I have been in Accra for only 3 days and already have seen a good deal of people and the city. The travel here was smooth although most of us were up for two days straight. The flight to Ghana from New York was even pleasant at times. Ghanaians are very friendly and the atmosphere on the plane was pleasant and social, unlike most American flights. Any adults sitting around a baby on the flight took care of that baby for hours regardless if they knew the mother or not. Immediately after stepping off the plane the heat hits you, and I must say sweat definitely beats Midwest winters. The airport wasn't terrible except that this was the first time we experienced the constant stares that 40 white students in matching tie-dye shirts understandably receive in Ghana (matching shirts were not my idea). From the airport we shuttled to our place of residence for the next three weeks, The Coconut Grove Regency Hotel. It was fairly close to the airport so we didn't get much of a feel for the city on the drive over. This being said, it was fairly obvious that this hotel would be a bit of an oasis in the desert compared to the surrounding area. We arrived in the morning and enjoyed a breakfast of fresh fruit and eggs as a group. Here at the hotel they have internet, a pool, and air conditioning in the room. It almost seems like too much, I expected to be roughing it a bit more—Lauren, you will be disappointed in the comforts of this place I am sure.

After breakfast we made our way to the grocery store about a mile away. The street vendors extremely aggressive and persuaded a couple of people in our group to pay up to 20 dollars for little string bracelets (insert your analogy here—we were fish in a barrel, they were sharks smelling blood in the water, etc.). Not only are we the minority here, but we are easily identified as wealthy compared to them. This leads to a mix of animosity (middle-fingers, cussing, crotch-grabbing) and the natural warmth of the Ghanaian people. Obama also definitely scores us some points here.

Another part of the culture I find humorous is how western culture shows up in society. We went on a guided bus tour of the city yesterday, and our tour guide was speaking to us from the front of the bus while WWE Monday Night Raw (Professional Wrestling) is playing on the TV directly behind him. Our welcome dinner included spaghetti and pizza here at the hotel, and the street salesman loving talking about 50 cent and how windy Chicago is. I saw a local wearing an Illinois State Fair t-shirt and every American flag I have seen has had an Obama picture on it.

During our initial city tour yesterday we went to the Ghanian national museum, which was pretty weak and was mostly cultural because they have so little history. Following this, we rode the bus through the poorest parts of Ghana. This was very intense and awkward for most of us—the must have felt like zoo animals as a bus full of white tourists drive through snap pictures of their shanty-towns. We faced a lot of negativity here from the people and it was awkward situation for us as well because I felt like I was violating them in some way. We just went to observe and had no intentions of providing any sort of help. I understand it was the only way we could be safely exposed to this sort of poverty but it was unnerving. My appreciation for America grew ten-fold every minute. I guess they were right to resent us being there.

Our first classes were today, nothing too exciting to report there. The food is great, the weather is great (maybe a little hot), and overall the people have been very friendly. That's all for now. Headed to big waterfalls this weekend. Please pass the link along to anyone who is interested.