Food and Cape Coast

Week 3 has been quite the whirlwind. I have been loving the work at my placement, the communities we have been able to serve, and the relationships I have made with my coworkers so far. However, the Ghanaian food has been a difficult transition for me.

I realized that I have not talked much about the food here yet. Mainly, I try to stick with rice, beans, fruits, chicken, fish, and potatoes. However, at work, I do try some of the local food to get some “cultural experience”. Another adjustment is that Ghanaians eat almost everything with their hands. Sometimes, I blame COVID-19 for still using my utensils, but I have been improving on my eating skills. While I have only had a few foods that I do not care for, a majority of the food has been pretty good. I am also very thankful they have like four different kinds of rice, haha.

However, this past Thursday I took the day off because I was not feeling very well. I learned that it takes most people a while to get their body adjusted to the differences in food and the environment. Although I did not feel the best, I was still able to have a relaxing and productive day by focusing on my health and upcoming schoolwork due.

On Friday, Bailey and I left for a little weekend getaway to Cape Coast. The weekend was a relaxing one, but also a little tiring. Mainly just from transportation. Friday morning, we left around 4 am because we tried to hop on a bus to head to Cape Coast. However, we had some difficulties with getting our tickets, so we took a tro tro instead. Thankfully, our tro tro had air conditioning, which made the ride so much better. It takes about 2 and a half hours to get to Cape Coast from Accra. Thankfully, we were able to smooth things out and get there and back home safely.

When we arrived in Cape Coast, we checked into our Airbnb, got lunch, and went to the beach. We were being very spoiled with the living conditions this weekend as well. The house not only had air conditioning, which was phenomenal, but it also had a gorgeous pool in the back too. It was the first time in a while that I was actually cold during the night haha.

The water at the beach was so beautiful and very calming. We noticed that the beach is more for scenery rather than recreational. There are only certain parts on the beach where people can swim, and there are a lot of restaurants on the beach too.

The next morning, we spent our time at the Elmina Castle. On the way to the castle, Bailey and I tried coconuts for the first time! It was not at all what I expected it to taste like, but I enjoyed mine!

The Elmina castle was very interesting as well. It had a museum and a guided tour that taught us much about the slave trade, which happened during the 1500s. Based on the tour, the castle was very pretty on the outside, but sadly, some awful things happened inside. Male and female slaves were treated terribly, and many of the slaves died inside the castle before they even had the chance to leave. It’s awful to think about, but it was a good reminder of how important it is to treat each other with respect and love.

After the castle, we grabbed some fried rice for lunch and headed back to the house. I spent the rest of the day swimming in the pool, finishing a book, and Facetiming my family. We eventually got pizza delivered to the house and went to bed. Sadly, we had to wake up early on Sunday morning again to leave before traffic got busy.

We got to Accra around 9:30 am and went to the mall. We spent most of the morning at a coffee shop called Vida e caffé. I got a breakfast sandwich with turkey, cheese, and avocado on it. I also got a strawberry and banana Frio. 10/10 would recommend!! After about an hour, I got very sleepy, so I grabbed a vanilla latte to perk myself up. It was also very good, and I realized that I have missed me some coffee!