By Charlotte Stuart-Tilley, Florida State University
After weeks of back and forth with the embassy, I finally made it to Accra! I had a long flight day and it took awhile to make it through immigration and customs at the airport, so my first time seeing Accra was at night. Staying in Accra is a full sensory experience. Taxis make their presence known by honking at potential customers and TVs in restaurants, barbershops, and lobbies often have soccer matches playing, while a group of people gather and watch. Most cars are older, which means that the smell of exhaust can be thick in heavy-traffic areas. People walk through the city, while vendors sell goods along the sidewalks. In the markets, the food smells incredible!
Today is day three of my stay in Accra. So far, I enjoy being in the city. I am staying on the University of Ghana’s campus, which means that I am surrounded by other undergraduate students. Everyone is very fashionable and I can eat at the many affordable student-oriented restaurants. Last night, for dinner, I had a delicious plate of Ghanaian jollof rice for only 20 Ghanaian cedis (around 1.93 USD) and I still had leftovers for a midnight snack! I can eat very well here for very little. I have many options, including a little boba stand in the market! I have also made friends on campus with some graduate students who also study African Studies-related ideas, which gives me good company and interesting conversations.
Since I have arrived, I have learned a few important cultural differences that you should know before you travel to Accra. When you walk into a room, you should greet people with a simple “good morning, how are you?” and a smile. If you know them already, you might also ask how their family is doing or more detailed questions about their life. When you’re walking along the sidewalk, enjoy your walk and try not to rush. If you rush, you will only end up stuck behind people who want to take their time walking, and people will wonder why you need to get somewhere so quickly. When you buy things or offer something to someone, you should pay or offer it with your right hand. Likewise, you should only eat with your right hand. Many West Africans see the left hand as the hand you clean yourself with and therefore, an unclean hand.
Truthfully, this trip is overwhelming. It will be the longest that I have been away from my own bed and every task is an adventure because everything is new to me. For the first time in my life, I am a very visibly foreign person all the time. Some people have been very curious about me, wondering where I am from, why I am in Accra, and what I think of Ghana. “Obroni” is an Akan word meaning “foreigner” that I hear all the time now when I walk down the street! However, the Ghanaians that I have met so far are very friendly and always willing to assist me when I get lost, or help me decide what to eat for dinner. To make myself more comfortable in Accra and avoid homesickness, I have been trying to do things that I also do when I am home in Tallahassee. For example, the New York Times Daily Wordle, watching YouTube creators that I enjoy, and talking to people in Tallahassee (except now, over the phone). I also have been thinking about things that I am particularly excited to do in Accra…for example, three malls are within walking distance of my accommodation, and I brought a whole suitcase to bring gifts for my family!
Over the next few days, I have time to catch up on some work that I missed while flying and finish any remaining preparations for my interviews, which I will hopefully start next week. One of my guides informed me that it might be harder than I expected to find the specific demographic of people that I had hoped to interview, which means I have had to revise my plans a little. Part of me felt disappointed: already, I have had to cut back on the things that I wanted to do while I was here because of the delayed visa. In the beginning, I had expected to stay for seven weeks, but in the end, I will be in Accra for only four weeks. While this project has had many setbacks, I am happy that most of them were things I was able to overcome. I expected to be transformed during this journey, like an American caterpillar to a global citizen butterfly in a cocoon. Although at times the transformation has felt difficult, I can feel myself becoming braver everyday, facing difficult challenges in a new place.
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