Ghana Next week

Folks, I'm going to Ghana next week. Just thought I'd give you a heads up and an idea of where I'm going and what I'm doing. That way, when I'm there I don't have to explain what the heck I'm doing there!
(PS- this post is me avoiding studying for finals tonight, preceded by a glorious motorcycle ride I might add. Tonight is the night to finally be ABLE to procrastinate :)).

SO- this is were Ghana is situated:


I'm going with a group of 10 students in order to conduct 2 studies, and meet with international development administrators working in Ghana. Before our group convenes to begin our busy itinerary, I'm going a few days early with some others to spend time on an island in the Volta. One of our students' uncle is the initiator of Empower Playgrounds (an NGO that makes power-generating mira-go-rounds to give electricity to the school) and set up our stay with local village families on an island. We plan to be cooking, fishing, and doing whatever else they do with the families! What is the Volta? Here, let me show you:

The rest of the trip we'll spend inland, starting in Accra, the capital. Here's a picture I found online of a business center area of Accra.
One of the studies we'll be doing is interviewing "market queens" in the produce markets in various cities of Ghana. Market queens control who gets to sell their produce in the markets. It's not monopoly, it's monopsony. cool eh(or not so much)? Anyway, we are going to research their work, how they become queens, and how their control affects prices and such. I'm pretty excited about it. The other project that I don't know as much about yet is that of researching the church's perpetual education fund graduates in Ghana. Ghanaians who don't contribute to the devastating "brain drain" (i.e.,leave Africa and take their education & expertise with them where they can make real money) but stay in Ghana instead are all inclined toward certain degrees like business or agricultural development. We're going to study what degrees are prominent or lacking, and ways for PEF recipients to better spread out into all areas of expertise. Anyway, I'll be back in the U.S. after a stop in Amsterdam to do a whirlwind look-around (tulip season!). First U.S. destination: Massachusetts! My first visit to Bryan and Mel-train's place. The last time I saw them was on our Sedona AZ trip, which I never blogged about. The whole family had a grand ol' time. I think one of the only pictures I have in my computer from that trip is one I stole from Justin's fam (it's me and livs!):

Well, wish me luck. It's not set in stone yet, but the rest of my summer just might be spent interning Bolivia. More on that later. love! peace! happiness! ciao!