A yorkie named Pearl

I'm so excited My roommate and I will be proud parents of a baby Yorkie in about 9 weeks :) I'm loving it. I think we'll Put a pink and green bow in her hair and a pink dog collar around her neck and name her Pearl!

*sigh* My first puppy... I'm so excited!

Apex Day 1.

My first day at Apex Advertising agency with the wonderful Katelyn Berry and my computer will not connect to the Internet. There are no extra desktop computers I could use so I’m stuck listen to the humorous babblings of my new co-workers. I sat in the same spot the whole day watching Katelyn type of the background to this Zain script she’s been working on. She looked busy and very much at home here at Apex. I wish I woulda felt like that at my other internship. It’s a shame because I really miss my co-workers and I know that that business had a lot of potential; I’m started to wonder if they will get as big as Apex or MMRS Olgilvy? I watched the storyboard person poke fun at the graphics designer, which was very entertaining. I watched the Graphics Designer person sit on a chair so and hold a very floral and girlie umbrella, with his pinky in the air (no homo- insider), so that the Storyboard person could sketch this out for his project. It almost seemed as if he actually like holding Katelyn’s very female umbrella close to his head with his legs crossed and a flicker in his eye. Gotta love him though, he was a brave one, and he took one for the team. According to the people in the office, these two seem to go at it on a daily basis and I’m sure it keeps the atmosphere very entertaining and animated in this small cramped little office.

Since today was my first day, I decided to just sit back and enjoy the new workspace I’d soon come to love for the next two weeks. Work or not, it was much more fun then sitting on Facebook waiting for my friends who are 7 hours behind us to finally wake up in the morning and keep me entertained. The last short hour, I finally got onto the computer to check my email and my Facebook and my Twitter. I have to make sure I keep up with my social networking while I’m more than 7000 miles away from home. Then we set off to trek our way into the community and shop. I bought 4 dresses, all of which were very much needed, because I certainly haven’t been wasting my money on dresses for my family and myself often; I definitely needed all the dresses ☺.

That same afternoon we managed to get cursed out by a Ghanaian guy on a bike who said he was just trying to be friendly with us. He stopped in front of us, limiting our movement past him and continued cursing us out for being rude and not wanting to stop and talk to him, even though we were tired and carrying giant laptop bags with the sun beaming down on me, in particular, melting me into blazing hot, dark chocolate on the sidewalk…ok so I’m exaggerating, but it was hot and I didn’t feel like stopping in the heat. He called us some curse words; this was the first time I’d really seen Ghanaians curse so much. I almost wanted to cry, well not really but it sounded good. Since he kept following us on his bike trying to intimidate us and make us feel bad, I kindly said, “If we’re so rude, how come you’re still following us and cursing us out?” I really wanted to know; obviously we weren’t being mean if you still wanted to be in our presence. So he said his last words and disappeared into the traffic of the wonderful Osu community.

After this event, we shopped some more then made our way to the opposite side, again, of Osu and walked to the trotro station. We hopped on the Medina trotro and headed to Shiashi. Then we got off at that spot and boarded an American House trotro and finally arrived at home just in time to get some corn, which lemme tell you was hard as a rock, but it was still good. When she says hard or soft? She really means teeth breaking corn or doable corn. 80 pesewas well spent.


I just thought I’d add this in here…. WOO HOO I finally learned how to add a network on my computer and I’ve got Internet. This is a great moment on July 29th, 2010 at 10:40am

