I had kind of sort of resigned myself to being in Ghana for the rest of the year. I had several friends coming to visit, a holiday scheduled back to New England in October. I wasn’t actually going to be around all that much, and for when I was I’d kind of sort of finally […]
Ghana
Six months in Ghana – the unvarnished truth
The reason I find blogging so hard is that lurking awareness that anyone can read the result. And once I’ve eliminated any commentary which might somehow be perceived adversely by a future employer and anything that would upset or scare my parents, I don’t really have all too much to say about life in Ghana. […]
It’s easy to be a minimalist in Ghana
We finally got our new allowance from VSO this month and it’s almost doubled. But aside from traveling, I’m so used to living at a scraping by level here that to do otherwise feels like a waste of money. I don’t think my heavy consumerist streak is beat – I’m constantly obsessed with vicariously ordering […]
Go North young man, go north : Larabanga Stick Mosque and Tamale
The southern part of Ghana is almost 100 proof humid; the corner of the Western Region bordering Côte d’Ivoire is technically considered a tropical rainforest, while the rest of the heavily populated central and coastal regions are categorised as coastal savannah and deciduous forest. In practice, the whole swath from Kumasi down to Accra and […]
Safari in Ghana: Elephants, baboons, and warthogs in Mole National Park
For most people, Africa means safari. Or maybe the political images come first – slavery, war, famine, colonialism and chaos, racism and corruption. That’s one Africa. But then there’s the other Africa, the Africa of white tents, lions, and upper class Europeans in Land Rovers, imagining they’re Lawrence of Arabia. Luxury safari packages mostly skirt […]
Powering the water pump: tragedy of the commons
It started with a wave of panic when my manager suggested I write a short research paper as part of my work plan this year. I’ve just about become confident in my ability to interview someone and write a good case study or success story, but the thought of doing the same for research purposes […]
Another twisted ankle – running in Ghana and footless exercise
I’d been doing quite well with the running since I’d gotten to Ghana, although after a couple of midday attempts that ended poorly I did quickly amend my schedule to either morning or dusk runs. Not wanting to lose momentum, I also ran while I was in Cape Coast. I dragged my butt out early […]
A weekend away in Cape Coast – Stumble Inn, Baobab Restaurant, and Global Mamas
Stumble Inn, Elmina & Baobab Restaurant, Cape Coast A few kilometres along a dirt road from Elmina lies Stumble Inn, a sandy palm-tree-lined little resort that I’d seen recommended in an online Peace Corps forum. It’s a bit of a trek out-of-town, but absolutely lovely, and super good value, at just 20 cedis a night […]
Elmina & Cape Coast Castles
The weekend after Asa Baako I got a last-minute message from Nicky, one of the aforementioned five VSO volunteers in Ghana. She was headed to Cape Coast for training the following week, and wanted to know if I was interested in meeting up for the weekend. Slave castles aren’t particularly at the top of my […]
Asa Baako at Busua – a music festival in Ghana
I went to Busua for Asa Baako at the beginning of March, a local music festival. Busua is kind of the local backpacker beach – it’s just 30-40 minutes away from Takoradi on local transport, and cheap and cheerful with a laid back vibe when you’re there. The place was bustling at the weekend, although […]