Hello,
So Andi, Sonja and I went to the beach today- it was fun, we collected shells and sand dollars!
We had a storm tonight which is absolutely amazing. I am going to steal pictures from others and post.
This is it for today.
May you find what you are looking for.
<3 Midge
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I think its thursday
First- I cannot believe that I have been here for almost 3 weeks- That means that there are only 14 more... how can that be? Well I guess I most start on things. Today Bethany and I have decided to volunteer at the Teshie Orphanage. Here is the link. http://www.teshieorphan.org.gh/ We have to go meet with the mother this coming Wednesday and then we should be able to start the weeks following. I am very excited about this opportunity.
ISEP is putting on a trip for us this weekend to Cape Coast and Elmina- I promise lots of pictures!!! So far there are 5 of us signed up for Mole- We need 10 more for the trip to run- I think it will happen- we still have 2 weeks to let them know...I hope it goes!!! If not i will be very upset... but there might be a change to see Elephants this weekend- we will see.
I guess my classes are all set- Drumming got approved with great enthusiasm!! Theatre Management ended up not running today but Ezra and I chatted for basically what would have been the whole time of the class about this and that. He is a very interesting guy and its great to have someone to talk to. I sorta want a room mate at this point but I dont know if I am gonna get one :( I got a small sunburn today as I was trying to figure out how to drop a class- I figured it out- but boy was it a pain...
I sent out 3 job applications today-ahhhh It seems like each year you have to send them out earlier and earlier- There are 4 or 5 more that i have to send out in the next few weeks- I have to get on that...
I am almost done reading Macbeth for my Play Analysis class- but i will probably read it again. I believe I am going to the beach tomorrow- so hopefully I can finish it for the first time and then continue to re-read it....
Thats it for now-
Midge
ISEP is putting on a trip for us this weekend to Cape Coast and Elmina- I promise lots of pictures!!! So far there are 5 of us signed up for Mole- We need 10 more for the trip to run- I think it will happen- we still have 2 weeks to let them know...I hope it goes!!! If not i will be very upset... but there might be a change to see Elephants this weekend- we will see.
I guess my classes are all set- Drumming got approved with great enthusiasm!! Theatre Management ended up not running today but Ezra and I chatted for basically what would have been the whole time of the class about this and that. He is a very interesting guy and its great to have someone to talk to. I sorta want a room mate at this point but I dont know if I am gonna get one :( I got a small sunburn today as I was trying to figure out how to drop a class- I figured it out- but boy was it a pain...
I sent out 3 job applications today-ahhhh It seems like each year you have to send them out earlier and earlier- There are 4 or 5 more that i have to send out in the next few weeks- I have to get on that...
I am almost done reading Macbeth for my Play Analysis class- but i will probably read it again. I believe I am going to the beach tomorrow- so hopefully I can finish it for the first time and then continue to re-read it....
Thats it for now-
Midge
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Food
Carla-
I am eating a mix of local, western and vegetarian foods.
There are a lot of eggs, chicken and rice. The food is basically all spicy- but not spicy more of a hot taste- there are a few foods that I do not have the taste for yet- but i will try again.
The fried egg sandwich on what they call sweet bread is amazing!
Thats really it about that... except it is all very cheep!
midge
I am eating a mix of local, western and vegetarian foods.
There are a lot of eggs, chicken and rice. The food is basically all spicy- but not spicy more of a hot taste- there are a few foods that I do not have the taste for yet- but i will try again.
The fried egg sandwich on what they call sweet bread is amazing!
Thats really it about that... except it is all very cheep!
midge
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday
So today was the first damper- My class African Popular got moved to a time where I can not take it so I do not know what I am going to do. I can technically not add another class because I am taking 4 others but I still do not know about the Twi class and the transfer of those credits… Andi and I are going to walk around this afternoon and see if we can find a class that me might be able to take. (Update: NOTHING!!!!) The biggest problem is all of the guidelines that are set on what you can and cannot take during the same semester- one thing is you have to take ALL the same level- so I am taking all 300 levels…and right now there are not many 300s that are left that one I can take, two fit my schedule, three are approved and four are not in the same groups as Theatre and music….So I am going to see if I can just take the 3 classes and the Twi and call it good. I will still be able to graduate on time so I don’t see it being an issue. I am waiting for a call back from Dr. Olson to see if this will be okay. Let's Hope!!!
So- on a better note- I went to my 7:30am class- I can’t believe I have one- but it won’t be too bad now because I only have two back to back and not three- as of now…The professor seems like he will be good. Our first play is Macbeth; it has been a while since I read it. So after our class let out I went to the book store so I could start reading it. My friend Ezra that I meet in my Theatre Management class ‘reserved’ / saved me a seat which was really nice. The professor pointed me out since I am the only Oburoni (white person) in the class, the lecture hall fits 400 people but there were probably only about 175 of us. He asked me where I was from and my name. I guess the one good thing the professor will remember your name. The same thing happened in my Theatre Management Class, I don’t know if I mentioned that in a earlier post. People in general are having a hard time pronouncing my name because of the ‘ss’ sound. After class Ezra and I meet up while waiting for the class which has now left my schedule and talked. He is the youngest of 7 which is considered a medium size family here. He seems to be very nice but I am keeping guard up till I get to know him more, most of the people in the department seem to know him- which I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing. He ‘auditioned’ to be on the set crew of one of the show- so far I have seen 4 audition notices- so there should be a lot of shows to look forward to! He has offered to ‘escort’ me to shows. The things I am putting in quotes have similar meanings to both cultures but depending on the person they might mean different things. So we will see- if I go with him I would have others come with me. Both Andi and Johnny enjoy the theatre so maybe if the two of them come too I would feel comfortable going.
After class 3 of drumming I am starting to get it but it still needs some work. I have been tapping on my desk as I wait for the internet to load practicing the different rhythms. The professor is very funny and sorta picks on me and a few others but it with a full heart. He is so passionate about music and dance. This is a class for international students so there is a mix of ethnicities- Asia, European, and American.
It is very very humid today- the last two days have been good but today even though its only 78F out it seems much much warmer because of the humidity.
