Tag: culture

a crowd of people around a statue of st thomas parading on a street in front of the ocean

Celebrating St. Thomas Day in São Tomé

January 17, 2017

I had arrived the evening before with no concrete plans for the next day. I had one day in the capital of São Tomé and Príncipe before flying to the latter of the two main islands. After flipping through the slim guidebook and finding a suggested self-guided walking tour of the city, I made plans to wander through the colonial streets of the city and hit the highlights as suggested. The calendar had another plan for me. You see, it was St. Thomas’s feast day; and St. Thomas in Portuguese is, you guessed it São Tomé.

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view is from behind of a model with a colorful cape draped over her shoulder

A Look at Ghana Fashion and Design Week

November 4, 2016

Ghana is just like many other countries. There are the rural areas, far from the cities and capitals where people struggle to make ends meet. There are towns and regional capitals with large universities that are young and vibrant. And there are major cities, including the capital of Accra, where there are major cultural events, the wealthy elite in their fancy cars and creative movers and shakers pushing artistic growth. Last month, the three of those came together at Ghana Fashion and Design Week.
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young thai children wearing traditional clothing carrying pictures of the thai king and queen

Death and Loss of the King in Thailand

October 25, 2016

It’s been a little more than a week since King Rama IX, Bhumibol Adulyadej died. His passing is a tremendous event in Thailand, and as such the next year has been declared a year of mourning for the Land of Smiles. Many people who haven’t spent an extended amount of time in Thailand, and even some who have, don’t understand what the King meant to the Thai people or are confused about what significance he had to them. The story of the Thai monarchy is a difficult one, however, understanding that history can provide greater context for the reasoning of the masses of Thai people donning black.

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a young man in a marching band playing the trumpet and looking at the camera

Winneba’s Brass Band Festival

September 20, 2016

Music is seemingly everywhere in Ghana. It’s rare to have a truly quiet moment outside of normal sleeping hours, and even normal sleeping hours don’t always stop the tunes from wafting through the neighborhood. There is a proud history and tradition of music in Ghana, particularly the homegrown genre of highlife, which is a fusion of 1950s jazz, swing and brass bands and traditional Ghanaian drumming, beats and guitar styles. But highlife wouldn’t exist without the influence of brass bands.

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a view from above a seated woman with large pots around her as she makes konkonte

4 Staple Starches of Ghanaian Cuisine

July 22, 2016

One thing that most cultures have is a staple food — something that is eaten with every meal. In many Asian countries, including Thailand, it’s rice. In Ghana, there are a couple of different versions of the staple, but they are all essentially a pounded starch mixed with a bit of water to make a kind of dough that is then dipped or dunked in soups and sauces or pinched with fish and meat.

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a close up of jollof rice, rice cooked with tomato and thus with a reddish color

West Africa’s Famous Dish, Jollof Rice: a Recipe

April 8, 2016

Last weekend, two of my new co-workers came over to the house, which I currently share with the woman who I am replacing, and the four of us took part in a time-honored, cross-cultural tradition of sharing food and recipes.

We taught each other how to make a couple of dishes that we enjoyed from our respective cultures and I got to know a couple of the people that I will be working with in a more informal setting, which was really nice.

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a beached wooden boat with psalm 35:5 painted on the side with other boats surrounding it in front of the ocean

4 Lessons Learned Very Quickly for Life in Ghana

April 5, 2016

Every place has it’s own small nuances to it that pervade everyday life. People who are local to that culture are able to navigate these nuances with no thought paid to them; that is just the way things are.

But when you come as an outsider to a new place, particularly a new country, these small nuances are things that you pick up on immediately and adopt, in order to make life go just a little bit smoother. I’ve been in Ghana for less than a week, and here are the things that I have picked up.

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illustration Ghana flag with silhouette of people in front

5 Things I’m Looking Forward to in Ghana

March 11, 2016

Big news for the path that I’m on: it’s taking me to Ghana for the next year! I’m very excited for this opportunity to live and work abroad, particularly because it means learning and living a new culture and a new perspective.

I’ve been reading about and researching this West African nation and I’ve narrowed down a few things that have really piqued my interest and that I’m particularly looking forward to learning and experiencing more thoroughly.

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