Getting to Ghana has been quite an expedition. We arrived at the TPA airport for our 9:50 flight on JetBlue with no problems. Arriving in NYC is when a few of the glitches started. We had to transfer our tickets to a different credit card after passing through several lines to find out the correct course of measure. We made it to our gate and were ready to jet set. Once we got on the plane, we were even more set to go because the flight attendants moved us to seats where we didn't have to be on top of other people.Suddenly, the serious glitches started. Apparently, someone didn't have a visa and their luggage had to be pulled from the cargo hold. That took an hour. Then, the auxiliary power went out and we were supposed to wait to have that fixed. Then, we were told we were going to be de-boarding and to come bag at 8 (our flight was supposed to leave at 4:30). At 8:00, we were told to come back at 10. Finally, we got on the flight, loaded up, and waiting even longer on crew members. We ended up leaving around 11:00 East Coast time.
We made it to Ghana around 9:00 East Coast time and 1:00 Ghana time.
We went through customs, and met our trip leaders outside customs.
This is when we first started experiencing Ghanaian culture. As we were walking out to the cars, men started taking our bags to help us. Because we didn't know who our leaders were (Josh and me at least), we let someone else drag our bag for us for a second, before Jo's husband told us to get our bags back because they just wanted money. It sounds obvious after the fact, but it isn't quite as obvious when you're in the heat of the moment.We took a car trip to the hotel and experienced life in Ghana for the first time (for Josh...second time for me). It was a quick reminder of the differences that exist between countries in the world. As we drove through the streets, women and men were walking between traffic selling everything from water to fruit to cell phones and tourist gifts. You can literally shop from the car, and people will run alongside the car while you finish your transaction.
Once arriving at the hotel, we had our first taste of somewhat Ghanaian food. Although we didn't order from the Ghanaian section of the menu, which I insist we must at some point, we did have Jollof Rice and Chicken with Palm Oil in it. Ghana is one of the largest exporters of palm oil, which is a thick, red cooking oil that flavors a lot of the foods in Ghana.
So far, we're very tired but will have a lot more educational and cultural experiences to share on the blog. Tonight, we're meeting Nana Sarpong, the paramount chief of the Ashanti region, and bringing him our gift of a clock with the Berkeley Seal and commemoration of the program we're beginning.
We look forward to sharing our ventures with you and will do our best to ensure you understand the experience that we're having here in Ghana.
