Day 11 (Day 1 for the US team): Halfway across the world

August 17th, 2021

Hi, there! There's a new voice in town and it comes from halfway across the world, in the busy city of Baltimore. Here, on what is day 11 for Spencer and the Uganda team, the US team was preparing for our day 1: departure to our final destination of Accra. This is Christina, and I will be your (somewhat trustworthy?) guide on days 1 and 2 of the US team's journey to Ghana.

The day began with dragging my loaded suitcase across the bumpy sidewalks of the Baltimore streets, ignorant to the fact that the sweat I was experiencing now would be nothing compared to the absolute drenching of my entire body I was soon to experience on the continent of Africa (and yes, I know the future too). The team gathered on the sidewalk and was soon greeted by a giant red bus to shuttle us to Washington Dulles International Airport. In true Christina-style luck, we discovered our first flight to Brussels had already been delayed for two hours. Nonetheless, we boarded the big red bus and took off just as the raindrops began to fall from the dull Baltimore sky.

The rain proved ugly, as, in continued Christina-style luck, our flight was delayed further. We boarded with just enough time to connect in Brussels, with a quick stop in a small airport shop to purchase some Belgian chocolate included. On our hasty walk to the connecting terminal, we met a wonderful Ghanaian woman named Ruth. While she was born and raised in Ghana, she now lives in the United States. Although we hadn't arrived in Ghana yet, she gave us a sense of just how kind and welcoming the people of Accra would be.

Finally, after 3 continents, 2 international flights and 1 (or 2) long long days of travel we arrived in Accra! A little woozy and sleep-deprived from our overnight flights, we deplaned and navigated the long line for COVID testing and customs approval until we were free on the other side of the airport. Well not really free just yet, first we had to figure out exactly how to get SIMs card for our phones and exchange currency. After 30 minutes inside a small cell phone shack just outside the airport doors, we had working phones, still no Ghanaian dollars, and confusion about exactly how to get to our hotel. But then a Ghanaian man appeared and told us he was our ride. Thankfully, it turned out that he was not lying, and we soon arrived at the Holiday Inn Accra. We embraced with our long-lost teammate Spencer and rejoiced in the fact that we had somehow all arrived, with all of our luggage, in one piece (well, except for Spencer who lost a wheel to his suitcase).

The Holiday Inn Accra is quite fabulous and we enjoyed a buffet dinner, courtesy of Dr. Acharya. I got to try the infamous Ghanaian dish, Fufu, which is (to my understanding) a ball of cassava and plantains that have been mashed together. You place the ball in your bowl and then ladle in some spicy, red tilapia soup over top to enjoy. I accidentally put mushroom soup over the top at first and the chef found this quite amusing. After finishing the mushroom soup, which was delicious, I went back for the tilapia. I was a bit shocked by the spice, but it was also quite yummy! The soup makes the Fufu ball mushy and you can slurp it all up with a spoon. Dinner also included rice and plantains and chicken and fluffy sweet rolls. The bread is different here, it has a sweeter taste that makes it even more addicting than bread in the US. We, of course, saved room for dessert and tried a variety of small items including chocolate pie, red velvet cupcakes, and some gelatin-like cheesecake thing, which, surprisingly, turned out to be the favorite.

Overall, even with Christina-style luck, it was a successful trip to Accra and a nice introduction to the city. Tomorrow, the true work begins and we will meet our guide Sylvester and begin our journey! Pray that the jet lag does not hit us too hard.