They drive on the wrong side of the road!!
I got out of the airport at the lovely hour of 6am. I got my bags, met the driver, got into the car… on the wrong side!
In Ghana, unlike the UK and Malawi where I’ve spent the last few years, they drive on the right! Which to a Canadian should be just fine, but to a Canadian who spent the past few years in British influenced countries and had to learn to adapt to survive traffic, is just plain confusing.

There is TRAFFIC!
I got over the shock of the wrong side of the road, only to turn into the morning traffic of Accra. It’s intense. Think of the 401 in Toronto at 7am. There is everything and anything on the road at that time… mini-buses, big buses, taxis, private cars, motorbikes, mopeds, bicycles, people walking, people carrying baskets on their heads… all headed around town. Hit traffic at the wrong time here and what should take 15 minutes with no cars takes you 2 hours.

It is HOT!!
I knew this coming here. I deliberately took everyone’s advice, went against my instincts and didn’t bring anything warm. It really is HOT! I now understand the need for 2 showers a day (one in the morning, one at night) in deliciously cool water. Sounds unpleasant but after a day of being in the heat, in buses, on dusty roads, a cold shower is the best thing. Almost as good as my warm bucket shower in Dedza was. I plan to adopt the Spanish way of life and avoid being out in the day between 12 and 4pm if at all possible.

Culture
Ghanaians are proud people; they are proud of their country and their culture and are happy to show it. The Ghanaian flag is everywhere. Women wear beautifully tailored national wear. Ghanaian football jerseys are prolific (as they should be). There is lots of Ghanaian and west African music.

Flags are key
Flags are everywhere! All sorts of flags – big ones, small ones, Ghanaian flags, Canadian flags, flags from all around the world, flags of football (soccer) teams, flags of people and presidents. Flags flutter above buildings. Flags are painted ON the buildings and bus stops and telephone stands and little shops.

The food is diverse, delicious and spicy!
The staple food in Malawi is nsima. It’s a filling, comforting meal based on maize, served with a variety of relishes (side vegetables, soups, meat).
Food in Ghana is VERY different. It’s far more diverse and it’s spicy! Plantains, cassava, yams, maize, millet… and any combination of the above. Even the morning porridge is spicy. I’ve become addicted to plantains… roasted, fried, boiled, chopped, whole… doesn’t matter, I love them. (Videos of me eating fufu, a popular local dish are soon to come.)

Things are happening…at all hours of the day (and night)
Stuff is happening here… at all hours. In Malawi, shops closed at 5pm… maybe 8 or 9pm if you were in a busy part of the capitals. In Accra, things are going at all hours of the day and night. Vendors are open late selling plantains, sausage rolls, phone units, drinks, etc. It’s easy to pop out at 10pm in search of units and wander half a block away to the family finishing up their evening and the lady sitting under the MTN (telephone service provider) umbrella.

People are really helpful and really friendly
I have an aversion to asking for help. I have a serious stubborn and independent streak in me that I come by quite naturally from a whole line of independent stubborn women. That’s not very helpful here. I’m in a new place, a city of roughly 2-3 million people where I don’t speak the local language, where I don’t know the areas, how to get around, where to go, what to ask for. Being help-averse just gets you lost.

Luckily, Ghanaians are immensely helpful and kind people. Looking lost and a bit confused (and amused) lets you meet a whole range of people happy to make sure you get the right bus fare and get off at the right stop. The school girl beside me on the tro-tro (public transit like a big, square mini-bus) helped me get my papaya, picked the right change out of my hand and picked the good looking papaya. The guy at the bus stop made sure I got on the right bus (and his friend snuck in a marriage proposal on his behalf which got turned down with laughter).

—–
This is only some of what I have noticed. Some of it is surprising, some refreshing, some strange. I can’t help comparing Ghana and Accra to other cities and places I’ve been, but everywhere I go has it’s own beauty and wonder. Ghana, like Malawi or Cambridge or Canada, is full of its own challenges and excitement. The comparison will fade as I get accustomed and settled to life here, at which point the subtleties of the place and the people will emerge. To me, it is finding those subtleties that makes a place home. These are the obvious impressions; expect to hear more about the subtleties soon.

Photo: driving on the wrong (right) side, stuck in traffic, I looked up and was struck by the array of flags… only the most important ones for this driver.  If you look closely, you can catch a glimpse of Thulasy (my colleague from EWB) with me in the back seat.

Well, the time has come, and a few weeks ago I spent a weekend by the lake, thinking, talking, writing and mostly deciding. Many people gave me their desires and opinions on the matter, but the decision had to be my own.

There is no easy or subtle way to say this, so…

I have decided to extend and stay overseas with Engineers Without Borders for 1 more year.

I’m moving to GHANA in 2 weeks!

Somehow, I managed to both stay overseas and go (yet again) to an entirely new place.

This has not been an easy decision. I am asking my family and friends back home for their support and patience yet again while I go off to work at something sometimes incomprehensible. I’m putting aside some deeply rooted interests in renewable energies and urban regeneration to delve more deeply into another one: international development. I’m choosing one ambiguous situation over an unknown opportunity elsewhere.

There are also many reasons that have prompted me to stay; reasons that make some of the sacrifices and compromises worthwhile, at least for now.

Learning

I have done a LOT of learning this year. I’d like to USE some of that learning to inform, to influence, and to teach. And of course, I’d like to learn some more (which I will be doing as soon as I step off the plane to a new country, a new culture, new food, and new ways of doing business).

Importance

I believe in the work that we do here; I believe it is important. Generating competitive industries and a functional private sector. Doing business in Africa. Making markets work for the poor. I don’t think a nations development will ever rest solidly on development aid or assistance; it will grow from the creativity, entrepreneurialism, sense of possibility and opportunity that access to reliable markets provides. In predominantly agricultural based economies and populations, this means making agri-business work for the firms, the farmers, the suppliers, the exporters, the consumers. It’s possible, and if done right, the results can be astounding.

Experience

There is no doubt that this is a truly unique and amazing experience. Every day is different. Every day, I meet new people and new challenges. I’m forced to push myself again and again outside my comfort zone and redefine what that comfort zone is. I’m forced to learn new skills and quickly master new knowledge. I’m placed in situations that force me to adapt and grow. I have a certain set of skills I’d like to develop, and I think I can develop them fast and with more credibility on the job, in new situations and being forced to swim (or sink).

Energy and Enthusiasm

I still have more to give, more to contribute to EWB, to my partner and to the amazing individuals I meet. When I think about some of the leaders I’ve met or when I think about making business work in Africa, I get excited! The work and the environment are challenging, to be sure, but I can also see opportunity and potential. I have the energy and drive to not only talk about this change, but to be part of it.

These are some of the reasons I’ve decided to extend. I hope to use what I have learned and learn some more. I hope to contribute and benefit. I have more energy to give, and more passion to discover.

Friends, family, security of a job with a bigger pay-check and the comforts and luxuries of a familiar and easy culture still pull me home. But I can put aside the last two for now, and I can find ways to stay connected with family and friends.

So there you have it: I’m extending with EWB. I’m moving to Ghana.

Wish me luck! And stay tuned for exciting updates of what life in West Africa looks like.