Introduction

Hello everybody, My name is Sophie Maarleveld, I am a junior in Gallatin and I'm studying abroad in Accra, Ghana this semester. I've already been here for 3 weeks, and so far my experiences have been incredible. The nightlife, the music (Ghanaians are known for their music and one can always hear music playing on the streets of Accra), the fruit (pineapple, mangoes etc) and the classes. Somehow NYU in Ghana has managed to recruit some of the greatest academics in Ghana to teach our classes, which is both daunting and fascinating. My creative writing class has six students and two professors. They are both well known in Ghana and throughout the literary world as accomplished poets and novelists and one them has been Ghana's ambassador to the UN, Cuba and Brazil. Both were involved in politics during the independence process in Ghana and both are still actively involved. Speaking of politics, the Ghanaian general elections will be held in early December, not long after the US presidential elections and the atmosphere throughout Ghana is fraught with tension and excitement.
Over the course of the semester I am planning on reading and analyzing works by Ghanaians, Americans, Europeans and writers and academics from other African nations. My concentration in Gallatin is Middle Eastern Studies and Anthropology, so I have a lot of material to choose from. I hope to read and explore a lot of Ghanaian poetry, particularly some written by my professors.
I look forward to hearing about everyone else's travels and sharing my experiences in West Africa with all of you. Goo