Obroni Styles



The 2 ladies on the right got their hair at the Bush Cantene on campus.  (Far right:  she had her hair braided with extensions added; the style took about 5 or 6 hours and they ladies charged no more than 15 cedis which is about $10.)




Her hair was braided at a shop in the Bush Cantene on campus.  They charged no more than $5 and it probably lasted a couple weeks.



Dress made in Ghana

Jilly was brave enough to get the front of her hair braided.  It looks adorable.

Christine was the first Obroni that I had seen w/her their hair braided with extensions.  The style looked lovely on her.



She had it up for about 6 weeks and says it took her 8 hours to take it down!!!  She never got her hair braided again.




3 people to a head... gets you in and out of the salon in a jiffy!!  I love it!



Brie looks like a Barbie in a fitted dress and coin purse tailor-made by Elizabeth.



Tish and her friend dressed in dresses designed and made in Ghana.




Shay had her hair done at the Bush Cantene.  Those are not actual dreadlocks, but a weave that look like dreads.  Given the fact that she is from California- I thought it would be a style she brought from home but she had never seen it before.  They braided her natural hair and then had to sow the dreads to the braid.  She will have it taken down before she leaves because she doesn't know how to take it down.  Also, that dress was made by a seamstress in the Volta Hall. 



A Day in Togo

I am EXHAUSTED. I went to Togo today in order to get a Visa extension. A lot of foreign students are traveling to other countries, returning back to Ghana and getting a 30 or 60 day visa extension. It was a good idea- spend 7 Ghc for a taxi to the Afloa station, 10 Ghc for a one-way trip to the Togo Border, 48 Ghc for a Togolese Visa, 7 Ghc for a one way trip back to Accra, and a free taxi to Legon campus from the station, (thanks to my good friend Issah). We saved about 20 Ghc and had the chance to see another country in Africa.
Waiting for a tro tro…
I left the hostel a little before dawn hoping to beat the rush of people that are always traveling, but was unsuccessful. I arrived at the station by 5:30 and the everyday hustle and bustle in Africa was already in motion. There were so many people waiting for a van and I knew that there would be a lot of commotion and confusion trying to get a seat. First come, first serve is not a working notion in Africa. As soon as the van pulled up and the doors opened, people- young and old- BUMRUSHED it trying to grab a seat. The situation was so chaotic and hostile. People were shoving each other, yelling at each other, jumping in front of others, totally disregarding any type of order or respect. Even elderly people have no seniority in this regard. They do not board the van first, unless they were more swift than the next and got themselves a seat.

Waiting for a seat on the tro tro frustrates me and a lot of times I opt for a taxi to avoid the chaos. It’s so unorganized, but a guy came and made everybody form a line and stick to it. The next van, the girls and I were on it and headed to the Ghana/Togo border.

Chaos at the border…
Landmarks are not well labeled in Ghana or in Togo. We didn’t know which way to go. I stopped and asked a guy that was exchanging currency which way was the border. He offered to show me and as a courtesy, I exchanged Ghana cedis for Togolese currency. I wasn’t too sure if it was the legal way of doing things so I exchanged only a little and waiting until I got to the border to exchange more. He had a wad of cash in his pocket and used a calculator to determine the rate. It turned out to be a completely legitimate transaction. All the guys exchanging currency walked around with wads of money in their pocket.

Anyway, the beach at the border was so beautiful! The sun reflecting off the water made it look crystal blue. The sand was hot and the sea waves were more meek compared to the waves in Accra. We were at the beach for no more than 5 minutes because I couldn’t take the heat. It was HOT!! Africa heat and humidity is unnatural to me. I was standing in one place, and broke out in a sweat!!!

The girls and myself decided not to stay in Togo long. We didn’t speak French that well and we were not with a Ghanaian that spoke Ewe so we found difficulty trying to get around. We were there for an hour or so having lunch and drinking Guinness (at 11 o’clock in the morning) and then headed back to Accra.

On our way back to Accra, I noticed somebody putting a goat on top of one of the vans.  Someone was travelling with their animal.  Luggage is typically stored at the top and so was the goat.  The vans travel so fast on unpaved roads... I'm pretty sure those goats were afraid.

Conservative Christianiaty

Obruni, Obruni!! You are Welcomed

     It is so common for Americans to generalize their perceptions of Africa while the continent encompasses many nations, ethnicities, religions, cultures, and languages.  Ghana is one of 53 countries in Africa and I’ve learned (so far) that the culture here drastically differs from the bordering countries.  In sum, my experience has been overwhelmingly beautiful.  Living in Ghana has allowed me to experience relevant aspects of my history that I would (otherwise) have only read about.

