Accra, Ghana

Oh the sights and sounds of a big city! Accra has changed a lot since I have been here. It is a much cleaner city, but with more traffic and people. Today we started our day by going to the art market to buy local crafts. I bought an outfit and some small souvenirs for my family. It was quite an experience for anyone who had never been to Ghana before, as it was all about the bartering! I paid good prices (I am super cheap!) and also helped others to get good deals. It is so exhausting having people follow you and tell you to come into their store. I wanted to support everyone, but it just isn't possible. At the market some of our group members even had freshly cut (before our eyes!) coconut juice (milk) to drink as something refreshing to help deal with the heat. It is hard to believe that at home it is snowing and blowing and freezing! I am sweating here!

We also had the chance to see Nkrumah National Monument where he is buried. There is a statue of him as well, but it is headless. We found out from a guide that during a coup it was stolen and a woman had it in her home for 43 years before anyone found out. It now sits next to the statue. The memorial overlooks the ocean and is right next to the craft market.

We stopped for lunch on the beach where I had the local specialty- groundnut soup. It is basically a spicy peanut butter soup! We walked the beach, but no one was in the water because it was Tuesday. Ghanaians believe (a myth really) that it is bad luck to swim or go fishing on Tuesday, so that is why the beaches were empty.

Later in the afternoon we came back to our hotel for another conference session on the history of the Ghanaian education system. The overall education system was triggered by missionaries as they came over and married Ghanaians and had children with them. Originally schools were set up in coastal towns with the primary focus as spreading faith. The only foreign language taught in public schools is French, and they often can't find any French teachers so many students never learn another language.

It is very competitive to get into secondary school in Ghana, which would be known for Americans as "High School." A student has to apply and is accepted on test scores alone. There is a cut off score for each school, so often the best and highest scoring kids go to the same school. Due to this, children here take school very seriously as they cannot choose where they go to school- how well they do chooses for them (in a sense).

As for teachers, once you get a degree you are hired by the government through the Ministry of Education. From there you do NOT get to pick where you teach- it is assigned. If there is an opening for your subject area, you can be moved anywhere to go and teach there.

Teachers are very well respected in Ghana. It is an honor to have a teacher into your home here. Parents are involved in students educational lives just like at home. Teachers are even given an allowance for a car to transport themselves to school!

After our education seminar, we went downtown to the Osu area of Accra for dinner at Baku. It was traditional African food, and I had jollof (spicy rice) with kelewele (spicy plantains). As you can see, Ghana loves the spicy! One of the best things about this program is that I am surrounded with teachers who have a passion for global education and bringing it back to the classroom. Our dinner conversations are often times quite deep, but yet inspirational. I have really enjoyed getting to know our group here in Ghana.

Tomorrow I head off to a rural school that is about an hour van ride away from Accra. I am excited to see a Basic school (which is primary= elementary). In the afternoon we have a panel with Ghanaian education leaders of the country and area, and then we spend our last night in Accra before heading out to our own schools. I will be paired with Meredith, a teacher from North Carolina. We will be teaching at Wesley Girls School in Cape Coast.

Hope you are all staying warm in Michigan!!!!