#HappyBirthday Mommy and My Tre LS ☺

Alvaro

This is probably the best tasting soda like substance that has came across my mouth since...... sprite! I am not much of a soda drinker, I've usually stuck to milk and water and other watered-down juice substances, until I came to Ghana. But lately every time I go out, or even when I'm on my way to work, if I see an Alvaro I immediately run to the stand and buy a Pineapple Alvaro. I am able to walk away and not give into the wonderfulness of the drink if they only have the Pear flavor; but it's something about the Pineapple one that sends me over the edge. It's something about seeing the yellow capped bottle that makes my mouth water with savory flavor. I'm not even sure how to describe this drink, other than to tell you that you need to try one. It's found in most east African countries and originated in Kenya. It's a malt drink (although I don't even know what a malt drink is) and it is sometimes even listed under the alcohol section on menus, but it's far from anything alcoholic. The website says that it offers a rich blend between a malt-beer and fruit; whatever that means, it's not alcoholic. Unless you feel that it sends you into a euphoric sense of 'fruity-wasted' goodness. I am addicted and this is going to be a problem when I leave this country in about 18 days; but suffice to say, I'll be able to get back to my normal routine of craving milk and carrots and sticking to a healthier diet. Until then... Cheers to Alvaro's!

Now I'm off to go buy an Alvaro :D

Glo and Vodafone

'Glo'
This is a phone company that has not released their services to the Ghanaians because they ran out of funding trying to advertise so much around the country. I feel like the billboards that I see every time I’m driving are so cheesy and not very persuasive at all. The ads are on big green billboards with people pointing out at you with the tagline or slogan, “rule your world.” I understand that the ad is trying to tell you that with your phone provider, glo, you are able to rule your world and connect better with others around you. The people in the ads are not really lively or they look really over the top happy and there isn’t a good medium. It’s really that the people are obviously people of color and dark skin and that is something that I rarely see in the United States. Most people are lighter skin or fair skin and it’s just part of what society wants to see.

'30 minutes 30 Pesewas'
These mini TV episodes are very cheesy. I watched these when I went to MMRS- Ogilvy ad agency, they are the ones that created and produced the ads that are on the TV’s and the radios. There are about 9 mini episodes about this guy and this girl who are being set up by their friends to meet with each other. They over exaggerate the fact that they are able to talk as long as they want and the guy is trying to meet the girl at the coffee shop. In between all of this, she is asking him to do all these favors for her and he is trying to accomplish it all while still staying on the phone. In the last episode they finally see each other and they enjoy the company of one another, and there friends walk in and they are pleased to see the connection that they’ve made. I think the initial reasoning behind the commercial was a good one but when it was actually produced and aired it didn’t seem real and it was actually comical in the since that it was so cheesy. I probably wouldn’t be inclined to watch the ads but I definitely would use the talk time because it’s so cheap.

Canopy Walk

Kakum National Park

Adinkra

Adinkra was first started in Ghana by the Akan peoples over 17 years ago. These symbols are used for many different concepts and have many different meanings that is still very prominent today. During my stay here in Ghana, I've noticed that these intricate symbols are mounted in every corner of this country: on statues, doors, in buildings, stamped on clothes etc.



The symbols are created by cutting the particular stamp out of a calabash gourd. The stamp is then dipped in dye, which is made from tree bark, and then pressed onto cloth to create the patterns. One symbol that is particularly important to Ghanaians is the Gye Nyame symbol, which is a symbol of the supremacy of God. It's meaning: "Except God", which means, "except for what God allows to happen" or "Unless God allows it to happen." Because I am a religious person I love this symbol a lot.



A lot of people have asked me if I got my tattoo of the Sankofa Heart which is just below my left shoulder and I am proud to say I got it back at home. I have always been in love with Ghanaian culture, and I am so blessed to have gotten this opportunity to travel to this country.

I'll say that my reason for getting this symbol on me is because I love the meaning: "Symbol of the wisdom of learning from the past to build for the future." I couldn't think of a better symbol to permanently mark on my body. Learning from your past and all the lessons that are supposed to be learned in life, is very important to me. If one does not learn or take the time to appreciate that things happen for a reason, then I don't think they are living and taking advantage of the life God gave them. ---> Pretty Deep, I know, but you only have [One Life to Live. Live], why not Live it up?




