Let's Dance!

Azonto! It's the new dance all over Ghana and according to this BBC report, is becoming popular all over the world! 


Azonto developed from a dance called "Apaa" that was done to represent the occupations of the people doing the dance. From this origin, it developed into a popular dance with high school kids and has become more popular due to it's use in music videos by Ghanaian artists such as E.L. and Sarkodie. So, that's the brief history on Azonto!


Here are some music videos for you to check out. Most of these songs have been playing everywhere in Ghana that I've been and I'm definitely planning on incorporating them into my music library! The last video is also a how-to for those interested in learning how to do the dance!


ENJOY!

Sarkodie ft. E.L- "U Go Kill Me"

E.L.- "Obuu Mo (Azonto Version)

I love this video of these high school kids dancing!

Keche- "Sorkode"

This music video teaches the steps to the dance! See how fast you can pick it up! :-D

Fuse ft. Tiffany- "Azonto"

~J

Food!

Food, food, food! Now everyone knows I like to eat so this has been one of the enjoyable parts of the internship experience in Ghana so far! Ghanaian food is very similar to Nigerian food so adjusting hasn't really been an issue for me and luckily I've experienced no upset stomach issues *knock on wood*. They do eat a lot more plantains here than I'm used to, however I LOVE plantains so that has only been a positive! Rice is a component of many dishes and I've also been eating a lot more fish than normal since I got here. Some common Ghanaian foods are banku, red red, kenkey, fufu, and jollof rice.


Banku is fermented corn and cassava dough mixed together to form a ball and is served with some type of stew such as groundnut or pepper fish with sauce.

Banku with fried fish and stew
via Google Image Search

Red red is comprised of a bean stew and fried plantains. It's become one of my new favorite dishes and I'll definitely be recreating it once I'm back in Ann Arbor!

Red Red
via Google Image Search

Kenkey is made with fermented maize (corn) and is boiled and steamed in banana leaves or husks and is served with a sauce that has either fish or meat.

Kenkey
via Google Image Search

Fufu is a staple dish all throughout Western Africa! It's very common even in Nigeria, although honestly I'm not a big fan of it. It can be made with cassava, yams, or plantains. The starch is boiled and then pounded into a smooth consistency and then molded into a ball. It's usually served with groundnut soup, tomato stew, or egussi and spinach stew.

Fufu with groundnut soup
via Google Image Search

Rice is of course a staple food- it's served many different ways! There's jollof rice which is basically seasoned tomato rice, fried rice, and rice with stew! I had lunch over the weekend at Papaye and really enjoyed their fried rice! The roasted garlic chicken they serve is delicious with just the right kick of pepper!

Papaye roasted chicken and fried rice

There are also many fast food places all around Accra and in the Accra mall. Barcelo's is always very busy when I've been to the mall so I decided to try it out this weekend and their fried rice was FIRE!! I'll definitely be going back for that again. LOL

Barcelos Lunch

And for those who are not yet adjusted to eating Ghanaian food or are homesick, thanks to the increasingly globalized world we live in today, there's always KFC!

I had actually planned on losing a couple pounds this summer but with all of this delicious food, it seems as if I may end up gaining some weight before I leave! Oh well, it's all part of the experience right?


~J

Weekend Excursion

This weekend, Amir and I went into Accra for a little fun outside of Apam. It was quite an interesting trip because we used the tro tro's to get to Accra and also get around once we arrived. Tro tro's are basically the Ghanaian equivalent of buses. They pick up at designated bus stops all around the country and follow certain routes and there is typically one guy hanging out the side of it calling out the name of the route. They are a very cheap mode of transportation as trips typically cost no more than 2 cedis, which is just about $1, although it usually costs just 50 pesewas, or 25 cents. 

Two tro tros on the road

We left on Saturday afternoon from Apam and got on a tro tro at Winneba Junction, approximately 15 minutes from Apam. From there, we rode to Kanishi and then took a final tro tro into Accra. After spending the whole afternoon traveling, we were very tired so we didn't really do anything until Sunday. Amir went to church and I met up with some Nigerian friends I've made who are studying in Ghana. We hung out and chatted in their dorm rooms and then late Sunday night went BOWLING! To be honest, I was really surprised when they suggested bowling because I guess I hadn't thought there would be a bowling alley here and in retrospect, I guess that was very ignorant on my part!

Bowling!

Monday we did some shopping and I picked up some souvenirs for my little brothers and some fabric for some outfits I'm planning on making before I leave. We went to the Woodin store in Osu for the fabric and the salespeople definitely made the shopping trip enjoyable! A friend from undergrad, Channel, who is in Ghana visiting family also linked up with me while we were in Osu and it was great seeing her again! Who would have thought that Ghana would be the place we'd run into each other??