I am going to go talk to Aunt Theresa or Messilant about volunteering if possible I would like to start next Wednesday. (I am worried about my name with little ones if that is where I end up, I might do the ‘rissa route with them.)
I will speak briefly on being a minority- today and Thursday was truly the first time that I can say I was a minority. When I work I am typically the only female or maybe one other female but I never feel except when the guys “harass” me- in playful ways- that I am a female/minority in my field. But sitting in class surrounded by locals it actually felt intimidating, amazing, and electrifying all at the same time. I know that today race is something that most people accept everywhere- but I think about the days of Rosa Parks, MLK Jr and others who stood up for the minority and wonder what it would be like if I had to fight to sit in an all African school- would if things changed in the past been this way? I sit there and thought of the freedoms I have and each time that a person asks me if I voted in the election I am able to proudly say yes- and I am sure they care who I voted for but no matter if I answer that question when asked or not they will accept that right. As the lecture started and the professor congratulated the class on one last semester’s results but also on a peaceful election I thought about it- when in our recent past have we had to worry about a terror field election? I know things have happened in elections which prohibited certain groups from voting but today we certainly allow them to as a nation it is certain individuals who have created this unrest. Those are some thoughts of the day about minority- I am sure as time goes on I will have some other thoughts about this…
Thanks all for the comments- Let me know if you have any specific questions about life here...
I guess that’s it for now- who know when this will actually be posted…
Midge
So- on a better note- I went to my 7:30am class- I can’t believe I have one- but it won’t be too bad now because I only have two back to back and not three- as of now…The professor seems like he will be good. Our first play is Macbeth; it has been a while since I read it. So after our class let out I went to the book store so I could start reading it. My friend Ezra that I meet in my Theatre Management class ‘reserved’ / saved me a seat which was really nice. The professor pointed me out since I am the only Oburoni (white person) in the class, the lecture hall fits 400 people but there were probably only about 175 of us. He asked me where I was from and my name. I guess the one good thing the professor will remember your name. The same thing happened in my Theatre Management Class, I don’t know if I mentioned that in a earlier post. People in general are having a hard time pronouncing my name because of the ‘ss’ sound. After class Ezra and I meet up while waiting for the class which has now left my schedule and talked. He is the youngest of 7 which is considered a medium size family here. He seems to be very nice but I am keeping guard up till I get to know him more, most of the people in the department seem to know him- which I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing. He ‘auditioned’ to be on the set crew of one of the show- so far I have seen 4 audition notices- so there should be a lot of shows to look forward to! He has offered to ‘escort’ me to shows. The things I am putting in quotes have similar meanings to both cultures but depending on the person they might mean different things. So we will see- if I go with him I would have others come with me. Both Andi and Johnny enjoy the theatre so maybe if the two of them come too I would feel comfortable going.
After class 3 of drumming I am starting to get it but it still needs some work. I have been tapping on my desk as I wait for the internet to load practicing the different rhythms. The professor is very funny and sorta picks on me and a few others but it with a full heart. He is so passionate about music and dance. This is a class for international students so there is a mix of ethnicities- Asia, European, and American.
It is very very humid today- the last two days have been good but today even though its only 78F out it seems much much warmer because of the humidity.
I am going to go talk to Aunt Theresa or Messilant about volunteering if possible I would like to start next Wednesday. (I am worried about my name with little ones if that is where I end up, I might do the ‘rissa route with them.)
I will speak briefly on being a minority- today and Thursday was truly the first time that I can say I was a minority. When I work I am typically the only female or maybe one other female but I never feel except when the guys “harass” me- in playful ways- that I am a female/minority in my field. But sitting in class surrounded by locals it actually felt intimidating, amazing, and electrifying all at the same time. I know that today race is something that most people accept everywhere- but I think about the days of Rosa Parks, MLK Jr and others who stood up for the minority and wonder what it would be like if I had to fight to sit in an all African school- would if things changed in the past been this way? I sit there and thought of the freedoms I have and each time that a person asks me if I voted in the election I am able to proudly say yes- and I am sure they care who I voted for but no matter if I answer that question when asked or not they will accept that right. As the lecture started and the professor congratulated the class on one last semester’s results but also on a peaceful election I thought about it- when in our recent past have we had to worry about a terror field election? I know things have happened in elections which prohibited certain groups from voting but today we certainly allow them to as a nation it is certain individuals who have created this unrest. Those are some thoughts of the day about minority- I am sure as time goes on I will have some other thoughts about this…
Thanks all for the comments- Let me know if you have any specific questions about life here...
I guess that’s it for now- who know when this will actually be posted…
Midge
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday morning---
A few things- nothing to exciting right now...
I meet a porter Benjamin the other night in the night market (Porter are the I guess equivalent of a door man/handy man/ security to the hostels) They are all very nice men. Benjamin works in the other ISH. I am in one he works in 2. We were talking as we were waiting for our food- he was bundled up in a jacket and long sleeve shirt and I asked him if he was cold and he said yes- He said it is to cold. He then asked if I liked the weather standing there in a short and t-shirt and I said yes it is very nice out. I believe it was about 75F/ 25C out. I then said at home it is very cold and this is like summer weather and he asked me how cold it was at home right now and I told him it was about -21C with out a second he asked me how we live there? Its true- why do we live in such cold weather?
I have no classes today- taking it easy for my crazy day on Tuesday, we shall see how that goes- Not looking to getting up sooo early! Andi invited me to the beach on Wed I think I will go for a little while...most of you know I hate the beach- but it is nice to get out of the building for a bit.
Saturday and Sunday we go on a weekend trip to the Cape Coast and Elmina- these cities have some of the old slave holdings and other old buildings. I am not sure what else we are doing specifically on this trip. The next weekend we go to Kumasi. And the weekend after that a group of us are planning a trip to the mouth of Lake Volta and the meeting on the Ocean. I think I will go. It should be a lot of fun. I am going to try to at least do one day trip a weekend if not one night somewhere. We will see how that goes- it is also going to be hard until I know what my finals schedule is...Finals are scheduled for 3 weeks so hopefully the schedule will allow for some travel.
