Accra-Tema train adventure

           Accra-Tema train adventurestory by Anita Emefa Hato
On the 4th of July around 4:30pm, my quest for adventure started when I sent my last tweet to my
telling my followers that I had closed from school and it was time to go home...I met an old schoolmate
Diamond at the Tema station in Accra after Rowland, my classmate dropped me off.
It was a long queue, two buses left and we were still in the queue and the thought of boarding the train
home crossed our minds because the traffic on the road was nothing to write home about.
We walked all the way from the Tema station through TUDU to the Train Station in Accra. It was quite
an adventurous walk: walking through moving cars and people, i noticed the pedestrians had taken half
of the road. The filth alone was heart breaking as i saw people queuing to buy food close to these filthy
places, with the policemen&women busily directing traffic...
We found ourselves at the Train Station and I couldn't believe what I saw; the place was such a mess.
May be its because of the down-pour the previous night.
We bought our tickets of GH1.00, walked through an all human security check point: only God knows
what they were checking...
I was shocked to see the Red-Gold-Green painted train that I have been so anxious to get on.
I got on the train and all the seats were virtually taken with peoples bags and tickets lying on the seats
which certain passengers used to reserve their seats while they were no where to be found.
A concerned passenger told us to sit anywhere whether the seats have been reserved or not which
surprisingly turned into a hot quarrel..you don't mess with the Accra market women. Apparently, we
had to stand on the train.
Thinking that the drama was over, I peeped through the window and saw another nerve racking but
serious row going on there. This time round, the argument and story was between a drunk guy and a
down syndrome-woman. Apparently, she had pooped in the open i.e very close to the urinal where
everyone could see so the drunk guy was actually driving this mentally-ill woman with a stick to go
and clear it up...
Personally I felt what the down syndrome-woman did was unpleasant, but the drunk guy pushing and
driving here with a stick to go and clear it up was another thing. Honestly I couldn't judge who was
doing the right thing.
Before I realized passengers on the train were throwing insults at the drunk guy as in why should he be
maltreating or hitting a mentally-ill woman..I realized everyone was sympathizing with the mentally-ill
woman and didn't understand why the guy was trying to get her to clear the poop...lmao
The drama went on and on until it was 5:30pm when the train left Accra and I couldn't believe the
interesting things I saw along the railway.
Among the this I saw were, little children with half or no clothes on, running around and chasing the
train as it passed by. I also saw people rearing cattle on a free-range, urinals situated in stagnant water,
people living in slums with filth, no proper drainage systems, improper disposal of refuse i.e. right in
front of houses or kiosks in which people lived as they were busily preparing dinner in the open.
Honestly I was really amazed at the things I saw...the funniest part of it was when we saw a guy taking
his bath in a wooden structure by the railway which could have perfectly complemented the 'Vaniado
Commercial on TV' about bath tubs..lol... I saw churches with funny names like 'House Of Prayer
Chapel'..etc
It was a fun trip I must confess because I kept asking my friends “ so, have I been missing all this
drama all this while...?”
Finally we got to a stop where lots of passengers alighted and we finally got empty seats to relax on
on...
We got to Tema very early and tired but i was quite an interesting ride home...when we got to the last
stop at Meridian in Tema, my friends and I got off the train and as we were taking some pictures a
policeman approached us asking if we were students, we answered him that we were and he told us not
to pay the train fair the next time we get on board because it is free for students...that was a good tip he
gave us...but umm that means I have to take my student ID card with me anytime I want to board the
train...anyway...!!
We walked through the dark bushes and some junkies till we got to the streets to pick a cab to our
various homes...!!
The railway system in Ghana has just been revived so I do not blame anyone for all these
inconveniences but I strongly suggest something is done about the ticketing,the sanitation at the various
train stations, seating arrangements on the train but i must say this is what makes Accra and I am proud
of my country and proud to be a Ghanaian....

my Trip to the Land of the Morning Calm

My journey to South Korea (the land of the morning calm) was a fantastic one. I was filled with uncertainty during my preparations until I finally found myself there that was when I realized I wasn’t dreaming and everything was for real.

It was raining on that day. My friend, Ama Asare and I were very excited. We were looking forward to having a “blast” and more adventures in Seoul (the capital city of South Korea).

We met other international students from all walks of life and surprisingly we were the only Africans and the first Africans to study in Sookmyung women’s University (SMU) (솜영 여자 대 학요). Honestly speaking, it was a great feeling and we were ready to tell our international friends and the Korean students about Ghana.