Woodin Store in Osu, Accra; There's another one in the Accra Mall

Getting back to Apam proved to be even more of a challenge than we anticipated! We had stayed the night with a friend in Dansoma, essentially a suburb of Accra and headed back on Tuesday afternoon. We had to wait forever for a car and when we couldn't get one directly to Apam, we settled for one to Kasoa and once we arrived there, had to find another tro tro headed our direction! 

The ridiculously long line for a tro tro

Around 8:45, we finally managed to get a tro tro and were on our way. There was a man on the tro tro hawking some type of medication but he was speaking in Twi so we didn't understand what he was saying. I asked the man next to me and he said it was for clearing up head pains. The medication was a grey powder in a small bottle and they passed it around the tro tro for a "trial" test. Neither Amir or I took any, but some of the guys in front of us poured some onto their hands and then snorted it! Shortly thereafter, everyone that had snorted the medication started SNEEZING!!! It was a little unnerving yet funny at the same time. Amir and I met eyes and just burst out in laughter!! All I knew was there was no way I was snorting anything, much less without knowing what it was!!


Finally around 9:30, the tro tro got to the Apam Junction and we jumped out BUT we still weren't quite home yet. We had to then take a taxi from the junction into Apam, stopping along the way to let others out until it was jus the two of us left. So after departing Accra at around 5pm, we didn't get home until basically 10pm!!! I was exhausted and quite tired of traveling like a Ghanaian by the time we got home but it was a great extended weekend. The only bummer is that I've managed to pick up a summer cold so I've got a stuffy nose, sore throat, and slight cough but it could be worse! I'd rather have a cold than diarrhea!!!


~J

Canopy Walking

During the trip to Cape Coast, we also got the opportunity to travel to Kakum National Park. It's a tropical rainforest that was established in 1960 for tourism. The park is home to many animals like elephants, buffalo, leopards, along with birds, reptiles, and amphibians. I didn't get to see many animals while I was there since my group was only interested in the nature walk and the canopy walk.


The canopy walkway is made up of 7 bridges that are 130 feet up in the air suspended between trees. From this vantage point, you can see the top of the forest canopy not visible from the ground. There's also a platform for viewing for those that are too scared to venture out onto the walkway.


The walk itself was a lot of fun! I love heights so naturally I was interested and let me just say the view was incredible! I've never been a nature person but being able to look out over the rainforest floor and see the birds flying around was amazing!! Of course my camera decided to die right as we started the walk so I ended up having to use my iPhone to take pictures but I think they turned out well. I just kept wishing that I had downloaded a panoramic view camera app to actually capture the true view. 

Cheesing extra hard! ;-)

Getting ready to step on

View of the walkway from the side

The walkway itself is strung together with nets and wires and it is very shaky! It bounces to the side as you walk and the planks were very narrow. When we walked up to begin the walk, the tour guide turned to us and said, "Please do not go on the walkway if your weight is that of two elephants!" So everyone kind of gave a nervous laugh and then one of the people says, "so fat people aren't allowed to get on?" and the tour guide responds, "don't be silly! NO ONE weighs the same as two elephants!!" 


I think some people were a little nervous about how strong the supports were and after stepping on it and having it start moving, I admit I was a tad bit scared too! 

We also stopped by Hans Cottage "Botel" during the trip for lunch. The cottage is right next to a lagoon that has crocodiles, turtles, and birds. We sat and ate lunch while overlooking the lagoon and afterwards, got to TOUCH the crocodiles! The woman used a stick with pieces of raw meat to entice the crocodiles to come out of the water so we could get pics. It was definitely one of the more adventurous things I've done but honestly, I just wanted to take the picture and RUN before the croc decided to turn around and snap my hand off! 

This is my nervous smile!! LOL

Hungry crocodile!

So now that you've read about some of my travels and adventures, stay tuned for some updates about Ghanaian food/fashion and of course my research, which is coming along quite nicely!


Mehunu wo akyire!


~J

Cape Coast Slave Castle

Prior to my arrival in Apam, I got the opportunity to go to Cape Coast for a tour of the slave castle, which has a very interesting history. The castle was initially built by Swedes in 1650 for use in trading timber and gold. The castle was then taken over by the British in 1660 and remained under their control until 1662. During this period, large underground dungeons were built that held the slaves before they were loaded onto ships that took them to the Caribbean and the Americas. In 1663, the Dutch captured it and the English again took over in 1664 and retained control until 1673. The tour guide stated that the castle held about 1300 men and women who were held in separate dungeons and those who resisted were separated from the group and placed into the 'condemned cell' that was very small. In this cell, the slaves were denied food, water, and light along with oxygen until they eventually suffocated. Other slaves were then required to pack up their bodies and dump them into the ocean, which also served as warning to the others to not act up.

