Traveling always makes me happy but there is something about roadtrips that gets me especially excited. A car, good music and a pretty landscape thats all you need. And yes roadtrips are always great but last weeks trip along the Great Ocean Road was special. Not only is the landscape breathtakingly beautiful, but I got to cross quite a few list of my Australia bucket list such as seeing Kangurus and Koalas. Well, I should say we not simply saw them in a zoo or sanctuary but actually in their natural habitat. I could keep on raging on about how amazing it was for us but I guess I just leave you with some photos so you can see for yourself.

I have come back from Ghana almost a month ago, so now it was time to get out again: this time my destination was the Normandy in France. I spent a couple of days on the Contentin Peninsula with my parents. Unfortunately, we've had a lot of rain, but still, I love this region of France and hope to inspire you to go on holiday there.


The beautiful coastline is known by many due to the Normandy Landings on D-Day. There are loads of museums around, however the view itself is spectacular enough. There's something for everyone: you can hike, bike, take a walk through the dunes or do horseback riding on the beach.


I went swimming one sunny day, but even if you get the bad weather it usually clears up a bit in the evening so you can take a walk on the beach and watch sundown.


Sadly for me, the restaurants there aren't exactly vegan friendly but you get fresh vegetables on the market and I even discovered almond milk in a tiny organic store.


Not only the landscape has a lot to offer, almost every town and village has at least one museum or interesting sight. The picture above was taken in the house where Christian Dior was born and raised.


You will also come across many beautiful small shops and boutiques, where you will love to poke around for souvenirs or small presents for the ones at home.
So if you're on the lookout for a place to spend a few quiet and relaxed days, now you've found it.

-Sarah

I always considered myself to be a mountain person. This moment when I'm on my snowboard just going down the slopes and not thinking about anything else is when I'm happiest. I always overthink everything but not in that moment when all that counts is to look for the best way to descend the mountain and nothing else matters. Not that I'm not a happy person otherwise but usually other thoughts seem to keep me from just truly living in the moment and enjoying every second of it. That's what snowboarding does to me. But then last weekend happened and I might just be an ocean person now. I tried surfing for the first times and even though most of the time I just fell into the water instead of nicely standing up on the board it was an amazing experience. Just being in the water and trying to get a good wave while having a good laugh with friends - I don't think life can get much better than this.


And did I say anything about the landscapes yet? We went to Phillip Island for the surf camp and the beaches are breathtaking, especially when you drag yourself out of bed at 6:30 to watch the sunrise. I spent most of my time at the beach just walking around exploring and of course taking lots of photos. I must say I never quite understood the obsession lots of Europeans have with Australia but now that I'm here - I get it. Not only are the people super friendly, but the nature is simply beautiful. I think it's fair to say that I fell in love with the sea and everything else about Australia. Just thinking about leaving in about 4 months makes me want to cringe. But then again that's just me overthinking everything, for now I'm just going to enjoy my time here and leave you guys with some of my favorite shots from the weekend.

As you may have realized I have been absent from the blog for a while now and the reason for that is that I was packing my bags and leaving Ghana.
Although it was really tough trying to pack for good and leave my life there, knowing it will never be like this again, I was looking forward to going back.
 Some of my friends and family wrote to me, just before I was going to return home, saying how happy they were to see me again, which did a lot to highten my excitement.
However, it was somewhat dimmed, when in one email a relative said: "Now your bags are packed, you're preparing for your flight back to Germany and civilisation"

I can't even say how angry I was when I read this. There I was, having lived in Ghana for eleven months, perfectly alright and equipped with everything "civilisation" has to offer.
I'm back little more than one week and am really happy with how a lot of people seem really interested to hear some stories about Ghana, but it also makes me sad that some stick with their (often obsolete) prejudices. Now, I'm not saying, that I expected Ghana to be exactly the way it was for me in the end, but how could it be? Even now, after almost a year I would never claim to know or understand everything about this country, but that's the point:
Ghana is, any country is, too diverse to entirely get everything about it. And the same is true for Africa as a whole.
Yes, there is hunger, yes, there are wars and diseases - but that's not all there is, not everywhere.
There's also malls and smart phones, there's highways and skyscrapers, there's theatres and schools and so much more.

