For our first actual weekend in Ghana ISEP took us to the Central Region where we got a tour of the Cape Coast castle on Saturday and then did a canopy walk in Kakum National Park on Sunday. Cape Coast castle is an old fortification on the Gold Coast of Ghana. The name Gold Coast comes from the fact that what is now Ghana had large gold resources prevalent in the land when Europeans first started to arrive in West Africa. The first fortification to be established on the Gold Coast was Elmina, by the Portuguese in 1482. However, the Dutch as well as the British all had holdings in Ghana at some point or another. Cape Coast was just one of about 60 or so forts, castles, and lodges spread along the small expanse of the Gold Coast. Although the initial function of the castle may have started as a base for ships and production export, the rise and expansion of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade would have the castle serve a more sinister function.
The castle as we experienced it was a dark and haunting shadow of much of Africa's history. We were led from the central courtyard of the Castle where the fresh sea air and the sound of the ocean could be heard to the lower cells where men were packed into dark, damp rooms. And from there to where the women and children were. And form there to the dungeon where those who were 'unruly' were kept and left to more or less perish. Scratches on the ground were visible from where men would literally go crazy with hunger and the stench of human excrement and the decay of other men whose bodies were not removed until the last of them had passed. Needless to say the experience was one of inner reflection and weighed heavily on many of us. It is hard to put in words the experience of it all.
After cape coast we checked into our rooms for the night at our botel, Hans Cottage. Many of you may wonder what in the world a botel is. Well it is a lagoon area where the restaurant and other facilities are raised on stilts above the water, which is home to some friendly creatures. crocodiles. The room themselves were a series of little cottage like rooms behind the restaurant and on the land. They were quite cozy. The main attraction was the hot showers! Something we do not usually get. I'm sure you question the need for a hot shower in hot African weather, but the fact is the weather here has been relatively cool compared to the summer I left at home.
The whole experience at Hans Cottage was fun. Everyone really bonded even more. Some of us did karaoke with the band and everyone was dancing and they even had a pool.
One funny little anecdote of the night is behind the room I stayed in was a little green grass area fenced in. In it were all these adorable bunnies hoping around. They were all so fluffy and happy. It was like some children's movie. So a few of us were looking at them and taking pictures, and I turn to my friend Alex and ask her what she think they have them here for. Neither of us say anything but just laugh it off. So we go down for dinner and we get the menus and sure enough one of the most popular dishes on there was rabbit stew. Of course I had sort of guessed, but seeing it right there in front of me was quite the shock. Of course I saw they were kept in good conditions so I have no qualms about them being used for meals, it was just funny since I had made a personal connection with the rabbits behind my cottage and found out they were being kept for food.
Turning our attention away from the slaughter of innocent little bunnies to day two, we got a lovely continental breakfast and hopped on the bus to head to Kakum National Park. A little intro to some music here, there is a more traditional style called Highlife and then there is a newer genre called Hiplife which combines elements of highlife, reggae, dancehall, and hip hop. So of course we all are binging on the new music. Our group song is this song called Waist & Power by a group called 4X4. If you would like to check it out for yourself here is a link. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTqSHhqFOyo. I think we asked our bus driver to play it about 4 times in a row and all of us sang the chorus, getting to know the words a little more each time, and danced along.
Kakum National Park is a beautiful expanse of tropical rainforest in the Central region of Ghana. Just a brief note on the regions of Ghana, there are ten altogether each with their own capital. I live in the Greater Accra region which of course the capital of Ghana and of the region is Accra. So Kakum has a series of 7 hanging bridges about 130 feet over the canopies of the rain forest. It was a short hike in led by our guide Still Alive, as he calls himself. Our day was a little rainy and fogged over, but it was the lingering fog that gives everything a mystical allure. So as we walked through the high canopies we were met with the open sprinkle of rain, but to me it was just a reminder of the beauty and connectedness of the world around us. I was actually quite thankful for the rain. Two foods I experienced while there were cocoa seeds which were a seed coated in a sweet gum that you sucked no, and then a fresh coconut meat. Both were delicious and are only the start of my taste endeavors!
