For a student at the University of Ghana in Legon, a palm-graced suburb of Accra, a dinner might involve fufu â?? mashed casava and plantains in a soup of peanut butter and tomatoes â?? from a local â??chop bar.â? Electricity is not a given. Nor is running water. Students might have to fetch buckets of water to flush the toilet and wash clothes. Forget sleeping in. They rise at 5 a.m., when the chaos and din begin: loud music and evangelical preaching, through megaphones. The â??Challenges of Living in Ghanaâ? handout from the University of California advises bringing earplugs.
The country, and its flagship university, have become a newly popular destination for studying abroad: about 300 American students, representing dozens of campuses, take classes at Legon.