The castle from the back side

Inside of the male slave dungeons; the lights were added during the restoration so when the castle was in operation, the dungeons remained dark, except for one tiny window in each chamber

Entrance to the male slave dungeons

The Cape Coast slave castle has been called 'The Point of No Return' and the doors that lead out of the castle towards the water have been labelled as such to reflect that millions of slaves that passed through those doors and were loaded onto ships never returned home to their families and homeland. Many died while on the ships from sickness and hunger and those who did survive, suffered greatly in slavery as we know.

The door of no return

I find it difficult to express in words exactly how I felt during the tour but I can say that it was a very emotional experience, particularly to stand in dungeons that had once held the slaves and walk the very steps that many slaves had walked before, never to return again. It was a humbling experience and I'm appreciative of the opportunity to have learned more about slavery and its history.


~J

Akwaaba!!

Akwaaba! That means "you are welcome" in Twi and I have certainly been welcomed to Ghana by many wonderful people since my arrival. I landed in Accra and stayed at the International Student Hostel on the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital campus. Last week, I moved to Apam, which is where I'll stay for the remainder of my trip, except for the occasional weekend trip to Accra of course! Apam is a smaller town on the coast with a population of approximately 26,000 people. Since I'll be doing research at the Apam Catholic Hospital, I'm staying in one of the guest houses on the hospital compound.

The house I'm living in for the summer

Our house has air conditioning and two large water tanks in addition to the regular water supply so I've been far more comfortable than anticipated! I've gotten to know many of the people working at the hospital and am making great headway on the research project. I've finished observations and field notes and plan to begin interviews next week! The observations have been quite helpful because it's really allowed the staff and patients to get accustomed to my presence while allowing me to get my bearings also. I've also observed many births, which has been very exciting, nerve-wracking, and honestly a little scary! 

The front of the Apam Catholic Hospital

So thus far, I'm having a very wonderful experience in Ghana! I'll be updating shortly with more about traveling around Accra and my trip to Cape Coast slave castle and Kakum National Park! 


Mehunu wo akyire!


~J

Takeoff!

Hey everyone! Today is the day! I'll be flying out of Des Moines later this afternoon, find myself in Ghana by Wednesday, and will be there until the end of July. I'll then be traveling to Nigeria to visit some family before I return to the U.S. on August 22nd! 


A little background on my summer plans and how they came about- as most of you know, I'm an MPH (Masters in Public Health) student at the University of Michigan in the Health Behavior Health Education department and all students in my department are required to complete a summer internship between our first and second year. I've always had an interest in international public health and therefore wanted to complete an international internship. I applied to MHIRT (Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training) program in the fall semester and was awarded the opportunity to complete research in Ghana this summer. MHIRT was founded by NIH (National Institutes of Health) for minority students to learn research methodology in relation to health inequities for future application in domestic or international contexts. There will be several other UM students, both graduate and undergraduate in Ghana working on various projects this summer as part of the MHIRT program.


Now on to the research! I've been working with an amazing mentor at UM to develop our research topic that will be looking at the relationship between patients and midwives in labor and delivery settings in rural and urban Ghana. In the rural context, I will be working in the village of Apam, a fishing community approximately 40 miles outside of Accra and for the urban component, directly in Accra. Much of the published literature regarding women's delivery choices in Ghana has touched upon the issue of maltreatment of patients in the discussions, however no empirical research has been done to really study it. Specifically, I'll be working with my Ghanaian collaborators to interview women who have already given birth and midwives to find out about the childbirth experience in Ghana including any maltreatment issues they've encountered. This is just an initial assessment to really understand the attitudes and cultural context of patient and midwife interactions using interviews and field notes before developing a full fledged study. 

I'm very excited to conduct field interviews and speak with both groups to hear their perspectives! Who knows- I may stumble upon a really interesting sub-topic and find myself drawn in a completely different direction! I've always had an interest in maternal and child health so this is an amazing opportunity that I'm very grateful to have. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress and load plenty of pictures. The blog will be focused more on my experiences and adventures than the research but will throw in some posts about that occasionally. Please comment and ask questions as the summer continues!


As they say in Twi, "mehunu wo akyire!"-see you later!


~J