The Cutting Room Floor

Below are some videos that we took on the trip that didn't make the blog while we were there. Stay tuned for pictures to come next week!

At the Elmina Castle (a unique paradox of the beautiful ocean, vibrant community, and the haunting reminder of the castle):



Our tour guide Jorge on the final day giving his impressions on our trip and the Ghanaian economy:




Enjoying hamburgers and fries,
Kelley in Ghana 2010

In B-town!

All, we have made it safely to Bloomington AHEAD of schedule!

it's been a great trip, but it feels good to be back to the US. There will be more updates this week as we post pics and vids of our experience. Thanks for traveling with us to Ghana!


Resting after a very full week,
Kelley in Ghana 2010

Cape Coast: Cloth, Castles, and Coconut Grove

This morning we rose and left Accra around 7:30 am and arrived at Cape Coast at 10:30am. First, we attended the Batik Workshop. Here, you select a cloth and then put patterns onto it using wax. After this, the cloth is dyed another color and the patterns show through in the original fabric color. It is a brilliant way to learn about Ghanaian culture (through the symbols we selected). It was also interesting to our group, who discussed ways to improve the workshop's business practices (it took over 2 and a half hours to complete everyone's cloth, we had ideas on how this could be expedited).

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Following this, we visited two of the castles connected with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. We learned of the history of the slave trade in Western Africa and saw firsthand where slaves were kept. This was a very somber and reflective experience for many in attendance. The castles sat perched atop the beautiful coastal landscape, yet housed indescribable horrors. Adding even more to the ironies was the prominence of the churches (usually within yards of the slave dungeons). Below are a myriad of sights from the Cape Coast Castle and then the Elmina Castle.

The slave dungeons were evocative and striking in every way; they smelled, looked, and felt like a different time. One of the main themes we heard at both castles was that it is important to visit and remember these sites. That way, it never happens again. Humanity can learn from the slave trade never to deny others their humanity and to prevent injustices today.

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At the close of the day, our guide Jorge (the most amazing guide in the world, by the way) had African dancers come to our hotel (the scenic Coconut Grove Beach Resort) and put on a show for all of the guests. It was definitely lively! It was also a good way to close out what had been a long day. Below, Salima interviews Vasaundra and Neil about our day.

*Don't worry, we took lots of pics, but we weren't able to load them today. We will have updates with more pics when we return.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Ghana. We leave at 7:00am and have another full day of events before our 3 hour drive back to Accra. Well, you know the drill, time for sleep.. Hello Mr. Mattress, have we met yet?..








Reflecting on the day,
Kelley in Ghana 2010

Cuckoo for Cocoa

Today, we visited the Cocoa Research Institute (CRIG), an arm of the Cocoa Marketing Board. It is an amazing location that is filled with various farms and labs (and even a golf course!). CRIG tests the cocoa crops to make sure they are producing at maximum capacity. Our guide there showed us the entire process from growing to distributing. We also met a group of scientists who employ various scientific methods to see how the plants are responding. Before we left we made sure to buy more of their great chocolate bars, hot chocolate, and other products. Check out the process below - they make jams, soap, and liqours all with the cocoa bean!

After this, we drove a long time to go to lunch. We actually had lunch in a nice restaurant at the Botanical Gardens.

In Ghana, when you have a large group and you order food, it can take a while to make it, so we went to the Woodcarver’s Village, which was a short distance away. Going to the Woodcarver’s Village was a great exercise in bargaining and negotiations. At the market in Ghana you are expected to negotiate the price. Our tour guide let us know that someone will tell you a price and you should never accept that. You always offer something closer to what you are willing to pay.

Some walked away with amazing deals. (Those of note: Jake bargained a carving down from 50 Ghana cedi’s to 20 Ghana cedi’s; Marcus got a painting down from 30 GH to 10 GH; Michael got more than a few things marked down over 50%). For all, it was an exciting way to sharpen our bargaining skills.

Among the entertaining, many of the female students wanted to know what it was like for the Ghanaian women to carry babies on their backs. Below is Aileen giving it a try with the approval of the child's mother.

We closed out the day with some Fan Ice, which is essentially ice cream in a pack. The students say it tastes like birthday cake. This was the last thing we did before we came back to the hotel. We have to pack tonight because we leave for Cape Coast tomorrow at 7:30 am. We are there for an entire day before we return to Accra. We’re all looking forward to tomorrow and learning more about this great country.

