A life-changing, eye-opening, spirit cleansing experience of a lifetime! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

This was the most educational experience I have ever had in my life. Being so immersed in the culture by living at Dagbe for a week really exposes you to village life in Ghana. The schedule was intense but spread out very well and conducive to all ages. After the exhausting but exhilarating dance class in the morning you can choose to busy the afternoon with classes or just take it easy and observe. The drumming class at night was let exhausting that the dance class but still just as exhilarating. Very intense two weeks, emotionally and mentally but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I definitely could have stayed for another couple weeks to learn more and dive even deeper into Ghanaian culture.

On-site administration of your program

Emmanuel is a fabulous director. Hilarious but stern and respected all at the same time. He helped to make us feel welcomed into the Dagbe family. I only wish we had more time there to get to know him better because he seems like a fascinating person with an incredibly talented family and staff.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I mean you are not living in luxury but I was perfectly content. There were showers and toilets that flushed and a whole station for hand-washing. What more could you ask for. You really love to learn the simplicity of it. I was in the big room with 4 other girls and really we were so tired by the end of the day that all I wanted to do was lay in bed with the fan on me. I thought that the living arrangements had everything we needed.

The food was amazing!!! Gloria is the best cook and her kitchen staff are all so wonderfully sweet. The chicken was the best and the plantains! Yum!! Also her sauces are the best I have ever tried. I highly recommend taking a couple cooking classes from her. Specifically for the kelewele. Also, it was so nice to have fresh and delicious mango and pineapple everyday. Oh and the groundnut butter is divine!!! Especially on bananas.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The staff at Dagbe really helped to give us as much knowledge about their culture as possible. They encouraged us to ask many questions and answered them in the best and most thorough way possible. I would have liked to spend more time in the village of Kopeyia seeing how they go about their daily lives. But the fact that we were able to participate in sacred ceremonies with the chief and dance their traditional dances in front of the whole community, felt unbelievably welcoming and special. I was honored to be taken in as family and exposed to so much. It was the biggest and best cultural integration that I have ever experienced. Ghanaians are so eager to share what they have and welcome us to their home and into their family with open arms and open hearts. And you truly feel that sense of deep love and respect for their community and traditions.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Jeremy was so good and making sure we were on top of taking our anti-malaria meds and drinking plenty of bottled water. I got sick one night but with the antibiotics that the travel clinic prescribed me in case of that happening I was over it in a matter of 12 hours. We were required to get the yellow fever vaccination or you cannot even enter the country. Overall, I felt like everything was keep pretty clean. It is important to wash your hands and not touch your face a lot just to keep bacteria away but I never felt grossed out by the living conditions there.

I felt very safe! Never once did I feel threatened by any means. Especially with Jeremy, Janna and the whole Dagbe staff I felt like they were always keeping an eye out for us and felt that I could approach them at any time if there was a concern. The worst thing that happened was that my back was sore for a couple days from Gahu. We just aren't used to that type of movement but that never stopped me from dancing it!

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The most expensive and surprising part was food and water at the Afia. But once we were in Dagbe everything was free for us. As long as you budget in that first week you will be golden!

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• Dorm
• Hotel

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• Americans
• International Students

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• Americans
• International Students

• The people I travelled with and the staff at Dagbe. Also, the villagers who were so open and interested in learning about us. Just as much as we were about them.

• I would have liked more group classes with both the dance and drumming. I would have liked to have a little more time to take more private classes. Overall I needed to stay an extra week to really get a feel for the whole experience. I would love to go back in the summer when the program is a bit longer.

The Avid Adventurer