First Impressions

Akwaaba to my first official entry from Ghana (Akwaaba is local for “welcome” so I thought I’d put my new found knowledge to the test). Since everyone is still kind of settling in, I haven’t seen much of Ghana, but what I have so far is completely different than what I would have ever imagined (not that I really had a good idea of what to imagine).

            The airport was an experience in itself. It reminded me of an airport that would be in a movie taking place in the 40s or 50s. When the plane pulled off of the runway, I could see this really old looking ad that was painted on top of a building and said “Fly KLM” in big block letters with no logos or signature colors. When it was time to get off the plane, there was a staircase wheeled over to the plane door and everyone just walked down that and across the tarmac (it wasn’t a very far walk), and then into the airport. Inside, the colors and fonts used on all the signs and posters reminded me of a Sunday school classroom that hadn’t been updated since the late 1980s. The airport was like stepping back into time.

            Accra so far is the most different place that I have visited. At this point, I'm not really sure how to describe it, so hopefully these pictures can help speak for me...

I think the most difficult thing for me is going to be the language “barrier.” At least in when I was in Guatemala, I knew I couldn’t understand all the Spanish that was being thrown at me. Between the other volunteers I am working with and the locals, I will probably on average hear at least six accents a day. To my New York friends, I apologize in advance if I come back speaking a bit differently...