Nicole's Story

Not knowing what to expect, I submitted my application, not without hesitation, to volunteer to teach English in Ghana. I had researched Africa and learned that Ghana is a safe country to visit: it is not in political turmoil and is low in crime. Having never traveled to sub-Saharan Africa before, I was a bit nervous knowing I’d go alone, and at least initially, not know anyone. My worries were put to ease soon after arrival. The first couple of weeks after arriving in Ghana were difficult – the culture was dramatically different from America. I was painfully foreign and attracted much attention. But the host family I stayed with was amazing and very accommodating. The children showed me the sights around the town during the day and my host parents took me around at night and introduced me to many of their friends. Soon after, my assignment started and I was falling in love with the people and culture. It was a great feeling to walk down the street and have people call my name and wave hello. The Ghanaians showed me why they earned the reputation for being the most hospitable people in Africa. Everyone went out of their way to greet me, to talk to me, to teach me about their culture, to be my friend. When it was time for me to go home five months later, I didn’t want to leave. Ghana felt like home.

I wanted to find a way to share with the world the sense of community and belonging I had felt in Ghana. My host father, whom I now refer to as my brother, was working for the Centre for National Culture and was very actively involved with hosting foreign visitors and organizing tourist events and projects. We wanted to find a way to collaborate on a project that expresses our love for Ghana and brings the world to her; the result is Global Host Project. It is an organization built on two main foundations: our deep respect and love for Ghana, her culture, her people, and her history; and our desire to bring others around the world to know her and understand her. Some of the pictures from two of the trips I took are included on this page. I hope you choose to have the same experiences for yourself.