Day 1 - Arrival in Accra

Hello everyone,

January 5th marked our arrival in Ghana. Although we had a short delay at the Dulles International Airport, we arrived safely before noon, giving us all a chance to settle into our hotel (our “home away from home”) and walk to the nearby SIT - School for International Training - building.

Our Hotel

During our stay, we will have events, classes, and speakers at the SIT space. We also met the SIT staff and had a chance to hear a preview of activities taking place over the next few days. Of particular excitement is the inauguration of Ghana’s new president on Tuesday morning, which we will attend!

SIT Classroom

Our first day also brought opportunities to try some Ghanaian dishes, including a delicious home-cooked meal and a welcome dinner buffet at a nearby hotel.

Everyone is looking forward to getting a good night’s rest following our overnight flight and a bit of jet lag.

We’re looking forward to sharing our adventures with you through our blog posts.

After Dinner Group photo with SIT Staff

Henry

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 4 - From Cocoa Farms to Salsa Nights

Image
Today we visited the country’s first cocoa farm, established in 1879, followed by a visit to Ghana’s first and only botanical garden. The Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm, still operational today, harvests beans three times a year. We learned that farmers plant banana and plantain trees alongside cocoa to provide essential shade. Harvesting of the cocoa pods involves using long sticks with metal hooks to twist the pods off tall trees, enabling the farmer to preserve the health of the tree. We were surprised to learn that here in Ghana, cocoa beans are harvested and dried naturally as the fresh beans are fermented in plantain or banana leaves for about seven days and then sun-dried for three weeks, eventually developing the classic very dark chocolate flavor. Every part of the cocoa plant is put to good use as the shells are repurposed to make African black soap, a natural cleanser known for its many health benefits.                       ...
Read more

Day 3 - Inauguration Day: We Know a Guy

Image
Today started at 5:30 am (when the roosters were up) to get ready for one of the most important days of the year for the citizens of Ghana: Inauguration Day. On our way to the event, we stopped at the president elect's house to secure our entrance to the celebration. Upon arrival at Black Star Square, we were submersed into an enormous crowd of people. There were vendors, dancers, drummers and Ghanaian flags everywhere. We were specially invited to attend this inauguration by Dr. Kwabena, our Ghanaian program director. His mother, Dr. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, is the Vice President-elect and the first female Vice President of Ghana.  Picture of The Black Star Square It took an hour to push our way through the crowds and find the entrance to the VIP seating. Due to the size of our group, it was easy to lose each other in the masses. Unfortunately, this happened right outside the entrance to the VIP seating, leading to an unfriendly confrontation with a large number of Ghanaian mili...
Read more

Day 11 - The Canopy and The Castle

Image
Hi everyone!  We woke up bright and early for a quick breakfast, said goodbye to Kumasi, and got on the road at 7:30. We headed toward Cape Coast where we stopped at the Kakum National Park and the Cape Coast Castle.  After a long bus journey - the drive took about 7 hours and included four stops, all with their own unique restrooms - we arrived at the Kakum National Park. The park itself was beautiful, as we were surrounded by nature with many different types of trees. The park encompasses 145 square miles and the4 elevation ranges from 443 to 820 feet. We hiked up some rocky steps for about 20 minutes before we got to the bridges, originally built in 1995; this year the park celebrates its 30th anniversary. There were eight bridges in total, with the highest being 131 feet above the ground. As we traversed across the bridges in small groups, we looked down at our feet as the rope and wooden bridge swayed. The view of a very green, luscious rainforest floor was stunning....
Read more