There are more than 50 symbols... take the time to study some :-)

Bead Village

We went to the Bead Village where they gave us a tour of the little factory and how they make the beads. I had no idea nor did i think that they actually made the colors and the beads from glass bottles and Fire. Basically they have green, brown, clear, orange bottles and they grind them down to powder to make the different colors in the beads. The young boys were so excited to show us the different ingredients and tools used in this process. They also use this type of branch to put inside the little holes to create the actual hole in the bead. They used this branch because they said that it was easy to cut and it would burn away in the fire not leaving any trace it was ever there. They allowed some of us to cut the sticks in the palette with the holes and then I was really eager to create my own beads, so I mixed some colors and tried to act like a pro while doing this.... not so easy as I though, but I worked it out. Then I went back to the group and placed my little creation in the fire, with the correct tool. I was nervous that my plate of beads would fall through the cracks and the powder would come out but I handled it as usual.

Most people admire the jewelry that is in Africa, but I'm sure they don't even have any idea how they make it. Africans are so handy, and they may not recycle but they definitely know how to make use of the little things that they do have. After we finished this we went to go purchase some jewelry. I'm a bargain shopper and I know how to barter well :-) I managed to leave with the last gifts that I needed to get for my friends and jewelry lovers back at home. One thing that would have been awesome is if I got to actually see how my beads turned out, or if they ended up throwing them away because they were so terrible. I doubt that, but still...

The kids walked us back to our van, they were so sweet and they just held our hands and talked to us. I didn't want to talk pictures of them, because I'm sure they get tired of that, so i just took an imaginary picture that will forever be stored in my heart. I actually enjoyed jewelry shopping at this little village because there were so many options and everything was neatly placed on the table for us. They were just patiently waiting for us to dip our hands into our wallet and take out every cedis bills we had to spend on bracelets, necklaces and earrings-- > and to my surprise, that's exactly what I did.

Students Experience World Cup from Ghana

An Article from the UO SOJC eflash publication.

Students Experience World Cup from Ghana
by Jason Bernert — last modified 03:31 PM Fri Jul 09, 2010

Journalism students celebrated World Cup victories with the Ghanaians while studying abroad in the West African country during the tournament.
Students Experience World Cup from Ghana

Though the US loss to Ghana may have deflated US soccer fans, journalism students celebrated the victory with the Ghanaians while studying abroad in the West African country during the tournament.

The SOJC Media in Ghana program provides students a six-week study and work opportunity. However, this year it also gave students the opportunity to celebrate World Cup victories with the country. Ghana gained the support from all of Africa once it made the final 16, and the country was electric with excitement and patriotism.

“Everything stops nationwide for the big games and people watch in groups,” writes SOJC Professor Leslie Steeves from Ghana in an email interview. “We had a blast watching [them] beat the USA and we were ALL wearing Ghana jerseys and flags and cheering for Ghana -- it means so much to the country -- it's impossible not to get caught up in it.” Steeves is the director of the study program. She helps guide students as they learn and work in their new environment. Students attend lectures by University of Ghana School of Communication Studies and work at an internship matched to their area of study including magazine, advertising, electronic media, and public relations.

“It was so amazing to witness a group of people so ecstatic over a win,” writes Katelyn Berry, a student currently enrolled in the program. “It is like nothing else I have seen before. It took us so long to get home because people were stopping traffic by dancing in the street and on people’s cars. Needless to say it was a relatively late night.” Berry blogs about her experience traveling through Ghana, watching the World Cup, and working at her internship with Ghanaweb.com, an online advertising agency.

The Ghana program started at the University of Kansas as the Summer Media Institute in Ghana. The UO sent students through Kansas until 2001, when the SOJC started its own program. The program highlights Ghana as an excellent study abroad site because of its increasing number of tourists, emerging economy, and growing media presence, along with Ghana’s rich culture.

Dean Tim Gleason returned recently from his first trip to Ghana and Africa after wanting to witness the program firsthand. “What impressed me was our student’s ability to immerse themselves in Ghana media organizations,” said Gleason. “I’m very impressed with them. They just jump right in with enthusiasm.“ Steeves agrees with Gleason. “It is always educational to move outside one's comfort zone and learn to appreciate and function in a very different cultural context,” she said, “particularly in a developing country without the resources available in the U.S.”

