Expanding the Meaning of Home
Annie Keenon traveled to Accra, Ghana with 14 fellow University of Oregon Journalism students to fulfill internships with various media outlets and non-profit organizations. Annie, who is hard of hearing, visited several disability rights organizations and uses her blog to share her added knowledge on the state of disability rights within Ghana.
Among that which Annie Keenon will miss most about living in Ghana is remembering to "take it slow," a mantra that is not always easy to live by for an American with many goals to accomplish in only six weeks' time: designing a cover for a women's magazine, interviewing and writing an article about people with disabilities in Ghana, and blogging about it all, to name a few.
In one of her posts, Annie discusses the difficulty of communicating cross-culturally while being hard of hearing:
“The locals are bewildered when I accidentally sign. As a few people have already noticed, I sign occasionally when I talk – it’s not necessarily intentional, and it’s an overly simplistic SEE-style form (definitely not pure ASL), but it’s become a habit and a way to practice vocabulary over the last six months. My point is, when I do it in a conversation with Ghanaians, many just tilt their head, look confused, and decide to turn to one of my friends and ignore me.”
Despite the communication challenges, Annie recalls the generosity of the Ghanaians and their willingness to help her reach her destinations, especially when facing the complicated system of public transportation. By the end of the six weeks, Annie was happy to add Ghana to the list of places she calls home. Furthermore, the experience clarified the direction she plans to take following the exchange.
"I see far more clearly now what things I’m proud of doing and what intrigues me; I also see some things that are no longer working for me. I wouldn’t radically change anything about where I am right now – I still have a year left of college, after all – but I do have a far better idea of where I want to go in the future."
Visit Annie's blog, "Summer in Accra," to read more.
