There are certain conventions of ethnographic texts–an engaging and lively cast of characters, an intrepid anthropologist and an arrival story that orients the reader to the very disorienting experience of the start of an adventure in a new place.
Despite a close call for one of our travelers (a missed outbound flight), the entire group of 15 Davidson students arrived safely at Accra’s Kotoka airport on May 20th. A tight connection in Lisbon caused one of the checked bags to show up days later, but at least everyone arrived. Weary, yet excited, happy and a bit nervous about what is to come. We lodged overnight at Alma House before setting off on a four-hour road-trip to our home city, Kumasi. Just 30 minutes outside the city, a timing belt broke on our vehicle and we were briefly delayed. Mr. Dan, our driver from Cultural Beyond Borders quickly set off to find a local mechanic to make repairs. Students alighted on the sidewalk to find respite from the increasingly stuffy bus and quickly became the spectacle of passersby and teenagers who wanted to strike up a conversation with students from the US. About an hour later, belt repaired, we were back on the road. As we pulled into the long driveway to the storied building guesthouse, I turned to the students and said, Welcome to your home for the next seven weeks. 
Akwaaba/Welcome to the blog for Davidson in Ghana Program for 2018
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