Over the past few months, many of you have inquired about some of the basics of my daily life in Ghana. Specifically, what I eat, how I get to work in the morning, or what the EWEC office environment looks like. In an attempt to give you a glimpse of my daily life, I’ve put together a short clip on my morning commute to work. As many of you know, my commute varies day-to-day and can consist of taking a taxi, a Tro Tro, walking or even all three means of transport.
This particular video will take you from my apartment in Osu to the EWEC office in Labadi. To give you an idea, a commute by taxi takes about 15 minutes while a commute in Tro Tro and taxi takes about 50 minutes. Fortunately, I live fairly close to the EWEC office and I do not face the 1-2 hour commute that most Ghanaians face each morning and afternoon. You’ll notice as I drive through the Labone neighborhood, the roads are wide, empty and lined with greenery. Living in such a central location is not feasible for the majority of Ghanaians.
As I mentioned in my previous post concerning Ghanaian Time, conducting business can be quite difficult when travel times are long and unreliable. A developing country faces a multitude of social, political and economical issues and like most businesses in Ghana, EWEC is often hurt by a lack of solid infrastructure here.
As Ghanaians like to say, however, “small, small” or one little step at a time. It’s a phrase I hear often and I believe it accurately depicts the determination of Ghanaians to push forward despite the many obstacles they are challenged by daily. I plan to devote an entire blog to the saying, actually, so keep your eye out for it!
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy a small taste of what my eyes see each morning on my way to work.
Thanks for reading and watching!
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Hi Helah! I will most certainly tell Bridget you said hello. Glad you enjoyed the video. It was fun to make:)
And being flexible is part of the job:)
Thank you for reading. -Josanna
Hi Tess. Thanks for reading. I’d be happy to talk to you about Ghana and Accra when I get back to the states. I have a lot of helpful info for you when you’re ready to deal with logistics. Working with EWEC has been a wonderful experience and I wish I had more time to do more. Anyhow, keep me posted on your travel plans.
Will do
Thanks for reading and watching.
Thanks!
What a great idea! Love the video and the music
I like your videos, Jos! Please do more.
In the Middle East they have a similar saying to “small, small”. They say “slowly, slowly”.
Hi Josanna!
I’m Tess and work with Helah and Janet at Vital Voices’ Africa Program. I was just looking through your blog because I’m hoping to study abroad in Ghana (based in Accra, though going to other cities and villages) and find this video really useful! I love your blog and can’t wait to hear about your adventures in Ghana and especially with EWEC!
Josanna, this was a blast to watch. Especially for me–I’ve never been to Ghana and have never seen the EWEC office.
Tell Bridget hi!!
Thanks so much for all the hard work and for being flexible and plans developed throughout the summer. Very much appreciated.
Have a great end of the summer and keep up the good work!
What a great video, Josanna! Thought it gave a great feel for a small part of your life there!
Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, the issues facing a developing country are complex. Small, small…
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Incredibly fun to watch. I have a much clearer picture of your surroundings and what parts of Accra look like. Interesting observations about infrastructure and the success of businesses.
You’ve got to have the successful businesses to raise the revenue for the infrastructure, but you need the infrastructure to help the businesses succeed.
Sandy