Black Stars- FIFA World Cup 2010

Go Black Stars!!

Ghana World Cup 2010 team roster
– GOALKEEPERS
Daniel Adjei
Richard Kingson
Stephen Ahorlu

– DEFENDERS
Hans Sarpei
John Paintsil
Jonathan Mensah
Isaac Vorsah
John Mensah
Samuel Inkoom
Abdul Rahim Ayew
Lee Addy

– MIDFIELDERS
Anthony Annan
Derek Boateng
André Ayew
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie
Stephen Appiah
Sulley Muntari
Kwadwo Asamoah
*Kevin-Prince Boateng- Flippin Hottie

– FORWARDS
*Asamoah Gyan- My Fav Player!
Matthew Amoah
Prince Tagoe
Dominic Adiyiah

Well see you in 2014!!

Media Log entry 3+4

Cigarettes are clearly bad
On every cigarette package is a large note that says cigarettes are very harmful and can cause lung cancer. There are some that say that Cigarettes kill and are harmful. This is quite disturbing, I wouldn’t want to pick up a package and have to go through the check stand line I’ve feel so awkward. I’ve learned that smoking isn’t as common practice here as it is in the states. You can buy two cigarettes on the street for 5
Pesewas. That’s like 5 cents or maybe even less than that in the states. It seems as though it is very frowned upon here and I wouldn’t doubt that this type of advertising scares people out of smoking.

God is Real
I’m not sure if I’d call them bumper stickers or words on cars, or just a meaningful message on random taxis. Seven times out of ten. I’ll see a taxi and on the back of it, I’ll have a reference to God, which I think is so powerful. This country has a big religious influence, Christianity and Muslim and I’m sure a couple more. People aren’t afraid to voice their opinions about religion here, which I think is so amazing. I have yet to see a bumper sticker that contradicts God’s existence or heckles anyone for being of a particular religion. When I say that these aren’t quite bumper stickers, I mean that the words are very largely printed on the back windows of these taxis. Every time I get into one I just feel like God has put a hedge of protection around these vehicles and I will be safe. The driving here is terrible so I do a lot of praying.

Media Log entry 1+2

Vodafone Red- MTN Yellow- Tigo Blue
I have never seen so much red in my life. I’m pretty sure people get the picture and I wouldn’t be surprised if Vodafone was making a substantial amount of profit because of this terrible advertising. It’s everywhere. I’ve asked Katelyn about the advertising on people’s stands and houses and she said that most of them don’t get paid or it is very little compared to the amount of coverage that Vodafone has done across the city alone. It’s pretty sad to see the advertisers take advantage of the illiterate and poor Ghanaian population. This is true for MTN Yellow and the Tigo Blue. It’s everywhere in a large amount. There will be a big blue, or red, or yellow building and it’s gotten to the point where there doesn’t have to be a visible logo, people recognize it just by the color. This kind of advertising would be very annoying in America. At least the advertising is creative and eye popping, the advertising in Ghana is very bland and there is no life in it. I understand that resources are limited but I would like to see advertisements become a stronger and developing feature in this culture.

AIDS is a killer
If that statement doesn’t put some fear into people’s hearts, then I’m not sure what will. This type of advertising is meant to grab the attention of its audience and scare them out of doing something. I feel like at home in the US, we have ads that will say ‘Wrap it up’, or ‘Get tested,’ but it’s a soft message meant to teach people to be aware. Here Aids is a powerful disease that if not careful one could contract and spread just as easy as jelly on bread. Most of the time these ads are on billboards I haven’t seen any flyers for them being passed around, come to think of it, I’ve only seen one hospital and I’ve seen one clinic in the A&C shopping mall that tests you for all diseases. A lot of people are conservative her, you wouldn't know it by the amount of children runnin around, but it's really freshing to see that people value sex and don't think of it much as a just something to do.

