Let Me Fill You In.

It should be noted that I am in no way an expert in regards to a multitude of things, one of those things being Ghana. I will be learning every single day and reporting back accordingly so you will be learning too! Before I leave I will try and inform you with as much information as I can so you have a better understanding of the country, consider this a starting place for your and my own knowledge in the next three months! Wow I am so nervous, I got my letter of invitation which confirmed my placement in Ghana last week and it all hit me that I would be gone in a month and suddenly I have what seems like 793 tasks to accomplish before I leave! Let's get started!

Ghana:

As I mentioned in my previous post, Ghana is a country located on the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean, in the subregion of WEST AFRICA!!!!! Two countries to the east of Liberia which as many know holds an extremely special place in my heart, as the birthplace of Morris and Massa! To be more specific Ghana is sandwiched between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo and is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. In 1957, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain independence. Ghana was previously known as the British colony of the Gold Coast until becoming independent, Ghana has abundant natural resources of gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, and limestone just to name a few. Ghana has a tropical warm and dry climate along the southeast coast, hot and humid along the southwest and is considered hot and dry in the north, if you would like to know what the weather conditions will be while you will most likely be experiencing blizzards.

Societal Structure and More Facts for YOU:

Many people ask me if it is an English friendly country and I and confirming with you that the official language of Ghana is English, BUT that does not mean it is the same as American English. Many colonized countries adopt English as the official language but adapt it to their liking with various slang and indigenous languages. In fact there at 80 languages spoken in Ghana, and Twi Kanti of the Akan People being the most widely spoken.

Ghana has a fast growing population especially in those of urban areas that are on the Atlantic coast, and 57% of the population being under the age of 25. Since I will be spending a majority of my time in Tema (a suburb) and Accra (the capital) I thought I should share the interesting etymology of the name Accra. Accra is derived of from the Akan word "nkran" meaning "ants" referring to the abundance of ant hills surrounding the capital, I hope you enjoyed that little fact as much as I did. In fact as soon as I found that out I called my mom because I knew she would enjoy it, just like when she found of the name of my school placement in Ghana she IMMEDIATELY knew the latin etymology that the name was derived from. Ghana has a market based economy and is a presidential republic with a mixed English and customary system of law. Ghana is divided into three educational phases starting at age four, basic (kindergarten, primary and lower secondary), secondary education (upper secondary school, technical and vocational education) and tertiary education. In my previous blog I had mentioned my placement at Aves International School but that has since changed, I will be teaching Greenshield International School, at the basic phase of ages 11-13. This school is located in Tema and is a Cambridge Institution Associate School.

As I get more information and the time approaches that I leave, I will keep you updated as much as possible! I hope you have a better understanding of Ghana, feel free to ask me questions and reach out I would love to hear from you!

Until next time!

xoxo

Corrinne Ruth