How is Africa?

Africa, specifically Ghana, is unlike anything I could have imagined. What do I say in response to this seemingly simple question? What if I said Africa is good - would that suffice? I think not.

Ghana, after a week, can only be described in a few words to try and make sense of this place. One minute you are driving down the paved road and the next minute the road has turned into dirt. You walk carefully down the street, balancing on the edge of the road and the gutter, for fear of falling and being hit by a taxi. You realize as you're walking down the street that people will shout "Obruni" (white person) and that everyone expects that you are rich. And there is more. More to be discovered, to write about, to be a part of.

This is a photo of the road I live on (my house is the first on the right, but you can't see it). I have been walking every morning to get a taxi and meet up with a couple of friends to ride and then walk the rest of the way to campus. The commute is about an hour. Tomorrow I will go to my internship site, at a school, and will figure out my second commute. There's a lot to learn. But one thing I have learned today from my host mom is - do it yourself (more on that later) and don't trust anyone.