#nyuaccra

[thisisnyu]

“We left full, happy, and exhausted, but the latter did not stop me and my housemates from having a dance party in the living room to some West African music.”

isa-in-accra:

Orientation Day 3

The third day of orientation opened with one of my favorite activities so far: a Twi class. Although English is the official language of Ghana, Twi is one of the most common languages the country. It uses the same alphabet as English with a few additional letters, but many of the sounds and pronunciations are quite different. The class was taught by University of Ghana and NYU adjunct professor Kofi Saah, who will also be my professor for the semester-long Twi class I am taking at the University of Ghana. We were also given a presentation on IT at NYU Accra and technology in general in Ghana, during which I was informed that if I continued to plug my phone directly into the wall to charge it may one day explode. I have since started using a converter.

The last morning session of Day 3 was a “Cultural Do’s and Don’ts” presentation, where we learned that using your left hand for certain gestures such as pointing and waving is extremely rude, and that casual marriage proposals to women are often simply a means of starting conversation. I have not received any yet, but I will be sure to write a post about it if I do. We were also taught about Adinkra symbols, which are visual representations of mantras and ideas originally created by the Ashanti people. They are beautiful and profound, and I plan to dedicate a separate post to go into more detail about them.

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[thisisnyu]

“I cannot believe how quickly time has passed, but with midterms over and spring break on the horizon, we are officially at the halfway point in our semester!”

isa-in-accra:

Halfway Done and Birthday Fun

cannot believe how quickly time has passed, but with midterms over and spring break on the horizon, we are officially at the halfway point in our semester! Most of the weekend was spent studying and preparing for our exams and spring break trips, but we did make time to be together as well.

A few of us take Traditional Drumming over at the University of Ghana, and one of our professors announced that there would be a dance performance on Saturday. We are friendly with a couple of the UG dance majors, having met them at the NYU dance workshop and then seeing them every week before our drumming class, so we decided to attend the show. It was beautifully done and afterwards we got to say hi to some of the dancers we knew. Somehow I got roped into going to one of their evening dance classes at some point during the semester, so hopefully a few of my friends would be willing to tag along with me so I don’t make a fool of myself alone!

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[thisisnyu]

“Words will never be able to describe the connection I feel to this incredible country and its big-hearted people.”

isa-in-accra:

Independence Day in Ghana

March 6th is Independence Day in Ghana, and this year marks the 60th anniversary of Ghana’s liberation from colonial powers. We saw signs of the country preparing for the celebration all week, from art on the street to banners and balloons in our local Shop-Rite. Ghana is a fairly patriotic country already; national pride runs high and the Ghanaian flag is evident everywhere whether it is Independence Day or not, so this extra burst of spirit was a lot of fun to see!

Classes were canceled for the national holiday, so the 6 of us in House 3 came up with a few ideas of how to spend the day, none of which included doing all the homework we neglected over our weekend trip.

We knew there would be parades and events happening around Accra and in Black Star Square, but were told that going to those is somewhat similar to going to the ball drop in NYC – basically, not the M.O. of most locals. Lots of people go to beach for the day, and we thought that sounded like the perfect way to spend our Monday too.

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[thisisnyu]

“Life in Accra is just as authentically Ghanaian as life in a rural village, but they are truly two separate worlds. To understand Ghana as a whole, it is imperative to get out of Accra and see how most of its citizens live.”

isa-in-accra:

ADANU Build and Village Homestay Part II: Living Like a Local

After we finished our construction work for the day, we had a short break before meeting up with our host families. Some of the older kids in the village taught us a few of their favorite games, some of which weren’t that easy to master! It was a nice way to relax a little after the hard day of work.

About 30 minutes later, it was time to meet our host families. ADANU grouped the NYU students on one side and the host moms on the other while Mypa read out each student-family pairing one by one. My host mom was a woman named Sesi Etorman, and she was absolutely wonderful. We both discovered quickly that we loved to laugh, which was a good way to break through a pretty intense language barrier.

Sesi helped me gather my things and move them to her house, which she shared with her two kids Evelyn (12) and Hilary (6), as well as her aunt and a few other family members. After sitting with her family under the shade of a tree for a while, Sesi took me to get washed up before dinner.

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[thisisnyu]

“The weekend was one of my best ones here. At times it was pretty tough, at others it was intensely eye-opening, and at even others it was purely fun.”

isa-in-accra:

Cape Coast Trip Part 2: Kakum and Concert...Kind Of

The tour of Elmina Castle took quite a toll on all of us, and it was clear that everyone needed time to decompress from the emotionally-charged morning. Fortunately, NYU has been running this trip for years and knew what to expect, which is why the next event of the day they had planned for us was the famed canopy walk at Kakum National Park! I had Kakum on my list since before I left for Ghana, and I was so happy to see that NYU had made the arrangements for us to go.