Cape Coast and Kakum was the end of our orientation for ISEP and now we are all on our own for everything. Classes, food, travel, and everything else! And now the real exploration begins!!!!!!!
Peace.
Katie
The castle as we experienced it was a dark and haunting shadow of much of Africa's history. We were led from the central courtyard of the Castle where the fresh sea air and the sound of the ocean could be heard to the lower cells where men were packed into dark, damp rooms. And from there to where the women and children were. And form there to the dungeon where those who were 'unruly' were kept and left to more or less perish. Scratches on the ground were visible from where men would literally go crazy with hunger and the stench of human excrement and the decay of other men whose bodies were not removed until the last of them had passed. Needless to say the experience was one of inner reflection and weighed heavily on many of us. It is hard to put in words the experience of it all.
After cape coast we checked into our rooms for the night at our botel, Hans Cottage. Many of you may wonder what in the world a botel is. Well it is a lagoon area where the restaurant and other facilities are raised on stilts above the water, which is home to some friendly creatures. crocodiles. The room themselves were a series of little cottage like rooms behind the restaurant and on the land. They were quite cozy. The main attraction was the hot showers! Something we do not usually get. I'm sure you question the need for a hot shower in hot African weather, but the fact is the weather here has been relatively cool compared to the summer I left at home.
The whole experience at Hans Cottage was fun. Everyone really bonded even more. Some of us did karaoke with the band and everyone was dancing and they even had a pool.
One funny little anecdote of the night is behind the room I stayed in was a little green grass area fenced in. In it were all these adorable bunnies hoping around. They were all so fluffy and happy. It was like some children's movie. So a few of us were looking at them and taking pictures, and I turn to my friend Alex and ask her what she think they have them here for. Neither of us say anything but just laugh it off. So we go down for dinner and we get the menus and sure enough one of the most popular dishes on there was rabbit stew. Of course I had sort of guessed, but seeing it right there in front of me was quite the shock. Of course I saw they were kept in good conditions so I have no qualms about them being used for meals, it was just funny since I had made a personal connection with the rabbits behind my cottage and found out they were being kept for food.
Turning our attention away from the slaughter of innocent little bunnies to day two, we got a lovely continental breakfast and hopped on the bus to head to Kakum National Park. A little intro to some music here, there is a more traditional style called Highlife and then there is a newer genre called Hiplife which combines elements of highlife, reggae, dancehall, and hip hop. So of course we all are binging on the new music. Our group song is this song called Waist & Power by a group called 4X4. If you would like to check it out for yourself here is a link. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTqSHhqFOyo. I think we asked our bus driver to play it about 4 times in a row and all of us sang the chorus, getting to know the words a little more each time, and danced along.
Kakum National Park is a beautiful expanse of tropical rainforest in the Central region of Ghana. Just a brief note on the regions of Ghana, there are ten altogether each with their own capital. I live in the Greater Accra region which of course the capital of Ghana and of the region is Accra. So Kakum has a series of 7 hanging bridges about 130 feet over the canopies of the rain forest. It was a short hike in led by our guide Still Alive, as he calls himself. Our day was a little rainy and fogged over, but it was the lingering fog that gives everything a mystical allure. So as we walked through the high canopies we were met with the open sprinkle of rain, but to me it was just a reminder of the beauty and connectedness of the world around us. I was actually quite thankful for the rain. Two foods I experienced while there were cocoa seeds which were a seed coated in a sweet gum that you sucked no, and then a fresh coconut meat. Both were delicious and are only the start of my taste endeavors!
Cape Coast and Kakum was the end of our orientation for ISEP and now we are all on our own for everything. Classes, food, travel, and everything else! And now the real exploration begins!!!!!!!
Peace.
Katie
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