Sea Olympics and GHANA!

We lost Sea Olympics… but we faired very well and had a great performance in all the events. What matters the most was that we felt we made a valiant effort and our presence as a competitor for the Olympics was felt. I also think we were robbed of points in various categories which I will explain later. As we headed into Sea Olympics we were in a mad dash to prepare for all the festivities and competitions with a small time frame. For the Olympics there are a variety of relays such as Captain’s Suit, Spoon and Ping Pong Ball, Card Tower Building to the quintessential sports activities like volleyball and transformed sports events like HORSE with a basketball and crab soccer. Crab soccer seems to be a major highlight where you lay back on all four limbs and play good ol’ soccer. I guess it is a highly sought after event where students actually argue about who gets to participate since they only have 4 spots and I got about 20 students who wanted to compete. We ultimately chose through the fairest way possible, to pull from a hat. I am not sure why it’s so popular because students come away with blisters on their palms because of the crawling but it appears to be the main attraction. Synchronized swimming was hilarious with all our jock-type fellas in speedos doing a dance and routine and it actually turned out really funny and entertaining… as well as tasteful…. A student made a mash up with a variety of songs that start with a dramatic entry into teenie bopper music and some fun dance music to hype up the crowd. We went first which is always daunting… actually now thinking back, we entered all the competitions first in most categories which I believe caused us to be judged harder… actually, I don’t think.. I know because the judges told me that we were scored harder and that is probably why we lost. Regardless, it was hilarious. The night of Opening Ceremonies was intense… We made the banner the night before which was awesome, 20 students all working together to put it together, design it, and color it in. It is pretty awesome for the limited supplies we had… we got first place in the banner which was the first competition so we started off well.. I guess. Long story short, it was fun.. we had a blast, good memories, lots of community building, and now our Sea is well connected and our community is established… we are only at our 3rd port and to see these connections is a great thing.

So let me gloat a bit even though we lost (but really we didn’t lose much because the prize is (besides glory) to get off the ship first when we dock in San Diego and my assumption is that most people wont want to be the first off because they will want to soak in all they can get before disembarking and going back to their lives back home… Anyway.. so my gloating…my Sea Olympic Captains were awesome, Barb and Kevin are both from California (um… obviously)… and they are enthusiastic and fit the model of what you would want leaders to exemplify… they have that edge where they play within the boundaries of the rules and have enough edge where they can get away with some of the slightly inappropriate things… but they always bring it back and role model and keep the outta-control kiddies on check. My RA and PA, Katie and Jeff are also awesome and really contribute to the point where I feel like I am just watching things happen while they take the helm… it’s a good feeling that I was afraid I was not going to have after coming from an awesome staff f RAs and student leaders… I am pretty thankful for that.

Ok, now onto Ghana… we docked in Takoradi on Sunday, February 6th. Takoradi is definitely a location untouched by tourism and our presence there was a mixed bag of welcoming to glaring looks. My own personal experience was positive, besides the heat… The markets are littered with a variety of produce and fish. There are usually the same goods at every stand. Like the repetitiveness of a NYC Street Fair, this market lined up local vendors who sold spices, tomatoes, dried fish, grilled fish, hair products and then repeats again. Every now and then there would be some pile of meat or vegetables as well as dark coal for fire. Takoradi is defintely a residential and smaller place that is not as tarnished by tourism. It has a local vibe unlike Accra. I know that it was definitely more challenging for all of us as we tried to navigate the area that appeared to lack the usual touristy signs and assistance from locals.

The taxi’s are small compact cars that have no base fare or regulated price. I took a cab the same distance back and forth for 2 different prices. On the way up it was 6 US Dollars for the 4 of us and on the way back it was $4. I heard some other kids bargained for $2. A lot of people were complaining about not being able to bargain to $2 but I also reminded them that it is $2.50 in the U.S. just to get into a cab so there was no real need to be complaining. Plus, I am pretty sure the $3-4 discrepancy will not hurt the pockets of our students and may make a difference the cab driver’s livelihood. After a full day of walking through the markets, kinda sorta getting lost, and then making our way back to the ship I was on duty for the night…

Duty was interesting, the usual intox issues and some funny drunks. Its pretty much the same anywhere except for the shocking ways some people are willing to get hammered in a foreign country and act stupid – and possible more stupid than they would normally act back home in the States. I had to tend to a student who was assaulted and had his wallet stolen, he was also a bit intoxicated but the major issue was that he strayed from his group and ended up like one of those baby animals that stray from the pack of adult animals and then get attacked by the predators on some Discovery Channel special. After hearing his account it was more to punk him around than to actually steal the $50 he had because he still had his bag with camera and other valuables with him. After a pretty long night of duty I had to wake up, or stay awake until 7am to catch the bus for Accra!

