So those of you on facebook have seen my really exciting announcement I’m sure!! I have accepted a Summer Volunteer Coordinator position here with ProWorld, and will be staying in Ghana until August! I literally spent about two weeks debating this decision, but in the end, realized I would be a fool to pass up an opportunity like this. In the field, on site, experience right out of college is something every new graduate should hope for, and here it is, right in front of me. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and for the support I’ve received from friends and family I’ve spoken with at home… I’m especially thankful to have two parents who support me so completely in all of my decisions and in every adventure I undertake. Thank you to both of you for always standing beside me, for your constant love and support…for encouraging me to be all that I can be and to always follow my heart.
SO, this summer, I will be helping with the ridiculous number of volunteers and interns we will be accommodating. I’ll help with pre-program correspondence, first day drop off’s and later check-in’s at project sites, official check in and exit interviews, help to organize and bringing participants to cultural excursions/activities, weekly reflections with interns, help Sarah organize and teach our weekly Global Citizen’s Initiative classes and bringing participants to dinners afterwards, and documenting participant project activities. I’m really excited about everything I’ll be working on this summer, and really feel I’ll be able to do a good job here, as well as get some amazing experience.
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If I’m being perfectly honest, if you had asked me in February if I thought I would be staying in Ghana past May, I would have laughed in response. I definitely went through a period of culture shock here, something I expected a touch of, but not quite to the extent I experienced it. I came in completely open and excited, and instantly fell in love with everything around me…that “honeymoon” period of culture shock they refer to I suppose… After a few weeks (especially after lectures started at the University), I began to feel frustrated with some of the views/ideas/etc in Ghana… Even today, now that I’ve fallen in love with Ghana, I look around and see a lot of things that still bother me. The treatment of women here was high on my list of frustrations. Over and over again in my lectures, I heard how the woman should live under the man, how she should stay home and cook/clean/take care of the kids etc… Now I know this idea is still prevalent in much of the US, as well, and I really had to step back and remember that. There’s also an acceptance of domestic violence in some areas here, and one of my classmates even made a comment that if the woman doesn’t feel the need to report it, then it’s not a problem. I also began to feel frustrated by the constant attention given to obronis: daily marriage proposals, children asking for money, the consistent yelling of “Obroni obroni!” everywhere one travels…It felt like I couldn’t have true friends here, without underlying intentions or motivations. But I finally worked through these things and started to better understand the roots of these problems. I also came to realize that these problems or occurrences do not constitute Ghana in its entirety. I have met so many wonderful friends now, who I know value our friendship for exactly what it is. Although I’ll never be okay with domestic violence, or oppression of women, I also can see the roots of these problems, and perhaps search for avenues to work on solutions, instead of simply throwing my hands up in the air, frustrated. It takes a lot to realize some things are so engrained in a culture, you cannot possibly change them so quickly…if the change is to come, it must come gradually and over time. There are no overnight solutions, especially to problems so firmly situated within a culture of people.
I’m happy to say that I’ve definitely entered the “acceptance” stage here, and have truly grown to love Ghana and accept everything for what it is. Some of the things I love about Ghana? The value that is placed upon the family and the relationships within that family. The time that is taken to check in with others, to see how their day is, how their health is, how their family is. The sense of brotherhood that comes from simply being from the same country, or the same area of that country- one of my friends told me if you’re in another area of Ghana and you meet people from the same region as you, you instantly feel a sense of companionship and friendship…and you’ll probably spend the rest of your time in that area with them. I love the fact that almost any stranger on the street is willing to help you, if only you greet them properly. I love that every child I meet wants to hold my hand and talk to me. That they get the most excited when you have a camera and take their picture…and the way they all run and crowd around you to see the final result. I love the games that children play, and seeing how their creativity has not been lost-they play with everything and anything they can get their hands on, and they are always ready and willing to teach you their game, if only you’ll take the time to play with them. I love how proud people become when they hear me speak Fante and realize I’m learning their language. I love the way Ghanaians love to have fun, and how going out generally means all night dancing, instead of wandering around a bar having superficial conversations. I love the way that every Ghanaian I know is an incredible dancer, and probably has been since they could walk…I see enough small children dancing better than I could ever hope to! I swear they hear a beat I can’t! I love the fact that although I hate getting a million phone calls/texts a day, most of the time it’s a simple one-minute conversation to see how I am. That although I can barely eat anything, I have a fever, and I feel like absolute shit, my homestay mom has the upmost optimism and reassures me, you’ll be okay by tomorrow! That my homestay family has become like a true family to me, that they worry about me and care for me as their own, and that my home here has truly become a home. I love that my homestay brother has become a true brother to me…he makes me laugh, is always up for whatever, gets protective when it comes to “his sister”, pisses me off although I can never stay mad at him, loves to bug the crap outta me, and always knows how to make me smile…he has sincerely become one of my best friends in Ghana. I love knowing I can count on any one of my friends here if I ever need anything. Love that they will come across town at 9 at night just to visit for five minutes and make sure I’m okay. I love that I’ve finally found myself here, that I can finally be myself in a completely new and different place.
There’s good and bad with any culture, with any country; I think the trick is to focus on what you love, learn from what you hate, and smile and laugh as much as you can along the way… There’s no harm in trying in small ways to make a difference, whether it be through a conversation with someone, or standing up for yourself in a lecture. But I always remember I didn’t come here to change anyone or anything-I simply came to become a part of the culture, to learn from the people, and to make relationships with new friends. And that’s exactly what I’ve done…
“But that’s the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned. I don’t want to know what people are talking about. I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly, you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses…”
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