LaShunda S. Hill

On June 7, I departed from Ghana. It was a bittersweet moment as I packed my things. Though I was excited to see all of my family and friends when I got home, I was deeply saddened to leave the new friends I made over the spring semester and the country that, during the past four months, I have grown to love.

My experiences in Ghana have taught me so much about myself and the world around me. From visiting Ghana’s rain forests, to teaching the street children of Teshie English, hang-gliding in Kwahu and learning the local language, each experience is close and dear to my heart.

As I boarded the plane headed back to America, I began to reflect on why I came to Ghana in the first place and why I decided to share my time in Ghana with the people of Chattanooga through newspaper articles and a blog.

Before I left for Ghana, many advised me that my study-abroad experience would be life-changing. I must say that spending a semester in a Third World country was an eye-opener indeed. Choosing to study abroad in a poor country instead of some of the more traditional studyabroad destinations such as Spain, England or France took me outside of my comfort zone and challenged me to think about the world on a much larger scale.

Though I had done advocacy and research work related to Africa, I quickly discovered that my academic research and work on issues related to Africa gave me a somewhat one-dimensional view of the continent and the many diverse people who inhabit it. However, living in Ghana and learning about the traditional culture brought all of my research and pre-Africa experiences to life.

I knew before coming to Ghana that I desired to pursue a career in international diplomacy and development. A part of this includes working to build schools and roads to provide infrastructure to the world’s poorest countries. Studying abroad helped to confirm this desire and even increased my passion for poverty eradication.

I hope I have helped readers begin to see Africa beyond the poverty and civil strife that they see in headlines.

Though there are indeed political and economic problems within the continent, focusing only on the problems distracts not only from the progress that has been made in Africa but also the beauty of the people and their unique and diverse cultures.

I am thankful to the Chattanooga Times Free Press for allowing me to share with the people of Chattanooga my experiences while in Ghana. I hope that through my articles, you have grown in your understanding and appreciation for the people, beauty and culture of Ghana.

More importantly, I hope learning about my experience has caused readers to be ever grateful for America’s bounties and opportunities. What Ghanaians and many in Africa would give for this privilege is simply priceless.

LaShunda Hill, a honors student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has recently returned from studying abroad in Ghana.