How did we get here?

Date: 07/02/2010
Time: 21:00
Location: Accra, Ghana



This past weekend was packed full of educational excursions and findings. The monkey sanctuary trip ended up being very successful, which was the beginning of the first NYU program trip weekend.

Although to some getting up at 5:45am is early… to us NYU in Ghana study abroad kids- it is just another day in the life of Ghana. It seems that we have all got in the habit of going to bed by 10pm (if we are not going out) and getting up between 6:30 and 7am (Get used to it Daniel and Anthony!) Normal days we do not have an excuse for the early morning wake ups other than we feel lazy staying in bed until 9am because everyone in Ghana is bustling by 7am. But, Saturday we had an excuse. We were off to Cape Coast. Cape Coast is a 2.5 hour drive from Accra as if heading toward Sierra Leone. The bus fell silent after about 30 minutes of driving- sleep I guess was more important to some people, but to me... it was an opportunity to finally get some alone time with my thoughts whilst passing some great scenery.
We finally arrive at Coconut Grove Resort. Christa starts to harp about how we will not always be staying in places as nice as this resort, but since it is our first trip she just wanted us to start off with a bang. But knowing Christa… I am pretty sure none of the places we will stay will ever be just a hut and fending for yourself in the African wild! Oh you just wait for some lovely Christa stories (We all know these are the best part of my blogs- because they sure are my favourite part!)
We roll up, and we go down to breakfast. Buffett style… yeah… buffet to start the day on the beach- not too shabby ehy? I felt like I was back in Club Med with the family where the first day of eating was all about filling up your plate with whatever they offer. First time up, second time up, third time up… should I go for a fourth?
After gaining about 10pounds we were now directed toward Elmina castle. Elmina Castle was one of the biggest slave trading prisons and “swip swapping” areas. I listened to the guide with full ears as it was quite hard to understand his accent; we stood in the cells of the African slaves as well as the cell for all those European soldiers that “misbehaved”. We stood in the area where families would come together for the first time and where they would see each other for the last. We went upstairs to where the Dutch would stay while the terrors were right below them. What kind of human being lives just above humans that are being tortured and sold, when you have wonderful ocean front views and living quarters? The holding cells still smelt like rotting bodies, and just imagining the stench now, you can hardly understand what it must have been like with hundreds of sweating, diseased, sick, impoverished people laying standing and sitting up against you. It is a site that I know will take me a few more days to fully comprehend. The words that come out of my mouth always seem to be, “why?” “How?” “Disturbing” “sickening” but no words can describe the “castle” we saw. It was not castle… it was the prison of dead. Many walking in would not come out, and those that did were being taken to another imprisoned life.

Elmina castle was a rude awakening to the beginning of the day, but the show must go on. Canopy walking is next on the agenda. As we stood waiting for our turn, on the canopy walk I figured it would be a two minute walk across from tree to tree. But how I was wrong! I felt like I was on top of the world. Tree’s below us, in front, behind, and beside us. Nothing could save me from the fall; it was me and the rope. I must say I felt so jack Baueresk but Tarzan style (Rob I am disregarding the shooting range as that was just ultimate Jack Bauer!) What was I doing in Ghana on a canopy walk? Who cares… why question it? Fun and games on canopy walk just make it that more fun... “be a lion, now be a sea lion” wow Doug.. could you choose any more African animals? But Akua (RA) was definitely following in Christa’s Tyra Banks style. Which by the way Akua got a new weave and looks so good. She is racking in all those men, as I am a witness to a late night (10pm) visit from a boy.

It is interesting to see how are RA’s and one of the staff members all went to bed exactly at 9 on the dot. As we were enjoying a buffet dinner on the beach with a bonfire and music the RA’s left. It was just us NYU study abroader’s and Christa. I was quite jealous because as a group of the people in the group was in an in-depth conversation with Christa I was chatting with some other foreigners. Oddly enough one of the guys comes from Chesham a town over from where I partly lived when I was in England (Great Missenden) and then another of the guys went to University of Edinburgh so we chatted about that, and we all just hung out on the beach. While others were grabbing details about Christa’s love life and giving her advice I was meeting new people. Great! But it is okay… I still got the details about Christa. I will not spread her details online… but to all the men- she is free!
The weekend ended with a day sitting by the pool side and on the beach. I will say it was a little like sandals but as this blog could be read by NYU’s Business school heads (yeah I think my blogs are that good) I will say that it so far has been a very educational 4 weeks that I have been here.
With weeks moving so quickly I will have to start updating my blogs more regularly making them shorter and giving you more details about my lovely travels around Accra, Ghana and the rest of Africa.
For now I hope I was able to inform you all enough about my weekend. If you need any more details I will be glad to email you with fuller explanations of the places we went and my take on what I have seen.
For now Goodbye,

-KR x