It is June 27, 2009, around 11 p.m. That’s 7 p.m. back home. I made it to Ghana, and have had an incredibly eventful day. It honestly feels like a week, but it’s only been a day. I got here at 8 a.m. this morning, and not 12 hours later, I have been through several lines at the airport, riding to one hotel and then the next to pick up other NYU’ers on the program, then to our apartments (really a compound, complete with electric fence on 8-foot-high walls, a gate, a guard, and two separate buildings that function as four separate apartments).
Then it was off to eat lunch at a place called Frankie’s, patronized mostly, it seemed, by expats, and serving Americana-ish food, then off to buy cell phones, then off to a department store, then back home to prepare for dinner. The Wi-Fi didn’t work for most of the day, and just after it started to, we decided to go exploring.
We found a restaurant and bar, in front of which live musicians were playing. It felt so real it seemed more like a dream, if that makes sense. But more on that later.
Here are some pictures of the view from my balcony. Enjoy!
More coming soon!
Hey Stephen, good to hear that you got there in one piece. Why did you have to buy cellphones? Why didn’t you take a picture of the musicians? And is the time difference really just 5 hours? Ha, I’m gonna make you answer lotsa questions! Love, ya sista
By: Rachel M on June 27, 2009
at 8:14 pm
Looks beautiful!
Lamar picked up his new bike today. We took pics of him and the girls sitting on it.
By: easy on June 27, 2009
at 10:11 pm
The time difference is actually 4 hours. We have to buy phones because ours don’t get service here. Most cell phones are pay as you go here, and they are pretty cheap, at least compared to the states. The services (Tigo, Vodaphone, MTN, and a few others) are aggressively advertising here. It’s hard to drive or walk anywhere without seeing ads for several different services.
By: Stephen Zook on June 30, 2009
at 1:51 pm
[...] Stephen arrived late last month and asked that I give something from my experience. If I have any lesson to impart, it is to walk on the dirt paths of Ghana holding a thoughtful mix of curiosity and pride. Be interested in what is new, but don’t be too quick to cast aside what is your own. There are a lot of dark corners and yet dead pain that shouldn’t be ignored because of the assuredly existent culture that remains. You’ll be fascinated, and rightly so, but you can’t dance without your feet on the floor. [...]
By: Guest post: Don’t be afraid of the satchel water « Dateline Accra on July 2, 2009
at 6:04 pm