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Come to think of it, I never really reflected on my 3-month trip back to Ghana. Aside from wanting a dope place to spend my birthday, I wanted to travel to Ghana and catch up with family, friends, and intern at one of Ghana’s journalism schools. So being as spontaneous as I am, I purchased two round-trip tickets, kidnapped my little sister, and off to Ghana we went! P.S. I didn’t actually kidnap my sister; I politely forced her to come with me on this trip :D.    

On May 21, 2018, my sister and I boarded a South African Airways plane direct to Ghana and came back to the United States on July 21, 2018. It was a very interesting plane ride, which I will discuss later in a future post. 

Upon landing in Ghana, getting out of the plane was truly an experience. We were graciously welcomed to beautiful weather and beautiful people (cue Ed Sheeran’s song here). After so many long and tiring years, it was amazing to see our aunties and uncles. It’s like the heaven gates opened up and God was like “welcome home my good and faithful servant, you made it!”  

Alright, alright, I’ll stop joking around and get to the meat of the post. From the 3-month Ghana trip, it’s just so hard to mention only three takeaways when there were so many lessons, mistakes, and memories to talk about. 

But the three main takeaways that stood out to me can be found below.

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Ghana is Truly Beautiful

I literally cannot stress how truly beautiful this country is. I think if all of the countries held a country pageant contest or something, Ghana would definitely be a tough contender for the crown. This country is absolutely breath-taking.

In future posts, I will be breaking down the different places my sister and I ventured off to while there. Among various low-key places, we went to a lot of places in Accra such as Agboogba, Nyaniba Estate, Dangme, Osu, Tema, and Teshie Nungua Estate. We also visited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park & Mausoleum, Kakum National Park, Cape Coast Castle, Shai Hills Resource Reserve, and Mt. Afadjato and Tagbo Falls.    

Cape Coast, Ghana \\ PC: Josie D.

Family Over Everything

Personally, family means everything to me. Even great friends that I’ve encountered over the years have become part of my extended family. I don’t think I can imagine my life where family doesn’t exist. They provide the foundation for my life, so it was very fitting to go back to my roots of where my foundation began.

While in Ghana, my sister and I visited a lot of aunties and uncles from both our mom’s and dad’s side of the family. Some of the relatives even traveled afar to come and see us. Looking back at it now, those timeless moments felt like dreams in a memory capsule. I am so grateful to everyone for the love, hospitality, and kindness that was shown to us during our 3-month stay.

Family \\ Accra, Ghana \\ PC: Josie D.

Uh.. The Food, Can I Get an Amen?

If I could sneak all of Ghana’s popular food into my suitcase and run away with it, I totally would! There were so many familiar dishes that appeased my tastebuds so comfortably like we never lost touch. There were also other familiar dishes that I’ve heard of but have never tried before.

One of my favorite dishes in Ghana is called fufu and light soup with goat meat. At the restaurant we went to, the chefs cooked the light soup, goat meat, and fufu from scratch and in front of us, so we knew it was fresh when we ordered. 

Fufu & Light Soup \\ Accra, Ghana \\ PC: Josie D.

Another favorite dish of mine while in Ghana was the classic jollof rice. Ever since I was young, this food has always been a staple in my house; but when you actually travel to Ghana and eat it there, it always tastes so much better. The great thing about this dish is that you can add whatever vegetables and meat you want to and call it a day!

Jollof Rice \\ Accra, Ghana \\ PC: Josie D.

Are you thinking of traveling soon? Where are you headed to?

Please share your thoughts below.