Accra was definitely an experience. Very different from Takoradi… since it is the nation’s capital there were more things to see and do. It was sensory overload from the traffic to the larger markets to the people in the streets everywhere selling goods and food. On the trip we went to the W.E.B. Dubois Pan-African Cultural Center and Museum which was not as great as I expected, it was more like his house and they pretty much just kept it the way it is and then showed us his place of burial. Then we saw the Artist Alliance Museum with local modern art and then we went to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Kwame was Ghana’s first president. That park and museum was very interesting and I learned a lot of Ghana’s history and their place in the world. From there we were tested in our bargaining and assertiveness skills as our guide took us into the open air market also known as the Art Centre. There, a swarm of vendors greeted our bus and waited for us to come out – although daunting, you know that they are there because they want to sell you something at a good price. The thing you have to know about the Ghanaian markets is that they are not mean but pushy. They will haggle you so you can also haggle back and do not take offense or get mad, for the most part, if you choose not to purchase something, but they will sure try hard to get you to buy whatever it is they are selling. From wood carvings, bracelets, and jewelry to various fabrics. I met a guy names Cosmos who guided me through the market. He was a vendor but he primarily helped me change money and get some postcards and stamps… he gave me a 2 for 1 deal on some bracelets that I thought were cool and in hindsight I should have given him more money because I was able to deal with him and get the bracelet for 1 Cedi (pronounced Seh-di), which is like 75 cents… he started with 5 Cedi but I talked him down and then he ultimately gave me the other bracelet for free… not sure why that happened but I think he noticed I was the trip leader and he did ask me to refer my students to him… because he was a genuinely a nice guy I decided to usher a few students his way who spent a good amount of money so I guess I don’t feel that bad about the bracelets… another cool thing was after we left and I came back a student came up to me on the ship yesterday and asked me if I was in Accra at the Art Centre… he asked because he had met Cosmos and he remembered me and wrote my name down and told the students who had gone after me the other day that he knew me and that he would give them a good price, which he did. So.. my trust and faith in Cosmos and the way he managed his business is definitely in the positive light.

We stayed in a nice hotel in Accra called the Coconut Grove Regency which was awesome. Huge room, great food, and a big group of Columbia University students who are studying urban planning were in Accra to present a plan to restore certain rural areas of Ghana to the government. Pretty cool… although we chatted a bit they still had a vibe to them that made me not want to hang out or talk to them longer than I needed… they had that stuffy pretention to them once they found out we were from Semester at Sea and made it appear as though their journey to Ghana was more important or valuable… which I do agree with since we were there strictly as tourists, but really? We are all traveling and in a new place, let it go folks and your student recommendations will only go so far in a country… it’s not that deep. It was also funny because in our group there were a variety of students from Vassar, Bucknell, Oberlin, Berkeley, and other top notch institutions… so we had just as much brain power as they did… we were just having fun… but I am sure we could have helped with their planning too… and plus, two of the girls were on facebook more than they were focused on the landscapes of Ghana.

Our second and last day in Accra we actually headed north to Aburi where there is a 200 year old botanical garden with over 150 different types of trees… that was cool but not much to write about besides the fact that there are a ton of interesting trees and plants… and some cool lizards. LOL… then we headed back to Accra for lunch and then to the ship. Yesterday was a full day of my own independent trips. Oh before I forget, the food in Ghana is good - nothing too out of the ordinary... it was funny because we kept getting served french fries with every meal.. but the things I enjoyed the most was the Jollof Rice and Plava Sauce... Jollof rice is kind of like a paella/risotto type dish which is super flavorful and Palva sauce is a spinach stew... my favorites. Oh and they serve these Yam Balls that are sort of like hush puppies but with yams and onions and they seemed baked not fried.. those were pretty good too.

On this day I went with 2 other staff members, Julia and Danny to walk the Kakum National Park Treetop Canopies which are about 40 meters high and then to the Slave Castles and Dungeons. We hired a taxi driver for the day which turned out to be about $60 from 8am to 6pm and he drove us everywhere… Kakum was the furthest which was about 2 hours away. There are pics so its more fun to look at the pics on my Picasa web album than me talking about it… but basically it was 15 minute hike up to the canopies and then we walk about 8 bridges that are suspended high above the trees… kinda scary but not much… I had fun... but the most thought provoking part of my day were the slave castles and dungeons… I am still processing the experience and cant imagine what it was like when these spaces were used by the Dutch, British, and Portuguese for human trade but being here to see it was an experience. I know that I will be processing this experience with my students and it will be an interesting conversation that I am looking forward to. Today.. I have gangway duty to make sure all the students get on board so we can start setting sail to South Africa! Cape Town! I have a full schedule of activities and adventures so I am looking forward to this port!

I have to say, though, being here in Ghana… beyond the activities and trips.. just driving around and ingesting all the scenery from the villages and how people live to the various landscapes, it has made me become more reflective about our world and what makes us who we are. At first I think about my own privilege and opportunities and then I think about what it means to be fulfilled and happy. I also think about the many ways people are interconnected as well as so detached from each other as well as how cultures can influence one another. There are a lot of gaps I am leaving in between what I am writing but I guess that’s because I am still processing these things... all in all I must say that Ghana has been a fascinating and thought provoking place for me and I am happy that I have had the chance to be here and immerse myself here as much as I could in the short time we had.