Feels

Ghana Explained

St. Charles Beach, Winneba Ghana

“One's destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things” Henry Miller

I found out that I was selected to go to Ghana in December. I was scared, nervous, excited but I honestly didn't think I would actually get the opportunity, so I was mostly shocked. The opportunity was presented as a summer internship through my current graduate program (in Higher Education) where I would be studying abroad with undergraduate students and helping them immerse into the Ghanian community through service learning and reflective activities. Sounds like a great thing to put onto my resume, right? But to actually get it was scary. I mean it's Africa. People like me only dream of going to Africa and seeing this place with my own eyes. It felt surreal receiving that phone call that I was one of the two interns selected for this trip; I kept saying "I'm going to Africa" both out loud and to myself but it hadn't really set in that this was a real thing. But I was totally happy to have the opportunity though, so of course I congratulated myself with drinks.

The plan from the start was to hopefully go on this trip with my good friend from the same graduate program. She was the reason I actually went through with applying to this internship in the first place. We talked this whole thing out: the possibilities of us both going, who else we thought was going to be interviewing, etc., giving each other and ourselves prayers that we BOTH were able to go and turn up in Africa together. She'd been so she knew all the spots and I was just excited to say that we spent our summer doing something different while in the motherland. We planned to come back like boss chicks, you know, typical stuff. Unfortunately for us, she wasn't selected and that put a huge dent in our plans. Not only was I upset that she couldn't go, I was also uncomfortable with the fact that I would be going with someone new or wasn't close to (she was lowkey my only friend at the time). Still, I accepted the position and while we both had our hearts set on going to Africa together on this trip, she was still supportive of me getting the position, so shoutout to the homie.

So, I accepted this position, I didn't know who my partner was going to be, but it wasn't going to be my closest friend. And it was a 6 week trip in Ghana. Pretty uncomfortable situation, but still, thankful. I spent the next few months in meetings about the logistics of the trip, hosting orientations to meet the undergraduate students who were selected to study abroad, and finding the funding to get me to Africa without breaking the bank. I was blessed enough to get through that process swiftly, and find most of my funding for the trip but that uncomfortable feeling continued to sit in my stomach during the whole process. I just had this battle of whether I should take this opportunity based on the fact that it's now outside my comfort zone. I constantly asked myself: "Is this something that I should do?," but who would turn down Africa, though?

I'm going through with it. I tried to convince myself that this was for sure my path and to face my fears of discomfort, but it's really hard to, you know? It became somewhat real when I got my passport back from the Embassy with my Ghana visa in it; I knew then that this was a sure thing, whether I felt comfortable with it or not. I kept telling friends and family I would be gone to Ghana this summer, hoping that the constant conversation about it would make me feel more confident in my decision, but of course it did the opposite and made me even more nervous about going. Between April and June, I started actually planning for the reality of this trip: shopping and checking things off my packing list, getting all my vaccinations and medications, visiting family and friends, and packing. It became stressful, exciting, nerve-wrecking and sad that I only had a limited amount of time to spend with my family and friends before I departed on this journey.

June 25th came quicker than I expected. I cried thinking about how I would be away from my friends and family and my "normal" and comfortable life for 6 weeks. I would miss everyone, but its the motherland though! Since this was my first international trip, I was able to experience a plane ride longer than a few hours and with the wonderful amenities such as a real meal and receiving a pillow and blanket which I didn't even know they did. I was on the big plane just like the ones they show in the movies, and I thought that was pretty dope. I settled into my long ride and tried to get as much sleep as possible. The 24 hour trip from Grand Rapids to Accra wasn't as bad as I expected. Though I had moments of restlessness, I wasn't as scared as I normally am when I fly, and I wasn't feeling homesick yet so these were great signs. June 26th is when we arrived in Accra, and though I slept for most of the plane ride, I was still feeling sluggish and like I've lost track of time. The customs process to get into Africa woke me up though: it was hot and there were a lot of people waiting in line to get through customs just like us, but there were so many people in colorful clothing, speaking different languages, patiently waiting for their turn to get through customs that I decided to take in my surroundings and appreciate the vision. The moment when we stepped out of customs and into Accra and saw all the beautiful brown faces within the hustle and bustle made this whole trip worth the wait. I'm in AFRICA, it's on baby.