It was…
It was the drum circle of Native West Africans welcoming Semester at Sea to Ghana,
It was the first initial walk through the markets of Takoradi,
It was being able to take ten steps and smell dead fish, chocolate, and fruit all at different times,
It was Fufu, a local Ghanaian dish, consisting of cassava (which somehow translates to yam in their language), SPICY soup (I’m talking almost straight up Tabasco), and two pieces of chicken,
It was celebrating my professor, Jeffery Kottler’s, 60th birthday by cheersing local beers, Club, (I learned that in the native language they say, “Watama” instead of,”Cheers.”)
It was learning that Club Beer of West Africa is brewed at the first brewery running brewery in Africa,
It was meeting Justice, and first realizing how incredibly kind the people in Ghana really are (In Western culture, when someone is extra nice to us we assume there is a reason behind it, but in Ghana, everyone is just nice for the simple fact that they want to know you, they want to have a conversation, they want to be friendly),
It was visiting with Dean Dan Garvey, and discussing our upcoming golf outings throughout the world,
It was packing twenty-five SAS kids in the back of a pick up truck and riding to the port entry to find somewhere to watch an American Football Game,
It was watching the Packers WIN THE SUPERBOWL at Oceans Bar in Takoradi, Ghana,
It was the cute local Ghanaian, who promised to come to Wisconsin to marry me,
It was Monday morning’s first four hour-long van ride, with 23 people in one van, to Accra, the capital of Ghana,
It was learning that these vans will not leave to go anywhere until they are full to maximum capacity,
It was finding Nicholas Siepor, Kofi’s uncle, by only a name and a phone number (whom we had never met and had no idea what the next few days were going to bring),
It was the second packed van ride (this one had 24 people and was 1.5 hours) to Tema,
It was the taxi ride to the Tema Fishing Harbour,
It was Nicholas’ quiet attitude yet simple and apparent excitement to show us around his home country,
It was the fear in the back of our minds, of not knowing what we had really gotten ourselves into,
It was the six security checks we had to go through to simply walk the harbor (we had to have a meeting with the head of security and every security man after that along the 500 yard harbor),
It was the men asking us which day of the week we were born on, and learning that every day gives you a different African name (Friday=Kofi),
It was the beautiful women carrying the heaviest things atop their heads,
It was the same beautiful women carrying babies on their backs, by a sheet of fabric wrapped around them, usually matching their outfit,
It was the taxi ride through the village of Tema New Town, where Nicholas lives and works.
It was the happiest of children at the Manhean TMA Primary School where Nicholas is the headmaster, who were so incredibly excited to see us,
It was the introduction to all six classes of kids thrilled to meet us,
It was also learning that there are many kids that still do not attend school in the village, where parents often do not think education is important, which results in alcoholism and high teen pregnancy rates,
It was Michael Accapu, a deaf boy who did not go to school for a very long time, but now is Nicholas’ helper.  He has come a long way in his education, but still is held back because he cannot attend class like an average student,
It was the “good washrooms” we were privileged to use, which consisted of old urinal looking things with holes in bottom and into the ground,
It was the shower that I don’t believe I need to even explain after the toilets,
It was the phenomenal hospitality in Tema New Town Village in general,
It was the amazing meal the Nicholas and his wife, Margaret cooked for us (it was rice and a stir-fry-ish topping, not exactly sure because we ate outside and couldn’t really see in the dark [we didn’t ask questions, we just ate]),
It was the electricity that only comes on after 8:00pm,
It was the equally as amazing breakfast, fried egg sandwiches and hot cocoa,
It was the trip to Premprem, and witnessing, first-hand, the site where Kofi is planning to build a school, and talking to Kofi on the phone while I was stading on the soil of his home village,
It was the bus ride to Accra (a bigger bus but, still, shoulder to shoulder with people),
It was the welcome drum performance by Natty and a few others who called themselves Kofi’s brothers,
It was watching a new friend sew me African style pants just like his,
It was the incredible conversation with Tannor, my new friend from Ghana, who shared with me all the beautiful sights to see in Ghana,
It was realizing I want to come back,
It was learning of mutation, the idea that all people started from black, African people, and mutated to white as they moved west and north,
It was the invitation to the reggae fest taking place on Wednesday night,
It was even Mel getting sick, feverish, and announcing that she may die in minutes (a little over reaction of heat stroke),
It was the next packed van ride, I say packed because I was not aware 31 people could fit into one van… but Yes, 31 people can.
It was getting out of that van to jump right in another one for yet another four hour long bus ride back to Takoradi,
It was stepping on the ship at 9:45pm and realizing the MV Explorer is saving water, and that the water was to be turned off at 10:00pm,
It was meeting Joe on the walk to the bus station Wednesday morning, and viewing his (and numerous others) African paintings,
It was standing up on a surf board and riding my first wave,
It was Joseph the Lobster man who caught us fresh lunch at Busbu Beach,
It was doing gymnastics with a couple little African kids (I flipped two little boys about fifty times each),
It was the thirty Semester at Sea learners working with the Ghanaians to pull in a fishing net by two crazy long ropes,
It was the hassle of getting ten kids a bus ride back, and with the help of my new friend Eric, it ended up going very well (after two hours of waiting and calling random Ghana numbers),
It was trying to pick and choose 50 things to tell you about to rightfully describe the natural beauty, the sincerely kind people, and the countless memories of Ghana, West Africa,
That made my time in Ghana a life-changing and absolutely incredible experience!