8. Accra, the capital city

Nicole Rivera
Jun 2, 2017
2 min read

Hi everyone!

We made it to Ghana and we are immersiving ourselves full force. I have so many emotions!

We arrived late Wednesday night. We got off the plane and immediately felt the heat, physically and conceptually. We were concerned about getting through customs and nervous that our bags could have been lost. We have nothing to hide, but our research told us we should be prepared to communicate our intentions and talk about why we're entering the country at the customs gate. Needless to say, our agent didn't say one word to us but instead used surprisingly efficient hand gestures to indicate his requests. Is this what Ghana will be like? Spoiler alert...NOPE!

I am so happy to report that our group bag of sunscreen, bugspray, toilet paper, and baby wipes made it safe and sound. (As did everything else)

After getting all our bags we were greeted at the airport exit by a bunch of people offering taxi rides. We were looking for our hostel representative and we found him holding Eddies name on a paper. When traveling to places like this where it will be common for locals to hassle you for your money, it is best to arrange a ride and provide your name to the driver before hand. Don't go with anyone who doesn't know your name. Eddies name on the page was like a beacon of hope and security. Waashi was so kind. We were thankful he picked us up.

We had a great nights sleep, a lovely breakfast and headed out in the city. We quickly learned that Waashi is not only kind, but concerned, proud, and energetic. We couldn't have asked for a better guide. He took us throughout Accra. The main markets, the stations, monuments, the ins and outs, cracks and crevices most people might not see. I was wondering if I was really seeing it. There is so much to look at its overwhelming.

I would say, although we got into a bit of a negotiation struggle ( in which Waashi defended us and himself) the highlight of our trip was James town. We climbed up the lighthouse to gain a view that was breathtaking. The gravity of the situation set in. This fishing village on the edge of the water was home to 3000 people and was the first real extremely poor area I have experienced first hand.

Craftsman carved boats out if huge trees from the northern parts of the city, women sat and cleaned and roasted fish. The children in school were magnetized to our difference and wanted to hug us. The village was dirty and makeshift. The energy was high, but the living situation tough to see. The school with next to no lights touched my heart and I choked back tears as I exited. The kids will always get you. Their smiles are contagious and their innocence pure. Some hassle you, but that's all they know.

We visited some monuments, independence square, and some more local villages and markets. At sun down we taxi'd back to our hostel where we had a team meeting about our construction project.