And Ghana wins!!

I headed to the capital of Accra to watch the US take on Ghana in the World Cup. I went with my friend Richelle to a place called Epos which easily had over a few hundred people packed inside and outside to watch Ghana make history. I have supported Ghana through their quest for the World Cup, but I had to throw my support to the Americans. There were a few other Americans watching the match, but when America scored it goal against Ghana, I was the only person who stood up and cheered. Thankfully, the Ghanaians did not lynch me, but they had no doubt that their team was going to beat the US. Every time the Ghanaians scored, my Ghanaian friends in Kumasi would call me to let me know that they were winning. And of course, when the US scored against Ghana, I had to call them to let them know that the US still had a chance. Unfortunately, our quest for the World Cup ended on Saturday night, but I was excited to be in Ghana to share in the experience of Ghana making history at the World Cup and to see the pride in the Ghanaian people that their team is carrying the pride of Africa during these games. A Spanish embassy worker came to comfort me when the US lost, but he reminded me that it was good that Ghana won because we will have more opportunities to get swept into the excitement of the World Cup in Ghana. A Ghanaian friend also comforted me, and told me that it was okay because I was Ghanaian as well, so I should be happy that Ghana won. Regardless of who won, aside from being in South Africa, the best place to watch Satuday night's match was in Ghana. And I was very happy to see the Black Stars continue their quest for the World Cup!!

It is hard to stay down in Ghana

I was hoping to get my passport back on Friday and be on my way to Cape Coast, but of course it did not happen. I called the immigration officer on Friday morning to see if my passport was ready. Since my MFI did not call the immigration officer as planned, the immigration officer started to yell at me, and decided that I was not going to get my passport back until he had contact with the MFI. Apparently, the folks at my MFI wanted to deal with a different immigration officer, but they failed to tell me. I asked the immigration if I would withdraw my request for an extension, so that I could leave the country, but that seemed to only upset him more, and he again told me that I couldn't have my passport back. As most of you can imagine, this was a very upsetting situation for me and I felt a loss for what to do next. At that point, I just really wanted to leave Ghana altogether and never come back. However, as I shared my immigration problems with Ghanaian friends I realized that I had a support system in Ghana. The outpour of sympathy and offers of help to get my passport back lifted my spirits and made me realize again that things really aren't as bad as they may seem. I am not sure if I have to leave Ghana, and I have no idea when I will be getting my passport back, but I do know that there are several people who are ready and willing to help me :)

Oh Ghana!

Well folks it has been quite some time since I have published any blogs. Things in Ghana have continued to be a little stressful, and I have been traveling quite a bit on my fellowship. The travel has been great, however, I haven't taken any time to check out any of the tourist sites in Ghana, and I may not get a chance now. My passport is currently being held hostage at the immigration office. I have asked for a visa extension, but I came in on a tourist visa, which sorts of complicates things. I am hoping that after the immigration officer meets with the reps from my MFI, they will grant me my 2 month extension and then I will definitely have to leave Ghana after that.

If all works out with immigration, I will be moving to Cape Coast, which is located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. I am excited to check out a new area and explore all of the beaches in the area.

As you all probably suspect, the World Cup has been a very big deal in Ghana. Especially since Ghana has advanced to the next stage. I had several Ghanaians, including the immigration officer who interrogated/questioned me for over 1 hour, that Ghana was going to beat the US. However, they did tell me that Ghana will try to win by only one point because Ghanaians love the US.

Here is the caption from a local Ghanaian paper.


I hope the next time I blog it is from Ghana, but if Mr. Immigration denies my visa extension application I am not sure where I will go from here. Although I could really use a good burger, I am not ready to return to the US. I will have to keep you all posted where I land next.

If it didn’t happen to me, I wouldn’t believe it . . .

So I have had yet another funny experience in Ghana. Yesterday morning I got up early to meet a colleague at the bus station to head out into the field. He called me to let me know he was running late. I figure okay, I will have a nice cup of coffee and then head out. I went to turn the key in the lock to open the door and it wouldn’t open. The locks here allow for the key to be inserted both inside and outside, and you must use it inside to lock the door. At this point it was 6:48 a.m. and there wasn’t a lot of traffic in my neighborhood. I tried to pull the key out, no luck. I tried to jiggle the key lock, no luck. Then I started to wonder how I would get out of my apartment. You cannot climb out of the windows, because there are bars around them. Then I started to yell out to passing people in the street, but no one stopped. Finally after 20 minutes of calling out for help, someone from the house on the property I rent my apartment came around and heard my pleas for help. It only took another 20 minutes for someone to get the door open. The funny thing was it wasn’t even the right key. All I could think was if there was a fire I would be toast. Thankfully, there was no such emergency.

I am posting one photo from Ghana.



This was posted in a rural town that I visited. Unfortunately, Ghana lost to Holland. I am not sure what that means for Ghana - but I hope they can recover and make it to South Africa. Go Team Ghana!!