Ghana

Four days was not nearly enough time to spend in a place like Ghana. I am so thankful to have been exposed to Western Africa previously this summer. You need an extensive amount of time to process what you see.

The people of Ghana, and I believe it’s similar throughout West Africa, are just amazing. They are the kindest, most welcoming, happiest people you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting. I’m always astonished by how quickly I form relationships and bonds with the individuals I interact with. It’s always so difficult to say goodbye.

On our first day there, I was signed up for a faculty-led overnight trip to Winneba, the sister city of Charlottesville, Virginia. The first portion of the trip involved University of Winneba students coming onto the ship with us for a tour and lunch. It was so nice to just sit and talk with these young people as opposed to running around trying to check every major tourist site off our lists. We got to ask any question we wanted about their education, their culture, their families, anything. And they asked us similar things in return. I absolutely loved it.

Then we traveled to Winneba and spent more time with the students at their university over dinner and music and dancing. African food is just too delicious. And the fruit, OH MY GOODNESS. I’ll never be able to eat pineapple again. The university was extremely impressive. I have been using Gambia as my form of reference, and Ghana is quite developed in comparison. The poverty is still extremely evident, but their education system seems great – for those that can afford it. It was unfortunate to have to leave the students, but they’ve definitely left their mark. It was a great way to be welcomed to the country.

The next day we spent the morning visiting six schools, a mixture of both public and private, to deliver books from the Charlottesville Public Library and toothbrushes from an organization called Global Grins, started by two SAS alumni. It was incredible. We basically got to run around with children, sit in our their classes, and speak with teachers. My experience in an English Composition class was the most memorable. They were learning how to write argumentative essays, and I had an extensive conversation with a young girl sitting beside me about how she thought teachers were more important than doctors. Incredible.

Later that day we visited the beach to see the fishing boats before we went to meet with the chief fisherman. The fishermen were a little bit rough on the outside, but they were very receptive to our questions. They lead a difficult, strenuous life. Then we visited a local market. It was a bit overwhelming but nice to just walk around and take it all in. It was the least touristy, most legitimate experience I think I’ve had so far. This was the place everyone would go to pick up food for dinner; snails the size of my fist, any type of fish imaginable, vegetables, random animal parts, anything. We weren’t given any type of special attention, and that was the best part.

My next trip was to Kakum National Park to do the canopy walk. It was incredible. A little freaky at first – its just boards bolted to ladders hanging from very tall trees. The view was unreal. Afterwards we attended a performance by a bamboo orchestra. Their ‘theme’ for the show was forest conservation. Along with the music, a little skit was performed by dancers that supported the theme. Of course, we joined in dancing at the end, and that just always makes my day.

The last day I had a SAS “service visit” to a school. I was immediately disheartened when we pulled into the parking lot. It was the most beautiful school I’ve ever seen in Western Africa complete with a computer lab and a big screen TV in the library. I was astonished. We couldn’t have picked a more well-off school. And then to top it all off, we didn’t do one ounce of service. We did a school tour. We got to sit in on a few classes and speak to students, which don’t get me wrong, was great, but definitely not want I was expecting to do. I had a great time with the kids during lunch period playing games, but other than that, I was extremely disappointed. In my eyes, my last day in Ghana was wasted.

It sucked to end on a bad note, but I had an incredible time in Ghana. I will most definitely return. All of my experiences, both good and bad, have sparked a lot of thoughts and feelings that I’ll hold with me forever. I don’t know what difference I can make now or ever, but a girl can dream. 

Tenerife, Canary Islands

With extremely low expectations of this particular port and lingering frustrations about not being able to go to Morocco, I woke up early the morning of September 30 in Tenerife to catch the last of the sunrise. From then on out, I knew I would have a better time than I thought. It was just that beautiful.

A bit later Ashley, Shelby, Haley, Brett, and I set out to find a good place to hike. There’s a super popular volcano that I’m pretty sure half the ship was trying to climb. However, docking on a Sunday means that everything is closed and public transportation is extremely limited. We settled for the mountain-lined coast of the north end of the island.

While others paid upwards of 50 euro to get to the volcano, we paid a mere 1.05 for the 45 minute, breathtaking bus ride to Benijo. We picked up a new SAS friend along the way, Jack, a triathlon runner from the University of Iowa. Needless to say, he sets a mean hiking pace.

We walked and wandered and wandered and walked, and when hunger set in prior to finding the trails, we stopped in at the cutest bar looking over the coast. We had cervesas, pan y ensalada, one of which is probably the worst thing to consume before hiking.