Falling for Ghana,
Kelley in Ghana 2010

When Kelley Met Ghana: Day 2

Today was another power-packed day. We began the day by visiting SEND-Ghana, an NGO that focuses on poverty-related research. SEND-Ghana has the goal of using research as evidence when working with the government to improve the rights of Ghanaian citizens. This was a very imformative meeting and helped keep the needs and realities of the Ghanaian people a central focus of our trip.


After that, we visited Cummins-Ghana. Cummins is actually a company that makes and repairs engines in Columbus, Indiana. They are now becoming a major player in the Ghana market through partnerships. While there, we talked with an ex-patriot of England who has been working in Ghana for the last year. He discussed some of the strengths and weaknesses of the market here.

Among the other things of note today was our first trip to the market (the Kaneshie Market, to be exact)! What an experience! Everyone there was so niche. There were so many people selling so many kinds of things. The one we visited had lots of fabrics to choose from. Many of us purchased items there; scarves, clothing, and fabric to be created into clothing later.

Ghana's market really is dependent on the entrepreneurial spirit of it's people. For better or worse, everyone here is selling something. You name it, and it's sold on the streets of Ghana. On our way around town today we saw appliances, food, furniture, cell phones, goats, and coffins shaped like animals (this was an interesting story). View the pictures below to get an idea.

After a hearty lunch at the Abusua Restaurant, we made our final trek of the day to the Cocoa Marketing Board. There, we were greeted by many of the members of this highly influential group. This board is the governing body for EVERYTHING cocoa in Ghana. They are apart of the government and regulate cocoa's production, quality, and trade. Now, a little about cocoa; it is one of the leading exports in Ghana (along with gold and timber), it accounts for $1 billion of the country's GDP (or between 9-11%), Ghana is the second largest cocoa producer in the world.

As we were told there, Ghana is cocoa and cocoa is Ghana. That said, this was a very informative meeting. The knowledge they shared about the role cocoa plays in the economy and the ways it is monitored was eye-opening. This was also a good introduction into our trip tomorrow, where we will learn more about cocoa. Below is a little about what was learned in our time with them and throughout the day from Melissa and Kathryn (interviewed by Salima).

Now it is time to head off to sleep again.. Kind of. The students are going out tonight with some of the University of Ghana students we met last night to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. St. Paddy's in Accra - let the good times roll!






Today we saw purple shamrocks,
Kelley in Ghana 2010

Worth the Wait!

Our first day in Ghana was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

We first went to the United Nations Population Fund (or UNFPA - you're right, the acronym doesn't match the words). There, we learned about what efforts Ghana is focused on in terms of developing ways to support women and children. They focus on areas of education, health, and empowerment for families in Ghana. It was an enlightening experience.


After exchanging our money, we had lunch at Frankie's. This is a restaurant lots of tourists eat at when in Ghana. This was pretty evident by the traditional Ghanaian food served alongside french fries!

After Frankie's, we visited the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana and led it's independence. More video is below from Salima (interviewing Nick and Aileen) and our guide at the mausoleum.

After this, we had a business visit with Databank, one of the largest Ghanaian owned banks in the country. The bank began in 1996 with $25K and now has assets of over $60 million. They are continuing to grow exponentially and have an aggresive plan of growth for the next 5 years. Databank has a strong focus on giving value to their investors. They also are concerned with developing their community. Their four pillars are leadership, excellence, humility, and integrity. This was a very informative and exciting meeting. Databank has positioned itself to be leaders in the emergence of Ghana as a major economic force in West Africa.

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The conclusion of our evening was simply incredible. We got to meet the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Kofi Yanka. Professor Yanka is, for all intensive purposes, the chancellor of the university because the chancellor is the Nobel Peace Prize recipient, former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. Needless to say, Annan's commitments likely leave him unable to run the daily operations of the university.

The highlight of the night (and the trip so far) was dinner. We went to Professor Yanka's home and it was.. it was... I can't even explain it.. see for yourself -

* Later, we found out that we called "coated grain oats" was really "coated ground nuts" or simply coated peanuts. I guess we were over-doing the foreign experience there.

We have another busy day tomorrow and all are looking forward to it. Off to the place where time changes never matter - sleep!

Ready for day two-morrow,

Kelley in Ghana 2010

Kelley Made it to Ghana... In 2010!

Wow, what an adventure it has been already! Sunday, we left Atlanta for Ghana and after two very long flights (approx. 14 hrs to Johannesburg, South Africa and 6 hrs to Accra, Ghana), we have arrived.

