September 13^th, 2011

 

Day one in Ghana was incredibly overwhelming. It was so hard to process all the sights, sounds, smells; sensory overload at its finest. We once again took the shuttle from the ship to the main port entrance. As soon as we arrived we were ambushed again by the same vendors and peddlers. But this time, we were experienced. We had a renewed sense of courage… Somewhat. We attempted to be courteous yet resilient as we said no to the paintings, bracelets, statues, and other odds and ends. It is a fine line to walk though, being polite and resolute. We pushed through the crowd of people, maneuvering towards the taxis. Just when we thought the ambush was over, an entire group of taxi drivers crowded around us as we attempted to pick one. Finally, we just decided to jump into a taxi and hope for the best. Our driver’s name was Puma, and he was very friendly, explaining where he was from, and what we could do in Ghana. We were trying to find a Forex Bureau, which is a small place where we can exchange American dollars for Ghanaian cedis. Puma was constantly pulling over and asking pedestrians where the closest Bureau was at, with no luck.

All the while, we were holding on to our seats for dear life. Traffic in Ghana is something you would never imagine seeing in the United States. Dear Puma the driver was riding on the curb when he felt impatient, nearly killing at least four or five people; he drove over the median numerous times, and cut off so many drivers, I thought that an accident was inevitable. I didn’t see a single stop sign or traffic light. People sure know how to use their horns though.

The landscape was not what I had imagined. There was construction everywhere. In the midst of construction, shacks and sheds were sprinkled throughout, with people selling everything from refrigerators to fabric to shoes.

Finally, we found a Forex Bureau, and sadly said goodbye to Puma, although we were glad we still possessed all of our extremities, and Puma’s taxi was still intact. We went in, and exchanged money. I only had $20, which will hopefully last me for four days. Unlikely.

After, we just explored the streets; not having any idea where we were going or what we were intending to see. The streets were littered with people, and everywhere we went they stared intently at us. Some wore serious expressions; others were very friendly and said “Hello,” or “Akwaba,” which means Welcome. Sharing the street with the cars, taxis, and people, were goats and chickens. Baby goats ran after people, bleating and crying. Chickens squawked, running this way and that. I was somewhat confused; I had no idea who the animals belonged to. They were running everywhere, and no one was chasing them.   

We browsed through different stalls, somewhat timid in approaching them. We came upon a super market and went inside. We glanced through the Ghanaian food, surprised at how much of the food was the same from America. Kit-kat bars and Cadbury chocolate lined the candy aisles. Cocoa is one of Ghana’s main exports, and we searched endlessly for the famous Ghanaian chocolate, but came up with nothing.

While in the super market, one of the workers came up to us and introduced himself as Sam. I told him I was Sam as well, and he insisted that he would be my first friend from Ghana. He gave me his Facebook name, and email, and said that I should come back to the market. New friend from Ghana J Yayy. We left, and I promised him I would email. Then, we hailed another taxi, and decided to try to go to a shopping mall. When we got there, we were somewhat disappointed. It had all the makings of an American mall. We walked in, and entertainment centers were blaring, kiosques were advertising cell phone companies. We found a very nice purse and accessory store though, and shopped in that for a while. Upstairs just seemed like a general goods store, boasting Tupperware, dinner tables, etc.

We left the “mall,” and were approached by a man asking if we needed a taxi. We said no, and continued on. He then said we needed an escort, and walked next to us. At the end of the road, we came upon a jewelry stand, and the man kept asking if he could buy me some jewelry, and that he wanted to take care of us. Finally, we insisted that we were fine, and briskly walked away. We walked around for a half hour or so, not having any idea where we were at. All around us seemed to be the highway, and yet people were walking everywhere next to the cars. I was afraid another taxi driver was going to decide to drive on the curb, and I would get to see how a hospital in Ghana operated. I would have something to write about for my Public Health class, that is for sure :P We once again got another taxi, and headed back to the main entrance of the port, in front of the gas station. The shuttle picked us up, and we were beyond relieved to see our ship in the distance. We had only been out in Tema for a half a day, but we were utterly exhausted. Ghana is a completely different world altogether. The people were very friendly though, and we heard yells of “America!!” when we walked past groups of people.

All in all, all is well that ends well, is it not?