Heading home; thoughts on Ghana

So, this is it.  I’m going home tonight.

What have I learned from my trip?  Quite a lot about fiber arts, for one, but also a bit about Ghanaians.  My experience has been that Ghanaians are quite friendly and welcoming ““ even someone passing by is likely to call out “You’re welcome!” (meaning, you are welcome) or “Good morning!” in a way you totally would not expect in the Western world.  They also seemed genuinely interested in helping me get where I wanted to go, and making sure the obruni didn’t get lost.  I really enjoyed my trip, although I’m glad to be going home.

I learned that Ghanaian infrastructure is sometimes lacking ““ the scheduled blackouts every five days were irritating, as were the unscheduled ones at all hours of the day.  I saw thatched mud huts, tame crocodiles, gorgeous weaving, brass-casting, and all kinds of textile crafts.  I rode in cramped, hot, airless tro-tros and air-conditioned long-haul buses. I ate nutria rat (tastes like goat) and smoked rat (tastes like ham).  I even learned that you can fit two people into the front (bucket) seat of a taxi!

Most of all, I’m reminded that Third World travel is enjoyable in a totally different way than Western travel ““ a bit rougher traveling, but more than made up for by the friendly people and the diversity of experience ““ everything from mud huts to sophisticated city life, and all sorts of handicrafts long dead in Western areas.  I love it, and I can’t wait for my next trip.