Ed note: Because study abroad application deadlines for Fall ‘10 are fast approaching, every posting day from February 1 to February 12, we’ll be featuring a different NYU Study Abroad site to help you decide where you want to be constantly drunk for the coming semester. Check them all out here.

My older brother always tells me I can’t study abroad in Ghana because some Chinese fortune teller told him he should stay away from Africa, and so, since my study abroad experience is really about his travel opportunities, he couldn’t come visit me. There are probably better ways to talk yourself into or out of a study abroad location, and we’ve mapped out Ghana’s below with the help of some NYU in Accra veterans.

Classes/Professors

Types of classes offered:

* Africana Studies (most classes fall under this umbrella)
* Anthropology
* Art History
* Comparative Literature
* Journalism
* Metropolitan Studies
* Public Health & Public Policy
* Sociology
* Other options at Ashesi University and University of Ghana-Legon (both NYU affiliated institutions)

• “My favorite class was Society, Culture and Modernization in Ghana. It allowed you to learn more about the culture you were living in, and it made some things that were at first really confusing about being in Ghana more understandable.”
• “Do not take African Popular Music. It sounds really cool, but his lectures are ridiculous, and no one ever knew what was going on or what to do. It was awful.”
• “Globalization in the Bodies of Women is an overall favorite class because the professor is brilliant and the subject matter–women in the global sphere–is stimulating. Other popular classes are the film class–Documenting the African City–and Health and Society. Students focus on completing a 8-10 minute film in a subject they find captivating.”
• “One thing that took some time getting used to was the fact that all classes meet only once a week for 3 hours. While this is nice because it leaves room for lots of free time, it is also a little difficult to spend that much time in one class and then not meet again for a week.”
• “One aspect I like is that we’re free to take classes at the University of Ghana (about 20 minutes away from our NYU campus) or at a private university just 2 minutes away called Ashesi University. This gave many people who have strict majors more flexibility because the University of Ghana has many courses to choose from.”

Student Activities

• “The student activities that NYU planned were all really great. I went on every trip, and really enjoyed all of them. By far the best trip was the trip to the North of Ghana. A lot of people opted not to go, and I think after hearing our stories they totally regretted it.”
• “NYU’s organization for the program was very strong. We had an intense week of orientation where we woke up at 7AM every morning and were bombarded with loads of information, but it was worth it.”
• “When we visited the U.S. Embassy, we got many talks about safety and health, met the on-call nurse, visited museums, learned cultural do’s and don’ts, and got a tour of Accra from the former mayor (who is also a professor at NYU in Ghana!).”
• “All of the staff was extremely helpful in teaching us everything we needed to know, especially our director, Christa Sanders.”
• “NYU does a great job at planning weekend excursions for NYU in Ghana and everything is included. The Cape Coast trip was one of the most exciting ones because we visited the Slave Castle, Elmina, and do a canopy walk. Both experiences are amazing in very different ways.”

Housing

• “The housing was really nice by Ghana’s standards and by our standards. Don’t think you will get a hot shower or even water everyday. The lights flicker a lot because of power surges but you get used to it.”
• “The housing options in Ghana are actually some of the best NYU facilities I have seen in my NYU career.”
• “Of the two dorms, Solomon’s Lodge is a little newer than Church Crescent and is one house with a bunch of rooms (singles and doubles) and one kitchen and 2 large common areas. It has a laundry room too. Church Crescent is more of an apartment style situation with 4 different houses connected by a courtyard in the middle. These rooms consist of doubles and triples.”
• “The best thing about Church Crescent is that each house has its own patio.”
• “Each house has the same amenities–small kitchen, laundry room, common area. All laundry is free!”
• “Solomon’s Lodge is very all together and united. That is the advantage to Solomon’s as well as its location, which is closer to the NYU academic center. Either housing facility is great though.”
• “There are 24-hour guards at each facility as well as 2 Community Residential Assistants. The CRA’s are helpful, fun Ghanaian young men and women working on the NYU staff.”

Nightlife

• “Booze was cheap and dancing was fun until creepy African men start grinding on you and groping you, and no one around helps.”
• “The nightlife in Ghana is actually incredibly vibrant and exciting. There are a lot of fun nightclubs and bars to go to in Accra. It’s funny for us to adjust because many of the parties don’t really get started till late in the night but everyone wakes up so early in the morning! It’s just very different from New York City in that way, we Americans like to sleep in.”
• “It is a big dancing culture with amazing music, reggae and hiplife (Ghana’s pop music) rule the clubs, but they do play American hip-hop as well. There are parties on the beach sometimes, too. All in all, there are always places to go and have fun.”
• “Lastly, if you are missing home, there are still a few sports bars where you can find other Americans in Ghana! It’s a small world. While this is comforting, others prefer to have a more authentic Ghanaian experience and try to avoid these spots.”

