Hi everyone....I am here with Ranelle (also faculty at GVSU) in the internet cafe on the campus of UCC...we had a 16 hour flight (about 8 to Amsterdam) and then another 8 to Accra...we spent the night in Accra and had a very interesting 3 and a half hour drive to UCC (interesting in the fact that it took over an hour to leave Accra...too many vehicles and not enough roads...AND they pass on 2 lane roads all the time...when never in this lifetime would I try to pass with so little clearance). And then there's the signs all over "Overspeeding kills"...at least 70 have died here. These signs are all over! Anyway we have checked in to our chalets...nice in Ghana terms. We have air and a few TV channels...most of which play soccer. I found "flash forward" TV show but there was no sound so kinda hard to watch and understand. We toured a castle near UCC that took care of the slave trade back in the day...pretty sobering. And then we had a great dinner on the coast of the Bay of Guinea...tilepia, head, eyes and all. Some pretty good beer...called "Star".
And did i mention that it is HOT here? About 95 all the time. We were told to "just get used to sweating", but the reality of high temps and high humidity doesn't really hit home until you are actually here.
The classroom that i will be teaching in on Tuesday does not have any air (interestingly,the medical students' lecture building does...hmmm...). The is a campus spread out many, many miles and has about 17,000 students...some of whom have never left home except for this experience...and will go back to their home after they complete their education.
Anyway, we have a very full agenda. Janet, our host from the states is wonderful and has much in store for us. I will try to update this blog on pretty much of a daily basis, so stay tuned!!
Hi, Sounds like a very interesting time, hot weather and all! Was the castle you saw the Cape Coast Castle built in 1653 by the Swedes or Elmina Castle erected by Portugal in 1482 (both close to where you are) ? They are remarkably old structures -- I would not have thought that. But, both have had very heartbreaking slave trading histories. I'm looking forward to your next observations.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand how you feel about the driving. I sometimes make the 45 minute walk home from the office because it's faster than taking a matatu or cab. But when I walk home I have to watch out for the cars that drive on the sidewalks as a way to bypass the traffic jam.
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