A Small 'Taste' of the Culture

           

   One of the most interesting aspects of Ghanaian culture is the food. Ghanaians have managed to do rice in more ways than one—and they’re all delicious. My favorite rice variation is probably jallof rice, which is essentially rice boiled in a tomato-based stew. It sounds kind of strange but the rice soaks up all the spice and flavor from the stew making it delectable.

Among the more exotic dishes are Kenkey and Banku. Both of these dishes are mainly cornstarch and are prepared very similarly. What’s amazing is that the only difference in their preparation is how long the starch is stirred with water. This very subtle difference makes these two dishes taste very different but both are equally delicious. Kenkey isn’t stirred as long, so it tends to be thicker. It is usually served with ground pepper, onion, and some type of fish. The Banku on the other hand tends to be softer and is served with different types of soup.

My favorite dish, however, is a dish called Fufu. The fufu itself is nothing more than a special type of dough. At first glance it resembles pizza dough but it is very different in both texture and certainly taste. It is made traditionally by grinding cassava and plantains. I was lucky enough to watch the process and it requires two people to work intricately in-sync. One person must use a giant pistol and mash the two ingredients together in a large wooden bowl while the other person turns the flattened dough over in the time that the other person has lifted the pistol. For those who want to enjoy fufu without the arduous labor can just by flour at a local store and bake it sort of like a cake. Either way, it is delicious and served with different types of soups. My favorite soup though is groundnut (a ‘knock-off’ peanut) soup.

While the cuisine is great, the sights are even cooler. In addition to the cape coast castle I went to on week one, I was able to visit the military museum in the middle of Kumasi. The museum itself is the castle that the British built in the middle of Ghana’s Ashanti region to defend themselves from Ashanti forces. Inside the castle, is house to thousands of artifacts from Ghanaian, British, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, and Japanese military endeavors. It’s amazing to think of how much history of the country is influenced by so many different world powers. I was learning about Ghanaian history but it really felt like a lesson in world history.

On a less educational excursion, the other interns and I were able to go up to the countries northern regions to go to Mole national park. It’s a reserve, owned by the government, which is home to much of Ghana’s wildlife. I saw a wide variety of wildlife that unique to the continent that I will never be able to see anywhere else. Most of the animals I saw were during the day tour I went on. However, the night tour was incredibly special because the lack of light pollution makes the sky look like a planetarium. I’ve never seen so many stars at once and, needless to say, it was absolutely beautiful. If you ever consider coming to Ghana, Mole National Park is a must see.

I was also able to go to a local village by the park. Ghana’s northern region is vastly different from its southern areas. Literally everyone in the village was a farmer and they each specialized in certain crops. Also within the village, I got so see different, more domestic specialists. For example, there is one lady who makes shea butter from scratch. When the shea farmers come with what they have reaped, she makes enough shea butter for the entire village. There was also a medicine man that concocts local medicines from local herbs in the area. I was baffled at how these people were so self-sufficient and divided labor within the village so strategically.

Hopefully it is clear by now that Ghana is a country teaming with culture. The crazy thing is that all I have just said barely captures all the awesome aspects of these people. My time here is almost up but hopefully I can delve deeper into the immense ocean that is Ghanaian culture before I go.

WanderLost

I only know how to get home if I sit on the left side of the bus. 

After two weeks, my brain has successfully registered landmarks on the left side of the street, but none on the right. So when all the seats on the left were full tonight, I missed my stop. Someone once told me that, genetically, women have a weaker sense of direction because of centuries of natural selection. In my case, I think it’s a mix of Darwin and an abismal data roaming plan. People who talk about the romance of traveling and fulfilling your wanderlust never tell you about the feeling of being hopelessly and entirely lost. They don’t tell you about being stranded in the wrong neighborhood without internet or call service, or about long nights in empty bus stops. They don’t tell you about loneliness.

Brazilian public transportation has been an exercise in everything Oprah would approve of: patience, humility, and acceptance of mediocre hygiene for the sake of a cultural experience. But mostly, it’s been a lesson in letting go. The advantage of speaking the local language is moot if you have no idea where you are or where you’re going. And for someone who has always sought to have a firm grasp on situations, that’s absolutely terrifying. It’s terrifying to cede total control to erratic bus lines and Verizon’s international data plan, and it’s terrifying to be a minuscule blue pulsating dot on an enormous map that won’t load. Back home, I have a medium-sized car and a GPS that keep me insulated from the minimal mayhem of a suburban town. Here, I have my feet and a beach on the east. And I am tiny.

I think traveling leaves us exposed and vulnerable. It throws us in the chaos of our weaknesses and laughs as we stumble our way through. And when we get comfortable on the left side of the bus, it throws us in the opposite direction. I think the true poetry of traveling isn’t in the views or the food or even the people you meet; I think it’s in those moments when you get lost. Because being lost means coming face to face with your smallness. It means that, in that moment, you belong absolutely to that city and to those people. And in a way, that’s liberating.

