Monday Jan 24

The internet is so slow! Everyone in Ghana buys a internet modem which is a usb jump drive that picks up cell reception. It is so frustrating because it takes forever to load a page on the internet and then doesn't wan to post anything are send messages to anyone when I am in IM chat with them.

Yesterday I went to our resident directors house for dinner. All 8 CIEE students went and it was a 40 minute drive from where I am staying. It was really fun and his wife cooked us alot of Ghanian food. I loved it! She made jollof rice and plantains which are my food of substance in Ghana. We also watched some Ghanian films which were super interesting the one we watched started off as a comedy and ended as a drama. It was like 3 movies in 1.

I feel like I am getting into the grove of things a little more. My roomate finally moved in which is good so I can finally move all of stuff around and finally get situated. I have met some really great friends in Ghana and my apartment mates have been so helpful in helping me get fimilar with the area. The one thing in Ghana that makes me laugh more then anything is the amount of young people who watch twilight and Vampire diaries. Everyone at Ashesi has seen it knows all about it ansd knew washington state from the movie.

Cooking dinner for myself has been quite a challenge. There is no stove in our apartment and the the stove requires you to light a match over the burner which sparks sometimes. I have just been eating alot of bread and fruit. I have been buying pineapple in Ghana and it is so good! It is only 1 cedi (which is cheap!)

I have posted some pictures of around my apartment so you can see some the things that i see while I am here. Most of them are pictures around the area but there is also a picture of some ghanian cedis so you can see what the money looks like.

One week in Ghana

Hello Everyone

Getting the Internet finally set up took such a long time! Well I have been in Ghana for one week and it has already been a earth shattering experience. Every morning people in Ghana wake up with the sun which is 5 am. They are in their homes by 6-7 pm because that is when the sun comes down. This has been a definite switch. Every morning  I wake up to roosters that are outside as well as a church which is right across the street from my apartment. The church blares music in the morning.

I am constantly surprised between the division of wealth in Accra, Ghana. There are many people who drive very expensive and imported vehicles. while others are living in very poor and unhealthy conditions. The students at Ashesi University are the very wealthy and come from very rich families. All of my suite mates have very nice phones and computers.

I live in an area called Danquah Circle and I am across the street from Oxford Street which had alot of street sellers and stores that I can buy things down. Shopping in Ghana is so different! Everything you need is not just in one store like in a Walmart or Target you my have to search all over town to find pens or paper.

I am taking African Literature, Music and Dance of West Africa, A course of the Atlantic Slave Trade and Pre-Calculus. My Africana classes are interesting because the other international students are the courses but my math class I am the only one who is not African in a class of 60. I stand out like a sore thumb and students in the class treat me differently even though they are wearing very expensive clothing and jewelery.

Walking down the street being a white girl has been an awkward and funny experience. Today me and my friend Cara were walking back to the apartment and a group Ghanaian men were playing football. They all stopped there game to say hello to her and I. When I walk down the street many men also stop to tell me and the other international students how beautiful we are which is really uncomfortable for me.

My apartment mates are so great and are so helpful. They are really nice and help me understand Ghana's culture. They are also so interested in the culture of the United States.It is so funny to me though when I am here and all I hear is American R and B music or American country music.

Being on my own for meals everyday is a challenge but I am finding things I like which is good my favorite things so far is oranges in Ghana and there is a different way you have to eat them by squeezing them in your mouth also fan ice which is like a milkshake in a pre-packaged bag it is so good!

I have been trying to upload pictures so I will try again tomorrow.

One week in Ghana

Hello Everyone

Getting the Internet finally set up took such a long time! Well I have been in Ghana for one week and it has already been a earth shattering experience. Every morning people in Ghana wake up with the sun which is 5 am. They are in their homes by 6-7 pm because that is when the sun comes down. This has been a definite switch. Every morning  I wake up to roosters that are outside as well as a church which is right across the street from my apartment. The church blares music in the morning.

I am constantly surprised between the division of wealth in Accra, Ghana. There are many people who drive very expensive and imported vehicles. while others are living in very poor and unhealthy conditions. The students at Ashesi University are the very wealthy and come from very rich families. All of my suite mates have very nice phones and computers.

I live in an area called Danquah Circle and I am across the street from Oxford Street which had alot of street sellers and stores that I can buy things down. Shopping in Ghana is so different! Everything you need is not just in one store like in a Walmart or Target you my have to search all over town to find pens or paper.

I am taking African Literature, Music and Dance of West Africa, A course of the Atlantic Slave Trade and Pre-Calculus. My Africana classes are interesting because the other international students are the courses but my math class I am the only one who is not African in a class of 60. I stand out like a sore thumb and students in the class treat me differently even though they are wearing very expensive clothing and jewelery.

Walking down the street being a white girl has been an awkward and funny experience. Today me and my friend Cara were walking back to the apartment and a group Ghanaian men were playing football. They all stopped there game to say hello to her and I. When I walk down the street many men also stop to tell me and the other international students how beautiful we are which is really uncomfortable for me.

My apartment mates are so great and are so helpful. They are really nice and help me understand Ghana's culture. They are also so interested in the culture of the United States.It is so funny to me though when I am here and all I hear is American R and B music or American country music.

Being on my own for meals everyday is a challenge but I am finding things I like which is good my favorite things so far is oranges in Ghana and there is a different way you have to eat them by squeezing them in your mouth also fan ice which is like a milkshake in a pre-packaged bag it is so good!

I have been trying to upload pictures so I will try again tomorrow.

Here in Ghana

Hi everyone I got to Ghana.

My first flight from Seattle to New York was canceled so I had to rebook everything to Amsterdam instead of going through JFK. I got from Amsterdam to Ghana with a 6 hour layover and then another 3 hour delay on the tarmack because of the smoke detector on the plane needed to be changed. I was on first class however on the Amsterdam flight so that wasn't too bad.

I got to Ghana at 11 pm last night and got picked up by the CIEE staff I am at the Hotel in Accra and just went through my first day of orientation it is currently  3pm and very warm but it feels good! There are 6 of us here out of 8. 2 people are still delayed from there flights.

I can't update pictures yet because of the internet situation but I hope to post some in the next couple of days. I am going to be living in an apartment at Ashesi University with other students from Ghana and I move into that tomorrow.

Address in Ghana

Hi everyone. I decided that I would post my address in case anyone needed it or wanted to send me something while I was away.

 Amy Campbell 

c/o Ruth Boatemaa Asante, CIEE

Ashesi University College

No. 87, 3^rd Norla Extension, North Labone

PMB CT 3 Cantonments, Accra

Ghana, West Africa

I day till I leave!

Preparing to Study Away

Crunch Time begins!

This is my first time blogging for my trip to Ghana.

I leave for Ghana in 6 days. It seems like Yesterday when I applied to study away in Ghana and now it is just around the corner. I have gotten all of my shots and paperwork filled out to study away and I feel ready to go just need to finish packing and buy the last minute items and I am on my way.

I will keep this blog updated as much as I can to document the things I see, the people I meet, and the fun experience I have in West Africa. Please feel free to comment on my posts and on any pictures I upload. My next post will be when I am in Ghana!

Here is a Video of famous music performers from Ghana singing about peace throughout Ghana and Africa:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg_LK9mllQQ