Wasting No Time on Day 3

Maadwo (good evening) from Accra on the end of our third full day.

Slowly but surely we are adjusting to the heat and the time change here. However, the group certainly appreciated our 10 AM start time today, and lots of time spent in AC. We spent a majority of our morning in a classroom session inside the SIT program site just steps away from our hotel. Our first few hours we talked with Ama about cultural competencies. Deep discussions were had regarding Ghana's culture and what makes it unique like the impact of religon, ethnic diversity, and the many indigenous traditions. Following a plantain chip break, Ammas came back for a second 'Survival Twi' session. We had basic conversations with each other in the language using phrases such as: good morning/night, how are you, and what is your name. Fun fact: Ghanain's are named based on the day of the week they were born so each of us have identified our own Ghanian name - mine is Abena! (Tuesday born) Red Red (a bean dish) with a side of fried plantains was lunch before our offsite outing for the day. 

We spent the afternoon at McKintorch, a social enterprise focused on sustainability in Ghana regarding plastic waste. As no one drinks the tap water in this country, all water consumed is from either plastic bottles or bags. However, recycling bins are slim pickings resulting in an intense issue in Ghana today. McKintorch is working on addressing the excessive supply of plastic waste with upcycling of plastic bottles through art forms, advocating for sustainable policies, and creating waste recovery programs. We were able to tour the site, hear from the owner, and even partake in our own upcycling activity where we used bottle caps to make travel liquid containers. 

I'm sure you're thinking, "Wow, they've done so much already in only 3 days!" and you're right.  Looking forward to many more group adventures coming up, and not seeing snow :)

- Anna Zwilling