     There is so much to do and see in Ghana!  I arrived in Legon, safely on August 8th, and on the 11th I and some of the other girls from the Missouri Africa Program went to Labadie (La Pleasure) Beach for a weekly reggae program.  This has been one of my favorite (local) hang out spots.  The energy on the beach is live.  The music is vibrant.  A local band and varying artists perform reggae tunes from Bob Marley, Tarrus Riley, Steel Pulse, Richie Spice, Dennis Brown, and the list goes on.

    Getting into the reggae program on the first night was chaotic and scary.  It was only our 3rd night in the country and we were still getting acclimated to the culture.  The gatekeepers and our driver were yelling at each other in Twi, a line of cars were behind ours honking their horn because we were keeping them from entering, and the girls and I just wanted everybody to speak ENGLISH so we could understand what was going on!  We forgot to bring money and it was 5 cedis to get into the program.  We laugh about it now, but we were ready to bail on the reggae program that night.
    We eventually made our way onto the beach.  In passing, some young guys yelled, “Obruni, obruni! You are welcomed. “
    Obruni means foreigner (or more specifically- white people in Twi).  It is not obvious to Ghanaians that I am foreigner until I mix and mingle with other people in my program.  Young Ghanaians, more commonly, have adopted western dress so we can’t black Americans can’t be recognized by clothes or skin; unless we’re dressed in traditional African attire.  It isn’t until I speak that I get all the attention as other foreigners.  Seriously, I am grateful for this because obruni women get marriage proposals from just about every guy they meet.  A man will introduce himself and ask for your hand in marriage- same sentence.   
(Back to the beach…)
When I first set eyes on the ocean, it literally took my breath away.  I’ve seen beaches in Florida, California, and Jamaica but none of them have the same energy as the African sea.  I felt a presence that is simply indescribable.  I thought of my ancestors- they must have been hanging out on the beach just as I was when they seen the Europeans come to shore.

    I had an in depth conversation with my Rasta friend about colonialism, the slave trade, and the propaganda.  In later posts, I will elaborate more on these topics, (so stay tuned).  African history, in my opinion, is being relegated in America.  This is a problem.  There is a very relevant adinkra symbol; sankofa, which means, "return and get it" or "learn from your past".  If black American youth knew their roots, they'd be different.  The sankofa symbol is one of the most important because it's about learning from the past in order to understand where you are going.   



Sankofa (return and get it)



I Feel Right @ Home

     I have to start somewhere because there has been sooo much to take place in a matter of 2 days.  I am blessed to be here, and I am finding that all the other international students in ISH (International Student Hostel) feel the same- or at least the ones that I've gotten to know. 

      This only the 2nd day but I feel like I've been in Ghana much longer.  This is such a beautiful place and a beautiful culture.  OMG!!!  There are liggle geico's and big lizards all over the place and I have played it cool by taking pics of them and not acting a fool when I see them out... but one was at the top of my door frame and I about DIED!!!!  God FORBID them from getting in my room, PLEASE!  Do you think at the end of 4 months, I'll get used to them?  LOL

Anyway, it is 3AM in the morning (10PM CST) and I couldn't find any other time to blog but I knew I had to get started because I have to record everything that I have experienced.... awesome experience by the way.
All the international students live in one hostel: I've met people from Norway, Germany, London, Nigeria, Las Vegas, Virginia, Ethiopia, Canada, Cali... etc.  My roommate has not arrived yet and I am a little anxious to know who this person is and where they are from... ya know?!

We have been catered to by our program coordinator.  We are being spoon-fed the culture, right now so we haven't had the chance to experience it independently.  Throught the Missouri-Africa Program, only 3 students from UMSL and 2 from Truman came to Ghana.

I have had very inspiring and uplifting experiences with all the individuals that I've conversed with.  One valuable lesson that I've learned already is that less is always more.  Go back to the basics and see just how stress-free your life will be.  There is never any confusion when you are walking in God's purpose.  I hope he reveals His purpose in my life to me... it seems everybody I meet has the same desire. 

So many people have similar stories... here by faith and waiting on a Word as to what's next.
I have a full day ahead of me tomorrow so I have to shut it down for now.
I apologize for the informalities... but I couldn't leave you with nothing.

I WILL POST PICS VERY SOON!!  Much love to everyone... I really appreciate you sooo much... can't express it enough.

Until next time,

Lady T