Plantains; they have always been a food enemy of mine. I am not sure why I have never liked them, but I never have. I often used to joke with friends and family that I was the only second-generation African who wasn’t fond of the fruit. But then I moved to Ghana, and my taste buds adjusted. The same food I used to readily reject, even if my stomach was growling, I now buy at the market on a regular basis. At first I found it odd that a despised food was now one of my favorites, but then as I looked back on this past year, I realized that my taste buds, in general, have changed.

Cordie Aziz is a former congressional staffer who moved to Ghana after losing her job last year. Follow her daily adventures at goneiighana.blogspot.com

On March 6th, Ghana celebrated 55 years of independence. Considering the youth of the country, I was confident that Independence Day would bring streets filled with festivals and decorative items, plenty of backyard barbeques, and a level of excitement that would put the United States to shame. After all, we have been celebrating for hundreds of years, and each Fourth of July you would swear we had just won the Revolutionary War. So imagine my disappointment when I realized Independence Day in Ghana was eerily similar to every other day.

People were still hard at work on Independence Day. I found it all too easy to pick plantain chips from shops that had decided it was too costly to take an entire day off. Vendors pulled their items out of storage and placed them for display at the junctions of busy roads, hoping to entertain a few interested buyers, despite the holiday, and there were no brass brands that incited enthusiasm in gathered crowds. People didn’t even ride around the city with flags tied to the cars and wildly honking their horns, as they do for soccer games and political rallies.

Cordie Aziz is a former congressional staffer who moved to Ghana after losing her job last year. Follow her daily adventures at goneiighana.blogspot.com

When I first came to Africa, everyone had an opinion on what shots and medications I should take to ensure that I was in good health when I returned. So begrudgingly, I took shots for yellow fever and hepatitis A, as well as started on my daily dose of Malarone to help ward off malaria. So when I returned to live in Africa many were afraid that I would catch malaria and not make it out alive. Well, eight months in I can say that I still am malaria free.

Cordie Aziz is a former congressional staffer who moved to Ghana after losing her job in January 2011. Follow her daily adventures at goneiighana.blogspot.com

Last week, it was Thanksgiving in the States and millions of families and friends joined around their feasting tables to give thanks for each other and their many other countless blessings. I on the other hand, for the first time in my life, was without Thanksgiving. Just in case you were unaware, Thanksgiving is a holiday unique to the United States and Canada, as Farmers’ Day is unique to Ghana. Therefore, there are no great holiday sales, or fighting for the last turkey at the grocery store. I couldn’t even find a non-baked cheesecake- one Thanksgiving tradition I was bent on keeping, until I realized it didn’t exist here. I don’t know why I thought Sara Lee had made her debut in Ghana, but every girl has a right to dream; especially when it involves graham cracker crust and lemon infused cream cheese.