Akwaaba! I'm Padma Mana, and I visited Ghana this summer on the Ghana: Discovering the Truth about Africa's Past Program. The program studied the Slave Trade and contemporary West African society, but I got this and so much more out of the experience. An African Proverb states that "She who learns, teaches." Of course, nothing can supplement the learning experience of traveling abroad, but hopefully you can glean a shadow of the perceptions I perceived while in Ghana from my accounts below. Thankyou, or as Ghanaians would say, Medaasi!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Day 16: Day of Farewells

Driving back from dinner last night, listening to music and looking out the window of the bus as the streets of Accra, I felt sad to leave today. I'm not one to get homesick a lot, but I have on this trip. So I'm glad to go back, but I'll miss Ghana for sure.

Yesterday and today we've gone for morning jogs before breakfast. Again, just four of us from our trip, but its so interesting to see the city during the morning rush hour. This morning, I saw a tiger! Some pick-up truck was transporting it, and it was caged in pacing back and forth. It was a nice sight that made me do a double take :)

Today after lunch, we packaged all the extra food we had left over at the restaurant. A couple friends and I walked around the Center which planned our trip (we're staying here for the afternoon, since we checked out of the hotel and our flight is only at night) and found moms to hand the boxes too. It was nice to walk around one last time before leaving.  I'll miss the vegetation and humid, hot weather, no doubt.

The four of us who walked around were talking and reflecting on the trip. Honestly, its been a different experience for everyone, since we are all from different backgrounds and mindsets. But one thing I think that is common is that we've not only learned so much about the Slave Trade and modern West African society, as the trip had planned, but we've learned so much about ourselves personally. I've realized things about myself that will make me view the world differently, and there are habits I've picked up here which I'd like to maintain no matter where I go.

These two weeks have been a blast.



Medasi,
Padma

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