Surprisingly it gets very dark very early here- for some reason I did not expect that. Sleeping-in in the morning is basically impossible especially because I dont have curtains on my window- and i dont feel like buying them...I have an eye mask which at least helps a little. It gets dark around 6pm and the sun rises at 6am- and I guess this is basically year round...I dont know why? It seems like it would not because of the proximity to the equator.
Thank you for all the comments so far. As you can see in the pictures and such things are going well. I promise lots more pictures in the coming weekends- days around here will not produce many pictures but the trips outside of Accra will. I am hopefully going to see Theresa/Melissant- the two ISEP people here about volunteering soon and getting that going...I cant wait...
Thats it for now..
Midge
I meet a porter Benjamin the other night in the night market (Porter are the I guess equivalent of a door man/handy man/ security to the hostels) They are all very nice men. Benjamin works in the other ISH. I am in one he works in 2. We were talking as we were waiting for our food- he was bundled up in a jacket and long sleeve shirt and I asked him if he was cold and he said yes- He said it is to cold. He then asked if I liked the weather standing there in a short and t-shirt and I said yes it is very nice out. I believe it was about 75F/ 25C out. I then said at home it is very cold and this is like summer weather and he asked me how cold it was at home right now and I told him it was about -21C with out a second he asked me how we live there? Its true- why do we live in such cold weather?
I have no classes today- taking it easy for my crazy day on Tuesday, we shall see how that goes- Not looking to getting up sooo early! Andi invited me to the beach on Wed I think I will go for a little while...most of you know I hate the beach- but it is nice to get out of the building for a bit.
Saturday and Sunday we go on a weekend trip to the Cape Coast and Elmina- these cities have some of the old slave holdings and other old buildings. I am not sure what else we are doing specifically on this trip. The next weekend we go to Kumasi. And the weekend after that a group of us are planning a trip to the mouth of Lake Volta and the meeting on the Ocean. I think I will go. It should be a lot of fun. I am going to try to at least do one day trip a weekend if not one night somewhere. We will see how that goes- it is also going to be hard until I know what my finals schedule is...Finals are scheduled for 3 weeks so hopefully the schedule will allow for some travel.
Surprisingly it gets very dark very early here- for some reason I did not expect that. Sleeping-in in the morning is basically impossible especially because I dont have curtains on my window- and i dont feel like buying them...I have an eye mask which at least helps a little. It gets dark around 6pm and the sun rises at 6am- and I guess this is basically year round...I dont know why? It seems like it would not because of the proximity to the equator.
Thank you for all the comments so far. As you can see in the pictures and such things are going well. I promise lots more pictures in the coming weekends- days around here will not produce many pictures but the trips outside of Accra will. I am hopefully going to see Theresa/Melissant- the two ISEP people here about volunteering soon and getting that going...I cant wait...
Thats it for now..
Midge
Sunday, January 25, 2009
More pictures
If you checked out the link on Saturday for pictures there are some new pictures of the International Student Durbar up... take a look.
Today was basically laid back. I went to the mall this afternoon and bought a few things for the around the room nothing exciting!
Tomorrow I do not have any classes so I am not sure what I am gonna do... We will see. Early morning on Tuesday for the first real day of classes :)
<3 Midge
Today was basically laid back. I went to the mall this afternoon and bought a few things for the around the room nothing exciting!
Tomorrow I do not have any classes so I am not sure what I am gonna do... We will see. Early morning on Tuesday for the first real day of classes :)
<3 Midge
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday/Saturday
Weekend update-
So yesterday we went on a very nice hike- we had some things happen that I will explain- let me just say everyone is okay, but it was a little crazy….
A few things before I start the story
-The police are a little corrupt I this country and you can bribe your way out of things for about 1cedi= $0.75.
-A tro-tro is a van/bus which has 4 rows plus the row for the drive which can fit two passengers- usually you fit 4 people per row plus the two in the front so that would be 17 passengers plus the driver and the person called the Mate who collects the money- this is the most widely used mode of transportation in Ghana.
We went on about a 9mile hike in Aburi which is about an hour from Legon where I a staying. The ride up to the site where we were hiking was beautiful. We arrive and one of the girls who was here last semester was a ‘tour’ guide. We hiked for about 5 miles and took a 2 hour lunch break- because that’s how things are done here! We finished the next 4 miles and made it back into town and played with some children for a bit and then headed back into town where we were meet by a man on a motorcycle- I am not sure what the conversion between the girl who was leading us and him was but when we were about to go into the Aburi Botanical Gardens I heard him call to here again and the next thing was he was going to have the police come because we were trespassing on their property. There were 22 of us in the group and I am sure that out of all of us one of us would have seen a sign if there was one which there is not one. So long story short we ended up having to pay 4cedi a person just to make the situation go away. They said someone had called them to say that we were on the trail and I think it might have been the two men that we meet because some of the group saw illegal plants being grown and if we had been with a guide like we were suppose to be we would not have gone on that path. So that is situation #1 of the day.
We went to the botanical gardens which were beautiful- the trees are huge! The link will be at the end of this post- check it out…
So we headed home we had to split up into two tro-tros because our group was on the larger size and we wouldn’t fit- but we did put 4 in each row like we thought was the way that things worked. Well when we got to a police stop they pulled our tro-tro in… well come to find out the law is 3 per row… none of us knew this. The driver tried to pay off the cops which the cops would not have off, so the mate walked ahead with all the money so the cops couldn’t get any more. So they then pulled John out to wait for another tro-tro, but the driver told him just to walk through the check point and get in after- which I guess is a common thing to do. Well the police officer started following John- so at this point most of us are like omg what is going on… Well John and then two of the other girls from my group got out of the tro-tro and got a taxi with John, crazy- if from the time we stopped they said 3 people need to get out and get another ride, 3 of us would have and the whole thing would have been avoided- but its over and this is good to know for future reference. Also having 10 white people also gives a lot of attention to a vehicle.
We are all fine and we all got back- it was just the first time that it sat with me that I am not in America anymore. We have the Durbar tonight and then we have a birthday in our group so we are going to celebrate that!
Side note: A boy came up to me when we were in Aburi and asked what was on my leg- regarding my tattoo, this was a smaller village and I believe that do not get a lot of tourist. It was so cute- he was young and it was just adorable.
