Classes here have started again, even though most take at least two weeks to actually start meeting. I am taking 6 classes: two drumming, xylophone, African pop music, environmental hydrology and African American literature. It’s nice to be able to take some fun music classes since I did all of my required geography classes last semester.
I got to watch the Obama inauguration with all the foreigners at W.E.B. Du Bois’s old house here in Accra. Lots of Ghanaians were there too, and everyone was applauding at every opportunity and the atmosphere was full of good feelings and excitement. Hearing his speech made America seem like it could get back on the right track again and made the idea of coming home a little more appealing.
Harmattan (pronounced similarly to hammer time) has begun here, which is a period in January and February where wind blows dust from the Sahara south. This causes it to be very hazy and dusty, usually enough to block out the sun. It has also become the dry season, so picture dry dusty heat. Glad I am out of Mali, since harmattan there can cause sandstorms lasting for days.
All is going well for the most part, getting readjusted and back into the school routine. Hope everyone is well.
Love, forest.

Back to Ghana

I made it back to Ghana safely yesterday, and it sure feels good to be in a place where I know what’s going on and people speak English. After my last entry, I was planning on going to Dogon country and then back to Ghana, but luckily I ran into my friend Brian from Ghana in a back alley of Timbuktu. He convinced me to go to the Festival in the Desert with him and some other people from Ghana. So two days later we climb into the back of a pickup to drive the 70km out into the desert to a tiny town of Essakane where the festival is held. Just when I think it may be a comfy ride, we get out and they pile about 25 small mattresses and other cargo in the truck, so me and about 14 other people have to ride on top of a huge load and hang on for dear life for 2 hours while we drive across deep sand at high speeds. Glad to safely be there, I met up with my friends and bought a cheap ticket from a South African woman who bought one not realizing Africans get in free. The festival was three nights of Malian music that was really good and unique. Some say that the blues originated in Mali and was brought to America by Malian slaves. I met a lot of really interesting people since it was such an international crowd. The time flew by of course, and soon it was time to head back. A group of eight of us banded together to make the three day trip back to Ghana. This went pretty well for the most part, and we are all really glad to be back.
Now I am picking out new classes for next semester. I have a lot of freedom and should get to take some really interesting ones, I will post when I find out which. Its funny to watch the people who just arrived here from the U.S. They seem so lost and baffled.
Anyway, overall I had an amazing trip, but i looking forward to relaxing for a while and taking some fun classes.
Thanks to everyone for your support, I wish you could have been with me. Can’t wait to tell you about it in person
Love, Forest

Tuareg man

Hello everyone
I’m finally back into some civilization after five days deep in the Sahara . I had been staying with a guide I met in his house in town, and he arranged for me to go live with a Taueg family out in the desert . I left on new years eve on a camel and arrived at the small village some time later . The Taureg used to be a Nomadic people that roamed the Sahara in caravans and trading large bricks of salt, which is really valuable although I don’t know why . Now they live a semi traditional life in large huts raising cows, goats, sheep, and camels . A French family camped next to me, and invited me to chanpange and an entire roast sheep stuffed with couscous stuffed with pigeon stuffed with an egg , which was delcicous . My next days were spent exploring around the village, avoiding the sun, playing frisbee with the kids and trying to communicate with people ; I really wish I had known miore French so I could learn more about these people . Now I’m back in Timbuktu and I will hang around until I can hop on a bus to Severe and from there explore Dogon country , the Dogon being a facinating people who live on and in a large formation of rocks and caves; from there it will be back to Ghana .
Been missing everyone a lot ; post a comment or email me at forest ;carter@gmail.com to let me know how you are
Love, Forest

the end of the earth (as I know it)

Greetings from Timbucktu!
Yes it is a real place and somehow I made it here. I just landed after a two day ride on a boat up the Niger River.
It is my first time here in the Sahara, I have met some nice people who just arrived on a traditional salt caravan.
Only French is spoken here, but some speak a little English; so i get by (with a little help from some French Friends).
things have gotten a lot better since a low point on christmas eve; mostly because I was sick.
Now i plan to relax and explore since i found a nice family to stay with;
hard to type on this French keyboard, so thats all for now.
Merry christmas to everyone; i wanted to call but could not
love, Forest

travels

So I’m off and moving on my travels. My friend Thomas from Humboldt flew in on the 9th and I’ve had a good time showing him around. We went to see the slave castles where slaves were held until ships came to take them to America. Then we found the nicest beach either of us had ever been to. White sand, warm water and perfect waves made for a great day of body surfing. I finished my last exam on the 13th and packed up. We left the 15th and headed to the Volta region, where we saw Akasombo dam, which generates most of Ghana’s power. Then we climbed Mt Adukla which proved to be exhausting but gave us really good views. The next day we went to Wli (vuh lee) falls, the tallest in west Africa. This was simply awesome, about 80 meters tall and surrounded by a colony of bats. The next day we planned to take a ferry across the lake, but found that it was not running, so we had to charter a fishing boat. We finally made it in this small motorized canoe, and took two more buses and then a real ferry. The ferry was packed with trucks that were packed with produce to go to the markets in the city. We are now in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city. We now head for Mole national park to see elephants and baboons and then to Paga to see crocodiles. Then I part ways with my companions and head into uncharted lands of Burkina Faso and Mali.
Hope everyone is enjoying their vacation.
I will hopefully post again soon
Love, forest.

travels

So I’m off and moving on my travels. My friend Thomas from Humboldt flew in on the 9th and I’ve had a good time showing him around. We went to see the slave castles where slaves were held until ships came to take them to America. Then we found the nicest beach either of us had ever been to. White sand, warm water and perfect waves made for a great day of body surfing. I finished my last exam on the 13th and packed up. We left the 15th and headed to the Volta region, where we saw Akasombo dam, which generates most of Ghana’s power. Then we climbed Mt Adukla which proved to be exhausting but gave us really good views. The next day we went to Wli (vuh lee) falls, the tallest in west Africa. This was simply awesome, about 80 meters tall and surrounded by a colony of bats. The next day we planned to take a ferry across the lake, but found that it was not running, so we had to charter a fishing boat. We finally made it in this small motorized canoe, and took two more buses and then a real ferry. The ferry was packed with trucks that were packed with produce to go to the markets in the city. We are now in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city. We now head for Mole national park to see elephants and baboons and then to Paga to see crocodiles. Then I part ways with my companions and head into uncharted lands of Burkina Faso and Mali.
Hope everyone is enjoying their vacation.
I will hopefully post again soon
Love, forest.

elections

The presidential elections happened here yesterday. It happens in Ghana every 4 years like the U.S. and there are 2 main parties, the NDC and NPP. The lines to vote were huge; most people had to wait in line for about 3 hours. The election four years ago provoked some civil unrest, apparently a few people were killed. So things are a bit tense here, but there is a strong desire for peace. They closed the borders for a few days so no one could sneak in a try to vote. For the past few weeks there has been heavy campaigning, including a parades of people playing instruments, waving flags and doing push-ups.
I finish finals on dec.13, and I will take off for northern Ghana then Burkina Faso and Mali. From there I may go to Senegal. I am trying to plan my trip now, it will be tough because those countries are French speaking. I should get to see some amazing cultures and wildlife though.
Hope everyone is doing well.
Love, Forest