I went to Ghana in January of 2020 as part of a study-abroad program tied to a history class I took. The history class covered slavery in Western Africa. We toured most the country and visited sites that were once home to massive slave stations. We even visited the infamous slave castle just west of Accra, the capital. We were told many stories by the locals about how slaves were treated, what life was like for them while they were held in these stations, and what awaited them as they boarded the slave ships to the western world. It was quite an eye-opening experience — not only because of these stories, but also because we were able to observe how Ghana’s history (especially with slavery and colonialism) has impacted Ghanaian culture and society to this day.

Additionally, Ghana is a beautiful country with amazing food and amazing people. I was able to buy some delicious fruits off the street, go to a safari park, attend initiation ceremonies, and even pet a live Nile Crocodile! Given that not many people look at West Africa as a preferred travel destination — and thus it not advertised to the public eye as much — it was awesome to be able to visit a country I didn’t know too much about and realize just how much was out there that I wasn’t aware of.