Here’s the second album- 300 pictures in two weeks- oh boy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/midge.mij/UGSpring2009Pt2?authkey=EB2Q02gorKE&feat=directlink
That’s it for now! Leave love!
<3 Midge
So yesterday we went on a very nice hike- we had some things happen that I will explain- let me just say everyone is okay, but it was a little crazy….
A few things before I start the story
-The police are a little corrupt I this country and you can bribe your way out of things for about 1cedi= $0.75.
-A tro-tro is a van/bus which has 4 rows plus the row for the drive which can fit two passengers- usually you fit 4 people per row plus the two in the front so that would be 17 passengers plus the driver and the person called the Mate who collects the money- this is the most widely used mode of transportation in Ghana.
We went on about a 9mile hike in Aburi which is about an hour from Legon where I a staying. The ride up to the site where we were hiking was beautiful. We arrive and one of the girls who was here last semester was a ‘tour’ guide. We hiked for about 5 miles and took a 2 hour lunch break- because that’s how things are done here! We finished the next 4 miles and made it back into town and played with some children for a bit and then headed back into town where we were meet by a man on a motorcycle- I am not sure what the conversion between the girl who was leading us and him was but when we were about to go into the Aburi Botanical Gardens I heard him call to here again and the next thing was he was going to have the police come because we were trespassing on their property. There were 22 of us in the group and I am sure that out of all of us one of us would have seen a sign if there was one which there is not one. So long story short we ended up having to pay 4cedi a person just to make the situation go away. They said someone had called them to say that we were on the trail and I think it might have been the two men that we meet because some of the group saw illegal plants being grown and if we had been with a guide like we were suppose to be we would not have gone on that path. So that is situation #1 of the day.
We went to the botanical gardens which were beautiful- the trees are huge! The link will be at the end of this post- check it out…
So we headed home we had to split up into two tro-tros because our group was on the larger size and we wouldn’t fit- but we did put 4 in each row like we thought was the way that things worked. Well when we got to a police stop they pulled our tro-tro in… well come to find out the law is 3 per row… none of us knew this. The driver tried to pay off the cops which the cops would not have off, so the mate walked ahead with all the money so the cops couldn’t get any more. So they then pulled John out to wait for another tro-tro, but the driver told him just to walk through the check point and get in after- which I guess is a common thing to do. Well the police officer started following John- so at this point most of us are like omg what is going on… Well John and then two of the other girls from my group got out of the tro-tro and got a taxi with John, crazy- if from the time we stopped they said 3 people need to get out and get another ride, 3 of us would have and the whole thing would have been avoided- but its over and this is good to know for future reference. Also having 10 white people also gives a lot of attention to a vehicle.
We are all fine and we all got back- it was just the first time that it sat with me that I am not in America anymore. We have the Durbar tonight and then we have a birthday in our group so we are going to celebrate that!
Side note: A boy came up to me when we were in Aburi and asked what was on my leg- regarding my tattoo, this was a smaller village and I believe that do not get a lot of tourist. It was so cute- he was young and it was just adorable.
Here’s the second album- 300 pictures in two weeks- oh boy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/midge.mij/UGSpring2009Pt2?authkey=EB2Q02gorKE&feat=directlink
That’s it for now! Leave love!
<3 Midge
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I guess--
This entry is for a few days…
So yesterday (Tuesday) was a very exciting day. I went to my first class outside of the required Twi class. I went to African Drumming for International students. It was a lot of fun. I have to get this class approved at home because it was not in the regular class catalog so hopefully that will happen :). Andi and myself went to the African Pop Class but like most classes here they did not start this week. We walked around the campus for a bit to see if anything had been updated at the departments but nothing new for me.... but this morning...
Wednesday Update:
I got classes!!!!!!! I only have classes on Tuesday and Thursday- which is awesome! Tuesday is going to be a very long morning but its okay...
Tuesday-
7:30am-9:25 am: Play Analysis and Interpretation III
9:30-10:25: African Drumming for International Students
11:30-1:30: African Pop Music
5:30-7:00pm: Twi Language
Thursday:
10:30am-11:25am Drumming
3:30-5:25 Theatre Management
5:30-7pm: TWI
The campus is huge so getting from one class to the next will be interesting with technically only 5 minutes between classes. Hopefully once 'real' classrooms are listed they will be in my favor. But something really nice is the drumming class takes place outside under trees! What better classroom then that.
I did some laundry last night, Lets just say- It was a nice experience but not what I am gonna do for the semester!!!
Some people are going on hike tomorrow (Thursday). I would love to go but since I am actually needing to go to classes because Drumming did start this week and the Management class I had to get special permission for I do not want to skip the first one (I will be one of the only white students and he has meet me already...good impressions??) Some people are contently complaining that we haven't gone anywhere yet- in my mind we have been here for 10 days and we have a lot of time to go. I am thankful to my class schedule because it will give me days that I can find a travel buddy and just go and not miss classes :) I think my plan is to do Wed. Volunteer day-not sure where yet, I will go to Auntie Theresa on Thursday to discuss options.
I am not sure what I am going to do this weekend, but we are going on a day trip to a park- I will get the spelling of the name at some point- I guess this is the best time to see everything in bloom. I guess it’s about a 7.5 mile hike and there are many different things to see there. It should be fun! There is a Durbar on Saturday Afternoon/night for international students- the best description that I got from someone was music, food, and dance- should be a lot of fun. Not sure what I am going to do the rest of the weekend. I think I will try to attend service on Sunday.
The inauguration party was a lot of fun. It would have been nice to get there when we were suppose to but time does not play a huge factor in life here so we left about an hour late. It was at the W.E.B Du Bois center which is the final resting place for him. There were people from all over the world and locals who joined in on the celebration.
Midge
So yesterday (Tuesday) was a very exciting day. I went to my first class outside of the required Twi class. I went to African Drumming for International students. It was a lot of fun. I have to get this class approved at home because it was not in the regular class catalog so hopefully that will happen :). Andi and myself went to the African Pop Class but like most classes here they did not start this week. We walked around the campus for a bit to see if anything had been updated at the departments but nothing new for me.... but this morning...
