THE SUITCASES OF AN EXPAT Have you ever thought, before being an expat, that you would one day fill your suitcases with baking powder, physiological saline solution or some of your favourite barbecue sauce? Have you ever noticed the amusing smile of the cashier when you buy 27 packs of lactic ferments or 15…
TAX FREE SHOPPING – HOW DOES IT WORK? Did you know that you can shop tax-free in shops outside airports? When you buy goods in a foreign country that allows tax-free shopping, you pay the goods in the shop, tax included, and can claim the refund of the sales tax (that has been collected…
10 THINGS LIVING IN GHANA HAS TAUGHT ME, By Lisa Gibson Living in Ghana has definitely shaped me over the years and given me a new perspective on life in general. It was recently our five-year anniversary living here, and it got me thinking back to those very early days and how much I’ve…
10 THINGS ONLY EXPATS WILL UNDERSTAND There are some things that only expats will understand and chatting amongst your fellow expats, you might laugh about (or commiserate over) a few of these! That absolute feeling of joy when you find one of your favourite items from your home country in the local store!…
HOW TO LEAVE A COUNTRY: WHAT TO KEEP, WHAT TO GIVE AWAY, WHAT TO THROW OUT Moving abroad for an expatriation assignment can be viewed as a great opportunity to downsize your life and take stock of all the ”things” you have accumulated over the years. Now is a good time to re-assess the…
NEW DESTINATION – HOW TO HANDLE THE TRANSITION & HOW TO PREPARE FOR A NEW COUNTRY An international relocation can be exciting but it can also be a bit daunting as well, especially as there is so much to think about and take into consideration – from the kids’ new schools, to where you…
SHEA BUTTER FROM GHANA Shea butter is a well-known and an important local product in Northern Ghana and also few other African countries. Ghana and Burkina Faso are most likely the leading in Shea butter production. The shea butter comes from the nuts of the shea trees that grow in the Savannah region from…
THE BOLGA BASKETS, A BEAUTIFUL AFRICAN CRAFT WORK It is impossible to drive through Accra without passing by one of those craftsmen selling large clusters of colourful woven baskets, predominantly under trees, where they have shade to weave. Those baskets are known as “Bolga baskets” and have become over years a key part of…
GHANA’S KENTE CLOTH This is a brightly colorful fabric which comes from the word “kenten”, which means basket in the Asante dialect. Akans also refer to kente as “nwentoma”, meaning woven cloth. The kente is a unique cloth which is easily recognizable worldwide. The ewe is another ethnic group who also weave kente in Ghana.…
GHANA’S INCREDIBLE BEAD CULTURE The origins of beads in Ghana Beads might be the oldest art form we know. It is reported that Neanderthal men wore beads made from teeth and bones as pendants. In fact, beads have been used by almost every civilization across the world at a given point in time as…