weeks

Week 2:

I’m surprised at how well I am actually doing here. Just a year ago I thought Africa was too far, too foreigner, and I was too weak, and had too many “standards” to ever live in a third world country. That goes to show how living truly is learning because I’ve found out that it’s not all that hard to be here and I don’t require all that much. Comfort is a privilege not a necessity. My greatest frustrations thus far have been the limited running water (mostly in terms of the toilets “bucket baths” aren’t so bad) and the complexity that is registrations and finding books for class. While being frustrated I also realize that “developing country” effects matters from the governmental level all the way down to how hard it is for me to get a photo copy of a syllabus here.

Classes this week went well. (the ones professors actually attended…lol). I’m sure I will be engaged in my course work but course work alone is not enough to keep a busy bee like me going. We only take each course once a week for two hours with the exception of dance. This leaves me a lot of free time. I’ve decided I’m going to begin consciously crafting art projects. What I’ve set as goals are my next cd, a book of poems, and some type of performance/show for the exit project during my last semester in First Wave. More to come! As those projects develop I may publish some of my work here. I’m also going to spend a lot of my free time trying to write for grants and planning some additional travels around Ghana. If you know me you know I must remain busy!!!!

I went to Labadi Beach for the first time this week as well. After bartering for a cab (or getting frustrated and just accepting the driver’s request) we rode for an hour to the beach. Mind you along the way there are at least 20 persons selling anything you can imagine. They walk up to your car and tap on the window and show you things and try to convince you to buy, buy, buy. Once we arrived at the beach we had to pay a toll price and get a slip checked. The beach was very beautiful. I was surprised to see horses there! Men were charging for rides and pictures with the horses. That goes to say that men were selling everything. It was funny I told one guy selling leather hand made bracelets that I had no money and he asked would I like to trade him two of his bracelets for my watch. My watch was basically work about $2. He was trying to sell his bracelets for 5 cedis a piece so I figured it was worth it. I also brought a handmade leather purse from another lady. While we were there my friend mentioned he was hungry while we were talking to some Ghanaian and they pulled out some jellof rice and chicken they had prepared for the orphanage children they were chaperoning. We ate what we were offered and talked to the women and watched the kids play. We then paid a even higher taxi rate to get home because of the crazy traffic on the rode. During our ride it rained so less sells persons but more chaos. Our driver nearly ran over a biker. Eventually we made it back to our dorms and went and brought some dinner from the night market right near us.

Coco farm: We visited a coca farm, tasted fresh coca, and learned about the process of harvesting coca.
Dunbar: The university had a welcome dunbar for all the international students. We ate great Ghanaian food and danced until night. I found out that I really do love to dance when I’m in a space that’s free and welcoming to just moving. I had so much fun. Here, people genuinely like to hear great music and dance.
Church: I went to church for the first time this week it was more traditional than my style of worship. More like a Anglacian or Methodist service in American might be. I was intrigued by how Christianity in Ghana came by way of colonization and it’s visible in the services. The only Ghanaian music was a hymn sung in twi. Also, many people were dressed in traditional cloth. I found it interesting that the women in the church far out numbered the men. This church also had flat screen tvs in the sanctuary like some places back home. The basic church protocol was the same at this church. I look forward to finding a more “urban” perhaps upbeat place of worship in the future here.

Washing Clothes: I washed my clothes by hand and MAN WAS IT A WORK OUT! But my gospel tunes motivated me to get it all done. I have never ever done my laundry by hand, never hung anything on a line to dry. It reminded me of the stories my grand mother tells about how she had to do so much difficult house work as a child. I was very proud when I finished. I realized how privileged my life in America actually is and thanked God for what I do have at home. I will sure not be changing outfits a few times a day here like I would at home! I have to wash that stuff!!! I also enjoyed doing laundry because it was a good two hours for me to reflect on my time here, my life at home, my future, and several other things. The thing I appreciate most about being here is stillness and time during which I can ponder.

Recently, I became very frustrated with my current status of living and the lack of efficiency and resources here in Ghana. At times things get under my skin that I can’t control and I can’t help but to compare it to the way my world is in America. (which obviously isn’t fair). The frustrating things have been having to witness random people urinate in random public places with very little discretion about it. It’s socially acceptable here I suppose. Another thing is how rude I feel like people are here. (I’ve been trampled for a desk). But it all comes back to under development and lack of resources. My history class on colonialism and African response is really opening my eyes to how systematic these things actually are. I have much to learn.


Living is learning,

Camea Osborn

Ghana week 1

Week One: An Introduction to Ghana

Sorry for the delay in progress. Like most things here my internet is inconsistent and some what faulty. I have a hard time loading photos. I suppose they will come when they get ready.


So I’ve been living in Ghana for one week now.

When I arrived here last week my program CIEE took us to a hotel and we started our orientation. Upon getting off the plane, I realized for the first time since I began planning this trip that I would actually be in Africa for four months. The air smelled different, the dirt was red, the people were all brown and black. When I exchanged my money at the airport I received cedis with brown faces printed on them. I knew this place would be much different than home or any place I’d ever been. When I went to get my luggage I remembered what I had been told about people offering to “help” you with your luggage. Many people were standing by but I managed to grab my bag and take it to the van for our program participants without any trouble. I later learned that other people in my program were charged fees by pretend bag handlers, someone tried to steal a bag, and others were haggled on there way to the car.

As we drove through Accra, the capital city, I was amazed by the amounts of things people carried on top of their heads. (dress pants, bottles, peanuts, toys, food, water….and so many more things) All of these things were for sell. I was surprised by the many cars that zoomed past us. There were a range of cars from raggedy taxis to top of the line vehicles. I even saw a hummer.

