When naïve students like myself think about studying abroad,
we often get caught up in this idea that time in another country is going to
dramatically change us, alter our lives and make us brand new people. After two
weeks in Ghana and almost two months back I can say these things did not happen
to me. I am still the same girl that I was when I left and that’s not a bad
thing. I may not be altered or a new person but I have gained perspective,
ambition, and a thirst to travel again. Being in Ghana did not make me a new
person, but it did show me the things that I am capable of personally and the influence
that I as a privileged American student can have on a single person or on a
community full of people who are strangely different and the same as me all at
once.
Day one was a thrill. I had never left the country, had never
been on a flight longer than 4 and a half hours and there I was preparing to
take a 12 hour flight across an ocean to Africa. AFRICA! It didn't settle in or
feel real until we landed. The welcome sign in the airport, the customs and the
realization that for the first time in my life I was not standing on US soil all
hit me at once. My stomach did flips, turns, and jumps and the smile on my face;
well let’s just say it would be there for a good part of the next two weeks.
Despite being tired, jet-lagged, and HUNGRY I was there. I was finally there
and I was ready to see Ghana.
We spent the first few days there in Accra, the capital,
learning and experiencing the political and cultural atmosphere as much as we
could through lectures, trips, and even a night spent dancing to salsa and reggae.
At the end of our first few days, we had already done and seen so much and I
above all felt the warmth of the place, of the people, and of the culture in
general.
Then it was on to Bompata. Bompata felt like home from the
very first night. The church members, the school, and the community in general welcomed
us with open arms and open homes. We were cared after, and being in the smaller
area we had the chance to make connection, friendships and life-long memories. In
Bompata I felt like we got a better feeling for what daily life looks like for
many people in Ghana. We had the chance to go off on our own, to explore and to
meet people every day. We also got to spend a lot of time with the school
children and let me tell you, no other part of the trip meant as much to me as
the bonds that I made with many of them. They were so eager to show us things,
to teach us about their culture and to ask us questions about our own. In all
of Ghana, but especially in Bompata there is a lot of focus on community and
family and coming from Maryville College I felt at home and comfortable in their
community. They truly know how to host guests and I felt from the time that I
arrived that I would always be welcomed back and I know that someday I hope to
make that happen.
Leaving Bompata was hard, it felt like leaving family and I knew
that if I do return that it will be a while but I was still thankful for the
time that I got to have there. After our stay in Bompata, the remaining days of
our trip flew by. We experienced the Asante culture, many local crafts and arts
that hold great importance and we even dipped our hands into the beast of the
slave trade that darkened Ghana and the rest of the world.
Overall the trip taught me a lot, about the culture there in
Ghana, but also about myself, about the things that matter the most to me and about
how different things are in other places in the world. I am not changed, but
more informed and hungry to continue my travels, my experiences, and my growth
as a citizen of the world.