Good evening from Accra, Ghana! So, after much anticipation I finally made my way back to this place, you know... home. The past 7 days have been extremely hectic and exhausting but so wonderful.
I will call this trip my second coming. It's interesting coming back to a place for the second time. Most people take the initiative to travel to other places, without paying notice to the richness in coming BACK to the same place at a different time. I think that you can travel around the world, and we should, I wish to, but that does not necessarily mean we will know the world. I want to know people. So, I am settled in Accra, which I did not have the opportunity to do last time I was here. Everything in Ghana has changed, yet it has stayed the same. For instance, a trotro from Osu to Legon used to be 60 pesewas, it is now 80 pesewas thanks to the rising fuel costs. Pure water is 10 pesewas instead of 5. It still feels like the Ghana I left in 2009, but it is so profoundly distinct. Life has continued without us EAP kids from way back when. But, nevertheless, it feels good to be back.
Work began as soon as possible and I was thrust into planning the Global Shea Conference 2011, put on by the West Africa Trade Hub where we are launching the Global Shea Alliance. This is a huge conference, about 400 people from all over West Africa are coming to Accra to attend. This includes the Vice President of Ghana. The goal is to create a platform for shea, as it has become such a stronghold for creating environmental sustainability and subsequently, it has increased business productivity in a huge way. They call this the multiplier effect. That is, shea and its byproducts (shea butter, etc) are mostly produced by women in West Africa. These women then sell to investors and with that money they reinvest back into their community, or they save it. This is like striking gold. Unfortunately, many governments are not so convinced, so it is WATH's aim as well as the Alliance to prove how shea has developed business throughout West Africa. That's a small update on what I am currently working on.
I lived in Osu for a little while but most of my friends stay at UG (campus). So, I moved to an off campus hostel called Evandy. I share a room with two other Ghanaian girls who are Level 400 (4th year students). They told me last night they really wanted to try apple pie. Isn't that funny? Out of all the things... apple pie. That sounds really good right now, actually.
Ghana, Ghana, Ghana, thank you for embracing me all over again.
More updates/photos to come!
Peace.
