Studying abroad in Ghana, Being African American in Africa,
I wake up. I get breakfast at the market. I watch the news. I walk to class. I volunteer at the hospital. I go to dance class. And for the first time in my life, I am seen as a person before I am black.
It felt normal. I grew up in a diverse community, but this feeling was not the same. When I was a young girl and I went to the doctors or the principle’s office and discovered they looked like me, it was a relieving almost comfortable presence in the room, especially when they were cool. That’s the slightest of how it felt going to Ghana. It’s like everywhere I went the person looked like me. A whole nation, from the waitress to the taxi driver, from the teacher to the banker, the mayor, the news reporter, and the president. Heck, even the advertisement and music videos. Everywhere. There’s something special about experiencing that.
There are cultural differences that exist that forms this bridge between Africans and African Americans. It is painful to hear the stereotypes Africans have towards African Americans and vice versa. Though, I was blessed to have the conversations I did with my Ghanaian friends to where we both gained a deeper perspective from each others side and dived into where the stereotypes come from. Interesting enough, that bridge was almost non-existent after being in Ghana for a while and getting to know more people. The few common things we discovered we shared culturally made a big difference. At the end of the day, it felt like family.
Ghana is such a beautiful and welcoming country. I had the best time of my life there attending school, traveling and partying. I was not stressed with some of the tasks I would be stressed with if I was in the states. Ghanaians have hardworking lives but they know how to have fun. Through all the Tro-Tro ride adventures, getting woken up to morning hymns and festivities, the drenching heat, walks to the night market, trapping yourself away during revision week and cafe time with my friends “the parking-lot crew”, my time spent in Ghana was truly humbling and heartwarming.
cinnamonsense 