Kayleen Travels

when I have the time in the morning is to cut up fresh fruit--pineapple, oranges, grapefruit--and fill a cup with the slices and the excess juice. Then I fill the rest of the glass with either pink grapefruit juice or another fruit juice. And it's delicious.  Fresh, organic fruit...  One of the perks of Ghana life. 

Yesha and I on Thanksgiving. She is so precious I can hardly handle it!

Ghanaians do not celebrate Thanksgiving. But lucky for me, Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday of the year for the American-Ghanaian family I live with! This is how we celebrated Thanksgiving: The table set up--beautifully done! I love the kente style tablecloths.  Some music before we start :-) Dressed and ready for our skit! Kai, playing one of the Native Americans (and looking pretty intense and serious in this picture) put the skit together. She did an amazing job.  Baf played the King.  And... ACTION! The cast :-) Volleyball, a family favorite :-) Line up and get your food, it's time to eat!!!! Everyone worked really hard to put this together. I am talking weeks of planning and preparation.  What I ate: macaroni and cheese, collard greens, salad, pork, barbecue chicken, and stuffing. For desert I had coconut cake and the best banana pudding if my l...

Africa is three times the size of the U.S. and is the only continent to be in all four hemispheres.  Ghana is the country closest to the geographical coordinates 0,0. Africa is the only continent to experience all six seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter, wet, and dry season. In some parts of Africa it even snows.  The Akan people, a major people group of Ghana, were one of the world's earliest civilizations. You can find them in your bible in Genesis 36:27 as descendants of Esau.  Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence from colonial rule. Ghana gained independence from the British on March 6, 1957. The word "Ghana" means Warrior King.  The name of Ghana's currency, the cedi, means "cowry shell," which was once used as money.  Ghana is nicknamed The Gold Coast. It is one of the top producers of gold in the world.  Ghana is also one of the top cocoa producers. Think about that the next time you eat a Snic...

Ondessa is on the left, and that is Yesha on the right :-). Yesha has been asking me for days if she can do this! Thanks for the new do ladies ;-)

Excuse me while I panic. 

In Ghana you are named after the day of the week you were born. I was born on a Tuesday so my name would be Abena (pronounced AH-ben-nah). Here are the other names and what they mean: SUNDAY: Kwasi (male) or Esi (female).  Comes from the word "kwasiada" which means the day KWA (the Creator) descended. It refers to the first day of Creation in the bible.  MONDAY: Kwadwo (male) or Adwoa (female). Pronounced KWA-jo and AH-jo-ah.  It means Lord of Life Firmament Day and refers to the second day of Creation in Genesis 1:6-8. TUESDAY: Kwabena (male) and Abena (female).  Comes from the word "benada" which means the day land appeared. Genesis 1:9-13.    So I am basically earth day! WEDNESDAY: Kwaku (male) or Akua (female).  "Wukada" or "Wikuda" which mean sky grouping day. Refers to God grouping light together into the sun and stars in Genesis 14-19.  THURSDAY: Yaw (male) and Yaa (female).  Pronounced YOW and YAH.  From the word "Yawoada." Ya...

My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. by Coretta Scott King (An intimate look at Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights movement through they eyes of his widow, Coretta Scott King) I was hooked from the beginning. In the first chapter Mrs. King talks about a favorite sermon her husband used to preach (he was a minister before he was a leader of the Movement). The sermon was based on a passage in Revelations about the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven, its length, breadth, and height being equal (Rev 21:6). The city, Dr. King preached, was complete in all its dimensions whereas the troubles of this world were due to incompleteness.  Each dimension--length, breadth, height--represents a dimension of our lives. The first dimension of a complete life, according to Dr. King, is the development of the self and the fulfillment of one's purpose. That is the length of a person's life.  The second dimension is the concern and care of our fellow man. Reaching out. ...

The door to my living quarters: The living room in my living quarters: Backyard/laundry room:

I will miss you, Mel. Enjoy your next adventure.  Keep your head up Keep your heart strong Keep your mind set Keep your hair long  -Ben Howard

Obruni (means white person) White Lady American woman Baby Girl Baby Doll Obama's Daughter Love Queen AMERICA! This used to be a very confusing and frustrating ordeal for me. First of all, it is exhausting to stand out all the time. I hated that I couldn't walk anywhere without getting a lot of attention. Second, I was very aware of the history of Ghana, how the people have been indoctrinated to believe that the white race is superior (a consequence of colonialism). I noticed how the Ghanaian people idealized white people, and it made me extremely uncomfortable. I didn't really know how to respond to it, and I was afraid of perpetuating this false idea that white people are more civilized, more intelligent, and more beautiful.  I should also note that back in 2010 I lived in a building designated for college freshmen. That means I was surrounded by obnoxious 18-19 year old boys. I began to associate the names I was called with sexual harassment. So whenever I was shouted at...

The receptionist is pleasant and helpful.  The room has a fan.  The bed has a sheet.  Curtains cover the whole window and not just part.  There is electricity and a few electrical outlets.  The room is not overpriced.  The most expensive room is not the only room available.  The shower head works and the water is running.  There is toilet paper in the bathroom.  It is easy to access a taxi from outside the hotel.  Coffee in the morning.  On that note thank you to Victory Hotel in Wli Falls. You had all of these things! Best hotel experience in Ghana to date.  (Our room at Victory Hostel, 35 cedis a night or $16 USD)

Fufu is a favorite dish among the Ghanaian people, and it is one of my favorites too. Rita, an employee at Victory Hotel in Wli Falls, was kind enough to cook it for Mel and I and let us watch the process.  Rita peeling plantain, which she will add to the cassava. Cassava is similar to potatoes. After the cassava and plantain are peeled and chopped, Rita will boil them to soften them.  Next, the plantain and cassava will be pounded into a pulp.   As the cassava/plantain is pounded, Rita continues to add water and mold it. The pulp is transformed to a dough-like substance.  The fufu is the rolled and shaped into a ball.  The dish is almost complete! All it needs is the soup and the meat. Finished! Fufu with eggplant soup and chicken.  Bon appetit! Fufu is meant to be eaten with your hands. Use your forefinger and middlefinger to scissor off a portion of the fufu and eat! Also, don't chew ...

On Monday, November 11, Mel and I took a tro-tro from Accra to Hohoe (a 4-5 hour trip). From Hohoe it was another 30 minute tro-tro ride to Wli Falls where we stayed until Wednesday morning.  Wli's greatest attraction is their waterfall, which is the tallest in West Africa and the main water source to the community. You can hike to the upper falls and see them from the top or you can hike to the bottom of the falls where there is a pool of cool, fresh water. Mel and I went to the lower falls. On our hike we saw plants such as pineapple, banana, cacao, cola nuts, coffee beans, and more. Once we reached the falls we went swimming and we were even able to go underneath the falls! Only it was no shampoo commercial--the pressure and the mist literally took our breath away--we could only stand to stay under there for maybe a minute. We had such an incredible time. Unfortunately I have no pictures--they are all on Mel's waterproof camera. We heard there were caves in a nearby village ...

Australian. Ghanaian/Nigerian. American.  Two of my closest friends from two different parts of the world. Don't try to tell me life's not beautiful.