As I type this, I am sitting on the balcony of my parent’s house in Conakry where I have been staying for the past four weeks. The power has just returned after a few hours of being out and I can hear the neighborhood celebrating below. In just two days, I’ll be landing in another West African city which will be my home for the next four months, Accra. I’ve been told that I shouldn’t experience much difficulty adjusting to life in Accra after spending so much time in Conakry. Granted, I’ve already gotten accustomed to the time zone, the going and coming of electricity and tap, showering with cold water, and a bunch of other difficulties that both countries pose.
Ironically, despite the relatively close distance between Guinea and Ghana, it has proven challenging to find a flight from Conakry to Accra. After flight schedule changes, my travel agent has presented me with four options for arriving in Ghana: an itinerary with 5 stops in West Africa, an itinerary with a 17 hour layover in Casablanca and an arrival in Accra at 4am, and an itinerary with a stop in Bamako and a 40 minute layover in Lomé. I’ve chosen the last option and I’m hoping that 40 minutes will suffice.
Ghana is one of the more popular countries in African Studies and after all the countless readings and writing assignments on the country, I can’t believe I’m going to be living there soon. The nation has an impressive track record of peaceful turnovers, and has earned a reputation of being committed to democracy and development. This is an especially exciting time to live and study in Ghana as the nation has just sworn in a new president. Most of the population is hopeful for more industrialization and development under the new administration. I am looking forward to spending this time with Ghanaians and I’m so excited for all the new relationships and the new knowledge.