The first few nights here we stayed in a great hotel with all the normal amenities you would expect at an American hotel. The food was great. All the dishes are very spicy and include rice. I also had very sweet pineapples and ice cream for desert.

After the hotel stay where we were coached on how to live in Ghana and what and whom to avoid we arrived at the University of Ghana to our dorms. Let’s just say the dorms were a lot more humble than our hotels. For the first time in my life I slept under a mosquito net. After the first night I took a bucket “shower” because there was no running water. I saw the poverty that plagues this country but the pride of it’s people. I rode the crowded public transportation which is called a tro tro (over crowded minivan) I have even bartered for the cost of food and taxis. I over came the maze that is registering for classes at a university very new to internet usage. (ie: going to every building you want to take classes in and signing up). I’ve survived being lost in translation with people who don’t understand my fast speech and people I can’t understand because of their accent. I have a lovely room mate who is also American.

I am often frustrated and thinking critically about what it means to be an American studying abroad in Africa. That includes the colonial history and present realities that both countries face as I exist between the two at this time. I have yet to really acquaint myself with the primary customs here but I am adjusting just fine. I am documenting everything to the best of my ability (ie: constantly writing). I’m having a hard time remember to never use my left hand for anything because here it is deemed the “dirty hand” and people find it very disrespectful if you hand me things are signal using the left hand.

For our official ceremony we when to a wealthy side of town to a beautiful restaurant and danced and ate great food. There were mansions and very beautiful homes. It goes to show that there are two sides to every coin. Ghana and Africa is so much more than what is portrayed on American television.

On campus, I’m constantly hustling around to find what I believe is “safe” food. The result has been eating too many potato chips (ie: French fries). I went to the Accra Mall today, which is like any mall you’d find in the US and brought some groceries to get me through this week. Soon I will tackle washing my laundry by hand.

I can’t forget to mention that I have a cell phone here that looks like a basic calculator from back home! (lol) and I also the other young women I’ve meet in CIEE have been a great support system in helping me cope with the day to day challenges here.

Well in conclusion, I’m doing well. God is good and I have a lot to learn. There are many things that are great and others that are not so great but you have to take the good with the bad and learn as much as possible. I start my classes tomorrow. I have a history class on the history of colonialism and the African response, a sociology class on Ghanaian women, two English classes (graduation is still the primary goal folks!), and a drumming class.

By the way I forgot to mention I took a dance workshop here and it was Amazing! The professor told us if you come to Africa and do not dance you have never lived. Boy did I live in that moment! We danced until we sweated then kept on dancing. It was very communal and fun.

Major over all reflections: our past are apart of our present existence, "People are people every where", "the deep call unto the deep", "this experience sure beats the school of education back home"

Until next time,

Living is Learning.

Camea

Ghana Beginings

About My Study Abroad Program:

Offered through the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE), this program in Ghana is co-sponsored with UW-Madison. Participants study at the University of Ghana, which has an enrollment of nearly 30,000 students. This program is designed for a wide variety of students, including those interested in studying the political and economic challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa and developing nations, and those interested in studying West African cultural practices in various musical and dance forms. Students have the option of studying in Ghana for the academic year, semester, or 7-week summer session. Academic year and semester participants also have the option to complete a 3-credit internship in the field of education, health, or development while summer program participants participate in a required community-based volunteer component.

The CIEE Study Center is located in Legon, approximately ten miles from Ghana's capital city, Accra, at the University of Ghana. While still characterized by a vibrant atmosphere, Legon has a slower pace than the bustle of central Accra. Because of its close proximity to Accra, students have the opportunity to experience first-hand the challenges of a large urban environment within an African context. As the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence, Ghana offers a unique and rich culture.

I will be living on campus in a dorm. In the Ghanaian dorms, the participants have the opportunity to live with CIEE, Ghanaian, or other international students. In the International Student Hostel, students live specifically with international students, as well as some Ghanaian students. Cafeterias are easily accessible throughout campus. I will provide my exact on campus info one I arrive in Ghana.

While abroad I will be taking literature, theater, language, and history courses. I will be writing and posting things online as often as possible. Please keep me in your prayers and stay in touch via the internet or my magic jack (which you can call from any phone!). Pictures will be coming soon.

Love you much,
Camea Osborn

Camea “The Promise” Osborn is a young spoken word performance poet, actress, community organizer, educator,  and lifelong scholar. She hails from Indianapolis, Indiana but has been performing across the U.S. for several years. She released her first cd titled Promise Kept in August 2009. She is also the star and author of the one woman show titled Langley Street. Camea proclaims that her work is merely a reflection of God’s grace. She aspires to use her art to inspire, educate, medicate, and create positive change in her community and  the world.

Miss Osborn is a  proud Gates Millennium  Scholar and a member of the First Wave theater ensemble at the University of Wisconsin Madison.  

First Wave Hip Hop Theater Ensemble is a groundbreaking collective of spoken word poets, MC’s, dancers, singers, actors, and hip hop artists attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  The ensemble is the performance company of the First Wave Spoken Word and Urban Arts Learning Community, founded by the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI).  First Wave is an emerging leader on the national hip-hop theater scene, pushing the boundaries of poetry, dance, and theatre. http://omai.wisc.edu/

She will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Wisconsin Madison with an concentration in creative writing in May 2011. After which she will pursue her dream of bringing quality arts education to urban youth. She plans continue touring her spoken word and theater productions on both national and international stages in the following years. 

Osborn attributes her past, current, and future success to the grace of God and the support of the many community in which she is a member. She extends special gratitude to the all of her family, friends, mentors and loved ones! The wisdom of her community is manifested in her art and creative expressions.