Wednesday Update:
I got classes!!!!!!! I only have classes on Tuesday and Thursday- which is awesome! Tuesday is going to be a very long morning but its okay...
Tuesday-
7:30am-9:25 am: Play Analysis and Interpretation III
9:30-10:25: African Drumming for International Students
11:30-1:30: African Pop Music
5:30-7:00pm: Twi Language
Thursday:
10:30am-11:25am Drumming
3:30-5:25 Theatre Management
5:30-7pm: TWI
The campus is huge so getting from one class to the next will be interesting with technically only 5 minutes between classes. Hopefully once 'real' classrooms are listed they will be in my favor. But something really nice is the drumming class takes place outside under trees! What better classroom then that.
I did some laundry last night, Lets just say- It was a nice experience but not what I am gonna do for the semester!!!
Some people are going on hike tomorrow (Thursday). I would love to go but since I am actually needing to go to classes because Drumming did start this week and the Management class I had to get special permission for I do not want to skip the first one (I will be one of the only white students and he has meet me already...good impressions??) Some people are contently complaining that we haven't gone anywhere yet- in my mind we have been here for 10 days and we have a lot of time to go. I am thankful to my class schedule because it will give me days that I can find a travel buddy and just go and not miss classes :) I think my plan is to do Wed. Volunteer day-not sure where yet, I will go to Auntie Theresa on Thursday to discuss options.
I am not sure what I am going to do this weekend, but we are going on a day trip to a park- I will get the spelling of the name at some point- I guess this is the best time to see everything in bloom. I guess it’s about a 7.5 mile hike and there are many different things to see there. It should be fun! There is a Durbar on Saturday Afternoon/night for international students- the best description that I got from someone was music, food, and dance- should be a lot of fun. Not sure what I am going to do the rest of the weekend. I think I will try to attend service on Sunday.
The inauguration party was a lot of fun. It would have been nice to get there when we were suppose to but time does not play a huge factor in life here so we left about an hour late. It was at the W.E.B Du Bois center which is the final resting place for him. There were people from all over the world and locals who joined in on the celebration.
Midge
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday- First day of classes???
So unlike a typical American University where you know your schedule months before the semester starts- you at least know the classes that are being offered. Well the process at UG is not as simple. For one you can not just go on-line and see what is being offered. You must walk around campus and find each department and see the time tables (schedules) to see what classes are being offered when. The performing arts I guess are know to be one of the last departments and I believe they have out done themselves this semester as well by not posting today and saying not until Wednesday will the classes be up..... I did however attend one class today the Twi class. It was a lot of fun. I am a little nervous about all of the phonetic sounds that are involved but I am sure i will do okay. Tomorrow which is when my Twi class should be (Tuesday and Thursday 1730-1900) We are attending an inauguration party at one of the local hotels, which should be a lot of fun. There is so much excitement about Obama here.
I have two classes that I plan on attending in the music department tomorrow. The first is a drumming class, which I am still not sure what I will get for credit for, even if I can not get credit for this class I will still take it. I will also be attending one that I know I can get credit for which is African Pop Music. I am very interesting in this class because from all of the music I have already heard it is AMAZING!!!
So Danielle my room-mate decided to move in with another girl- her room-mate went home...so I am not sure what will be happening with this empty space. I will ask in the morning if I will be getting a room-mate and if so when- so I have an idea of what might be happening.
Thats it for now...
Midge
I have two classes that I plan on attending in the music department tomorrow. The first is a drumming class, which I am still not sure what I will get for credit for, even if I can not get credit for this class I will still take it. I will also be attending one that I know I can get credit for which is African Pop Music. I am very interesting in this class because from all of the music I have already heard it is AMAZING!!!
So Danielle my room-mate decided to move in with another girl- her room-mate went home...so I am not sure what will be happening with this empty space. I will ask in the morning if I will be getting a room-mate and if so when- so I have an idea of what might be happening.
Thats it for now...
Midge
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Photo Site
Photo Site-
Use this link and you should be able to see my pictures!!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/midge.mij/UGSpring2009?authkey=UsKzAJ_VVW4&feat=directlink
<3 Midge
Use this link and you should be able to see my pictures!!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/midge.mij/UGSpring2009?authkey=UsKzAJ_VVW4&feat=directlink
<3 Midge
Saturday/ Sunday Plans
First off- I got a few (5) photos on Facebook- Here is the link- hopefully it works for you all. Because I can only get a few on at a time I am trying to give you guys a variety of the things that I am seeing here. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2087389&l=88f73&id=45607311
So yesterday was a great day of getting to see the city of Accra (it is pronounced A-Craw). We started by driving around the city to see the different areas like Osu, East and West Ridge. We went though the Tettah Quarshie who was the man to bring cocoa beans to Ghana has a "rotary" named after him- it is the biggest in West Africa. We were introduced to the multiple hospitals in Accra. There is a clinic and hospital on campus so it will not really be necessary for us (if need be) to go off campus for one.
Our first stop was the Kwame Nkrunah Memorial Park. He was the first president of the liberated Ghana. He served as the president from 1957- 1966 where he was overthrown by a coup. There are many mixed feelings about the leadership of the man but most Ghanians feel that he is the reason for the freedom because he declared it on March 6, 1957, on the very ground that the park stands on today. It is a beautiful park filled with so much importance for the first black nation below the Sierra to gain independence. He died on April 27th 1972 and has three burials and is now in his final resting spot besides his wife. I can not wait for pictures to be available (that i took...) He was a friend of JFK, Fidel Castro, and Nelson Mandela- that combination alone shows a wide array of things that this man tried to accomplish. He wrote over 40 books before his passing on peaceful independence for Africa.
We also stopped at the National Cultural Center which is an outside market with arts of every kind. I am amazed to say that I have not bought anything but necessities for my room because we have been told that when we go to Kumasi and Cape Coast we will be able to get a better price on most goods.
We stopped at the Independence Square which is where inaugurations, parades, and festivals happen. I hope to attend the independence day on March 6th there! There is also many military memorials in the area including the 28th February which was a protest of Ghanaian Soldiers against Britain after WWI where some were murdered for the protest. If my day is available I would like to attend the service.
