I have been able to integrate into the community through my friendships with Ghanaian students. On the first day of school, I introduced myself to several people and have remained friends with them ever since. Making new friends has made me understand Ghanaian culture better than just learning about it in the classroom. These friends have invited me into their homes and taught me about what living in Ghana is really like. Their parents taught them how to cook and clean very early on, so many students are very independent when they are living on campus. Parents also instill the importance of attending church once or more per week. I had the privilege of joining my friends at their church, where I learned how much people value religion here. By going to my friend’s home, I saw how the interior was decorated with photos of family. Family is extremely important to everyone here in Ghana. The nuclear family usually consists of parents and their children, but the extended family includes aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents as well as the nuclear members. The extended family is very important to Ghanaians, so some houses might have a lot of relatives living in them. I also found many similarities to their culture and mine.
