Tini in Ghana!

My dear friend and roommate Christina (aka Tini) is currently studying abroad in Ghana and around Northern Africa. We all just received a long and impressive e-mail chronicling her travels and I was absolutely taken aback by everything she is doing. She is an African Studies minor at USF and really involved with the Africa club on our campus. This experience of hers sounds amazing; I'm so proud of and excited for her. Among many things, Tini has taken up basket weaving classes, is learning the Twi language, going on safaris, living very simply, and being surrounded by kind and loving Africans.

An excerpt:

From Kumasi we traveled 7 hours up north to Tamale, which is part of the Sahara desert and incredibly hot. Regardless, I loved the peaceful atmosphere of the small town city and the beautiful influence of the large Muslim population. In Tamale we had the chance to meet with a chief and his traditional housing unit, which yes lives up to that stereotype of Africa and its mud huts. Even though every district has a chief and the traditional ruling system works along side with the modern governing structure we were given a formal ceremony for our arrival. The chief sat on hide skins while his council of elders sat on steps below him. They all wore their traditional dress and we were then shown into the chiefs hut (the largest). Connected to his domed shaped hut is each of his wives huts. And lucky for me I was personally chosen by his first wife to stay and become the chief's last wife and therefore get my own hut. It was a tempting offer but was forced to refuse it. People in the North do not speak Twi (the language I have been learning) so it was rather frustrating getting thrown into an entirely new culture. During the greeting ceremony in response to everything said we were told to squat, clap lightly, and say "na na na" having no idea what was being said, but I guess "na na na" is an appropriate response to all things.
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The hardest part of living in the village was being constantly associated with money, simply becasue I am white. Several times I had mothers physically giving me thier child saying "take my child to the United States so her skin can be white and she can be rich." It was so difficult to try and explain that white does not equal rich. And especially frusturating listening to these people's glorified image of the United States. Again and again I found myself trying to encourage Ghanains to embrace their beautiful culture and look at things comparivley. When my host brothers tell me how difficult it is to get an education in Ghana, or my host father preaches to me that Africans have no money, so my father needs to send him money, it is very difficult to respond. Especially when I know that it is difficult to get by everyday and I have all the sympathy in the world that I am willing to experience those challenges.

We're sending you our love and support, Teens!