We then went to have dinner at a 'Chinese' restaurant which is not American Chinese but Africa Chinese. It was good. There was way way tooo much food. We then proceeded to Oxford Street where we were able to walk around and see other artists work and such.
Our last stop for this very busy day was the Accra Mall- which is an inside mall with AC-which made most of us a little happy. They have the more trendy things and 'supermarkets' and 'Targets' it is close to campus so if you really need something it is close by and you can get basically everything you need- I will try to avoid it because it does not have the culture of the street but it nice to know its there.
Our Cape Coast trip is being post-ponned because the Legon (AKA the University of Ghana)is having a Darbur (large party with music, dance, and food) and we dont want to miss it...
Sunday we are going to the beach (thats today my time...) I cant wait to see the ocean, swim in the ocean, and relax before classes 'start' on Monday- I guess the first week of classes here are sorta hit and miss if lecturers actually come or if they start teaching.
Things I have learned so far-
Ghana is still close friends with Cuba
People love their country here
The sun rises early and we will be as well
Twi is pronounced more like tree with a little accent
Time is no issue- classes start on Monday and most of the schedules are not up
Water is a necessity in your body
I have never realized what clean water means.
Do not shave with just the head of a razor- someone else found this out for me
The play Vagina Monologues is done all over the world-
Tro-Tros (city buses) are a cool mode of transportation.
I need to make a list of things that I want to do while I am here-
Always carry toilet paper with you
There is a huge excitement about both Ghana's Presidential election and the USA election
I guess that is it for now- Leave comments!
Oh- skype sorta works its very delayed but I am trying to contact people when there is a chance and its not 3am your time or my time....
<3 Midge
So yesterday was a great day of getting to see the city of Accra (it is pronounced A-Craw). We started by driving around the city to see the different areas like Osu, East and West Ridge. We went though the Tettah Quarshie who was the man to bring cocoa beans to Ghana has a "rotary" named after him- it is the biggest in West Africa. We were introduced to the multiple hospitals in Accra. There is a clinic and hospital on campus so it will not really be necessary for us (if need be) to go off campus for one.
Our first stop was the Kwame Nkrunah Memorial Park. He was the first president of the liberated Ghana. He served as the president from 1957- 1966 where he was overthrown by a coup. There are many mixed feelings about the leadership of the man but most Ghanians feel that he is the reason for the freedom because he declared it on March 6, 1957, on the very ground that the park stands on today. It is a beautiful park filled with so much importance for the first black nation below the Sierra to gain independence. He died on April 27th 1972 and has three burials and is now in his final resting spot besides his wife. I can not wait for pictures to be available (that i took...) He was a friend of JFK, Fidel Castro, and Nelson Mandela- that combination alone shows a wide array of things that this man tried to accomplish. He wrote over 40 books before his passing on peaceful independence for Africa.
We also stopped at the National Cultural Center which is an outside market with arts of every kind. I am amazed to say that I have not bought anything but necessities for my room because we have been told that when we go to Kumasi and Cape Coast we will be able to get a better price on most goods.
We stopped at the Independence Square which is where inaugurations, parades, and festivals happen. I hope to attend the independence day on March 6th there! There is also many military memorials in the area including the 28th February which was a protest of Ghanaian Soldiers against Britain after WWI where some were murdered for the protest. If my day is available I would like to attend the service.
We then went to have dinner at a 'Chinese' restaurant which is not American Chinese but Africa Chinese. It was good. There was way way tooo much food. We then proceeded to Oxford Street where we were able to walk around and see other artists work and such.
Our last stop for this very busy day was the Accra Mall- which is an inside mall with AC-which made most of us a little happy. They have the more trendy things and 'supermarkets' and 'Targets' it is close to campus so if you really need something it is close by and you can get basically everything you need- I will try to avoid it because it does not have the culture of the street but it nice to know its there.
Our Cape Coast trip is being post-ponned because the Legon (AKA the University of Ghana)is having a Darbur (large party with music, dance, and food) and we dont want to miss it...
Sunday we are going to the beach (thats today my time...) I cant wait to see the ocean, swim in the ocean, and relax before classes 'start' on Monday- I guess the first week of classes here are sorta hit and miss if lecturers actually come or if they start teaching.
Things I have learned so far-
Ghana is still close friends with Cuba
People love their country here
The sun rises early and we will be as well
Twi is pronounced more like tree with a little accent
Time is no issue- classes start on Monday and most of the schedules are not up
Water is a necessity in your body
I have never realized what clean water means.
Do not shave with just the head of a razor- someone else found this out for me
The play Vagina Monologues is done all over the world-
Tro-Tros (city buses) are a cool mode of transportation.
I need to make a list of things that I want to do while I am here-
Always carry toilet paper with you
There is a huge excitement about both Ghana's Presidential election and the USA election
I guess that is it for now- Leave comments!
Oh- skype sorta works its very delayed but I am trying to contact people when there is a chance and its not 3am your time or my time....
<3 Midge
Friday, January 16, 2009
Day 5-
Hello!!!
So today we went Madina Market today. It is a large area and they sell everything imaginable. I bought a bucket and hangers so I can do laundry and hang up some clothing in the hostel. I think I will try washing my clothes once and then I will hire someone to do it for me. We also need a bucket because when the power is out the water does not flow to the showers- so good old sponge bath it is!
We also went to a place called 37th- it was a market and there was also a 'super market' it was 13₵ which is about $11.00 for a box of cereal! I would have bought some but that is a little much... Toilet paper on the other hand is a little cheaper and I appreciate the donations to that fund! Thanks Dr. H.
This is quick- off to have some fun with friends....
Midge
So today we went Madina Market today. It is a large area and they sell everything imaginable. I bought a bucket and hangers so I can do laundry and hang up some clothing in the hostel. I think I will try washing my clothes once and then I will hire someone to do it for me. We also need a bucket because when the power is out the water does not flow to the showers- so good old sponge bath it is!
We also went to a place called 37th- it was a market and there was also a 'super market' it was 13₵ which is about $11.00 for a box of cereal! I would have bought some but that is a little much... Toilet paper on the other hand is a little cheaper and I appreciate the donations to that fund! Thanks Dr. H.
This is quick- off to have some fun with friends....
