Today I went to a beach resort with a few of the volunteers that were still left over from the July group, most of whom are leaving tomorrow as well. This beach was beautiful. There were coconut trees everywhere, all encircled by old coconuts shells. The beach itself stretched out so far and the air around us had a slight fog and mist to it. We walked for a while along the beach and collected some really cool seashells. I even found two sand-dollars and a shell that was bright pink. Most of the day was spent laying on chairs along the beach and just staring at the ocean, again thinking wow I can’t believe I am in Africa. My friend Yo felt the same way. We just couldn’t believe that we had been here for a month, actually living in Africa for one month. We also ate some coconuts picked fresh off of the trees. As I walked to get a taxi back to Elmina, I finished off my time in Ghana just right. I got myself a rockie (muffin) and a FanIce (ice cream in a bag that tastes like vanilla ice cream mixed with vanilla frosting). Both of these things I will miss about Ghana. For the rest of the night I am just going to relax at home with my family, enjoying music and food, just being in Ghana for a little bit longer.
Random stuff I‘ve failed to include in my journals:
-I mentioned earlier that everything comes in bags. I forgot to say that even shots of alcohol can come in mini bags that you have to rip the corner of and drink from.
-In Ghana, it is considered rude if you smell your food, a sign of disrespect. That is difficult for me because I have a thing for smelling everything. I just need to know how it smells. I always forget not to do it.
-Sometimes you will see men here with one very long finger nail or maybe two. It looks very odd. I asked Francesca about it and she said they just do it for fun, maybe to scratch things or pick at something if they need to. Pastor Sam said that it can be a sign of being in a certain group or gang.
-I mentioned earlier that everything comes in bags. I forgot to say that even shots of alcohol can come in mini bags that you have to rip the corner of and drink from.
-In Ghana, it is considered rude if you smell your food, a sign of disrespect. That is difficult for me because I have a thing for smelling everything. I just need to know how it smells. I always forget not to do it.
-Sometimes you will see men here with one very long finger nail or maybe two. It looks very odd. I asked Francesca about it and she said they just do it for fun, maybe to scratch things or pick at something if they need to. Pastor Sam said that it can be a sign of being in a certain group or gang.
This entire journal has been pretty unorganized and mostly consisted of my personal feelings and thought processes. To finish off the experience I just wanted to say that I feel privileged to have been able to come and visit even a small part of Africa. It’s been such a wonderful experience on so many levels. I have met a lot of amazing people and learned a lot from them about Ghana and about culture in general. I have learned to deal with and adapt to a different culture which makes me feel as if I am advancing anthropologically. This entire trip has made me feel that my life has finally begun to move forward. I’m just extremely glad that I chose to travel and chose to come here for this experience. I am also grateful that I didn’t get any sickness, parasite, malaria, etc. I have been pretty healthy this whole trip. I have also been pretty happy. On that note, I can’t wait for the plane ride back home tomorrow.
See you soon America!
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