I am writing this final post for my blog from my house, back in Chappaqua. It feels very good to be home. But first things first, let me update you on my trip to Kumasi: I took a nice bus from Tema to Kumasi on Saturday morning and arrived in Kumasi around 5:30pm. As I said, I didn't really have a set plan of what I wanted to do, and I had even less idea about where I was going to be staying. So with no map and very limited information about this new city, I got off the bus and was instantly in the grasp of a friendly but insistent taxi driver. He said he knew of a hotel not far away that was nice and not expensive. So within minutes I was in the lobby of the Ashfood Court Hotel, which turned out to be a very good place to stay. If you're ever in Kumasi, I would recommend it. That evening I was pretty tired from the travel and totally disoriented. I had a brief walk around the hotel's neighborhood before it got dark, ate dinner, and then went to bed early.
Waking up Sunday morning, I wanted to get an early start to see as much of the city as I could. For future reference: if you want to spend one day somewhere in Ghana, Sunday is not a very good choice. I wanted to start my day at the nearby tourist office. Of course it was closed. I had read in a guidebook about the nearby Owabi Wildlife Preserve, so I found the tro-tro station and got a tro-tro that took me right to Owabi. I had a great time there. I had a private, guided tour through the rainforest preserve which surrounds a large reservoir that is quite beautiful. We saw lots of colorful butterflies, birds, and even spotted some Mona monkeys as they dashed through the trees.
On the way back from Owabi, I got off at Asenemaso, where I had read about a traditional shrine that was worth seeing. With the help of some local people, I found a shrine (probably not the one I had heard about). It was nice, but not very inspiring as it was enclosed inside a locked building that didn't look like it saw much use. But the people who helped me were very nice and I spent a couple hours hanging out with them. They even had a ping-pong table and I took on some of the neighborhood kids, much to the amusement of everyone. I won, of course.
Finally, I caught a tro-tro back to Kumasi and found I was right next to the Kejetia Market, which I had read is a must-see. It is the largest outdoor market in West Africa. It reminded me of the souk in Fes, where I spent my abroad term last spring, although this was on a much, much bigger scale. They have basically everything you could need, from clothes, to metalware, to foods - including a meats section that I would have rather avoided. I walked around happily for about an hour, and then managed to get myself a bit turned around on my way back to the hotel. But I did make it. All said, though, I did pretty well seeing a city in a day, especially given my total lack of planning.
On Monday (wow, that's yesterday!), I went to take a bus from Kumasi back to Tema so I could collect my luggage and go to the airport for my late night flight. I turned down an offer of a taxi ride to the bus station, which ended up being a mistake. Forty-five minutes later, I arrived, sweaty and and legs aching, at the bus station to find that the Tema bus had just left and the next one wouldn't be for several hours. So I jumped aboard the next bus leaving for Accra and then from the Accra station, took a tro-tro to Tema. The trip actually ended up being faster than my ride up to Kumasi and cheaper as well.
So I collected by bags, which had stayed with Ben - WPE's country director. And I got in a taxi and headed for the airport. The Accra airport was a bit ridiculous, with multiple security screenings, immigration control on the way out, and lines that seemed to never end. Two and half hours after I got on line to check in, I made it to the gate and the plane was ready to board. We took off a little after midnight (local time) and landed at JFK before 6:30am (EST). I got my bags and met up with our friend Dave, who was waiting there despite the early morning arrival, and got a ride home. The jet lag has not been too bad, so far. We'll see how long I last. So far today, I've just been relaxing and enjoying American foods that I've missed (so far a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich for breakfast and pizza for lunch). It's really good to be home and I look forward to spending time with family and friends.
So that will be all for my Ghana blog. If something brilliant occurs to me, I guess I can make another post, but I think a final note of reflection can go here: I had an incredible time in Ghana. Working with the kids at Manye has left a permanent impression on me and I learned a huge amount about other cultures, education, and myself through my experience there. I will always remember that place and I hope to return to visit them at some point after I graduate, maybe with some WPE alumni (! anyone interested??).
Thank you for following my thoughts and travels in this very different part of the world. It is a place with great people and great potential. It is a beautiful and hospitable country that I would recommend to tourists and potential volunteers. Let me know if you have any questions specifically, because I selfishly only discussed the issues that were on my mind. I am sure I will talk to you all soon. For now, this is David, signing off.
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