Ghana: A Country of Many Contradictions
GHANA - What I find most frustrating about living here is that many things just don’t equate.
I think the best example of this is how things run on what one might call “Ghana time.”
Ghana is an exceptionally overwhelming country. People are constantly working, traveling, and rushing about. Which is funny because, although Ghana would appear to be as busy as New York City, it is the least efficient place I have ever been to.
For example…
I’ve been the only person to order food at a restaurant and had the food still take a full 40 minutes to arrive.
I live in the International Student Hostel, which is comprised of two buildings that are named ISH I and ISH II. One of the buildings was supposed to have their internet cafe up and running days ago. I went to the porter’s office yesterday and asked if the internet was working. The porter said that the provider was supposed to have come in for days, but had not arrived for some reason. She seemed unperturbed by this. When I asked if it would be up soon, she responded, “Definitely maybe.”
Registration started this week. Unlike UCSB, we have to do all registration in person. So, a bunch of us international students braved the long walks around to the various departments on campus to sign up for the classes we wanted. The only issue was that the schedule has not been posted. And it will not be up until Monday. At the earliest. If we’re lucky. So, on Monday morning, we’re expected to go around to our different departments to find the time tables which may, or may not, be posted. Hopefully, none of our classes conflict. Furthermore, if that class happens to be on a Monday, we’re expected to run off and try, somehow, to figure out where we’re supposed to go.
As I said before, laughing things off seems to be the key to maintaining sanity here. There are so many wonderful things to appreciate–for example, I celebrated my 20th birthday this past weekend at a gorgeous beach resort in Busua with some fantastic EAP friends. All I can really do is appreciate what Ghana has to offer, brush off the frustrations and hope that this all teaches me patience.
My catch phrase for this trip has been, “Don’t worry, I’m sure this will be funny later.” Luckily, so far, it all has been.
2 Responses to “Ghana: A Country of Many Contradictions”
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How dare you misinform your schoolmates about this country. This blog is such a typical response from a sheltered white American female such as yourself. You really should have signed up to go to Canada!
What are your reasons for studying in Ghana?
* Attention this is not EVERYONE’S EXPERIENCE!
How dare she? Clearly this girl went out of her comfort zone to venture to an entirely different country for a reason–she obviously has a deep interest in this country and the issues it faces. Her blog is her way to express her frustrations, and what’s wrong with that? If you read more thoroughly you’d see that she also has a lot of positive things to say about Ghana. Why are you so intent on bashing on her?