For the past two days IPO, the international Programs Office, has been putting on their overall orientation for all international students. It consists of safety tips, helath issues, cultural expectations, registration for classes, student life and regulations, and all other related topics.
Here are some thoughts I jotted down during the orientation:
- Always greet right to left because it has the more natural flow
- The women wear the most beautiful fabrics that are so vibrant and reflect how full of life they are
- Everyone is incredibly patient and willing to help. Not once have I sensed that they were sick and tired of our questions despite the same ones being asked a million and a half times.
- Titles are extremely inportant to Ghanaians, such as Professor, or as they say here, Prof.
- Ghana is in fact a developing country so many of the amenities I take for granted in the States will seem like luxuries here, such as a warm, not even hot, shower or laundry facilities, or clean drinking water.
- A note on water: We were started off with bottled water, but the pipe water at uni is apparently safe to wash fruits and brush your teeth in, so I have started doing that, although I don't straight up drink it. Also, I just bought what they call sashae (not sure on the spelling, but its pronnounced like the sashae dance step) water which is a little bag of water. They are packaged by the same company I buy bottled water from, Voltic. A large pack of about 40 sashaes cost 1.50 GHC so less than that in USD.
- Ghanaian society is very family oriented so people in the streets refer to everyone as brother, sister, auntie, and other endearing terms.
- During the section on student policies for conduct we were introduced to a common form of social justice preformed by students on campus...throwing people into the pond outside the library which is overgrown with weeds and definitely doesn't look like a place I'd like to venture into. In the outline of what is expected from Junior Stundets at UG it clearly states "It shall be an offence for a Junior Member to: v. Throw any person into ponds in the University"
- Abortion in Ghana is illegal and Ghanaians are very political. My student leader, my mamma, Awushi, a fourth year political science student here, told us that Ghanaians will discuss politicts everywhere and they are very aware.
- Football, or soccer, is the national sport here and Ghanaians are very intese about their team, the Black Stars. The Black Star is supposed to represent the unity and power of the black diaspora everywhere. As you could imagine it was a very joyous day when Ghana beat America in the World Cup this past year. I myself am trying to go to their game vs. Swaziland in September.
- Ghanaians all have a day day which is derived from the day that they were born on. For example, Fida means Friday so a boy would be called Kofi and a girl Afua. I was born on a Monday which is Dwowdo so my day name is Adwoa ('dw' is pronnounced with a 'j' sound like in jet). Let me know if anyone wants to know their day name!
- Ghanaians have a one year long mandatory civil service period where they can be placed any where in the country and work on any project from teaching to working for a business.
- I have been asked about what Ghanaians do for malaria, and I learned that they are partially immune to it, and many get it a few times a year.
In addition to the orientation we got the official campus tour. I was so taken aback by the beauty of this campus! I have to admit I think its more beautiful than UVM campus, and i love my campus. The Blame Library is the largest in West Africa and its this massive white cement 
building with red bamboo looking roof and a stretch of green lawn decked with statues sprawled in front of it. The natural vegetation seems to naturally grow as if the campus and the vegetation naturally belong together. The library has open windows that creates a fresh circulation of air throughout. They still use a partial card catalougue. All the buildings on campus have the same, in general, white cement and red bamaboo roofs (when I say bamboo, its not literally bamboo, it just has the look of it). There is a central road that splits down the center making it a little easier to get your bearings. Everything is open and greeen and I just can't possibly fully describe it. The Registry sits up on a hill above campus and as you walk into it it is like walking up to a palace. It has a tall tower in the back bearing the Black Star symbol, and it has marble floors, and black accents, and stautes of important people. Its really elegant! There are a lot of places to eat on campus and some of them, like Odo Rise at Akuafo Hall (one of the residences for students), are really cheap. A meal there consists of as much food as you want for about $2 GHC. I got two large scoops of rice with red red, a bean based meal, and plantains and coleslaw for that amount. Also located in Akuafo Hall is Tacobell which is not like the American Taco Bell as we had all been decieved to think. Its this little lounge type place where you get similar meals.
Its hard to really describe everything in full. Things like that are meant to be experienced, so a few pictures will have to do the trick.
Today we was a little bit slower, with less stuff planned. We registered as official students at UG and got our ID cards and we were given time to go around to look at timetables and class offerings. Their system for registering is much different than what any of us are used to. We have to physically go to each department on campus and look to make sure our courses are being offered and then we have to check the timetables to find out where we have class and who the professor is. We only meet once a week for each class for about two hours. Many of the timetables still were not posted. We were warned that some may not even be posted until classes actually start. We also have to register at the general office for each department, then register online, and hand in our final list of classes. So technically, the first week of classes you are just trying them out and you are not registered until you hand in you final registration form which isn't due until September 26. Its like an add/drop period. Some people are stressed out about the system, but there isn't much you can do, so I'm not going to get myself too worked up.
Tonight all of the ISEP group and a whole lot of other people at ISH are going back to La Beach where we were on Sunday for Reggae Night. Either there or Tawala Beach. They are supposed to have a live band and it opens right to the beach. Right now I'm just uploading my new Ghanaian and Nigerian music from Obed, another student leader here although he actually graduated. So I'll leave it at that. I think I wrote a lot. Hopefully it was at least semi interesting!
Peace.
Katie (Adwoa)
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