineapple. With our new fridge, I have also began making some of my own very simple food, usually avocado, cheese, and cucumber sandwiches. Vegetables are not too common around here, but I have found some carrots and cabbage to snack on. Also one of my favorite snacks is plantain chips, which are lightly salted and the perfect mid-afternoon snack. I hope to continue experimenting with some more new food - and maybe try to bring some recipes home.

CRACRACRA

The mate leans out the window yelling CIRCIRCIRC and makes a circle motion with his hand. As the small funky van slows to a stop, twenty people rush on to get one of the 15 or 20 seats. As the driver pulls away, the mate hops in, closes the door and begins collecting the fare, anywhere from 10 to 50 cents. All of this happens within just seconds and the van continues down the road.

This crazy system is one of the best forms of transportation in Ghana. These privately owned vehicles are called tro-tros and at first I was a little intimidated to ride them but now I feel like a pro. They travel all over and often abbreviate the destination: CRACRA stands for Accra, CIRCIRC will take you to circle, the main roundabout in the Accra region, etc. The tro-tro is made up of any sort of old van, a driver, and a mate who announces every stop and takes the money. Once you learn the system, it is such a cheap, easy way to get around.

Today I was on a tro-tro with a friend and we were stuck in some serious traffic, moving about a foot per minute. So the mate decided to hop out of the van and take a leak on the side of the road, but of course the traffic picked up right at that moment and the tro-tro took off. I kept looking back and the mate was nowhere to be seen, but the tro-tro kept on cruising. We slowed down for a bit then took off again and then sat for a little while longer in traffic. Somehow, the mate appeared at that moment and hopped back on the tro-tro like nothing had just happened. Things just happen a little differently over here.

Life on Campus

Before delving into describing the culture, let me first tell you a bit about the University. The program I am on is called CIEE, or the Council on International Educational Exchange and there are 50 other students on it from all over the United States. After our orientation we made our way to the University of Ghana in Legon, which is pretty much a suburb of Accra. There are a few different spots on campus where international students are placed, known as hostels, and a few students are in home stays. I am staying at the Ghana Hostels also known as Pentagon. Originally we were supposed to be paired up with Ghanaian roommates but unfortunately it fell through at the last minute so the Americans in my hostel are paired together, which is actually pretty nice. Our rooms are huge - two beds, desks, our own bathroom, a kitchen area (which is just a sink) and a balcony. Although the rooms are quite spacious, we encountered a few problems right away. Our shower didn't work, our electricity went out on the second day for a few days, then all the water stopped working. But during this time I became very good at bucket showers and reading with a flashlight. We also discovered that you must be very assertive when asking for something in Ghana, and we went a few times per day to ask about electricity and water. At last after about a week, the plumber came and our water is working! (although it probably could go out again at any point...) We also had heard rumors about a fridge and we weren't completely sure if this was true but in fact they did deliver a fridge to our room - and it is about as tall as me! Life in Ghana is turning out to be quite luxurious...

When it came time to register for classes, the international students were not at all used to the system. At this school, you must go to each department you want to take classes from and register for each class, and then you have to register online. But first you have to make sure your name is in the system, and the internet would often go down which made it very difficult to register. Many students also sign up for a lot of classes then drop the ones they don't want, so right now I am signed up for way too many classes. I do know that I will be taking a few dance classes, drumming, music, and perhaps a literature and religion class. We also are all required to take a Twi class, one of the many native languages spoken here. The first week of classes just finished and we all were surprised to learn that most professors and students don't show up until the second week so I still don't know exactly what all my classes will be like. But my dance classes have met and they are so fun and rhythmic and tiring! I'm loving every minute so far and can't wait to see how the rest of the classes turn out.

Akwaaba! (Welcome)

All of us on CIEE 

My new life in Ghana has begun. I don't even know how to begin describing this foreign country, halfway around the world from my home of Port Townsend,WA. It has been a week already, but I feel like I have been here for much longer. Last Monday, myself and the other students from the United States on the same program as me were welcomed at the airport by a few Ghanaians who took us back to our hotel. At first glance much of the scenery seemed familiar - gas stations, markets, malls, cars honking on the street - but after a closer look I realized I am definitely not in the United States anymore. In the streets women carry baskets full of snacks, trinkets, and other neceseties for sale, the markets are full of jollaf rice and banku, and the people are simply delightful. We had a few days of orientation at a very nice hotel in Accra and then set off to move into our dorms at the University of Ghana in Legon, very close to Accra. I sometimes forget that I have left my home in America for four months and it seems like I am a visiter in this foreign place but as I get to know their customs, values, traditions, and way of life, I hope to become a part of this unique culture.