Many people congratulate me on how I made such a sacrifice to go "down there and help", but let me tell you something: Ghana and its people have helped me so much more than I did and I had all the comfort I needed. I can't even start to explain how this experience has helped me to develop my personality and mature.
My work in the school meant incredibly much to me, but now that I'm back home I see that the most important part of my service is to tell people a different tale about a part of Africa.
They say there is "the Africa the media never show you". That's true I guess, but there is also a lot to see out there if you just keep your eyes open, everybody can fight ignorance, even if it's just their own.

- Sarah

After several months of preparation I finally hopped on a plane to Australia last Saturday to spend a semester abroad in Melbourne. And well, that's also why it has been so quiet on the blog since preparations and then exploring the city took up all of my time.

Ready to leave

It all started with trying my best to fit everything I need for the next few months into my backpack, but fortunately this wasn't as hard as I expected. Although I have to admit that my mum was right and that I should have taken a thicker winter coat with me. Because, yes, it actually gets cold in Australia.
Then on the 11th July I finally made my way to the airport and after a 25 hour journey made it to Melbourne. The first week I spent in a hostel together with a friend of mine from Germany who is currently living in Perth. Besides exploring the city, I also arranged lots of practical stuff during the week and luckily I managed to find a nice room as well. Then on Monday I went to the University for the first to arrange more paper stuff. The time here is flying by and I'm a little bit restless. Being in a new country, a new city always excites me and reminds me why I love traveling so much. I find nothing more relaxing than just walking around a new place without a map, getting lost, spending too much money in good restaurants, and meeting new likeminded people. I must say I never quite understood while so many Europeans are desperate to explore Australia, but after just little over one week here In Melbourne I think I get it. People here a really laid back and super friendly and there is always something going on. Just thinking about all the amazing trips Sarah and I will be doing (because yes she's going to join me here in a few months) leaves me with the biggest smile on my face. This right here is how I love to live my life exploring new places, different lifestyles, and constantly learning something new. So as you might be able to imagine my life is fairly hectic at the moment so for now I just leave you with some pictures I took while exploring Melbourne, but I promise to get back to you soon with more detailed posts.

View of the CBD from Fitzroy

Exploring the street art at Hosier Lane

Queen Victoria Market

Palmtrees & skyscrapers

View from the Shrine of Remembrance

Exploring the Royal Botanical Garden

Exploring the street art at Hosier Lane (2)

- Svenja

Should you have followed my previous posts, you now know how big the market for second hand clothes is in Ghana. However, I have also stated that a lot of people also buy fabric and have their dresses made by tailors.
Now I thought I should give you a better impression of how the fabrics look. Of course you get a huge range of varying fabrics, even from Europe or Asia, but I focused on the typical ones.

 The Batik or Tie and Dye

Okay, so let's start with something you'll find familiar: Batik. You get it in all shapes and colours. The very colourful ones like the left one in the picture can usually be found with the Rastafari, while the darker colours like the right one are frequent in the northern regions of Ghana.


Then there is also the wax batik, which is very common. You will find it everywhere in Ghana. The colours are mostly a bit more muted, but there are also more flashy versions. Often the patterns consist of traditional symbols, all having a special meaning.

Wax Print

Wax print doesn't know any limits: hundreds of different prints (geometric, abstract etc.), patterns, colours and qualities. I don't hav any statistics but I would say it's the most common one.

Kente

Kente is the King of Fabrics and the fabric of the kings, after all it was and is still worn by the chiefs and kings. It's very traditional and hand-woven.The traditional colours are green, yellow, red and sometimes blue, but nowadays you get it in every colour. It's quite expensive and is worn on special occasions, for example weddings.
Kente is said to be a heirloom of the Ashanti, but the eastern regions of Ghana also boast with a slightly different Ewe-kente.

That's it for now, I hope I could illuminate you a bit. If you have any questions or something to add, let me know :)

- Sarah

 

Yesterday was another national holiday in Ghana, so two friends of mine and I decided to make a trip to Accra. Ghana's busy capital has many sites to offer: the Independence Arch, several malls, some beaches and plenty restaurants and bars.

