Saturday, January 20, 2007

Christmas in Ghana

The last 2 or so weeks have been spent on a little escape from village life. The people of my village would be sickened to realize that I have spent about US $200.00 over the break, more than some of them make in a year. Someone on our trip made the bold statement “This is the best vacation that I have ever had” As I reflected on this, I came to the conclusion that it might have been for me as well. The drastic change from Burkinabè village to Ghana Beach Resort was about the fastest improvement in the quality of life that I have ever experienced. Now going back to Balla tomorrow is going to be a little difficult.

Crossing the boarder into Ghana is a surprise. There are many things of a more developed country that jump out at you after being in Burkina for 7 months. They have paved roads, not only that they have lines on them; they have power lines to almost every village; they have more cars then bicycles; they have fresh English sweet bread not stale French bread; they have good food; a working economy; and most importantly they speak English. The list of differences could go on and on. I am not quite sure what all variables have made Burkina like the Mexico of Ghana. Ghana was an English colony, and being a coastal country with more natural resources surely made it a much more attractive colony to exploit, therefore development came hand in hand. The stark difference between these neighbors was the first time I realized how much government and development can change the quality of life for its inhabitants. This was multiplied by the fact that I was coming from the underdeveloped side of things and was able to taste the amenities of a more developed country. I definitely gained some weight down south, not only due to increased hygiene, but their food is actually good.

Ghana’s money is ridiculous. The cedi is the currency today in Ghana, but that might change to an international West African currentency soon. The largest bill is the equivalent to about US $2.00. So when I exchanged my CFA into Cede at the boarder I ended up with a stack of money about 3 inches thick. I have heard that when going to buy something expensive like a car, you need big sacks just to get the money to the dealership. Also it ends up taking 4 or 5 people all day just counting the money to verify the purchase. We had to wait about 5 minutes while the gas station attendant counted a stack of bills 3 times to fill up our tank. Everything is like that; the money just feels like monopoly money. I judged my trips’ financial plan by how tall my stack was. I never really ever counted how much money I had or was spending. But it all worked out fine and the equivalent vacation in the West would have been in the thousands.

Most of our time was spent on the beach surfing. We met a couple who were old Peace Corps Volunteers in Bolivia in the 90’s and were just opening a surf shop on the coast. We rented long boards from them and spent about 5 days just surfing and relaxing. Then we did a few tourist things in the Area, we went to Kamkum National Forest and did some hiking in the one of the few remaining rainforests in West Africa. At the park they had constructed a canopy rope bridge system that linked the tallest trees together. It was about 200 feet off the ground and gave us a great chance to watch some monkeys playing around. The park was great but the realization that so little of these forests are left was really saddening. The logging of precious hardwoods done during the colonization of Ghana has left only a small fraction of the initial forests remaining. Also, desertification is ever encroaching south slowly changing more and more forests to dessert. It was good to see the forest being conserved and hopefully more can be saved.

The next tourist attraction we visited was the Slave Trade Castle at Cape Coast. The first construction on the site was erected in 1653 for the Swedish and named Carolusborg after King Charles of Sweeden. In April 1663 the whole Swedish Gold Coast was seized by the Danes, and integrated in the Danish Gold Coast. In 1664 the Castle was conquered by the British and was extensively rebuilt in the late 18th century. In 1884, it became the seat of the colonial Government of the British Gold Coast.

The Castle was built for the trade in timber and gold, later it was used in the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The Castle was first restored in the 1920's by the British Public Works Department. In 1957's when Ghana became independent, it passed under the care of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. In the early 1990's the building was restored by the Ghanaian Government, with funds from the UN Developpent Program, USAID, the Smithsonian Museum and other NGO's.

To the say the least it was a very solemn experience to see the dungeon where hundreds of slaves were held awaiting the arrival of transport to the Americas. Walking through the “door of no return” where millions of slaves past in shackles to board the ships was an experience I will never forget. Our tour was full of African American tourists that had come to learn about their heritage and to search out their ancestral roots.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jonathan,
Your dad gave me your blog address yesterday at church. What a life you are leading. I'll check in to see what you are up to. Send me a list of things you need and an address and I'll send things your way. You're an amazing man and can see why your dad is so proud. Teaching is a rewarding experience and you'll get more than you give out of the experience. You're in our prayers and I'll keep an eye on your dad for you. :-) Lynne Westphal

Anonymous said...