Media in Ghana 2010

Professor Leslie Steeves, Mr. Rashied Light, Dean Tim Gleeson... and the students!

Here's the link to the program for more information-
http://jcomm.uoregon.edu/international/media-in-ghana

Primetime Limited

This is the Advertising agency that I am currently interning for. It is located in Ghana and it is one of the major ad companies here in Ghana, as well. I am apart of the Media in Ghana group of 2010. This company was established in June 1992 by a gentlemen by the name of Kwaku Mensa- Bonsu after he left Lintus Advertising Agency. It became a full fledged Ad agency in 1993.

Some of the clients that they've had are:
- Unilever Ghana Ltd

- Presidents Special Initiative on Distance Learning

- Bruks and Associates

- Ministry of Education, Science and Sports

- Ministry of Health

- National Insurance Commission

- National Identification Authority

- Otumfuo Education Fund

Here is the website to learn more about it.
http://primetimegh.com/

Anani Memorial International School

FIFA World Cup- Ghana

I’m sure everyone knows by now that I am a strong supporter of Ghanaian football, which is clearly why I was rooting for the country when we played against the US. I feel as if, Ghanaian people think of the game more than just another football game. So many people back at home in the US were too confident that they had this game on lock. ‘Never underestimate the other team,’ I’d always say in response. I was talking with one of my co-workers and she was telling me that, football is such a poor sport. Meaning, it doesn’t take much to play the game, simply practice and a love for the game. You don’t need a soccer ball; most kids ball up old socks and kick it around. Some people use cans or even rocks. Barefoot, with shoes, whatever the case is, it’s a sport for the poor people and a game to pass the time. So you see? I don’t know any American who would ball up socks just to play a game of soccer instead of buying a soccer ball that costs about 20+ bucks. I never thought of soccer in this way, but it makes perfect sense, driving around this country, going on the field trips, nine times out of ten I’ve seen young kids playing this game and enjoying it so much. Yeah it’s a competitive sport, but it’s such an emotional sport, these people have a love for the game that is deeper than any win.

I was very happy when they beat the US. This was my first soccer match that I've watched on the television and as much as I thought i wouldn't enjoy it, i loved every moment of it. I actually felt excited and jumped out of my seat when Ghana would score. I could tell that they played a good game.

Now, on the otherhand, when Ghana played uruguay, I was so sad to see that awful loss. when that player got the red card for blocking the ball from going into the goalie with his hands, was such a sad thing to see. I couldnt' fathom what he was thinking at the time, but the thing that put me on edge was when Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty shot. I was so sad, i honestly thought I'd cry. Tough loss for the team, but i've been hearing over and over that they are such a young thing, so 2014 Ghana will be a force to reckon with. I'm excited for what's in store for this team.

Internship....thus far!

Third day of my internship and I already feel like I’ve contributed to the table. My experience at Primetime has been very successful thus far. On the second day, I was asked to sit in a board meeting and talk about a proposal that was presented to me that surrounded the issue of bringing a bus transit system to the city of Accra and neighboring cities. The current transportation consists of many “TroTro’s” which consist of 15 passenger vans (or as many that can fit) that stop on various routes and take you to different destinations. This new transit project will create a better bus system, clean up some of the exhaust in the air, fix the streets, and ultimately create an environment where it’s organized and people are able to get to and from their destinations in no time. I sat in and gave some great input on how the bus systems are in Portland and Eugene. I was able to help them come up with some great taglines and logos and also help with the color scheme. I contributed in my first internship board meeting, I was so stoked I’m sure you can understand my every emotions.