Korle Lagoon

As my time in Ghana is coming to an end, I have come to realize more and more how much I love my second home at Africa's West Coast. There are so many things I'm going to miss and though I look forward to being able to make different food choices soon, I guess Ghanaian food is one of those things I'll miss.
It wasn't always like that though. There were times when food was one of the toughest things for me here. But how come?

The title already suggests it and I think many of you have already realized it anyway: I'm a vegan.
Before my time in Ghana I lived on a strictly plant based diet and was extremely happy with that. Then I got offered a volunteering placement in a Ghanaian high school and was totally enthralled. While still in Germany, I already suspected I might be forced to compromise concerning my diet.
One thing I love about the organization of my volunteering year is that I live with a Ghanaian family instead of sharing an apartment with other volunteers. I just think it gives you a different inside into the Ghanaian culture and every day life. However, this also became one of my biggest troubles; as a part of the family you get the pristine local food...


...and in the southern regions of Ghana food and fish go hand in hand. Our Ghanaian partner organization told us during the first days of our arrival that the vegetarians among us (they didn't really count vegans) should try and wrap their minds around the fact that they are going to eat the same stews and soups as everyone else, they could pick out the fish and meat. I don't know why, maybe I was preoccupied with other things at the time, but I never even considered that.
In Germany, it was a matter of principle for me not to eat anything, which has been prepared with fish or meat aka a dead animal. After all, it's not like I don't eat because of the taste (oh no, I loved the taste of it) but for ethical reasons.


The good thing for vegans about food in Ghana is that dairy products are hardly ever used for cooking. However, there is a hitch: If there is no fish in the soup or stew, then that's because there is meat inside.
I was lucky to have a family, who respects my food choices and can also understand, why I don't want to eat a soup that tastes like fish. So at home, my food is vegan, though it's still not healthy considering the huge amount of oil used for cooking. I didn't have the heart to tell them I would like to cook my own food because in Ghana food is an essential part of good hospitality which I didn't want to take away from them.
Another thing is eating out. Especially during the first months I often made the mistake to buy something at a chop bar, ask ten times if there is fish or meat in, just to spit it out again anyway. One time I asked the woman preparing Indomie (fried noodles) why there was fish in when I told her not to add it and found out that she didn't count canned sardines as fish. Same thing with my family when they added shito (ground dry fish with pepper and oil) to my food. Something like that happens a lot and mostly the people are really sorry when it does but it made me change my own behaviour.


Sometimes I compromise when it comes to eggs (though I'm not happy about that), but I refuse to eat fish or meat no matter what. Now I only buy food I am absolutely sure about. Nevertheless, it happens that I do eat soups or stews prepared in a non-vegetarian way in order not to hurt someone else's feelings, like I said food is hospitality.
I'm not happy with these compromises but I still make them, for several reasons: it's only temporary and this way I don't offend people. Before my time in Ghana, I couldn't have imagined that, thinking: how can a lifestyle where you choose not to harm offend people? I was much more idealistic in Germany and maybe I will be when I go back.
But in Ghana I have also learnt that not everyone has the means to be idealistic.

- Sarah

Ever since I can remember I have been addicted: to notebooks. I guess there is nothing I have bought so often when I actually didn't need it. Because that was the flaw: I couldn't think of anything to write. So I started writing down the lyrics of my favorite songs. I stopped, though, pretty soon, I knew them back to front, so I couldn't quite muster the composure to keep on writing them. And, once again, my notebooks were pretty but pretty useless.


Then, as I faced the almost impossible task to decide what is necessary for living in Ghana for a year, I couldn't prevent myself from packing one of my beloved notebooks. There I was, having brought the book, so I made myself write down everything that happened. It was quite an effort, because A LOT happened and even within a week I started confusing things. This made me even more determined to write almost on a daily basis, just to keep track of things.
Another volunteer, who has a knack of shoving her opinion into other people's faces, once said how stupid she thinks it is, she would remeber everything that is important.
Only the thing is that I realized, I (and I guess lots of other people too) tend to forget how they felt about something at a certain time. Life is a mess and it's easy to judge events in your life because of what has happened after them. Sometimes you will look back at something and throw your hands up, thinking "how could I be so stupid to do that?". But maybe it was just what you wanted at that time. It can be hard beating oneself up about things, but a diary is a great way of empathizing with one's former self.