Once again you've entertained us through your writing. Outstanding account! You're living a life that 99.9% of us will never enjoy! Keep the faith, keep safe but live life to the fullest! Oh, by the way, Super Bowl is less than 3 weeks away - Bears vs the Colts (Nope, no Vikings..).
Salute! Greg Knop

Anonymous said...

Kara and I have enjoyed your updates. What an experience!!! I know your mom is looking down and couldn't be more proud of you. We are looking forward to more updates, keep up the good work. Take care, Doug & Kara

Anonymous said...

Jonny!
Enjoyed reading about Ghana bro. I've been thinking about calling you for a while now, but, by the time I get home, it's always real late for you. Anyhow, hope things are well. You should be gettin' some spices pretty soon!
Take care buddy. ~Sri

Anonymous said...

More stuff on it's way from snowy Coralville -enjoy! Luke was home briefly @ Christmas, he's at a hospital in Indianapolis now, experiencing the snow right along with the rest of us M'westerners. Good to hear from you J, Happy 2007!

Love, Luke's Mom, Patty

Stive said...

Hi Jonnie,
It was so nice read your last posting from BF. It was also so nice to talk to Stephanie, it is to bad i will not get to meet her when I visit you next fall. When you get back I hope you invite her to visit us here in Iowa. She seemd so nice and sincere. I hope you can exchange many happy times over there in BF. I was so glad
I took Melissa and Susan to the funeral in Wisconsin yesterday. It is so unfortunate how progressed Susan'an symptoms are. She has Bells Palsiie and has slurred speech and some faccial paralysis. Jeff had told me about his before but unless you see it first hand ine uis somewhat sceptical. But unfotunately she definitely has it.
Some time back you metioned that you were missing a Columbia Winter ski jacket. There is a Columbia ski jacket here that is olive and black in color that is too small for me, it must be yours. By for now Jon boy!!!!!!!!!!!! I REALLY MISS YOU AND LOVE SO MUCH.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DAD

Anonymous said...

Hi Jon, I have finally figured out how to leave a comment. I have sent you a number of E-mails but due to my lack of knowledge or problems with my computer/carrier I guess you haven't received them except for the test I sent last week. You said E-mail was expensive so I'll ask your Dad what is the best way to keep in contact with you. I have so much to tell you about our new life in Florida. Overall, we are doing great and I'd like to send you some pictures as we have a new digital camera. Mostly, I want you to know we look at your BLOG regularly and look forward to hearing about your fantastic experiences. I was thinking about and praying for you alot during these past few months. I have kept in touch with your Dad pretty regularly as well and he, of course, shares information about you. I am glad to hear you had a nice holiday, you really deserved it!! The mother in me was even more happy to know you gained a little weight. What a pleasure it is knowing you are truly making the most of your life!! It seems so many waste the gifts that God gives them, but you really live. Keep the faith!! Love and prayers, Aunt Lori

@schneby said...

Lane 1,
Jonnie,
Your blogging is getting better and it sounds like you are finding your place. Can you grow a moustache there? I watched a French movie this weekend and the professor had a moustache. You should get a moustache.
Always with you,
Schnoebelen

Virginia said...

Hey Jon,

I'm not sure if you have any time for pleasure reading, but if so you should check out Jeff Sachs's 'The End of Poverty' and William Easterly's response 'White Man's Burden.' They're two different takes on development policy, and both are really interesting. If you're interested I can lend them to you (shipping and all). Let me know.

v

Anonymous said...

hey,
i just now recieved your url from Aunt Lorie and its completly amazing! i wish we would have been able to hangout more before you left but there is always in two years =D maybe coffee?
i cant wait to hear more about Africa! i think im going to try texting you but it might be a while because im not really sure on the status and i dont want to cost you a large sum of any sort=D
-zoey

Anonymous said...

hey,
i just now recieved your url from Aunt Lorie and its completly amazing! i wish we would have been able to hangout more before you left but there is always in two years =D maybe coffee?
i cant wait to hear more about Africa! i think im going to try texting you but it might be a while because im not really sure on the status and i dont want to cost you a large sum of any sort=D
-zoey