A Little About Ghana...

Ghana is a country in West Africa about the size of the State of Oregon. It was a British Colony for quite sometime and therefore the official language of the country is English. However, many people still do speak native languages. The most common of these native languages, from what I have read and been told are Ga and Twi (pronounced "tree"). Ghana lies just north of the equator between Cote D'ivoire to the west, Togo to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. The Atlantic Coast, which borders Ghana to the south, has been known in the past as the gold coast and later the slave coast. In 1957 Ghana received its independence from Great Britain and became the first sub-Saharan African country to gain its independence. Being so close to the equator the climate is hot with temperatures year round between 70 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The capital city (where I will be living and working) is Accra and has a population at roughly 2.5 million people and is on the coast. This year is an exciting year for Ghanaians as they will have a democratic election in December.

I do not know too much more about the country, I have talked with many people about the country and everyone says that the people are some of the most friendly people in all of Africa, which is reassuring. Although I am reading up on the country and its history and culture, I think that the best way to learn about it is to go... so, in two weeks from today, I leave for Africa!

Welcome!

I am a teacher at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield, Illinois. In October of 2007 I applied for a Fulbright teaching exchange and will be leaving on September 1 for Ghana, West Africa. Theodora Kpobi is my exchange partner who will be teaching Modern World History and Geography (my old classes). While in Ghana I will be teaching her classes, Government and Social Studies. Hence, the following blog is a journal of my experiences in Ghana for a year. It is my hope that anyone and everyone can benefit from my experience and I will be able to stay in touch with a greater number of people. More so, this blog may help to get SHG students interested in different peoples and cultures around the world. Thanks for your interest and support as I embark on my Fulbright year in Ghana.