Final Reflection

I hate to admit it, but my first experience in Ghana was not a pleasant one. Upon my arrival in Accra, I was informed by the customs agent that there was a problem with my visa. In order to address what seemed to be a very serious issue, the man called another customs agent whom he said was his boss. According to the boss, my visa had already expired. I received my three-month visa in June; I arrived in Ghana in August. June to July is one month, July to August is another, which means my visa expired in September. I tried to explain this to the customs agent, but he just shook his head and told me to pay attention to his fingers. He counted the months on his fingers: June, July, August. “Your visa is expired,” he said. Tired from my flight, and too nervous to pose much resistance to a man who had the power to deport me from the country, I just shook my head and asked what I should do. The man then informed me he would give me a discount and I would only have to pay only 100 dollars to renew my visa. Despite the obvious indications that I was being scammed, I paid the money and left. It was minutes after this that I first met Ms. Dzide.

In the parking lot I explained to Ms. Dzide what had happened at customs. She immediately turned on her heel and briskly walked into the airport. After Ms. Dzide shared a short exchange in Twi with an airport worker, I was given back my money. Since getting to know Ms. Dzide as the exchange program coordinator, my house tutor, my teacher, and my most trusted adult at school I can confidently say, I don’t think there is a more apt introduction to her character than experiencing the adept way she helped me in the airport my first day.

Although I was born in Canada and now live in the U.S., my family is from Jamaica. I even lived there for a few months when I was young. I attended a one-room elementary school where each grade faced a blackboard mounted on a different wall of the room. Before I came to Ghana, my Grandma told me my ancestors were brought from Ghana to Jamaica during the slave trade. With this in mind, during my trip I looked to find cultural similarities and differences, not only between Ghana and the U.S., but also between Ghana and Jamaica. Throughout my time, the strong West African influence on Jamaican culture became increasingly apparent. For example, the first food I had when I arrived in Ghana was waakye, which is very similar to my favorite Jamacian dish, rice and peas.

One of my first tasks when I got to school was adjusting to an IB education. I joined the IB1 class during orientation week and learned what it takes to peruse an IB education.  At my school in the U.S., we have our own curriculum and our classes use the Harkness method. This means in most classes students sit around a table and discuss readings from the night before. We don’t raise our hands, our classes our very dependent on the work we do the night before, and the classes are student-led. It took me a few days to get used to to lecture-style teaching, but as soon as I adapted I found myself learning a lot in all my classes. My teachers created spaces for student engagement and some of my teachers, especially Ms. Dzide, incorporated the Harkness method into their teaching.

What made my experience in Ghana truly special were all the friends I made. I was welcomed so kindly by every member of the school community, especially my roommates Tatenda Paradza, Efia Awuah, and Adowa Afrifa. At SOS, I found everyone incredibly friendly, welcoming and kind. At my school in the U.S., I often find students are enthusiastically nice to others only when they have a reason to be. In addition, I also found that students at SOS have a much more positive outlook than the students at the school I attend in the U.S. In general, American teenagers’ interactions with one an other are laced with heavy sarcasm, complaints, and self deprecating jokes. It was a refreshing change to have encouraging conversations about my workload. For example, if I was stressed about a test, my friends would always tell me, “You are going to do well.” By comparison, my friends at home would typically make a joke about our “shared suffering.” In Ghana, my classmates’ positive outlook had a profound impact on me, and I genuinely believe it made me happier.

Something my SOS classmates might find surprising is how little some Americans know about the Continent. For instance, the day before I left for Ghana, one of my U.S. classmates wished me a safe trip to the “Capital of Africa.” Through my experience at SOS, I have been so fortunate to have the chance to meet other students from all over Africa and learn more about the countries and cultural diversity so commonly overlooked in the United States.

I was also involved in many activities outside the classroom. I was a proud Spartan. I competed in both singing and swimming competitions. I also had the opportunity to compete in ISAAG for swimming, which gave me a great opportunity to meet students from other international schools. For CAS, I volunteered at the SOS Children’s Village in Tema. I had so much fun with the kids who were always excited to see us.

I had also had the opportunity to see other parts of Ghana. In my first week of Anthropology class, I went to Osu where I witnessed a Ga twin ceremony. And I was privileged enough to go home with Efia on exeat, during which time we explored Accra. I got to even more of Ghana during the excursion I took during mid-semester break with Tatenda and Ms. Dzide. I learned about Cocoa production, I toured the former palace of the Ashanti King, and I got to visit a former slave castle.

Undoubtedly, my experiences in Ghana will stay with me for the rest of my life. I learned so much in and out of the classroom, and I made friendships that will last forever. I want to thank everyone who made this trip so wonderful. Thank you to Mr. Boadi for encouraging me to come, and being a great trip advisor. Thank you to Mr. Ofei for welcoming me to your school. Thank you to Ms. Dzide for guiding me through every aspect of my time at SOS. Thank you to Mr. Awuah for welcoming me into your home. Thank you to all of my wonderful teachers: Mr. Kamau, Mr. Carter, Mr. Essigyan, Mr. Mante, Mr. Cleland, Ms. Dzide, Mr. Tetteh and Ms. Sampson. Thank you to my family for letting me go. Most of all, thank you to all of the students who welcomed me and made this truly one of the best trips of my life. I will never forget the time I spent in Ghana, and I will surely be back!