Victoria Hewitt
writes on Ashesi and Ghana
I
came to Ashesi this semester in about as last-minute a fashion as one can get.
In a six week span of my sophomore fall I decided that I wanted to study abroad
in the spring, study in Africa, in Ghana. Princeton has fewer than 5,000
undergrads and I had to agree with my study abroad supervisor that being on a
30,000+ campus would be daunting especially if I was going to be there for just
a semester.
I was hesitant about Ashesi at first because it was billed as a business and
computer programming school. I took an introductory Java course as a
requirement for my Princeton engineering degree and had no desire to take more
programming classes. Princeton does not offer a business major, so it is not
possible for me to get credit for classes such as Competitive Strategy or
Negotiations. As I looked further into the Ashesi education, I realized that
the focus was not just business and computers, but rather a liberal arts
education. And that I saw as valuable
Now on the brink of my return to the U.S, yes, I am quite glad I came to
Ashesi. Ashesi is certainly a liberal-arts university. At Ashesi, students are
required to not only learn the material but analyze and apply
their knowledge. I loved my professors in Social Theory and Investments because
they were particularly good teachers—they were able to transmit challenging
material clearly and effectively while still keeping the class engaging.
The classes I took are only a microchosm of my Ashesi experience but I see a
similar pride and hard work in the students overall. Ashesi students work
hard. At school people will be working on programming assignments or writing
papers in the library or computer labs. Students are often working late into
the night at the hostels as well. In the U.S., I think a dominant theme of
college can sometimes be partying instead of academics. At Ashesi, the dominant
theme is working hard. That being said, the work did not completely overshadow
social life. Students always did find ways to let out steam-once the work was
done, that is.
While Ashesi students are learning a lot from their classes, I think I learned
the most from my experience of just living and attending school here. Living in
the Danquah hostel helped me get to know other students better. Last semester
at Princeton, I lived in a spacious two-room double in a beautiful Gothic dorm
with a close friend. Suddenly living in a foreign country in a non
air-conditioned, fourth floor apartment with 8 other girls I didn’t know was
quite a change. I quickly learned to have a bucket handy for when the water “is
finished”, how to effectively scrub my own laundry, and that fans are incredibly
important. I am thankful to have had a wonderful roommate here at Ashesi, who I
became good friends with over the semester. I also was glad to have other CIEE
students in the hostel to talk about the frustrations and share the excitement
of being in a new country and school.
The country of Ghana as a whole I will certainly remember, some parts fondly,
others not so much. Open gutters, experiences with corrupt police officers, and
contracting malaria are far from my fondest memories of Ghana. But the
intensely bright colors both in nature and women’s fabrics, music playing on the
street, and people of all ages running around or sitting in the shade outside do
weave a warm mental image of “Ghana”. It is my conversations and interactions
with the people here, though, which enriched and formed a large part of what I
will take with me from my time here. A large portion of my time in Ghana was
spent around Ashesi students and faculty, and my relationships with them have
had a significant impact on the Ghana that I know.
Back to Features
|
|