Midge
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Day 3/4
Hello.
So yesterday we had more lectures- about the politics, religion and culture of Ghana. All three of the men were very well spoken. We then had a talk with the head of security about safety on and off campus. He gave us some very good tips and also his personal cell phone number if anything happens...
This morning began with a talk with a medical doctor which was also helpful about the way to go about treating "things" well here. We then took a walking tour of the campus. The campus is enormous- 600 Hectors- Not sure the acres equivalent but it is huge. Also- I was wrong/right about the population of the school- It is about 21,000- different numbers had been given different times....
We got our student ID cards- so we are officially students at the University of Ghana now! I still do not know what classes I am taking and will not know for a few more days at least. I cant wait to see some of the other theatre spaces. I saw the outdoor amphitheater today.
I have attempted to add pictures tonight with no avail but will try later If you have Facebook I believe I have successfully uploaded them there (Ms Hallie, can you show them to my mom if they show up...)- Tomorrow we are going into the city for the first time :)
Thank you all who have commented- it makes life a little easier to know so many people are behind me.
Love,
Midge
So yesterday we had more lectures- about the politics, religion and culture of Ghana. All three of the men were very well spoken. We then had a talk with the head of security about safety on and off campus. He gave us some very good tips and also his personal cell phone number if anything happens...
This morning began with a talk with a medical doctor which was also helpful about the way to go about treating "things" well here. We then took a walking tour of the campus. The campus is enormous- 600 Hectors- Not sure the acres equivalent but it is huge. Also- I was wrong/right about the population of the school- It is about 21,000- different numbers had been given different times....
We got our student ID cards- so we are officially students at the University of Ghana now! I still do not know what classes I am taking and will not know for a few more days at least. I cant wait to see some of the other theatre spaces. I saw the outdoor amphitheater today.
I have attempted to add pictures tonight with no avail but will try later If you have Facebook I believe I have successfully uploaded them there (Ms Hallie, can you show them to my mom if they show up...)- Tomorrow we are going into the city for the first time :)
Thank you all who have commented- it makes life a little easier to know so many people are behind me.
Love,
Midge
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
First Post!!!
January 11th/12th/13th :
Traveling is such a joy and a pain in the ass. My flight from Portland was delayed about 2 hours because “we are having problems with the engines, again.” The point will make me not fly with Delta again! This was the first time with them and there seemed to be no causes that they could have helped as they tried to insure us that we would make it to NYC at all that day. Leg two: Moving luggage from one terminal to the next in JFK is not the easiest but not to bad. For some odd reason JFK was extremely warm but what ever. So I meet up with Bethany first and then Loren joined and Melissa came soon after. We all hit it off pretty well and when our flight was delayed for an hour the company was nice. Then we got on the plane now you expect when you get on a plane you will be leaving shortly….nope. We waited for about two hours on the plane. First they had to load a database onto the plane-okay not sure why that isn’t done when the plane is not active in the fleet and then it was decided that the plane did have ice on it. BUT FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, even after a snow storm had just passed through New York all of the de-ice crews had been sent home, so with in the two hour delay one of it was waiting for the crew to come from home…. So we arrived at London about 2.5 hours late and taxied for a while so from the time we got off the plane we had 40minutes. We had to pass through security and meet another kid John (He will be Johnny for the semester since there are 3 of them…).We got on our flight and there was probably 15 other ISEP students on the flight most of them unbeknown to me. We arrived in Accra late because that flight was also delayed. And they say that flights are on average more on time now then before. I do not believe it!
Most of the group, 30 by now make our way through immigration, baggage claim, and customs to be helped to buses where we shall head to the University. A few minutes passes and we arrived. There are so many people and names to remember and I still don’t think I meet them all, I know I haven’t met my room mate. I am currently waiting for her to arrive this evening.
The rooms are not bad- They aren’t southern but they have a fan and lights- what more do we really need. We each get a bed, desk, and armoire. There are two book shelves and two more comfy chairs as well. I got my power to work with no problem which is nice. It is Tuesday night I still do not have internet which is okay- but I would like to get pictures and this entry up as soon as possible.
It is extremely warm and humid 82* at 9:20pm- when the sun goes down it is a little cooler- There has been a breeze today which has helped immensely. The university is very unlike universities in the USA. Many of the professors live here with there families all within this “compound,” there are stores, banks, markets, seamstress, and many other amenities right here. It is about a 20/30 minute walk to most of the places on the campus. There are paths and roads leading all over the place.
Orientation began today. We had a safety talk and a lady from the registration office came to speak to us about the process to register for classes- they have been slowly turning it over to an online system which we are one of the first semesters to have this. I was sorta looking forward to ‘running’ around to get classes. We got phones but I am basically only going to use it for local calls because I have skype. I still don’t know if all will be okay with that because of the no internet situation at this point, but I think it will be fine.
The food so far is good. It is interesting to see what foods are spicy and which ones are not. Opposite to what you would normally think. Water is a most at all times. So much is lost through sweating. So one random thing- we need to buy and provide our own toilet paper. The bathrooms are not bad- 3 sinks, showers, and toilets for about 10 of us. They are in okay condition nothing worse then some camps I have been too.
I am very tired still not on the time zone. Last night which was the first night I did not get to sleep until 4am…luckily our day on the 13th didn’t start till noonish. Tomorrow we begin earlier so hopefully I can get to sleep earlier tonight.
We have a weekend trip the 24/25th to the Cape Coast and February 6-8 to Kumasi. Other excursions are still to be planned and dates to be announced. Once we all have our schedules it will allow for more planning for any trips we might want to take in small groups.
Well I guess that is it for the first full day and such entry!
