Another Side Of Ghana

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Oyinbo African Abeni

As most people know from reading my last posts, i was in Ghana again for the second time on September/October. My first time in Ghana was on May 2013 and of course it was an experience of a lifetime and i wont forget those wonderful memories but, i have to say, my second trip to Ghana this year was even more special than i ever imagined it to be. I didnt know it could get any better than that first trip in 2013 but this time i felt something different. The moment i got off the flight, i no longer felt like a “visitor” to Ghana. I felt like i was returning home. The feeling is almost impossible to explain to anyone. Sometimes (if not most of the time) i feel almost trapped when i am here in the UK.

This sounds crazy i know but i feel i am stuck in the wrong place. I am not saying i hate it here, i have family and friends here but the moment i step back into Africa i feel almost like i’m no longer trapped. It is almost like that feeling you have when you were a kid and you are in class being taught a subject you have no interest in. For example, i hated maths, so every time i went to maths class i felt trapped and almost like i was forcing my self to get through that hour just so i can rush to Art class. As for Art, i loved/love art so that class was where i felt most happiest and no more trapped. Understand? So just like Africa and the UK, i feel trapped in one place and free in another. In an ideal world i would be living in Africa and working there. But since my job (paid job) is here in Scotland, then i am “trapped” here for now until i have everything in order and enough savings to move. Anyway, what i am trying to say is, the moment i got back to Ghana on September i no longer felt trapped, i felt i could now be my self 100%. Surrounded by the right people who share the same interests as i do. That happiness is incomparable honestly!

I stayed in Accra for a few days when i landed. I spend those first few days with some amazing friends, went to the beaches, chilled out, ate plenty great food, danced to some great Ghanaian music and just relaxed to the fullest. This was wonderful of course but it was the Monday after i landed (2/3 days later) i got packed and ready to travel to Kumasi. Now, i visited Kumasi for the first time in 2013 and i can honestly say i didnt enjoy the busy streets lol but this time Kumasi has became a second home for me and i seen a different side of Kumasi. I lived with the most wonderful family who i love with all my heart and miss them everyday. This family brought me in as one of their own. Their house was right next to a very loud church (lol) which i actually enjoyed hearing everyday. Just down the street from the family house there was this young man selling beef kebabs and sausage kebabs and anyone who follows my blog will know these kebabs are heavenly to me! lol so i would go out in the evening and get some to bring back to the family house and enjoy with some homemade jollof rice made by the households helper.

I also got a chance to visit Kintampo Waterfall this time around. I will post some pictures below. Ghana has some of the best tourist attractions i’ve ever seen and Kintampo waterfall was of course another amazing tourist attraction. I would really suggest that you check it out if you havent already. There is a very lovely young man who will give you a tour around and guide you to each waterfall. Finally when you get the main fall (the largest one) you have the chance to either go in a splash around or just sit on the rock and enjoy the peaceful wonderful scenery. It was one of the most amazing peaceful places ive visited. I would make that my place to go and think and clear my head if it wasnt such a long drive to get there lol

I also got the chance to visit a primary school (the head teacher was the lady who i was living with in Kumasi) so her son was kind enough to take me to visit the school (you’ll see some pictures below) This of course wasnt my first time visiting schools in Ghana but this time it felt extra special because of the warm welcome i go from all the staff and of course by the head teacher (my step mummy) lol The kids in the school were of course cute as always and some actually made me laugh so hard. One young boy called out “hey Obroni, white lady, white madam, beautiful lady) he used every term of “lady” to get my attention and i couldnt stop laughing, a boy of such young age (around 8 years old) who was calling out every name he could gather in his head for a white lady hahaha i am even laughing while typing this as it was just adorable and hilarious.

After spending time in Kumasi we traveled back to Accra to sort a few things and while there i lived with some members of the same family from Kumasi. This whole family were taking care of me from Kumasi to Accra! This is one family i know ill love for the rest of my life. They really took great care of me and made sure i was comfortable in everyway. We had some of the most amazing nights together. Chilling out, meeting up with friends, eating great food, laughing together and genuinely enjoying each others company. Their words to me before i left their house was “when every you are in Accra or Kumasi, you come here, this is your home too now, no more hotels” 🙂 Of course i am not surprised at the kindness of these people because i’ve never met anyone in Ghana who isnt kind at heart towards their visitors 🙂 I am just glad i met yet another wonderful Ghanaian family who ill forever hold in my heart.

I am veryyyyyyyyyyy happy to say that i am AGAIN going back to Ghana 🙂 in just 2 months time! (February) – i cant stay away ! lol I wish everyone would go out to Africa and experience it for themselves. I guarantee you’ll fall in love with Africa and will either never leave or rush back at every chance you get!

