To say that Africa is how I expected it to be is both a lie and a truth.

Truth:
Everyone carries everything on their heads. My host brother, Daniel, merely lifted my 42 pound suitcase an placed it on his head to carry it up 3 flights of stairs.

In addition you see lots of people in very colorful and beautiful dresses and tunics.

The children are all adorable and cannot understand why your skin is the wrong color. Each little kid yells "obruni" and reaches out to touch you. To smile at the child and say "hello" makes them grin right back.

There are goats and dogs everywhere.

There are red dirt roads and termite mounds and huge trees.

There are also bananas, coconuts, and pineapple available everywhere.

Lies

Everyone is not destitute living in huts. However there is a large divide between the have and have not. My host family is a have, with a 3 story house and the children able to attend school. My two sisters just finished university. Our neighbors have 1 floor stone skeleton, rusty tin roof homes- have nots.

The western world has invaded. Everyone carries a cell phone. There are 3 providers. I was even given one so i can cheaply stay in contact with the program and other volunteers.

Everyone travels by taxi. Personally I was expecting bicycles but this is not the case. It it either motorcycles or taxis to get around. They do drive on the US side of the road, which I was not expecting from a British colony.

The food is good! I am not eating a meager portion of gruel. I had jollof rice my first night and the street food is fun! You cannot eat the meat, (but i didn't want to to begin with) but the bread, corn cakes, popcorn, and peel-able fruit (bananas and oranges) are okay.

Did you know that oranges in Ghana are green with whitish-orange insides? Its weird to think lime, but taste orange, especially since its not orange!