Oh no, I'm leaking!

Hey friends,
I'M DONE EXAMS!

<--- I <3 Toy Story.










Why is my blog called "What a Wonderful World"? Partly because I was listening to the Louis Armstrong song the day I created my blog, so it was on my mind, and I'm a fan of alliteration. However, as a DEVS student (Global Development Studies) at Queens, we learn what mankind has done to destroy and maintain a horrible world and how there are NO SOLUTIONS. Or very few.
And given the history of colonialism, war, the division of labour, the debt crisis, capitalism, etc. etc. I generally don't find that it is a Wonderful World. But, I'm an optimist, and I believe that positivity is the direction towards change. (Ask me in two years if I still feel that way...)
Anyways, one of the reasons the world is so AWFUL is a term known as Leakage, which I recently learned about in one of my classes.
Simply put, leakage is when you buy something and the profit doesn't benefit the local economy. In tourism, leakage is especially bad, especially with cruises and resorts. Because of largely American-owned airlines, hotels, cruises, food, employees, and so on, so little of the tourist's money actually supports the area they're visiting.
The wikipedia page- informative!
I did a little Google search, and I found that some websites only confirmed the misconception that your money is always well spent when travelling. For example...
"just the act of going travelling means you’re supporting local communities: the money you spend in-country on things like food, accommodation and transport all go to local businesses and support local people."
*Caroline pulls her hair out.*
However, there are a few more promising efforts on the world wide web. 
This blogger who writes about travelling green in the Appalachia has some thoughts. 
And there's an effort called the 3/50 project.
Most things I found took an environmental approach to travelling, rather than an economic one, which is also good, such as,
Tips to reducing your carbon footprint while travelling.
My goal is to really use some of these tips while I travel. In Ghana, I am staying with a host family, who will take care of 2/3 of my meals. I hope to do any shopping and buy the other 1/3 of my meals locally.
In Morocco, I've booked with small local inns and hostels, so I think that's a start. 
And for all my friends, I encourage you to take this into consideration when planning trips. 
Move past the resort. Get over the cruise. 


If you're interested in this sort of thing, a book I enjoyed it is "The 100 Best Volunteer Vacations to Enrich Your Life," published by National Geographic.
(Though I think it's important to consider the repercussions of considering it a "vacation," or "voluntourism.") 

Countdown: 37 days


Side note: I made a detailed packing list and started packing! I think that means I'm excited...


Keep Smiling! :)

How to Write About Africa

This humorous and insightful article from Granta Magazine points out some of the stereotypes commonly portrayed in writing about Africa.

I find that these stereotypes, so commonly in movies and books, have really formed the way my friends and myself think about Africa, just from the comments I get and discussions I have about working in Ghana this summer.
My favourite part of the article:
Animals, on the other hand, must be treated as well rounded, complex characters. They speak (or grunt while tossing their manes proudly) and have names, ambitions and desires. They also have family values: see how lions teach their children? Elephants are caring, and are good feminists or dignified patriarchs. So are gorillas. Never, ever say anything negative about an elephant or a gorilla. Elephants may attack people’s property, destroy their crops, and even kill them. Always take the side of the elephant.
I think that a lot of people, including myself, know more about wildlife in Africa than people in Africa. Though, we assume that wildlife in homogenous across the whole continent. People seem disappointed when I tell them there aren't elephants in Takoradi. Elephants are often portrayed as majestic and intelligent, where as people are often portrayed as passive and starving. 
From just a quick Google image search...

vs. 

Anyways, my point in sharing this article is to remind my readers of these issues, but also to remind myself not to adopt these stereotypes when writing my blog this summer. 

More about my project and what I'll be doing in Takoradi soon!

Countdown: 42 days

Keep Smiling!

Fufu with Friends

Last night Team Ghana met up with Eliana, who is our fabulous Project Manager, at her house for a Ghanaian themed dinner. I meant to bring my camera to post photos of the team and the food, but I forgot... Oops! Eliana, and one of the Project Directors- Kira, have both been to Ghana before, so they have some experience with the food and made it for us.
Fufu is sort of like mashed potatoes, except it's made with cassava, and it has a doughy consistency. You put a ball of it, about the size of your fist, in a bowl, with some soup and meat. In Ghana, eating or giving things to people with your left hand is very impolite, so I found it challenging to remember to only eat with my right hand. My partner this summer, Sara, is left handed, so I think it will be challenging for her to get adjusted to a right-handed mentality. Also- no utensils! You take a bit of the fufu and sort of make a scoop with it, and scoop/soak up the soup. It's very tasty, and fun to eat once you get the hang of it!

A photo of fufu taken from Google images!


I really love food, and I love trying new foods, so I'm looking forward to all of the new foods I will try this summer.

Since I still don't have a photo of Team Ghana...Stolen from the QPID Internal Newsletter, here is some fun facts about all of the 2011 Cooperants and Site Directors. As you can see, QPID also has projects in Nunavut and Botwana, and it's been a blast getting to know and collaborating with the other projects.
This doesn't include Kira or Hoda, the Project Directors, who have bent over backwards to arrange Projects, or the Project Managers, Eliana, Davina, and Kirsten, who have organized loads of training, meetings, and fundraising!
QPID love. <3

I have an exam today, so I should probably focus on that now...

Countdown:
46 days!



Keep Smiling! :)

:D 

54 days!

Hey there friends and family,
It's exam time here at Queen's University, and while I don't leave for Ghana until June 1st, what's a better way to procrastinate than make a blog?
So, here are the details:
I leave June 1st, at which point I fly into Rabat, Morocco. I am spending just 7 days on a whirlwind adventure around Morocco. Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Fez are on my to do list.
I arrive in Accra, Ghana on June 9th, where I will meet Team Ghana from Queen's Project on International Development (QPID). I love Team Ghana. <3
Aminta, our Site Director, will be going between the two projects and basically making sure we're doing our jobs. Heather and Robin are working in Accra for an organization called Kumasi Institute for Technology and Environment (KITE) doing a rural internet project. Sara and I are working in Takoradi for an organization called Friends of the Nation (FoN) on a sustainable fishery project.
For those 3 months, I will be using this blog as a way to update everyone on my internship and my adventures.

This is Ghana. As you can see, Takoradi is on the coastline. It's about a 4 hour bus ride to Accra, the capital.
54 days until I leave! Lots of prep (and packing) to do between now and then, but I couldn't be more excited. My Ghana travel guide has become my bible.
My favourite page:

Here are some links that may be useful if you want to learn more about my project:
QPID website: http://engsoc.queensu.ca/qpid/
FoN website: http://www.fonghana.20m.com/aboutus1.htm

Keep smiling,
Caroline