Traveling is such a joy and a pain in the ass. My flight from Portland was delayed about 2 hours because “we are having problems with the engines, again.” The point will make me not fly with Delta again! This was the first time with them and there seemed to be no causes that they could have helped as they tried to insure us that we would make it to NYC at all that day. Leg two: Moving luggage from one terminal to the next in JFK is not the easiest but not to bad. For some odd reason JFK was extremely warm but what ever. So I meet up with Bethany first and then Loren joined and Melissa came soon after. We all hit it off pretty well and when our flight was delayed for an hour the company was nice. Then we got on the plane now you expect when you get on a plane you will be leaving shortly….nope. We waited for about two hours on the plane. First they had to load a database onto the plane-okay not sure why that isn’t done when the plane is not active in the fleet and then it was decided that the plane did have ice on it. BUT FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, even after a snow storm had just passed through New York all of the de-ice crews had been sent home, so with in the two hour delay one of it was waiting for the crew to come from home…. So we arrived at London about 2.5 hours late and taxied for a while so from the time we got off the plane we had 40minutes. We had to pass through security and meet another kid John (He will be Johnny for the semester since there are 3 of them…).We got on our flight and there was probably 15 other ISEP students on the flight most of them unbeknown to me. We arrived in Accra late because that flight was also delayed. And they say that flights are on average more on time now then before. I do not believe it!
Most of the group, 30 by now make our way through immigration, baggage claim, and customs to be helped to buses where we shall head to the University. A few minutes passes and we arrived. There are so many people and names to remember and I still don’t think I meet them all, I know I haven’t met my room mate. I am currently waiting for her to arrive this evening.
The rooms are not bad- They aren’t southern but they have a fan and lights- what more do we really need. We each get a bed, desk, and armoire. There are two book shelves and two more comfy chairs as well. I got my power to work with no problem which is nice. It is Tuesday night I still do not have internet which is okay- but I would like to get pictures and this entry up as soon as possible.
It is extremely warm and humid 82* at 9:20pm- when the sun goes down it is a little cooler- There has been a breeze today which has helped immensely. The university is very unlike universities in the USA. Many of the professors live here with there families all within this “compound,” there are stores, banks, markets, seamstress, and many other amenities right here. It is about a 20/30 minute walk to most of the places on the campus. There are paths and roads leading all over the place.
Orientation began today. We had a safety talk and a lady from the registration office came to speak to us about the process to register for classes- they have been slowly turning it over to an online system which we are one of the first semesters to have this. I was sorta looking forward to ‘running’ around to get classes. We got phones but I am basically only going to use it for local calls because I have skype. I still don’t know if all will be okay with that because of the no internet situation at this point, but I think it will be fine.
The food so far is good. It is interesting to see what foods are spicy and which ones are not. Opposite to what you would normally think. Water is a most at all times. So much is lost through sweating. So one random thing- we need to buy and provide our own toilet paper. The bathrooms are not bad- 3 sinks, showers, and toilets for about 10 of us. They are in okay condition nothing worse then some camps I have been too.
I am very tired still not on the time zone. Last night which was the first night I did not get to sleep until 4am…luckily our day on the 13th didn’t start till noonish. Tomorrow we begin earlier so hopefully I can get to sleep earlier tonight.
We have a weekend trip the 24/25th to the Cape Coast and February 6-8 to Kumasi. Other excursions are still to be planned and dates to be announced. Once we all have our schedules it will allow for more planning for any trips we might want to take in small groups.
Well I guess that is it for the first full day and such entry!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Last Entry before Ghana
So I leave in about 24 hours!!! Ahhh. I am so excited, nervous, anxious, and so many other feelings that are hard to put into words. The phone calls are great! Keep them coming. I spoke with ma tante Ro last night for a while and Uncle Wayne! I love their phone calls... and thanks to Skype while I am away every one can call- I can call too! Ask me for the number... I will not post for good reasons- but email me and I will give it to you.
Yesterday, Thursday night, and Wednesday I work. Can I just say what has happened? I think it might be the full moon coming. Teens are getting even more crazy everyday- but I still love my work at the library.
So last Saturday I had my local "see you soon" party- it was great to have friends and family together one last time before I depart. I was so happy with the "variety" of my friends who came. It is hard to believe that I have know some of these people for almost 10 years. I feel old now but so young and full of life!
So the upcoming travel is of this: Sunday I leave Portland at 3pm, Arrive in NYC at 4ish. I leave NYC at 1030pm EST arrive in London at 1030am their time and then leave there at 2pm and arrive in Ghana at 830pm their time! Lets just say I CANT WAIT!!!!! I still haven't heard anything about our orientation schedule but I believe we start on Tuesday- I will try to update my blog ASAP maybe with some pictures but I am not sure when I will be able to get online and update- So be patient...but I swear I will be better on regularity of entries especially for Ro because she keeps reminding me that I am not very good at it ;-)
Everyone that I have talked to on Facebook, etc seem extremely nice and it is assuring that if stuff happens we will get through it. It is just like going to Southern my first semester but soo much further away.
So the skype thing to go back to that- Remember that I am 5 hours ahead. If I do not answer leave me a message with the time (local) that you want me to call you- phone tag will not be as easy- but leave me a time when you will be near your phone...Thanks.
So i guess that is it. Over and out-
Love you all, Midge
Yesterday, Thursday night, and Wednesday I work. Can I just say what has happened? I think it might be the full moon coming. Teens are getting even more crazy everyday- but I still love my work at the library.
So last Saturday I had my local "see you soon" party- it was great to have friends and family together one last time before I depart. I was so happy with the "variety" of my friends who came. It is hard to believe that I have know some of these people for almost 10 years. I feel old now but so young and full of life!
So the upcoming travel is of this: Sunday I leave Portland at 3pm, Arrive in NYC at 4ish. I leave NYC at 1030pm EST arrive in London at 1030am their time and then leave there at 2pm and arrive in Ghana at 830pm their time! Lets just say I CANT WAIT!!!!! I still haven't heard anything about our orientation schedule but I believe we start on Tuesday- I will try to update my blog ASAP maybe with some pictures but I am not sure when I will be able to get online and update- So be patient...but I swear I will be better on regularity of entries especially for Ro because she keeps reminding me that I am not very good at it ;-)
Everyone that I have talked to on Facebook, etc seem extremely nice and it is assuring that if stuff happens we will get through it. It is just like going to Southern my first semester but soo much further away.
So the skype thing to go back to that- Remember that I am 5 hours ahead. If I do not answer leave me a message with the time (local) that you want me to call you- phone tag will not be as easy- but leave me a time when you will be near your phone...Thanks.
So i guess that is it. Over and out-
Love you all, Midge
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