Before I could even realize it, writing became my best form of self-reflection and self therapy. It certainly takes some time getting into it and not feeling awkward writing these things, but once you find yourself in it, writing a diary can be extremely relieving. I have tried before, but I always felt like I had nothing to write about, but thats not true. Everyone has a story to tell. Why don't you write it down? Let the loves in your life read it or keep it to yourself like your very own paper vault. Paste every ticket into it or keep it simple. Write regularly or whenever you feel like it. Just try it, no matter how.
I can very dearly recommend it.

- Sarah

My time in Ghana is coming to an end so now I'm quite eager to see as much of the country as possible during the time left. This weekend I travelled from Central to Eastern Region to visit some friends of mine who work in an orphanage there.
Eastern Region is very much defined by its smooth hills and lush green vegetation.


I love my Ghanaian hometown in Central Region, but it is dusty, noisy and always in a hustle so I wanted to use this opportunity to refuel my mind and energy with an escape to good old mother nature. Step number one was a trip to a waterfall. Apart from admiring its untouched beauty, one could take a refreshing shower and clamber around the rocks like you did when you were a child.


The next day we decided to have a picnic on top of a nearby mountain. However, we first had to walk a narrow farmer's way and climb some rocks before we could enjoy the view and our red pepper and tomato breads. The walk was a treat itself though. The climate might not be the most agreeable for sports activy, but the beautiful forest definitely makes up for that. I have visited a few national parks and certainly enjoyed myself there, nevertheless this mountain where no one except for the local farmers goes was even better.


Then we finally reached the top and it was, in lack of a better word, completely awesome! We could hear the birdsong and the chirp of insects in the forest below us and had a stunning view of the village and the surrounding farms.


Once again, I had one of my clearest moments when climbing a hill. I have never exactly been that kind of sporting person like my sister. I always was more the reading, tea drinking and baking kind, I didn't enjoy going to the gym or anything.
However, I do realize how much good sport can do for me, especially if I do it outside. A good breath of air on top of a mountain makes up for a few hours of gasping for air, and a shower beneath a waterfall makes up for a long sweaty walk. So if you share my lack of motivation for sports, why not try to hike a nearby mountain or start with a walk through the forest?
You might not have a rainforest next door but our world offers stunningly beautiful nature everywhere, get out and discover them before they're gone.

- Sarah

I have always been a huge fan of secondhand shopping, so in a way Ghana is a paradise for me. Why? Because of the markets strewn with huge amounts of secondhand clothes at cheap and negotiable prices.
However there is a dark side to it: A fair share of these clothes have once been donated in countries outside of Africa. I guess everyone has once or twice donated some old clothes or shoes in the hope to help someone with something you don't need anymore, but can still be useful for someone else.
The problem is that a lot of these "donated" clothes are sold in bulk to traders in African countries, like Ghana, who sell them to smaller traders, who sell them on the market.


Never in all my time in Ghana, have I witnessed or heard of clothes being distributed to the poor for free (the only exception was a pair of TOMS to each child in one of the local junior high schools in my town). Now this might not come as a surprise to you, but many of the organisations collecting donated clothes would like to create this very image and often they are succesful.


The deception of donors is not the only thing I find problematic. It is also the economic effect on African countries. One could argue that dealing with secondhand clothes also contributes to the countries' economy and it certainly does. Nevertheless, the effect is small and it also damages the countries' own textile and clothing production. Another thing is the dependency on other countries due to the import of clothes. The prices are low (one tee shirt can cost one cedi, you pay the same for two grilled plantains, a staple food), which is why the profit margins when selling second hand clothes are rather thin. Far less people in the country itself benefit from it than if you bought fabric and give an order to a seamstress.
Some organisations argue that the people buying second hand clothes and those buying fabrics were two different customer groups, however my personal experience in Ghana was quite different.

 What now?

I'm not saying that any donation of clothes is bad, but if you do donate, make sure you select a reliable organisation. You should also consider only donating to organisations who operate within your own country and distribute clothes to refugees or the homeless.
If your aim is to support African countries and their economies, I would recommend to choose products, which are produced by native businesses in the countries themselves, instead by global corporations that just export the raw materials.

- Sarah