While the MV World Odyssey was docked in Ghana, 29 Voyagers traveled to Atomkwa, a small village outside of Takoradi. They were greeted with lively drum beats and welcoming arms. The villagers performed traditional dancing for all of the participants. Then, voyagers were guided onto the stage to wave flags and learn a dance routine. Emma Merkle from University of Colorado Boulder commented, “I’ve danced my whole life so I really enjoyed that portion. I thought it was really moving and incredibly athletic.”
After the welcome festivities, voyagers participated in a naming ceremony. In Ghana, the name that one is given consists of the day of the week that one was born plus the meaning of one’s given name. The voyagers were truly honored to experience this powerful, peaceful ceremony. In addition, they had the opportunity to spend the night with a host family to deepen their interactions with locals and the Ghanaian culture. Zohar Fiszman, a gap year student, expressed that he hopes that everyone who went to Atomkwa brings back the experiences that they had and the things that they learned to their home countries: “Don’t just keep these things in your mind, or your journal or GoPro.” The voyagers were fortunate to experience firsthand the kindness and generosity of the Ghanaian people
