More than a month has passed since my first day here and I can now say that the initial culture shock has slowly faded away. First, I somehow sorted out the transportation issue, or let’s say I got used. At the beginning, I was so determined to learn how to ride motorbike and get one for myself. The idea of not being able to move around independently, always relying on others or an unstructured taxi system, really bothered me. In the end, I figured out how to make the daily commute work. Every morning, I hail at some yellow yellow (a tricycle taxi) for part of the way to the office and enjoy walking the rest. For longer trips I call my go-to yellow yellow driver, and sometimes I‘m lucky enough to get a lift from either my colleagues or friends. Plus, I realized that even though riding a motorbike is not that difficult, I’ll only be here for a short time, and navigating this chaotic traffic with a vehicle I’ve just broken in might not be the wisest choice. Sp...
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The travel day has been a roller coaster of emotions. In the morning, I was super excited to start this new adventure; I couldn’t wait to embark on this experience. But at the airport, when the moment came to say goodbye to my loved ones, I cried, letting out all my subconscious worries. On the flight, paranoid thoughts and regrets briefly took over. But it was just a passing moment. Overall, the journey went smoothly—the real shock was yet to come. As soon as we drove into the city, I felt disoriented. I started stressing out about how I would buy basic necessities, as all the shops looked so unfamiliar. I quickly realized that for almost any activity, I’d need to take a taxi because the distances are huge, and there are only a few useful stores near my house. At the same time, I had the chance to meet almost all the HO members, and they were incredibly kind to me. My mentor was especially supportive and always available, driving me around the city to help me recognize landmarks ...
Un "hasta luego" lleno de gratitud.
Parece ayer cuando escribÃa el blog sobre mis primeros cuatro meses... y ya van seis, y es momento de despedirse. Mis dias en el centro de informática y en Konsec han terminado, ahora escribo este borrador desde una habitación de hotel mientras visito un poco el paÃs antes de mi regreso a españa. He podido disfrutar de un par de semanas visitando el pais, desde el norte donde vivÃa, ahora me encuentro en el sur y procedo a explicaros en unas palabras mis destinos para qué tengáis testimonios de primera mano. Empezamos por Busua, playas super naturales y bonitas. Se puede practicar surf y es bastante turistico, destacar qué yo viaje en temporada baja y todos mis destinos estaban bastante vacios. Cape Coast me dejó marcado por su historia y su belleza natural. Visitar el castillo fue una experiencia conmovedora, un recordatorio doloroso del pasado esclavista. Después, me perdà entre las copas de los árboles en el parque nacional de Kakum, donde la naturaleza se mostraba en tod...
Same Same, but different
It's 2am and I'm in the international airport in Accra waiting to board into my first flight towards Italy. I can't even describe all the emotions that I'm feeling right now, I feel very sad of leaving my Ghanian family but also excited to meet my family and friends again. What I know for sure is that Ghana has a special place in my heart, and all the memories and all the people will always be with me wherever I'll be. Ghana leaves me with a lot of professional and personal skills, in this 9 months I explored a new culture, embracing any aspect of it, and I have pulled my self out of my confort zone, looking for opportunities to learn, especially at work. What I know for sure is that Ghana made me realize how strong my values are and how much I want to advocate for them and keep them as engine for my future choices. I think this collage represents my experience the best. Same pictures but a bit different, that's exactly how feel. The same Maria Andrea, but ...
Until we meet again, Kongo
I cannot believe I am saying this, but my time in Kongo village and Ghana in general is almost over. When I first came here, I thought 3 months and a half was plenty of time, but I could not have been more wrong. These months have passed by so quickly that it feels like I came here a week ago. I guess this just proves how amazing my life has been here, because time flies by so quickly when you are engaged in activities that are interesting and fun for you. And as much as I miss my country and my loved ones, I would love to stay in the village longer. I want to start my final blog by saying a huge thanks to a Kongo based NGO CoDA, that has been hosting me all this time. Their dedication to make me feel great in this village was incredible. Since the day I arrived in the village they treated me like a family member and helped me in every step of the way. Taking me around for sightseeing, teaching me the local language, cooking me delicious vegetarian meals, greeting me with a smile eve...
The rich culture of Ghana
My time in Kongo has come to an end as I am leaving in a couple of days. I’m feeling more sad than when I was leaving my home in the Netherlands. That is because I have created a new home here. A home with new people and new surroundings. The past few days we have been traveling in the south of Ghana. Truly experiencing the natural beauty of the country. We got a chance to visit the beautiful Kintampo waterfalls, surf at the Busua beach and visit the Cape Coast Castle. The south is also a bit colder than the north (maybe colder is not the right word, let's say less hot instead) so it has been a relief not waking up already sweating. While traveling we met a couple who have been traveling through all of Africa by car, visiting over 10 countries. After all those experiences, they say that so far Ghana has left the biggest impression on them, because of the people and culture. And I couldn’t agree more. Ghana’s culture is ...
Fire Festival
The 16th of July, I celebrate Fire Festival, a local festivity that symbolize resilience, strength and unity. It is celebrated at night and Dagombas gathered together to celebrate, showcase and honor their ancestors. The legend tales that many years ago the king's son got missed in the forest, the king then ordered people to go around to look for him. There was no electricity so people used grass torches. After hours of searching the king's son was found sleeping under a tree. The community used then the fire from the torches to fire the tree as they considered it as having stolen the kid. Since then, every year, the local community commemorate this event. The day of the fire festival changes every year since it follows the lunar calendar and it marks the beginning of the Dagomba's year. It falls on the ninth day of the first month of the Dagomba lunar year, the Bugum Goli (the month of fire). The festival normally begins at night, on hour or two after the muslim evening p...