Happy One Month Anniversary to Me!

Yesterday marked my one month anniversary in Ghana and it calls for a reflection post. I'm a huge advocate of traveling to another country - not with the mind frame of a tourist on vacation - but with the intention of staying for a longer period of time and 'do as the Romans would do', so to speak. In our Politics of International Development (PID) class, we read an article distinguishing 'poverty tourism' from 'citizens of the world' - a consciousness that I now carry as a traveling rule-of-thumb, deeply resonating with me ever since. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kent-annan/poverty-tourism-can-make-_b_803872.html. While always traveling with this concept in mind in the past, I'm now aware more than ever of making sure I am not a 'poverty tourist.' When I visit other countries, which more often than not are developing countries, I travel with an open mind and willingness to learn. I immerse myself in the culture, talk to locals in the field, and attempt to understand the local economic and political context. Only by understanding the local context can you formulate local solutions to local problems. And if there is anything I've learned from NYU Wagner – it is that point exactly. To be internationally-minded means nothing if you don't invest the time to research and understand the local context before brainstorming solutions and implementing interventions. In the professional international development world there is no guarantee a successful program in India can be considered a 'best practice' that will work in Ghana. With that said, as you can tell I've learned so much while here in Ghana and am that much more excited to reach South Africa and continue field research. Never before have I had the freedom to research a topic of my choice not in a library, but in the local context with real people who are experts on the subject... talk about a real life classroom. 

These days are a bit slower without a hectic itinerary, but I'm enjoying living the 'normal' Accra life - hanging out at local spots, enjoying the nightlife scene and dancing to hip-life until 3am, tying every single dish at Asanka Locals in Osu, and making plans to watch $2.50 classic Ghanaian films at the Accra Mall cinema. I'd have to admit though (I was just telling my fellow NYU girls Megan and Katrina over dinner last night) that I feel like I'm in some sort of limbo. With no perception of what day or time it is for the most part, it's a strange feeling to be in a different country and not on vacation, but not at a 9 to 5 job, and I can make my own schedule. In short, I have tons of time to well, Eat. Pray. Love. (HAHA, okay, okay, sarcastic reference to a horrible movie, and even more horrible book.) I had a dream the other night that I forgot it was Christmas and felt extremely guilt because I didn't buy my sister Sky a Christmas present, only to realize the dream was a confirmation that I've had no perception of what season or month it is lately.

Whenever I meet people and tell them I'm a student from the US studying food security and hunger in Ghana, the first question they ask is "How do you find Ghana?" most likely followed by "What have you learned?" Good questions...

How do I find Ghana?

Ghana has an undeniable welcoming and amiable charm. Greetings here are a must, a simple and polite rule we've seem to have taken for granted in the United States. Every person is best approached with a 'Hello, Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening. How are you doing?' Maybe in the United States we claim we're too busy for such wasteful rituals, but I will argue that greetings help spread positive karma and brighten our aura and overall mood - at least it does for me!

Ghanaians love their cell phones and exchanging contact information. Upon meeting someone at an internet cafe, the market, or over buying pineapple in the morning from a random vendor, it isn't uncommon to be asked for your contact information. In the US one's phone number is more private, only to be given out with the intention of actually making plans or to keeping in touch. Somewhat related to the fact that Ghanaians are super friendly, if you give out your phone number you will undoubtedly receive phone calls in the morning, afternoon, and evening from locals who just want to say hello and ask how your day was.

Unexpected lessons learned from Ghana

After visiting and meeting locals from various regions throughout the country, I have a heightened understanding of exactly what ails the country and barriers they face in 'developing' for a lack of a better word. Since I don't have all the time in the world, I wanted to highlight a few themes I found particularly interesting.

One of the first guest lectures was given by Dr. Ama, a Sociology Professor at the University of Ghana. She raised several important issues that you wouldn't typically think of when thinking about food security in Ghana. When most people think of poverty and malnutrition in a developing country, they associate poor children with under nutrition. Dr. Ama raised a new emerging phenomenon of the coexistence of two types of malnutrition - under and over-nutrition, even within one household. Dr. Ama also spoke about toxic nutrition, the idea that fear of chemicals and pesticides makes people hesitant from incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into their diet, thus lacking a healthy diet. Both health phenomenon in the Ghanaian society pose conflicting challenges to promoting a healthy diet. 

How do you tackle both types of malnutrition - under and over-nutrition -  in one household, or launch a public health campaign advocating an increased intake of fresh fruits and vegetables when people are scared of toxic diseases from chemicals and pesticides?

I went with my friend to visit her grandma here in Accra, and had an interesting conversation with her uncle. After explaining to him what my mission was in Ghana (a commonly asked question by locals in aims to understand exactly why you want to visit their country), he shared with me what he thought was an obstacle to the country's development. What he shared I found quite interesting: Ghanaians heavily rely on and accept perception as fact. 

"For example," he said, "if someone were to point at the guy across the room and say 'he is the tallest' people will accept it as fact and not challenge the statement." 

In other words, no one will go up to the 'tallest in the room' and check their height against him, but simply label him as 'tallest' because someone said so. Most locals I speak with in Ghana say that while yes, Ghana's standard of living and industrialization has come a long way in the past few years, Ghana's economy and infrastructure should have excelled at a much faster rate. 

How do we promote research and development in a society that doesn't strive to continuously challenge its boundaries, accepting its current state of development as the best it can be?

I could go on forever, but I just realized that I leave for South Africa next Wednesday July 25th and I have so much to do. Until then you can find me walking around Accra in my new clothes Marjorie (the amazing NYU seamstress) made for me from beautiful African printed fabric! :) I'll post pictures soon...