Within hours, I had gotten my first assignment; turn a 19-page proposal into a paraphrased version for a PowerPoint that they would be presenting to the clients days later. I spent about a day reading the proposal and trying to come up with suggestions and come up with comparisons on how proposals are written in the United States. To my surprise it wasn’t too far off and it was very well written. Obviously it had to be I’m working for a real company. My boss, whom I might add is a lady, wanted me to put animation and my own little personal touch to the PowerPoint. I was a little nervous but I took a deep breath and went to work at the little desk they let me use for the duration of my time at the internship. I have my own little telephone and I bring my laptop, hence my access to Internet, and my own little section in the office.
One thing I love about the people here, they are so friendly. Even though I only work with about 5 people, about 4 others whom I rarely come into contact with, the big boss included, I think everyone is so excited for me to be here. They continued to ask me about how I felt towards the USA loss to Ghana, of course I told them I was all for Ghana, which isn’t a lie, I felt like they were super excited and surprised to hear my perspective on the game. I’m not sure why I have never been as interested in sports as I am now. I’ve always wanted to watch sports on my own, but I never got into it. Lifetime and Disney Channel always consumed much of my free time, when I would watch television. But I see how emotional the country got when we played the US and Uruguay and it’s so powerful to see them feel so strongly about their country. I’ll save more of this for another blog. -> stay tuned

I also love how people have just all together thrown out the idea of calling me Teeona, instead calling me Akosua (Sunday born Female). I love it. I feel so Ghanaian and it’s much easier for me to hear then my real name said wrong (Tee-Oh-nuh). They say it so wrong and it never bothered me until I heard it with a Ghanaian accent. On the other hand, I love Akosua, I might start making people call me that when I get back to America.

"Take Me Away"

Today, we took a field trip to the Anani Memorial International School in the Nima Slum community. Walking through the community was such an experience. It’s so poor, and the sewage system/ draining system runs right through it and it smelled awful. There was little space for any home and the houses were, well I’m not sure if you can even call those houses. They were more like shacks and it was just so sad to see people having to live in these living conditions and such cramped quarters. When we got to the school, it was tucked far back into the homes and there was a small courtyard, definitely not big enough for a baseball game or an intense round of kickball, but they made do with it. For the main classroom, it was located in this large room not even big enough for a normal classroom, and the kids were piled in rows sitting and waiting for their guests/ audience to arrive. They were so well behaved it was amazing and so adorable. The school takes kids starting from age 2 to junior high school; they welcomed us in about two or three different languages, and we sat down and watched them put on a show. There was singing, and dancing, African dance, which was very well performed, there was a skit and then some of the kids introduced themselves in English and in French, which is pretty impressive seeing as though the children ranged from age 3 to 13. ☺

If I learned French at the age of 3 I’d be a very lucky girl. I see such a bright future for these kids but in the absence of decent funding and lack of financial support, I’m saddened to say I don’t think a lot of them will get the education that they deserve when they get older. Being in Ghana and being around these children makes me appreciate my education and the fact that I have available funding on hand to support my college career. The Singing was such a beautiful thing to listen to, I could feel the joy and happiness coming from their voices, I knew that in my heart they were happy to see us visiting. We donated our school supplies to them and they thanked us so much. We danced with them a little, we had to show off our moves, which was nerve racking because they did so well and we needed to compete with elementary schoolers. Hhaha. After, we went into the courtyard and we played with the kids. “Madame, please…Take me” translates into, ma’am will you please pick me up? Thanks! How could we resist any of the little faces? I had such a blast playing with them and getting to know them! They were so little and cute, it’s something about African, Ghanaian kids that put a smile on my face ☺ The kids were trying to get in every picture, trying to every picture, and just trying to be in the arms of one of us. I almost wanted to cry because I wanted to take them home with me and just love them and provide for them. Look at me, I can barely provide for myself, but I see why people adopt. I see why people donate and I understand why we need to be thankful for the things we have. It’s so EASY not to notice the small stuff, but those are the things we need to be paying attention to the most; it can be taken from us in an instant. One kid was trying to get my number, another kid just thought I was so old, like any minute I would keel over and die from old age, and another one just loved that my arms were wrapped around his small little body. ‘I took him’. I’m pondering this whole field trip and I’m so thankful for this experience, as much as it took for me to get here, I’d do it all over again. Just as we are brightening up some of those kids days, and there lives possibly, they definitely have changed mine in the utmost positive way.