About Legon

When we first arrive in Ghana, we'll be staying for about 10 days at the University of Legon. I found this description of Legon from the Indiana University study abroad program guidebook:

"The University of Ghana is located in Legon, nine miles northeast of Accra. Students thus have easy access to the capital city’s resources and entertainment while retaining the tranquility of the suburbs. The campus itself is extensive and has its own botanical gardens. The student population of 12,000 is about 30 percent female and 70 percent male. Only 5 percent of the faculty are female. The University reserves 10 percent of its undergraduate spaces for foreign students. Women students at the University of Ghana are likely to come from upper to middle class Ghanaian society, whereas male students represent a broader economic spectrum. This may be because education for men is clearly valued by all social classes, but middle and upper class families are most likely to recognize the value of higher education for women."

Luckily for me, about half of the Ghanaian linguistic professors are women (the first female professor in Ghana was a phonologist!)

There's also this note about the library. The student quote is particularly amusing and troubling! It reminds me of stories Allegra would tell about the John Hopkins medical library...

"Books and resources are available in both the main library and in the more specialized holdings of the various departmental libraries. Student quote: “It is difficult to find the materials listed in the card catalog since many students need to use the same books. Some books are ‘hidden’ by students for their private use and occasionally pages will be missing.”

Finally, a note about time differences. Ghana is on the Greenwich Mean Time, so it's 7 (seven) hours ahead of Pacific US Time, if you (Mom...) need to call for any reason!