Weekend Getaway to Accra

Hello everyone, my apologies for not posting yesterday. I was having a fever and sore throat yesterday so I had to go to sleep early. Today’s post will highlight events from yesterday and today. Yesterday, me and another cohort member woke up at around 5:30 AM to catch a bus to Accra (the capital of Ghana). The bus ride was about three hours long and very bumpy. As soon as we got to Accra, we were warmly greeted by a family friend member (uncle as we like to say in Indian culture) who graciously allowed us to stay at his place in Accra for the night. He was such a nice and wonderful man. We had some omelette with Maggi ketchup! I have missed Indian food since being here so getting to have some of it in Ghana was awesome. After lunch, I took a small nap to recover a bit from my illness. About 3 hours later, I felt a little better so we set out to the Accra Arts Centre to buy some artwork. I’ve never seen so much art in a small area! It was so beautiful (even for someone who isn’t an art enthusiast). Afterwards, we went to Independence Square where Ghana’s Independence Day is celebrated. In addition, the black star on the middle of Ghana’s flag represents light and unity. This was a huge symbol of the African liberation movement. Across the street, there’s another area with a soldier and Ghanaian arch. I noticed the soldier was looking directly at the arch and I asked a local the importance of that. He said the soldier is saluting to those who lost their lives during the battle for Ghana’s independence from Britain. It was a very powerful moment and me and my friend took a brief moment of silence to honor those who sacrificed their lives for a prosperous nation. The Accra Stadium is also adjacent to Independence Square. After seeing the square, we went home and had an Indian cuisine for dinner. I’ve dearly missed Indian food and my friend and I were extremely happy. Today, we woke up and my friend was very kind enough to make an omelette with bread for me while I was still having a fever. We also had leftover Indian food for lunch. I am very thankful and forever grateful to my friend for taking care of me. She was very understanding of my health and was perfectly okay with skipping out a few places in Accra. She took care of me like a little brother! Samuel, a staff worker, took us to Kaneshie Market in the afternoon where we took a bus back to Cape Coast. Overall, I’m so happy we were able to spend some time in Accra this weekend and have some much needed Indian food. I only wish I wasn’t ill throughout the entire trip as we didn’t get to see a whole lot. My friend and I are very hopeful that we can come back again prior to our departure to the states. Tomorrow, I begin my new rotation at the public health clinic. I will get to take a break from the clinical side of my internship and will now get to see the other side so I am excited. Hopefully, I feel better by tomorrow!

This is a picture outside of the house in Accra. In the far back, you’ll see a waste dump where they’ll burn all the trash (very common in Ghana).

This is Bruno. He is one of six dogs that my uncle has. The other five dogs however live in my uncle’s other house so it was just Bruno at the guest house. He’s such a cute and good boy!

This is a picture of a stand in the Accra Arts Centre. There were at least 100 stands like this one so we didn’t get to see it all!

A picture of me in front of Independence Square. Ghana gained its independence from Britain in 1957 as shown in this monument.

7/20/19 and 7/21/19