West Meets West

I hope this post meets you well. It's well over due, but with dumsor dumsor (Light on light off) and the melting heat I've been unable to catch a good time or day to blog. It's been two weeks since I arrived in Ghana but it already feels like I've been here a month. I guess time goes fast when you're having so much fun.

Team Ghana is awesome and we've all bonded so well over the first week which sadly ended when we left to work within our businesses which of course is why I'm here.

But let me take you on a short Journey of how I left my humble abode in West Norwood to volunteer in West Africa.

Week 1

On the 24th January, I left for Ghana to volunteer as a Junior Consultant with a small to medium sized enterprise. I must say on arrival, apart from the hustle and bustle at the airport, we were pleasantly surprised when we reached our host home and met our Ghanaian counterparts.

The first week involved learning about business, finance, SMEs in Ghana, Marketing, Consulting  and about our roles within the business. As someone with a background in Law it was great to learn about other disciplines and how they would be implemented into my business over the next 8 weeks. I particularly enjoyed learning about finance which has come to great use within my business.The marketing lecture was also great fun thanks to Mr. Kwesi Dei who gave some 'creative' tips on how to best market our products.

University of Ghana, Team Ghana 

Marketing Workshop

However, the week was not 'all work and no play' and during the week we had a tro tro tour of some key sites in Accra. We visited Osu Castle, Independence square, kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and the Arts Market.

Tro Tro bus ride

Makola Arts Market

Independence Square (Black Star Ark)

On the weekend we visited Labadi beach where part two of the hustle began . Unfortunately, looking like a Ghanaian but sounding British did not make me exempt  from being identified as an Obruni (white/foreign person).

Fizz and myself

Change the world

Food

I actually almost forgot to write this section. I know such a surprise. The food in Ghana has been overall really nice and I've learnt that at the University of Accra 'tea' is a meal on its own, as awkward as it may sound. The other option was white koko which is made from maize , but after having a little taste I figured I wasn't missing out on much.

Nonetheless, I've had a fair share of interesting dishes here are a few :

Fufu with light soup

Banku and shito with pepper and Tilapia 

Chicken, rice, pepper and plantain

KFC

Rice Pudding 

On Sunday, some of us decided to end the week at church with our host uncle, Uncle John. The service was refreshing and ended and started my week perfectly.

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God' Hebrews 12:15

Thailand

Sawadika !!

As I mentioned in my last post I went on holiday this summer to Thailand and Malaysia then finally had a day stop over in Abu Dhabi. So yes it definitely has been a jammed packed summer and it feels weird being back in London having almost nothing to do. Unfortunately my phone got stolen in Malaysia and my laptop died in Amsterdam so I lost my pictures but I do have a few that hopefully capture my time away.

So first stop Thailand... wow it was one hell of a journey but worth it. I left Amsterdam on the night of the 13th June and arrived in Bangkok welcomed by the humid air in the late afternoon of the 14th June. Bangkok was a holiday with an experience! I tried so many new things while there, although the food was a hit and miss at times. We travelled around to most places in the notorious 'Tuk Tuk' which took us from A-Z in minutes. It was cheap, affordable and safe most times.. the only turn off was the various stops the drivers made in which we had to parade in stores looking like interested customers so they could get free tokens for petrol.

Tuk-Tuk

Now being an ethnic minority in Thailand, something which I had not understood the extent of until arriving, is that your exactly that... a 'minority' and immediately the centre stage of attention. Everyone either stares, wants to take a picture or calls you names freely ... Obama, Shakira, Beyonce just to name a few. One of my friends I travelled with lived in China for a year so she was pretty used to this and warned us that this was very usual.  So if your black like myself be prepared.

Food

 I  had some very tasty and some rather unusual dishes while in Thailand . I've been told that I have a belly of an ox and to be honest I can stomach 'almost' anything. One thing that is definitely a delicacy in Bangkok is bugs or scorpions or any other crawling thing they can find... there sold in most markets with pictures prohibited unless your willing to jump the wagon and have a go . So me and my friend decided to do exactly that and have a go. I must say the taste was absolutely horrid we were too scared to try the scorpions so we opted for the small bugs.. Was it worth it ? Yh why not .. would I do it again ? No lol but if you do happen to visit do try some, but have a drink ready at hand.

