Orientation Week

So sorry I've neglected to write anything the past several days I've been here. My group has been so busy. And please forgive me if these posts are sloppy. Never blogged before. So anyway it has been amazing so far. Ghana is such a beautiful country. So much tropical plant life and exotic animals. Flying in on the plane seeing the country side right outside of Accra was really cool. The airport was the first surprise. It was so much smaller than I imagined. And getting through didn't take that long. I guess they don't get nearly as many flights through the area like Washington Dulles does, which is where I departed from. I met up with my group at the Accra airport and loaded up on a bus. They took all our bags and tied them to the top of the bus! Then we rode through the insane traffic to the International Hostel on campus. There's not really a speed limit on the roads so everyone really has to watch out for themselves. And people just walk out in the middle of the street any time they need to cross. Also, anytime you make a stop at an intersection, there are people that come up selling all kinds of food. And as a group of American students, we definitely attracted a lot of attention.

The hostel is really nice. Two beds to a room like normal, and every room has an outdoor balcony. There's no air conditioning, but the fans do just fine (until the dry season comes). The biggest difference I've noticed about the dorms here is that everything is outdoor based. There is nothing that is completely sealed off so there's always plenty of fresh air. And the courtyard is really nice. There's a little kitchen/restaurant on the bottom floor that most students hang around, so there's always someone to talk to.

The campus is amazing. So beautiful. Most of the technology isn't quite as advanced as on most campuses in the US, but the atmosphere of the school itself makes up for it. It kind of reminds me of Duke the way it is so spread out with lots of trees and plants. Just think of Duke and African-ize it! It's funny to see the reactions of locals as we tour the campus. Most Ghanians are very friendly if you say hello, and some just gave us weird looks as we passed buy. One thing we've been taught to remember is to always greet people when you enter their vicinity. This sounds simple but let me give you an example. If you were to walk inside an office and pass the person at the front without a greeting and then come back needing something, they would be less likely to help you. Or if you come across a group of people and speak directly to one person without acknowledging the others, they will be insulted. Luckily I haven't crossed these lines yet but I will have to keep remembering.

Probably the craziest thing I've experienced so far is the downtown market on Oxford St in Accra. Once our bus pulled up, people were swarming around us to sell their merchandise. I have never gotten so much attention in half an hour's time. If I even started to talk to someone who greeted me, they assumed I was going to buy something. They were very pushy and good with their words. What was so fun about it was the bargaining. There's no set price on anything. They would give a price and it was up to us to get them to lower it. Usually best to offer them half of what they propose, then play it from there. One guy on the street asked me my name once I got off the bus, then 20 minutes later, he had threaded a bracelet with my name on it, so I definitely bought it, after settling on a price with him.

This is just the beginning! It has been a lot of fun so far. The other students in my group as well as the others living in the International Hostel are really nice, and our student guides our great people. I'll post again sometime soon. The Ghanian students move in soon, and classes start on monday. Can't wait!