(I’m still grabbing a seat on the left side of the bus tomorrow, though.)

First Impressions...Kind of

            It is probably more conventional to write my first blog post after the first week here. That way I can probably capture what I truly thought were my first impression of Ghana. Yet, I feel that the description I would’ve given, at that time, of this beautiful country would only focus on the shallow differences instead of differences one can only observe by engaging in the culture.

            After being here for 3 weeks, what I truly think makes Ghana the country that I see before me are the people that inhabit it. One thing that I’ve observed is the multitude of different people that exist within this rather small country but how they still all seem to hold the same strong set of values. Everyone, no matter his or her specific ethic niche, is always friendly to one another and is always ready to assist their neighbor. What I find more striking is that Ghanaian people seem to do this, not out of some external obligation, but more of an internal drive to be hospitable toward one another. I really cant explain the phenomenon, but it really creates a unique, communal atmosphere that I don’t think I can find anywhere else.

            Aesthetically, the country is beautiful and their national landmarks hold, within them, tremendous history. I’ve had the opportunity to visit some of these places (Cape Coast Castle) and really dive into the culture, but I hope to venture to other parts of the country and immerse myself further into the culture here. I have another 4 weeks to do that, so hopefully I can talk further about the amazing aspects of Ghana in due time. J

Singapore Encounters: Food

( I've never written a blog from a first person perspective before, so apologies in advance if the writing is choppy/unrefined)

Encounters During My Travels In Singapore: Food

                   As I move into my 4th week in Singapore (of my 8 week overall), I believe that it is time for me to reflect on my experiences thus far. Time has passed incredibly quickly here, faster than I could've imagined in all honesty. However, it has certainly not been a negative thing to have time pass so quickly. I have been hard at work at my internship and enjoying the local happenings.

                  One of the most important priorities I have is eating. No, seriously. Whenever I travel to somewhere that is not that US or that I have not visited before, I make it a point to eat at least one thing per day that I have not had before. This was not difficult in Singapore in the slightest. Singapore is a melting pot of different ethnicities and cultures, and with these different peoples comes diverse foods. 

                 I have become quite an Dim Sum enthusiast , ranging from the classic Char Siu Pau (Barbecue Pork Bun)  to more unique foods with nuanced ways of eating them such as Xiaolongbao (Soup Dumpling). 

               Aside from Chinese cuisines as well, I have had plenty of more regional cuisines such as Indonesian and Malay foods. The most common dish I have had by far is Prata, which is a Malaysian food that is effectively a pancake, but approximately ten times better. Prata is a fried pancake that is more crepe than pancake, and is cooked with either eggs, cheese,banana, chocolate, or meats such as deer or mutton inside. It is also served with curry or dhaal. Delicious. Especially at 2 AM. 

                There are also lots of interesting beverages to be had. Fresh sugarcane juice is a real treat, especially since Singapore is boiling hot all the time from sunup to sundown. They literally press the sugarcane through a machine in front of you, and then serve the strained juice to you in a cup. Another drink that has been pretty fantastic is Bandung, which is rose syrup and condensed milk. And the list goes on and on.

                Another interesting thing that I have noticed is the vast price differences in foods that are away from the more intensive and financially busy parts of the city. near my hostel, a plate of Prata and some iced coffee will go for about four and a half Singaporean dollars (about 3.4 USD). In a mall in the center of the city, a tiny wrap and a small canned drink goes for about 10 Singaporean dollars (7.5 USD). In essence, the differences in the price of food are really noticeable. Of course, compared to the price of food overall in the US, these prices are incredibly cheap. However, it is simply interesting to note that the more commercial as opposed to residential zones have really high markups in their food. 

            Anyways, I hope this blog was interesting. I am not a very big photographer so I haven't really taken a lot of food pictures, but I'm attaching a picture of me at a burger place so you kind of have a vague idea of my style/what I look like. 

Look for my other posts in the future. 

Best,

Cem

Travels in Taichung!

I have been in Taichung for about a month now (sorry about the delay in starting this, I have a terrible memory). I have been having an amazing time! I have been teaching English, reading, and science in an elementary school here and the kids couldn't be more excited! They love to ask questions about the US and how I like Taiwan.

In the English class I have put together a powerpoint about the US, my hometown, and Yale! They are very interested to see how their life differs from mine, but also how it is similar. Here are two of my adorable sixth grade classes!

For the reading classes, I have three different English picture books, one for first and second grade, one for third and fourth grade, and one for the fifth and sixth grade. I read to them, and then they read along with me and ask about words they do not know or what objects in the pictures are called.

I haven't had any science classes yet, but I will next week, and I am helping the older kids create science fair projects! This was my host's idea since she noticed during her time in the US that many kids in the US participate in science fairs, but it is not as common in Taiwan. I plan on teaching them about the scientific method, doing a short hands-on science activity with them, and also teaching them how to put together a poster board presentation for their own project!

Sorry again this is so late, but I've been having so much fun here in Taiwan!

Michelle Lapadula
ES '18