A little history...

Hey, everyone! Miles and I thought it would be a great idea to have a blog that our family and friends could follow while we embark on the experience of a life-time, or at least of our lives so far. Enjoy, and if you have any questions, just email us or leave a comment!

So, here we are a couple of days before we’re leaving for the great nation of Ghana. I have learned over the past two months working at Tops that many people either: a) do not know where Ghana is located, b) have never heard of Ghana, or c) have some knowledge of Ghana. In case you fall into one of these three categories, I’ll give you the low-down on the country we will be living in for about five months.

Ghana is a West-African nation that lies along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea.
(The highlighted area is Ghana)





Like nearly every other African nation, Ghana has a history of colonization. First colonized by the Portuguese in the late 1400s, Ghana was put on the map as a prime location to find gold, thus giving Ghana its later name of “Gold Coast” given by the British. Dutch colonizers joined the Portuguese in the late 1500s also in search of gold. By the late 1800s, Ghana was a British colony, exploited for its raw materials and, sadly, human labor. Over time, Ghana became one of the main export locations of slaves. Several ports where slaves were shipped out to sea can still be visited today at sites such as Elmina Castle, where slave exportation was so brutal the presence of the castle itself ensures that no one will forget the misery and inhumane practices of the slave trade. Finally, in 1957, Ghana gained independence, the first Sub-Saharan African nation to do so and create a fully-functioning democratic government in the continent. For the past fifty years or so, Ghana has experienced great stability (which is sometimes hard to come by in African governments), change, growth, and happiness. If you would like to discover a more in-depth history of Ghana, this website offers one that is quite comprehensible.

On a more personal note, it truly is an honor to have this opportunity to travel to a country such as Ghana. Though I have not experienced it yet myself, I have not heard any complaints about the culture, people, or even the food of Ghana, and am very excited to learn as much as I can while I am there. Oh, and school will probably be fun, too….