I know that in my posts I have talked a lot about how amazing Ghana is and how I love it so much, but I don't want to mislead people; Ghana is not a resort. It is still a third-world country and a developing country. It is crazy coming from America which is so advanced to Ghana which is in the beginning stages. I compare it, in my mind of course, to what America was like in the late 1700s, specifically during the time of the election between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. For America, that was a major turning point to see if the democracy was going to work because it was the first time the two party system fought for a place in office. Ghana is going through much of the same thing; they are figuring out what works and what doesn't and praying for the best. Ghana is in their Fourth Republic now and throughout the lectures I have heard many people say that they believe this republic will stick--which is awesome. But there are still a lot of problems.
A major divide is becoming more apparent between the upper and lower class. Markets and houses line the roads, which are in poor shape. People think roads in America are bad?! Roads in Ghana are awful! And a lot of the roads are just dirt. Also, a lot of wealthier people who have very nice houses but electric fences above their walls so people can't climb over them. People who don't have electric fences on top of the walls have nails or shards of glass sticking up all around it. Also, goats and chickens just roam around everywhere. I don't know if they are a free for all, like you want some chicken then catch one, but I highly doubt that. I just don't know how someone could keep track of which one was theirs.
The houses in the village are not that nice either. They are very run down and they look like they would leak if it were to rain. They are very dirty because their is dirt and dust everywhere and most do not have any air conditioning, which is awful here because it is super hot. Their are also a lot of unfinished houses. People begin housing projects but often run out of money. So they stop building for a while and go back out to work and try and earn enough money to finish. A lot of houses can take years to finish because the owner runs out of money over and over again.
The economy is not doing very well either. The exchange rate is $1.00 equals 3 cidis. Good for us tourists, but bad for Ghana.So I just named a lot of bad things about Ghana, so why do I like it so much? Easy.
The people. The children. The families.
Everyone is so nice and welcoming. They are God-loving people who cherish what they have, even if it does not seem like a lot to us. They have a smile that will warm your heart, especially the children. My heart overflows with love and compassion for all of them :)
