On 21^st November, Frank and I went to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region to attend graduation. We were serving as Elijah’s “Godparents,” because his parents were unable to attend. Elijah came to Winneba on Thursday to make sure that Frank and I made it to Kumasi safely. On Friday morning, we caught a trotro to Kaneshi Station in Accra, a taxi to the VIP bus station in Accra, and a VIP bus to Kumasi. The VIP bus was quite a treat. This bus was roomy and stopped at a “rest area” on the way. This was a 4 to 5 hour bus ride, so that stop was nice. We were able to use the restroom, which cost 20 pesewa, and buy something to eat. This was the most comfortable public transportation experience I have had in Ghana. They do show a Ghanaian or Nigerian movie on the way and the volume is quite loud. Nevertheless, I was able to get some work done on my laptop on the bus, something that is nearly impossible on any other type of public transport.

Elijah has two brothers who live in Kumasi. We stayed with one, Aaron, and met the other, Daniel. We also met Daniel’s wife, mother-in-law, and three children. Aaron’s house was very comfortable and he was a kind and generous host. We had a large and late lunch, so we were not to hungry for dinner. Elijah and Aaron made us a lovely salad. Salads are not common in Ghana, so this was a nice treat. Aaron also has a car, so he was able to transport us from place to place.

On Saturday we went to the graduation. This differed from the one in Winneba, which was indoors. At the Winneba graduation, only the faculty, students, and special guests were able to sit inside the conference center. The families had to sit outdoors. There were tents and chairs set up for them. In Kumasi, the graduation was outdoors, because the conference center there is not complete. The graduation had a bit of a late start. There seemed to be many more people than there were chairs and tents. When the graduates would get up to go to the stage to get their degrees, people would take their chairs, so they had no place to return to after getting their degrees. Families were setting up picnics all over the campus and they were using the chairs for those informal gatherings. It was quite surprising and chaotic. The administrators were requesting that attendees please wait until the program was over before taking the chairs, to no avail.

Once the graduation was over, we went to lunch and then to the Ashanti Palace Museum. There is still an Ashanti King living in a palace next door to the museum, which was at one time, the King’s residence. There is a different price for foreigners and for Ghanaians. Because Frank and I have a residence permit, we were able to get in for GH¢4.00 instead of GH¢15.00. Perhaps, there are some perks to paying the $400 in fees to become a resident!

That night we treated Aaron and Elijah to pizza. They had never tried it. The pizza was okay. The dough was a bit sweeter than I am used to. We left early Sunday morning to catch the VIP bus back to Accra, the trotro to Kaneshi Station and the Metro Mass Transit to Winneba.