Ghana Pre-Arrival Post

I am writing this blog post on the plane on my way to Ghana. The topic I will be covering is why I am taking a trip to Ghana to do service for two months. When I have told my American friends and family that I am participating in this experience they often do not understand and seem confused. Most people seem to imagine me in a rural village, living in a hut, and taking care of small African children, they tell me, “It is so good that you are doing this work,” or they say, “It’s nice of you to make such a sacrifice to help those needy people.” While I agree that it is always good to help a community, if you are actually helping, these people could not be more incorrect in their assumptions.

I am travelling to Ghana in order to get outside the box. Growing up, we are all taught to think outside the box, but so many of us actually step outside of the box that we seem enslaved in. I am in Ghana to absorb the Ghanaian culture and way of life, to step out of my little Western box into the rest of the world. I want to live amongst the locals and try to understand the world through their eyes. The two months that I am in Ghana I will be working with locals and community and education leaders training them how to use the computers, assist them with their needs and help to shape computer education in Ghana. The organization I will be working with is run by a local Reverend so it is effective at addressing the actual needs of Ghanaians. Through working with this project I hope to form a close connection with the community of Cape Coast.  

This is the real reason I will be spending my summer living in Cape Coast. I hope I can share my experience with others and that they will take it to heart. I just hope to help push the world to a more understanding one.