Ghana

Though it hasn't always been easy for me to get my posts in on time this semester, I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in this class. Blogging about my travel experiences has helped me reflect on what has been significant about my four months here and what it means to be a traveler or an expatriate.
I truly wish that I had more time to read all of my peers posts and comment on all of them but I have faced typical Ghana restrictions (time, faulty internet, power outages etc.)
Most of all, this class has sparked my interest in the field of Place Studies, a discipline previously unknown to me. As someone who has traveled extensively and experienced many foreign cultures and had to adapt each time, studying and thinking about what it means to be a tourist, a traveler and an outsider. I've also discovered what it takes to make myself somewhat of an insider, especially here in Ghana. It has been difficult, needless to say. No matter how perfectly I speak Twi or know Accra, I am white and therefore will never blend in. That being said, in Accra there is a difference between an "obruni" who has just arrived and an "obruni" who has been living in Ghana for a while. I've come to feel like the latter.
I've also enjoyed being able to share my anecdotes and experiences with family and friends through my blog and not spending hours trying to verbalize in an expensive phone call. I am inspired to write a travel blog whenever I spend time traveling, for myself and for my loved ones.
De Botton was fabulous and I recommend the text be used for this class in the future. I'll miss feeling the pressure to find an internet connection and write my blog and pour out my frustrations and excitement.
Steve, you've been incredibly helpful and understanding when I have had issues with the website etc. I look forward to meeting you in New York next semester!

Habit?: I wish it was...

De Botton is spot-on when he writes about how easy it is for people to become complacent and bored. However, as Maistre may or may not prove, it's also easy to combat such boredom. All it takes is just a little bit of effort.
There have been many points in the semester when I have "forgotten" that I was in Ghana simply because I get so used to my routine and the heat and the same smiling faces every day. It is ironic though not surprising that as my departure date creeps nearer I am rediscovering my neighborhood, my house, even the fact that I'm in Ghana

I took a trip this past weekend with some friends to Hideout Lodge, a rastafari paradise on one of Ghana's most beautiful and isolated beaches. It was just what I needed to remind me how spectacular this country is and how much I'm going to miss it. Rain was pouring when we arrived, but by Sunday the sky was cloudless and blue. We ate breakfast on the sand then half of us dashed for the crashing waves and got tossed around like rag dolls in the swell for an hour, laughing every time someone got salt water up his nose or when someone's bikini top would be ripped off. Afternoons were spent reading on lounge chairs or swinging in hammocks and taking walks all the way along the beach with the waves licking our feet. The evenings were wild; our newfound rasta friend Zion Ellis aka Kofi lit a bonfire, pulled his drum between his knees and "sang" as the shadows played on his smiling face. I've never met someone whose mental capacity has been so diminished due to marijuana use, but nevertheless Zion Ellis ( a REAL live rasta!) was the highlight of our trip

Market Blues by Ablade GloverArt in Africa is a way of life. Dance, music, sculpture, painting; these are all essential parts of Ghanaian and West African culture. Unfortunately for Ghana's artists, there are few places in Accra where they can officially display their work. During my first week in Ghana we visited one of these places and it has been hard for me to forget.
The Artists Alliance is a three floor white building with wide staircases and large windows overlooking La beach and stained by ocean spray. The owner and founder is man named Ablade Glover, a renowned Ghanaian painter. The space is light and open; canvas cover the walls, splashes of color and vibrance. Though most of the art displayed at the Artists Alliance is contemporary African art, it shares many themes with traditional art: the use of bright color, the portrayal of African daily and spiritual life, a reverence for nature.
Glover insists that the Alliance has an open door policy. Any budding artist hoping to display his or her work is welcome to walk in and show a portfolio to Glover. He informed us that many of the works on the walls of the gallery are by artists who were unknown and undiscovered until they approached him.