Day 21/22: Last day in Ghana - Surfing & More

Saturday - August 28, 2021

Today is our last day in Ghana. We woke up where it all began - the Airport Inn in Accra. Over breakfast I pitched the idea of going surfing and at the last minute we changed our plans for the day to make it happen! You have no idea how excited I was at the prospect of going to the beach. A week earlier we took a morning stroll on the sandy beach in Accra, although it was not the same as the beaches back in California, I was instantly reminded of the ocean's magic. I was at ease just hearing the sound of waves, and I was stoked to experience the ocean's calmness one more time before heading back to city life in Baltimore.

Before we could make it to the beach we had a few last minute errands to run, one of which could make or break our flight home - a COVID test. 4 out of 6 of us had received negative COVID results via email, while Spencer and Christina had received zero communication from the lab.

Note: Spencer is the self proclaimed luckiest team member, while Christina is the self-proclaimed unluckiest. What does it mean that THEY were the one's to be left without COVID results? Is their luck balancing out?

Not wanting to wait any longer to see if their results would magically appear in their email inboxes we drove back to Ghana University to track down their results. About an hour later the lab finally found their test results, which had some how gotten lost in their system, and printed out physical copies (both negative!). With 6 negative COVID results in hand, we were on our way to the beach!

It was early afternoon by the time we hit the road and traffic was, well, a thing. Car rides in Ghana, even in traffic, are fascinating. When traffic comes to a halt, (mainly) women balancing various goods on their heads walk in between lanes selling whatever it is they have. Some are selling water (it appears to be one the most sold items), snacks, car gadgets, most small household goods, and even face masks. Mini buses, like our own, crawl beside us but instead of 6 people the other vans are filled to max capacity with at least double the number of people headed to work or back home. Street vendors line the side of the roads and people are gathered buying things and food. All of this is to say, there is so much to see even when stuck in traffic.

We made a left turn off the main road heading out of Accra and as we crested a hill the ocean came into view! Phewf! I was starting to get nervous that with all the traffic we wouldn't have enough time to go surfing before needing to get to the airport.

Christina, Summer, and Rebecca opted to hang out on the beach enjoying snacks and drinks in a cute restaurant bungalow while Spencer, Joshua, and I (Janis) were whisked away by Mr. Bright. Mr. Bright is the owner of the surf shop and our instructor for the afternoon. His shop was lined with boards and epic surf photos from all over the world. We were handed long boards and orange jerseys that made us look like a line of traffic cones out in the water. I later learned Mr. Bright's first name is Bret and he is a Brit. More than 25 years ago he went on a surf trip to Ghana inspired by the legendary movie Endless Summer and the rest is history.

We bounced around in the white water, the part of the wave that looks like foam after it has already crashed. This is where beginners generally start to learn how to stand up and balance without having to worry about timing too much. The water was warm and we all had a huge smile on as we soaked in the sun and played in the ocean. Spencer and Joshua quickly started to hop up on their boards and boogie board in. By the end Spencer was standing up and none of us wanted to go back in. I must have said "one more wave" at least a half dozen times before we caught one final party wave (sharing a wave with your friends is called a party wave). As someone who used to surf frequently it was thrilling to be back doing what I love and even better to be sharing it with my teammates! Joshua and Spencer came out of the water so energized and eager to go surfing again! The stoke levels were high across the entire team.

A quick shower from the hotel's well and we hit the road one last time. I spent the drive watching the world pass by as I reflected on our trip. My thoughts kept coming back to the incredible people we met during our trip. From our collaborators, to our drivers, to the short interactions with locals - everyone we met added to the depth of our experience in Ghana. We are heading home with a plethora of to-do lists to improve our device and much more clarity on the context of our project. I am grateful for my team and our strengthened friendships that I am sure will only grow stronger over the next year.

I don't have too much to say about our flight home, which is good I suppose. It was an easy red eye flight from Accra to DC.

Thank you for following along on our journey across Uganda and Ghana! We hope to be back in the field later this year, so be on the look out for more blog posts!

- Janis