Here is a picture and video of our arrival into South Africa - we're all there, safe and excited to be moving onto the next leg of our journey.

By far, the best part of the trip happened just about three hours ago when we arrived in Ghana. It was such a relief to touch the ground in Africa. We met with Jorge, our tour guide, who was energetic and very accomodating. We're now in the hotel which is also amazing - more video on that below from Salima Lalani (who you'll be hearing more from throughout the week).





So, after nearly 60 hours of travel, $35 in food vouchers, and four airport movies (I digress - Sandra Bullock definitely deserved the Academy Award recognition for her refreshing, believable portrayal in the Blind Side - she really made the movie). Sorry - after all that, we're here and it's still spring break! Needless to say, everyone is looking forward to beginning our visits in Accra tomorrow. Well, off to sleep! Yay Ghana!



Hitting curveballs,
Kelley in Ghana 2010







* If I can add one thing, I would just say that Tammy Orahood, our trip leader, has been incredible on this trip. With each diversion or disappointment, she has rounded up the group, explained scenarios, and made sound decisions. Most importantly, she has kept calm throughout what has honestly been a frustrating past couple days for everyone. We are very lucky to have her leading us here, she's been a real superhero. Thanks for getting us here in good spirits Tammy!

Slow and Ready is the Pace

Been a loooong morning. Flights have been delayed due to weather which postponed our morning by nearly 4 hours. After eating breakfast (provided by Delta), we boarded our flight to ATL. From there, we had to make our connecting flight in less than 10 minutes! So we had a group of 24 people running through Atlanta's airport to make the flight to JFK in New York (pictures will come soon!) And guess what? We all made it!

After that adventure, we are now sitting on the plane in Atlanta, catching our breath and grateful to be on our way. Kind of. We have a 2 hour wait before we leave here. Sigh.

However, in an ironic/weird/amazing turn of events, there is a mechanic on our JFK flight who has supplies that have to get to Ghana. Because of him, we are the top priority to get into New York and to Ghana!

Thank you to everyone who has been sending positive thoughts our way. Including our friends on the China blog. :)


Barring the unforseen (which is kind of expected at this point), we should be in Ghana as planned. As of now, we are safe, sound, and ready to move on to the next stop. We will send an update of our journey when we arrive in Ghana. To New York and beyond!!!


Ready to fly,
Ghana 2010

The Fastest Way to a Country's Heart...

...is through it's food!

Last Wednesday, we attended a dinner where we sampled foods from the various Emerging Economies sites this semester: Korea, China, Croatia/Hungary, and of course Ghana (click the countries to read their blogs). The food was delightful, but the conversations at the tables were just as interesting. We were able to discuss some of the real aspects of visiting a country (i.e. what are the people like, what things will be offensive, and is there a good place to get ice cream?).

Overall, the evening was a huge success. Students were able to interact with one another and the chaperones and also gain insight into what the food will be like once we are there. You can hear more thoughts on the night from Vasundhara, Mikaela, and Neil in the video below.

In the coming weeks, the students will have more opportunities to learn about the foreign exchange markets, the international monetary system, and purchasing power parity (try saying that three times fast!). We plan on meeting at least once more informally before the trip to continue getting to know one another and the country. Please leave thoughts, encouragement, or questions here. We are excited about the trip and look forward to sharing more soon. Until next time!

Akwaaba! (Welcome!)

Hello and welcome to the blog for the Emerging Economies trip to Ghana this spring. By way of introduction, my name is Jeremy Gilmore, and I will be your guide on this blogging journey. Along the way, you can expect me to share some of the lessons and insights of our preparation and trip to Ghana. I am an Assistant Director in the Office of Diversity Initiatives and enjoy working with students. This is my first time overseas, so this blog is also my own way of chronicling what the experience was like.

Well, enough about me. Last Wednesday was our first class and in it, Kwesi (our instructor), taught us valuable things about Ghanaian culture. He explained how to greet others through handshakes and proper terminology. He also shared the significance of Akan names (the traditional way of naming children in Ghana). Names, he said, are taken from the day of the week you were born. He asked who knew the day of the week they were born. Not many did. So that was our homework assignment for the week! This week, we are sharing our names and plan on learning more about the Ghanaian people and language. (After some impromptu research, I found out that I was born on a Sunday, which means my name is the same as the instructor.)

After class, there was the chance to get a first response about the upcoming experience. In the following video, Aileen from Fort Wayne, Indiana, is interviewed below about her first impressions and expectations. Enjoy and we look forward to sharing more about our journey as it approaches.