The canopy walk is comprised of 7 bridges that dangle from the trees. Suspended over the rest of the park, they put you at eye-level with the treetops! I didn’t realize how high up we were during the quick hike up to the first bridge – it was only after I had stepped onto the bridge that I looked down and couldn’t even see the ground!

The bridges are very safe (I think), but for extra safety measures only 6 people are allowed on each bridge at a time. Luckily for us, our house has exactly 6 people in it so the House 3 squad took on the canopy walk together. The bridges are purposefully designed to shake and wobble as you walk across them, which was a bit unsettling at first but turned out to be lots of fun as we got more comfortable. Luckily I got accustomed to the bridges pretty quickly, so I had lots of time to to look around and enjoy the stunning view. By the end, a few of us wanted to go right back and do it again!

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[thisisnyu]

“The intensity of the experience is difficult to put into words, but all the more reason for everyone to visit this site for themselves.“

isa-in-accra:

Cape Coast Trip Part 1: Elmina Castle

About two weekends ago, NYU took us on the first of a few school-sponsored weekend trips! We traveled by bus to Cape Coast, a southern fishing port and the capital of Ghana’s Central Region. At 6 am, we all boarded the bus half-asleep and set off for the 3-hour ride. Despite waiting until 1:30 am to pack and getting less than 3 hours of sleep that night, I stayed awake for the entire ride and was very glad I did.

Admittedly, I am not as well-versed in geography as I should be, and didn’t realize how diverse Ghana’s geographic landscape is. We passed several large hills, many of which had huge houses perched on top. Soon after, the landscape changed from deep browns and reds to bright greens and blues as patches of greenery gave way to an absolutely stunning coastline. White waves crashed cleanly over rocks and sand as fishing boats drifted along the shore. The only obstruction to my view were rows of skinny palm trees whose leaves were lifted by the sea breeze. And unlike Labadi Beach, the water and beach at Cape Coast looked completely clean.

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[thisisnyu]

“When I approached the school one of the boys from the previous day saw me, and then I heard a small chorus of “Isa! There’s Isa!” and a few hands sticking out of the window waving hello.”

isa-in-accra:

Internship Change

Due to irresolvable scheduling conflicts, I switched from working at the Legal Resources Centre to La Yahoushua Junior High School. La Yahoushua’s students range in age from 12 to 15 years old, but classes are divided by skill level rather than age. So far I have met the director, assistant director, and a handful of teachers & students. Everyone has been very kind and welcoming, and spending time with kids always makes my day. I absolutely love working and talking with them. Right now I am mostly observing classes and grading papers, but I hope to expand my tasks as I learn the ropes of the school.

On my first day, I was sent in to observe a French class. The teacher, who was lovely and let me read some of the questions out loud to the students, sent for one of them to get me a chair. When he returned, he asked if I wanted it near the teacher’s desk or in the back of the room. Not wanting to be a distraction and not knowing how this teacher liked her classroom to operate, I had him set it by the teacher’s desk. Less than 30 seconds later, the same boy got up from his seat, tapped me on the shoulder, and pointed to his friends, who apparently all asked for me to sit in the back with them. The teacher was perfectly fine with it so long as I was comfortable, so I agreed to move. All of the boys were so sweet and very chatty. After class, they were given a 30-minute break which they used to crack jokes and talk to me about the NBA, my life in America, and how I like Ghana. They were happy to hear how much I loved it, and were already asking if I planned on coming back after I leave in May! They gave me a quick tour of the school grounds, showing me the canteen where they get their snacks & lunches, then taking me back to the teacher’s office so I could begin grading papers. One boy even walked me part of the way home when I left for the day!

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[thisisnyu]

“We took our second NYU-sponsored trip recently, which involved helping a village community build a junior high school and staying overnight with local families to experience life in a rural village.”

isa-in-accra:

ADANU Build and Village Homestay Part I: Building Community

We took our second NYU-sponsored trip recently, which involved helping a village community build a junior high school and staying overnight with local families to experience life in a rural village. The experience was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and NYU’s planning was fantastic as per usual.

The weekend was organized in partnership with a Ghanaian NGO called ADANU. The word “adanu” means “wise collaboration” in Ewe, the language of the most prominent ethnic group in Ghana’s Volta Region. ADANU works with village communities in the Volta region to erect schools, bathrooms, and other buildings that the community may want or need. Community involvement is at the center of each project, as all of the members of the village play a role in the process. ADANU organizers meet with the village elders and heads, while other village residents participate in the construction work. The sustainable nature of this model is very clear: erecting these buildings not only provides the community with strong physical foundations for education and a higher quality of life, but it builds community spirit and resilience while also teaching construction skills to the residents of the village. I’ve linked ADANU’s website here if you’d like to take a look at this amazing organization for yourself, and maybe even get involved somehow.

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