Straw huts, elephants and seven-inch-long bugs crawling up the wall. This may sound as if it could be a description of an undiscovered village yet to be disturbed by Western culture. Actually, this describes FHS graduate Danya Bitney’s four-month trip to Ghana, Africa, an experience that Bitney shared with Nancy Rose’s poetry classes on Jan. 30. Bitney showed slides and items she had brought back from her trip. “It (the trip to Africa) really reinforced a lot of the ideas I had already about Africa,” said Bitney. Bitney’s African exchange was through a program with AFS. This was the first time Ghana was offered. In order to be considered for the Ghana program, applicants must be 18 years old and must participate in volunteer work such as teaching and painting during their stay. “I saw that I would be able to teach,” said Bitney.” I knew I wanted to go.” Bitney lived in the same foster home where she taught . She began her day by teaching a class from 8 to 9:50 a.m. The children she instructed ranged in ages from 12-17 years and a nursery school class. In every grade above second, students are required to study English. “I really enjoyed teaching,” said Bitney. “Since I got to speak in English, I just had to talk slowly and clearly so they could understand me.” The biggest shock that Bitney had was finding that she was the minority in Ghana. Being white, she had nearly five marriage proposals a day and people asking if they could touch her. “The hardest part was the alienation,” said Bitney. “You are the only white person.” According to Bitney, one very difficult part of being white was that many of the children were scared of her. Many parents use the idea of a white person as the “boogie man” for their kids. “Parents would tease their kids and push them closer to me,” said Bitney. “I just thought, ‘I don’t want to scare your kids.’” Senior Stasia Wiggin was impressed by Bitney’s ability to become a part of the Ghanan culture while she was there. “It’s such a primitive place, you wonder how she fit in so well,” said Wiggin. “It would be so hard at first.” According to Bitney, living in the United States shields people from many experiences. Feeling like a minority is something difficult to understand unless it’s experienced personally. Said Rose: “She (Bitney) has been able to remind us how little we understand what it would be like to be a minority.” |