Food

• “The food is really fun to eat…the first month. After that, rice just isn’t as good anymore; neither are cassava, beans and French Fries.”
• “The food is SUPER spicy.”
• “There isn’t a McDonalds or anything very familiar at all.”
• “I love peanut butter, but their ground nut paste does NOT taste like peanut butter even though it looks similar.”
• “My mom sent me granola bars, snacks and peanut butter, and that really made my day. Even M&Ms were expensive, so I would recommend people to bring all of their favorite stuff with them.”
• “Ghanaian food is good, starchy and very filling, but good. Lots of rice, plantains, and other specialty dishes. Also, delicious pineapple and fruit juices! It has been an adjustment to wean myself off of coffee because they don’t really have it here.”
• “They do have vegetarian options at every meal and a great brand of Ghanaian ice cream called FanIce.”
• “There are two spots that NYU has a meal-plan with. This is nice because we know we can trust the food. Sometimes you have to be careful buying food off the street because you can easily get sick from it. Our stomachs went through a lot, but it is to be expected. Just bring lots of gastro-intestinal medicine with you.”

Sex and Dating

• “Well, I was dating someone at the time, but that didn’t stop guys from asking me to marry them, date them, etc. Honestly even if I had not been dating someone I would never have dated someone while there. People want to take advantage of you, and you can never be sure. As far as having sex: I would NEVER do that. It’s too risky with all the STDs and AIDS around, and their condoms, as we were warned, are not safe.”
• “It is hard to connect with the Ghanaian boys mainly because they are simply so aggressive. It is a little exhausting at times. All girls receive at least 3 marriage proposals a week.”
• “Ghanaians in general are very friendly so it’s easy to make friends, you just have to be wary of if they are true or not. Getting to the U.S. is on many people’s minds so you sometimes don’t know if they are just befriending you for that or for money. Still, it’s not an overwhelming problem, but it’s something to remember.”

Travel

• “I went to Togo for the weekend. It was a little scary crossing borders with “police” trying to hassle you. It was fun, but a little unnerving at times.”
• “We did a lot within Ghana. Winneba is a really cute place to go and Turtle Lodge is this cheap beach resort that is really awesome. Everyone needs to realize that you are a walking target as a white person or American of any race, so you need to be aware when traveling. And take enough cash with you for the whole weekend. There are never places to get money.”
• “I went to Morocco on my Spring break. It was amazing. I know some people went to South Africa and said it was amazing as well.”

Culture Shock

• “Culture shock happened when I landed and continued until I came back to America, where a new wave hits. It seems that right when you get used to things in Africa, you come back and have culture shock. I went through really bad anxiety when I came back. You live in two different worlds, and your eyes are really opened.”
• “The culture shock is a big part of the trip for sure. We were surrounded by great poverty while living in a great NYU facility—it’s hard. Still, many of us did community service and learned so much from being there.”
• “One of the biggest culture shocks was the open-gutter system Ghana has and lack of sanitation.”
• “It’s a little difficult because while it is an English speaking country, many Ghanaians speak local languages, and when we can’t communicate with them, it is confusing and a little upsetting. These things as well as how aggressive everyone acts towards you, especially the men with the girls, takes getting used to. But it’s an adventure and a learning process.”

Why You Should Go

• “You should go to experience a life far different from your own, and the people are so welcoming. I would never trade my experience for anything even though I got sick multiple times and spent a week in an African hospital.”
• “Ghana is a tropical paradise. There are wonderful people on the trip, all driven and interesting and are there to experience a wonderful new semester with you. It is a challenge–sometimes you won’t have internet or water or both–but you realize the things in life that really matter.”
• “There is a lot of free time to be spent volunteering, exploring, or reflecting. You can be independent or you can stick with the NYU group, whichever works for you. There is so much to learn and it is a wonderful opportunity to see how the other half of the world lives.”
• “It is a huge self-journey. You learn a lot about yourself, your beliefs, and your comfort zones. There is a great adventure to be had.”

Why You Shouldn’t Go

• “Don’t go if you aren’t flexible and can’t just roll with things. Ghanaians are ALWAYS late. Don’t go if you can’t stand being sweaty all the time or can’t live without makeup or doing your hair.”
• ” Don’t go if you are scared of being sick. You probably will be at some point. I think almost everyone got food poisoning, or had something stomach related issue.”
• “It is definitely not a site for everyone. It’s difficult to keep in touch with people back home.”
• “No patience, no Ghana. High maintenance, easily annoyed people might want to put a little more consideration into coming.”