King Prawn Pad Thai

Green Curry

Soul Food - Chicken wings

Soul Food-  Rice and ribs - the ribs were so tender and fell nicely off the bone

Scorpions

Our facial expression says it all 

Places to visit

Temples

While in Thailand we predominantly stayed in Bangkok which is the capital city. This side of the holiday was therefore not a beach holiday but more what I'd like to call 'exploring Bangkok'. One of the key sites to visit in Bangkok is one of the many Buddhist temples.

Floating Market

Before arriving in Thailand I was very certain that I wanted to visit the floating market and I'm happy I did. The floating market in Thailand is a historical representation of how Thai people used to sell vegetables, fruit etc off small wooden boats. Today it remains largely as a tourist attraction where you can buy food, souvenirs  and explore Thailand by river.

Elephant trekking 

So when we arrived at the floating market we were sold a package that allowed us to go elephant trekking as well. At first I was excited because this was my first time ever going on an elephant or even being up so close. However, once we got on the elephant it became apparent that the elephants weren't treated very well and were forced to stay on track or were beaten with a weapon that sort of looked like an ax.. yes  I hear you say ouch.. The poor elephant screeched out each time and I felt bad that I was sitting on its back and forcing it to go through this. It was definitely an experience and I think I can live with having tried it once.

Sukhumvit

For a night out one of the places to definitely visit is Sukhumvit. Its full of shopping malls, restaurants, bars and clubs and reminded me of London's West end. We came here on two nights and did have a good time. Its perfect for a night out or just to shop. There are loads of one off boutiques with lovely items and at decent prices too.

Outside bar

khao san Road

If you happen to visit Bangkok one of the places I'll advice to visit is Khao san road also know as the 'oasis for backpackers'. If your looking for a cheap hotel there are loads on offer here! There are restaurants, bars and open markets to also visit great for souvenirs and authentic Thai products.

All in all I really enjoyed my stay in Thailand. A great experience for my first taste of Asia.

Geneva

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Geneva as part of my uni course and also as a little city break. One word to describe Geneva is... Amazing... I loved every moment there (aside the rainy days). Lake Geneva, the mountains, the excellent transport link and the friendly and welcoming people makes Geneva one of my favourite cities in Europe thus far, and I will definitely be going back !!

The week started off with sunny spells so I used this to my advantage and explored the city. Like most new places I travel to, I'm never to sure what to expect and the same was for Geneva. However, on arrival I fell in love with the mix of both modern and historical architecture and the cultural vibe of the city. Being a small city Geneva is quite easy to get around and as I mentioned before its transport links are excellent.

Hostel

Geneva is an expensive city and as with all good things there comes a price. As this was a uni trip we were advised to stay in a Hostel based in the center of Geneva called 'City Hostel Geneva'. This was my first time staying in a hostel and I must say the experience was actually good. The hostel provided us with a travel card for our entire stay to get around Geneva, a city map with all the places we could visit and WiFi internet access. I shared a room with a friend (much preferable than sharing with strangers) and the rooms were clean and also the shared facilities. A kitchen was also provided on each floor (which I didn't use) which is an added bonus for those travelling on a cheaper budget or would just prefer to prepare their own meals. On that note I would rate city hostel a 3.5/5, the location is perfect for those who would like to be in the center and also for those looking for a cheaper alternative. 

This is a room for two with a basin and storage space

Things to do

My stay at Geneva was quite eventful. I spent the mornings and afternoons at various institutions such as the United Nations, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), WTO Advisory Center and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

                       

However, in the latter part of the afternoons I took a walk by the lake and the park

I visited the 'Old Town' 

      

The 'unfinished' flower clock 

and one evening I also visited 'Jazz club Sud des Alpes' which is the place to be on a Tuesday night with a live jam session. 

The border of France is about an hour away from the center of Geneva so I decided to take the cable cars up to Saleve Mountain to enjoy the wonderful views. However, I went on a not so good day in terms of the weather but not to worry the experience was lovely. 

Food

There are a few cheap places to eat at in Geneva and one of the places I actually ate at twice was 'Chez ma cousine'. The specialty here are chicken dishes, so if you love chicken this is the place for you. The meal cost 14.90 CHF (Swiss franks), served with half a chicken, potato wedges, salad and some bread. The meal was tasty and the portions were a good size. For desert I had a tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream which cost 9 CHF. Other days I ate at the institutions of the United Nations and the food served there was also very nice and for an affordable  price.  

 Chocolate 

A nice way to end your stay in Geneva is to definitely indulge in some Swiss chocolate. We all love a little bit of chocolate right? It's not just any chocolate its Swiss chocolate..