Akwaaba

All right Singapore was great fun. Made a lot of new friends during the induction process and hopefully we will be in touch for years to come. The brief stop over in Mumbai was really special in many ways. Details on that later ;) But right now, it is time for Africa!

Nestled in the western part of this beautiful continent, is the exquisite country Ghana, my home for the next few months. A lot of hard work, perseverance and patience was put in to get here. The job at Olam International was something that i wanted pretty much from the first time i figured that i want to major in International Trade. Getting it was a big step towards a exciting career and I was all geared up for it. 

Getting to Ghana was quite fun. An early morning flight to Dubai and then a quick dash to catch the connecting flight to Accra. We traversed pretty much the whole of the Sahara desert to get to Accra. While in the air, I could not help but be awed by the shear magnitude of this desolate land. The yellow sands looked so endless that one cant help but wonder how people lived down there. The sahel belt is one of the most hostile places to live on this planet and there was a hint of nervousness in my mind when we were flying over it. Once it was replaced by the lush green of the tropical forests, i breathed a sigh of relief. Another hour or so later and touchdown! My African adventure began with a loud thud of the Emirates plane at Kotoka International Airport.

The very first thing that caught my attention was how similar this place looked to Visakhapatnam! Hills, lush green trees, beaches, overcast weather and a tiny airport to welcome us in. I think this was the first time in my life where in I actually had some trouble figuring out which exact time zone we were in. The terminal building was reminiscent of an archaic airport probably built by the British to serve both as a military and a civilian airport. At the arrivals terminal, was our driver, Ben was holding out an Olam International's sign board. He led us towards the car. On the way to the parking lot, we attracted a lot of attention from some of the "security forces". They tried to help us with our luggage and I repeatedly denied them politely. Anubhav tried to get them off our case by bribing them with a 100 Indian rupee note. He he. They were not impressed. I dug into my wallet and offered them 10 Singaporean dollars. Dint help. Finally they just got exasperated with the number of currencies we tried to bribe them with and they just let us go. If you cant convince them, confuse them aye :)

We drove through Accra and headed straight to the guest house. We dropped our stuff and headed for the office. Fighting severe jet lag and hunger, we still managed to meet the senior colleagues at Olam Ghana and get our first brief induction of the country. I was still a little dazed. I still could not believe that I am actually in Africa, leaving behind family, love, friends and my whole support system. I just took my first step towards a really huge change in my life. These few months are going to play a big part of what kind of person I will become, both professionally and personally. Everyday from today is going to be a challenge and I need to face them with a lot of strength. But at the same time, i want to be like a sponge and absorb all that this magnificent continent has to offer. Learn, fall, get excited, miss family, feel challenged, meet new people, eat different food and grow more mature and wise. At this point in time all i can tell myself is "Akwaaba Karun Prabhath!!", you will not be the same.