We had our orientation and welcome party in time. We registered for our courses in English. Out of curiosity, we took a Korean language for Foreigners Level 1 in other to learn the Korean language, read, write, and understand their culture and to help us know our way around. I will confess it was a wise decision because I personally realized that language and communication is the key to survive when you find yourself in a foreign land.

Lectures started as scheduled. Most of the Korean students were happy to have us in their class. I realized they were a little shy and timid because they were not fluent in English. It made communication a bit difficult. Fortunately for me, body language, gestures and having some of my Korean friends who could speak English interpret from English –Korean and from Korean -English helped me a lot until my Korean language started getting better. The professors were also happy to have us in their class even though their English had the Korean accent; it made teaching and participating in class very interesting and understandable.

In SMU, our classes had 50% practical and theory which made me understand and appreciate the classes I took. There’s also a student attendance mechanism which got me not miss a class. The total number of students in my class on the average was about 25. This helped us a lot because the professors always maintained a close contact with us to ensure we understood everything. The professors maintained a cordial relationship with the students which gave us the chance to be very close to them. We were also given lots of assignments and homework which resulted in me having sleepless nights because I had very close due dates to submit my assignments. It was very challenging for me because I realized that I didn’t have a strong foundation to study computer science in SMU due to the different course structure. It took time for me to adjust and fit myself in. It was worth the stress and hard times I faced academically because I’ve learnt a lot. Honestly, I was praying to have my stay extended in other to finish up there but it wasn’t possible.

On the other hand, in terms of extra-curricular activities, the Korean government did very well by organizing programs for all international students free of charge which helped us to socialize with international students including other Africans studying in other universities in South Korea. It was a great experience for me. I made a lot of friends and I learnt a lot from them. Example of such programs were Leadership Conference for International Students 2010 (LCIS), Sori (소리) music festival, Korail trip, Kimchi(김지) making etc.

In SMU, we had Chungpa (중바) Universaide (sporting activities for international students), I joined the Cultural Ambassador Club and I took part in making Taekwondo(댁워도) video which will be published on YouTube. I also joined and English singing club by name Black Soul Ladies (BSL), I helped in the English lounge by having English conversation with Korean students who wanted to be fluent in English.

We had interviews with various clubs and magazine publishers telling them about Africa, Ghana, our home university (University of Ghana) and they were also concerned about how we were adjusting to things and handling the cultural shocks we were experiencing in their country. We tried to satisfy their curiosity since most of them still think of Africa to be a country instead of a continent, others thought of Africa to be filled with poor and hungry children suffering from diseases, people wearing primitive clothes like tiger skins haunting for wild animals with bows and arrows and many unbelievable perceptions they had about Ghana and Africa as a whole.

We were taught the Korean history, history of SMU and Korean etiquettes which includes eating Korean food, using chop sticks, sitting, bowing, wearing of the Hanbok (한복)Korean traditional dress, how to talk to the elderly, Korean dance etc.

The weather was great. I experienced my first snow and it was amazing. I learnt how to read maps to help me find my way around using the transport system i.e. subway, train, bus and taxi. We visited the traditional palace and lots of places in Korea like the Namsan (남산)Tower from which you can see the whole of Korea and other parts of the world.

 The Koreans are very friendly and hospitable. I was very comfortable, safe and sound to the extent of not wanting to come back to Ghana. I consider myself as a Black Korean and South Korea is my second home now. I have gained so many experiences and I will say it has been an eye-opener for me having seen other parts of the world.

I am forever grateful to the sponsors of this program and I hope other students will get this opportunity to experience better things.

mY dReAm

My dream is to make life and learning easy for Kids and make them happy...
Watching my little sister Nelly grow, has given me the inspiration to do something with the knowledge I have in computer science...
This year, my ultimate goal is to develop a learning tutorial or software for kindergarten kids in other to make learning,conceptualizing and imaginative play easy for them....
I also want to help increase the computer literacy rate for kids...by keeping them to the computers so that they can learn something new all the time...
Give them a reason not to bother mummy.(lol)..
I know it is not an easy task because we are talking about Kids here...our future generation..what they learn from childhood go a long way to affect them. So I'd better be careful and come up with something great for them....
Yes, I can do this...!!
I believe I can...!!
This is my year of break through and to see me walking towards my dream....

1st time

Welcome to the world of blogging....I say to myself..."What a boredom cure"..
Welcome 2011.
Welcome friends & followers.
As the title reads 1st time and we are in a new year, marks the beginning of  good things coming our way...!
Ah well, I'm just going to put my thoughts on board and share what I have and know.
It's going to be based on experiences and what I have learnt from it.
Hope we have a good time together....!