Day 2: Our first morning waking up in Ghana. The hotel we were staying at had a nice spread for breakfast of toast, porridge, watermelon, pineapple, eggs, as well as rice, vegetables, chicken sausage, and a delicious traditional donut-hole type food called bout.
It was a rainy day in Accra but we headed out on our little tour bus with Maxwell to drive around Downtown Accra and learn about the history and see some buildings as well as learn about the culture.
We passed the house where Ghana's president lives, called the Flagstaff House. We say the U.S. Embassy, supreme court building, and the Black Star Square, or the Independence Square which hosts their Independence day parade on March 6. We learned from Maxwell the meaning behind the Ghanaian flag. The red stands for the blood of people who fought for Ghana's Independence, the gold stands for mineral wealth, the green stands for the rich vegetation, and the black star in the center symbolizes hope for Africa.
While we were driving we passed some developments, condominiums, and apartment complex appearing areas. They looked quite expensive and very well structured. Maxwell told us how there are normal, wealthy, Ghanaians that live there, but the Western media never shows that side of Ghana.
While driving through downtown Accra we passed a lighthouse that Maxwell told us you would see over all of Accra from the top. After we begged to go inside, we ran off the bus and sprinted our way inside through the rain. We learned that this lighthouse was built by the British in the early 19th century and looked over a pier in Accra, Ghana where thousands of slaves were shipped to the new world. We ran around the top of the lighthouse trying to take pictures of the city and each other while getting absolutely soaked by the growing rain. It was unsettling standing where tragic history took place, and treating it as a tourist location. On the morning of our second day, we realized how our emotions could waiver in an instant. We were overjoyed with the spontaneous adventure, then overwhelmed by the history.
After attempting to dry off we headed back on the bus to the Aya Centre for a lecture. After class, we met up with a woman who brought dozens of beautiful fabrics for us to look at and buy. Maxwell told us that if we bought fabric, we would have a seamstress come and take our measurements to have clothes made! She came to our hotel after lunch to show us what style of dresses, rompers, or shirts she could make for us. The seamstress also brought a lot of already made pieces such as shirts, skirts, shorts, headbands, and purses! Very inexpensive considering everything was handmade and beautiful! Day 2 did not disappoint.
It was a rainy day in Accra but we headed out on our little tour bus with Maxwell to drive around Downtown Accra and learn about the history and see some buildings as well as learn about the culture.
We passed the house where Ghana's president lives, called the Flagstaff House. We say the U.S. Embassy, supreme court building, and the Black Star Square, or the Independence Square which hosts their Independence day parade on March 6. We learned from Maxwell the meaning behind the Ghanaian flag. The red stands for the blood of people who fought for Ghana's Independence, the gold stands for mineral wealth, the green stands for the rich vegetation, and the black star in the center symbolizes hope for Africa.
While we were driving we passed some developments, condominiums, and apartment complex appearing areas. They looked quite expensive and very well structured. Maxwell told us how there are normal, wealthy, Ghanaians that live there, but the Western media never shows that side of Ghana.
While driving through downtown Accra we passed a lighthouse that Maxwell told us you would see over all of Accra from the top. After we begged to go inside, we ran off the bus and sprinted our way inside through the rain. We learned that this lighthouse was built by the British in the early 19th century and looked over a pier in Accra, Ghana where thousands of slaves were shipped to the new world. We ran around the top of the lighthouse trying to take pictures of the city and each other while getting absolutely soaked by the growing rain. It was unsettling standing where tragic history took place, and treating it as a tourist location. On the morning of our second day, we realized how our emotions could waiver in an instant. We were overjoyed with the spontaneous adventure, then overwhelmed by the history.
After attempting to dry off we headed back on the bus to the Aya Centre for a lecture. After class, we met up with a woman who brought dozens of beautiful fabrics for us to look at and buy. Maxwell told us that if we bought fabric, we would have a seamstress come and take our measurements to have clothes made! She came to our hotel after lunch to show us what style of dresses, rompers, or shirts she could make for us. The seamstress also brought a lot of already made pieces such as shirts, skirts, shorts, headbands, and purses! Very inexpensive considering everything was handmade and beautiful! Day 2 did not disappoint.
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