My Interactions with the Friendliest Culture: Ghana in a Semester Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was not that heavy but we were able to learn a lot through our educational tour, our lectures from different professors and simply being immersed into the culture (which was the main point of the program). The teaching methods and styles and grading system was different than what I was used to in America but that is because of how simple and more relaxed the Ghanaian culture is in comparison to the American culture. For our final independent research project at the end of the summer, we were all assigned advisors to help us gain a better insight into our particular topics. My advisor was a very busy man and was involved in many things, so he was not the most helpful but he did offer me some great tips. Overall, it was a great learning experience and I gained a lot of knowledge throughout my semester.

On-site administration of your program

The program staff in Ghana were amazing! They were our support and our family while we were in a foreign country and were always available to talk, take us to the doctor or let us ask questions. No one on my trip would have been able to enjoy their semester or understand what was going around us without the assistance of every one of our staff members. There were a couple of people who traveled with us throughout the entire semester and then in each city that we stayed in there was more staff who was more accustomed to that area. I cannot say how helpful our program staff was and how vital they were to my experience. Ghana would not have made as much of an impact on me if I had not met these men and women because not only were they from the area, but they had worked with Americans for a long enough time period to know how we needed to be treated. AMAZING!!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The SIT staff assigned each person on my trip to our individual homestays in Accra, Kumasi and in the villages that we resided in. We were in each place for two weeks and they took into consideration any input that we had about where we stayed. Living in the homestays was a great way to get to learn about some of the culture that we would never have experienced if we had only lived together. My expectations were not that high since I was living in a third world country, but our program made sure that we had our own room in the homes that we stayed in and a key to lock it when we were not there. All the families had children and were incredibly kind and welcome to teaching me about their culture. SIT told us to bring a mosquito net and a sleeping sheet since we would be moving around a lot and mosquitoes are quite deadly in Africa. At the end of the semester, a couple of us chose to stay in a hostel together while working our research projects and since there was not a dining hall or anything we had one of the staff members take us to buy a stove, gas and some pots and pans (very inexpensive). In each location that we stayed, our staff or our host families told us how to get to and from class or the other places that we would need to go. Having to direct our way throughout each city mostly on our own was a great learning experience because we were able to speak Twi and get to know people within the country.

I do not like spicy food and I am a little bit particular on my textures of food so there were many things that I either grew accustomed to or simply did not eat. The food was incredibly cheap and my host families knew that I did not like spicy things so they made food that they knew that I would be able to eat. The portions are HUGE because they want to show you that they can afford to feed you and it is a custom to be kind to their guests. The money that we spent on the trip was given back to us throughout the semester in Ghanaian money for travel and food each day. The fruit and avocado was really good and we always bought it on the street (forget all the rules you learned about not eating on the street). There were a couple of restaurants that we found throughout the semester that were American or international, which was a great change from the rice. If you are eating in Ghana, expect to eat a lot of starch and no vegetables (they don't like it). They don't understand what being "vegetarian" means, and if you are not getting enough protein then eat lots of groundnut paste (peanut butter).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

EVERYTHING :) The classes are usually in the morning only and then they schedule different activities almost every day to show the Ghanaian culture and arts. In Accra, we did Batik (art form), visited an artist's home, and saw several dance groups. While in Kumasi, we had dance class for two weeks every afternoon and then had a performance before we left. Throughout the semester you see countless dance groups (who typically invite you to dance as well), meet Kings and different rulers, visit Slave dungeons, participate in funerals (very big aspect of the Ghanaian culture), visit different art villages, visit shea butter co-ops etc. etc. These excursions are absolutely necessary to learning about the culture and feeling more immersed into the daily lives of the people. Each weekend you are free to wander and do what you choose. My group decided to take advantage of each free weekend and visit the soccer stadium, butterfly farms, etc. in the cities that we were living in.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The staff provided by SIT were available day and night. We felt completely comfortable calling them asking them to take us to the hospital/doctor if we got sick (food illness, malaria, typhoid, etc.) and they would come and make sure that we were taken care of if necessary. The hospitals and doctors are not anything what we are used to in America, but some of the illnesses/diseases that you can get while in Ghana are so common that they are the experts on how to treat them. I was worried about how comfortable I would feel while abroad but the people in Ghana are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. I was completely comfortable asking anyone around me for directions or assistance if I was lost or didn't understand something (which happened several times). It is more difficult being white while in an African country because you will never be considered anything but a guest and can be spotted always. Men may mistreat you if you are alone but the Ghanaian culture prides itself on it's kindness, so people will always be looking out for you no matter where you are.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The national language in Ghana is English, but we were taught Twi in the classroom because many people in the areas that we were living in spoke Twi as well. We were encouraged to speak to anyone we met on the street, each other and our host families in Twi so that we could become more fluent. While living in a village for two weeks, we were forced to speak Twi most of the time because the people in the village did not know or understand English.

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• Hostel
• Hotel
• Host Family

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• Host Family
• Americans