August 2012
1 post
Here I Am: My dad said something incredibly... →
sonofdust:
He said “son, look at British history, look how long it took them to establish a democracy, look at the bloody and gruesome civil wars they had to establish a government. Thousands of people died in order for them to come up with rigid laws and constitutions”
“Look at America, their civil war -…
June 2012
1 post
Doodles from Eldoret: Karibu! →
doodlesfromeldoret:
Jambo from Eldoret, Kenya! I will be here for the next five weeks conducting research for my master’s thesis. The Internet doesn’t always cooperate so the posts may be infrequent. I have been here for about a week and a half already, and I like everything so far. Some other thoughts from the last…
January 2012
2 posts
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Afehyia Pa!
Happy New Year… or in Ghana, Afehyia Pa!
2012 is here and that means it’s almost time for me to return back to the states. Days away from going home I can’t help but feel like I’m leaving home and going back to a place that I’m only kind of living in. My trip to Ghana was everything I could have asked for and more. I learned so much about the field of global health,...
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December 2011
3 posts
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Momentum and disconnect
When I describe my study (a mental health study looking at the difference in prevalence of mood disorders between a patrilineal and matrilineal tribe in rural, Ghana) most people don’t understand why I would fly all the way to Ghana to go to…………….. the village.
The village is the epitome of everything that most city people rebuke with their very core....
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In the name of progress
There is no such thing as conversation in global health without discussion of development. Ghana is no different. According to the World Bank last year, it’s the most rapidly developing nation in Sub-Saharan Africa….and it was “upgraded” from low income to middle income. The best way to describe the state of Ghana right now through the use of the ever present physics...
November 2011
14 posts
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DONE
This journey of working in Ghana, can easily be described as one of the most frustrating experiences in my academic career only topped by that of a wretched physics course. It is also easily described as my most gratifying experience. After a loooooonngg and extensive series of pounding, I am happy to say that I have completed my data collection. We were able to complete over 250 interviews in...
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The pear tree
My grandmother has a pear tree in her front yard. It’s been around for almost all of my dad’s life and no longer remains within their fenced compound. It’s branches spread past the fence and it isn’t uncommon for the pears to either fall off of the tree outside or for outsiders to pick pears off for a quick snack. This past week in Kumasi, my grandmother told me about the...
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English made in Ghana
Though english is the official language of Ghana…there are a few english words with different meanings than you would find in the states. Here are a few so that you don’t get lost in translation…
Chilling (USA): the act of hanging out with friends or relaxing often doing nothing
Chilling (Ghana): the act of partying, drinking alcohol, spending time with friends at a particular...
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You've gotta believe in something...
My supervisor here asked me about a month ago why I chose global health and went on to ask me why I chose Ghana. The question was rather unexpected and left me momentarily without a response. However, after a few minutes of reflection I began to try and answer the first question.
In all of my personal statements, I always write about how I saw a [likely] schizophrenic patient walking around naked...
October 2011
1 post
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Today
Today I felt homesick for the very first time in over two months. I miss familiarity, independence, my friends, and my house! Ghana is a nation so deeply rooted in social structure that it’s difficult to break into it as an outsider. Everyone’s friends are their life long friends…they grew up together, went to school together, and live near one another. It’s incredible. It...
September 2011
2 posts
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You can't pound your fufu and eat it too
Today marks exactly one month since I left the USA. The past month has been well, challenging.
My second weekend here, I went to the Ashesi University opening. Ashesi is a gorgeous campus that lies at the top of a small hill in the middle of a rural village. The road to get to Ashesi is much like many roads in Ghana, full of twists and turns. The road are not winding roads by intention but rather...
Positives
So my blog is just in it’s nascency and i’ve decided that i don’t like the tone!
Thus, this post, I will list all of the things that I love about Ghana.
* The people!!!!!!!!!!!! This really goes without saying but Ghanaians are some of the nicest, kindest, warm hearted, people you will ever meet. People all around the world can validate this claim…given that I am...
August 2011
4 posts
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When the rain falls, it doesn't fall on just one...
It’s rainy season in Ghana. Or maybe it’s just global warming…either way, the weather is just perfect here in Ghana. No one is quite sure of why it’s so cool here but everyone is sure it will be shortlived. For the time being, I’m definitely enjoying it. I’ve spent the past two weeks fighting, accepting, contributing, and rejecting Ghana Maybe Time. I’m...
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G M T
GMT may be the time zone that Ghana falls under….however to many Ghanaians…it has a different meaning…
Like many developing/non-western nations…time, isn’t always of the essence in Ghana. If you show up on-time you are wayyy to early…and deadlines are a mere suggestion of oft when to begin projects…
Learning how to interpret times in Ghana and in Ghanaian culture…truly is an art. An art that...
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Ojos Abiertos
I’m a lover of languages…and oft think that things just sound better in a language different than my own. So when it came time to name my new travel blog…I started to think in my favorite language: Spanish.
Ojos Abiertos means: open eyes. my goal during my time in Ghana is to come with open eyes and allow my perspective of my country, the world, and my place in both to grow as well.