I will be volunteering with a small organization which i am now part of (see my previous post for more info on the organization) Who work hard to help orphanages and widows/elderly in Kumasi (and hopefully by God’s grace, other parts of Africa when the funds become stable) So i will be flying out on February to take part and do my bit to help out and try and raise as much awareness and gather funds/clothes etc to donate to the orphanages. I will try my best to find time to post more and post some photos and stories along the way. Thanks to everyone who actually takes the time to read my VERY long posts lol My idea from the beginning is to change peoples negative views on Africa and see the positive sides to Africa and through my own experiences and knowledge i hope i can show people that there is more to Africa than what the media will show you. I hope everyone gets the chance to go out to Africa and experience the wonderful continent for themselves 🙂 I promise you’ll want to go back! Great music, food, fashion, people and sights to see!

I also want to say thanks to all my wonderful friends i have met from all over Africa. I honestly don’t know where i would be without you all. I don’t always have time to come online but when i do and i see the wonderful emails and comments from everyone it makes me so happy knowing that my message is getting across to some people and seeing how much they admire my passion for Africa. So thanks my lovely friends i love you all :*

Life in the village (Achiase, Ghana)

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Oyinbo African Abeni

This post may seem a bit random but after returning from Africa it got me thinking about where exactly i want to settle in Africa. Not “which Country” but which type of place in that country. In the City or in the Village?

I have always and will always be a fan of villages and always wanted to experience life in one, But after returning from Ghana i think i am now 100% sure i want to settle in a village. I experienced life in many different parts of Ghana like Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi, koforidua Akim Oda etc and got a feel of how different life is in each part. Yes there is a lot of similar things in all of the regions, like Hawkers or types of food etc BUT standers of living is defiantly a little different in each region.

For Example, In Accra, it is more what i would call “modern” which is more for people who like the modern way of life, i am not saying there is anything wrong with that but for me, it doesn’t suit me well. Now, as for places like Kumasi, It is also kind of “modern” but VERY busy and a lot of things going on so it sometimes seemed way to crowded and busy for me. some may love it like that but i’m not so much a “city” girl.

Now, on the other hand, When i arrived in the village “Achiase” i felt perfectly at home. I grew to learn more about my self in Ghana than i expected. I learned that even though life in the village isn’t as easy going as the city life, I still preferred it to the cities of Ghana. I knew when i got to the village that it was exactly what i had been waiting to experience. Nice peaceful lovely villages. The power in Achiase village was not always on and the water does not run so its “bucket baths” and no power on most days hehe which was all part of the experience and i would happily trade my life in the UK to go back and live like i did in the village.

Taking a stroll in the village

Cute Ducklings walking around in the village with their mum 🙂

Lovely Friendly people letting us shelter inside their shop until the rain stopped 🙂

The Market in Achiase Village

My sister and i in the village with the kids who lived opposite us.

Something i also enjoyed in the village was how fast the locals get to know you and become almost like your friends. With in just a few days of visiting the village markets and shops, the locals already remembered who i was. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming in Ghana and if you are looking for a nice peaceful place to go, then the villages are perfect. I also felt extremely safe and comfortable walking around the village by my self. It is so lovely taking strolls along the village without all the rummage of the city around. I also loved at night in the village just looking up at the stars in the sky, which by the way, look so beautiful and clear in Africa WOW! it was amazing to see. Including the fire flies at night too!

I am planning to Return to Ghana this year and will be out their for one year and i am very much looking forward to getting back to the villages. My advice to people who judge villages based on the lack of resources is, Try it before you knock it! Villages are not what people judge them to be, They are lovely peaceful friendly places to be and don’t forget, you are not in a box with nothing surrounding you. You can always take a drive into town if you need something that you cant already get in your village. Or you can always find work out side your village if it is work you are worried about.

I cannot wait to get back to Africa and experience life in the village for longer this time.

Thanks for reading and thanks SOOO much for all the views and lovely comments so far. i’M really overwhelmed ! 🙂

Returning from Ghana

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Oyinbo African Abeni

So as most people know, I was on a trip to Ghana and just returned. A Lot of people have been asking me when i will post my experiences on my blog so ill start off with a small post to let everyone know how my trip was.

First of all i have to say, I MISS GHANA!!! As soon as i got home i felt like crying. Going to Africa was really as great as i expected it to be. Ghana is a beautiful country full of wonderful people. The moment my foot stepped off the plane into Ghana i could smell the heat and air of Africa!! it was the best feeling ive ever felt in my life! I landed and it was lightly raining which made it even better for me because i love the smell of the rain..

I traveled to many different parts of Ghana, i will gradually post individual post about each place i visited. So for the mean time i would just like to let everyone know that i have the best time of my life and i STRONGLY suggest people to go to Ghana and experience life there.

I am planning my return to Ghana this year to do volunteer work as i have always wanted to do that but now i am even more sure about it after visiting villages and areas where volunteer workers are. I can see how happy they are there and i also feel i am going to love working in Ghana and helping the best way i can.

Below are some pictures from my trip. I have loads and loads of pictures. you can see all of them on facebook by adding me from the “follow me” page. I will also be adding some of the pics here as time goes on.