Eventually we found the trails and headed upwards, way way upwards. It was pretty intense but totally totally worth it. We even spotted a rain cloud out over the ocean.

We wrapped up the day with a swim on the black sand beaches. The waves were HUGE, and the current was the strongest I’ve ever felt. But the water was warm, and it was just an all around incredible day. We hung around to watch the sunset and then grabbed the last bus back to Santa Cruz.

Being exhausted from the day before, the next day we did a lot of laying horizontally on the white sand beaches. Almost as beautiful as the black but a bit more tourist-y.  The weather was absolutely perfect. We drank pina coladas and then headed back to the ship.

It was no Morocco, but the hiking, the rest, and the relaxation I accomplished in Tenerife was much appreciated. This particular island is actually more of the Canary’s industrial/business center rather than a real tourist destination. I’ve learned that if you surround yourself with the right people, you can have the best time anywhere.

SO EXCITED FOR GHANA! 

SPAIN

My absolute absolute absolute favorite place so far. I just had the time of my life in Sevilla, Granada, and Cadiz. I was challenged culturally and linguistically and FINALLY experienced things I didn’t understand.  It was fabulous.

First stop, Sevilla. My friends (Ashley, Haley, Jake, Brett, Dan) and I all got this wonderful apartment owned by the most friendly and helpful Spanish couple, Ima and Jesus. We spent the first day at this bar they own down the street a bit drinking sangria, eating tapas, and chatting with a few locals. (When I say ‘chatting’, me personally, I was nodding and smiling and laughing when others laughed.) I’m embarrassed to say I could get the jist of the conversations but not much else. Dan and Jake were excellent at speaking and would translate for us when they could.

Then we headed to a bull fight. We spent way too many euros on the only available tickets which just so happened to be in the front row. I partially knew what to expect, but it was still difficult. It was gruesome, and it was confusing all the while being impressive and entertaining. I can’t say I exactly enjoyed myself, but I’m very glad I went. I’m very curious as to what it all means and how it all started. The locals sitting near us did the best the could, but I’m still so curious.

They next day we wandered around Sevilla some more making stops at both the cathedral and the alcazar. The cathedral is the third largest in the world, I believe. The architecture of both establishments is just mind blowing. It’s so so beautiful and extremely intricate – all done BY HAND. You just find yourself standing and staring in awe.

Then to Granada. I knew nothing about the place, but Jake wanted to go so Ashley, Brett, and I tagged along. Best decision ever. I was just really comfortable there. You could walk the streets and alleys forever and still pop out somewhere familiar.

We got there late that day so our evening can pretty much be summed up by two words: tapas y cervesas. The next morning we got up for sunrise and headed to this viewpoint across the way from the Alhambra, a HUGE fortress thing that overlooks the city. (See above) It was a bit cloudy but so beautiful. A view hours later we went to visit the Alhambra itself. More impressive architecture and gardens and the views from inside are as impressive as the ones from the outside.

That night we went to a Flamenco performance. COOLEST THING EVER. Well, since I too dabble in dance, I found it pretty amazing. We’re not sure how authentic it is because it is such a tourist-y thing, and we don’t know what flamenco should really look like, but I don’t care. It was amazing. The dancers were so passionate and so intense and extremely extremely talented. Part of the dance is very similar to tap… just fast-forwarded like 50 times. So cool. At the end, they pulled people up to dance with them. I just about jumped out my skin with excitement when one of the dancers grabbed my hand.

It rained quite a bit the next day so we took it kind of easy. It’s really amazing how much the weather affects your motivation/mood… especially when you lack the proper attire to fare it. We did some shopping, drank some caffe con leche, and paid a visit to the cathedral. Another astounding architectural structure.

We VERY nearly missed our 18:30 bus back to Cadiz, but thankfully we made it. The 5 hour trip back wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated.

Our last day in Spain was extremely relaxing. I really needed that. We wandered around the markets and shops in Cadiz and then headed to the beach—despite the extreme cloud cover. We posted up on a big rock for awhile just taking it all in and then grabbed our last sangrias in an oceanfront restaurant. It was perfect.

My visit to Spain has me ready and rarin’ to go for the rest of the voyage! I was starting to get a little tired of Europe, but Spain definitely gave me the experiences I was looking for. The Canary Islands may not be the place for that, but I CANNOT WAIT for Ghana!