Thursday, March 11, 2010

Expat Experiences: Ghana - Drew Cosgrove

Who are you?

My name is Drew Cosgrove. I "commute" from Atlanta, GA to Accra, Ghana and I have a wife and daughter who still live in the US.


Where, when and why did you move abroad?

Kakoum National Park

I work in the Petroleum Industry and my company received a new contract for one of its rigs to work in Ghana. I've done this for nearly a year starting back in April.


What challenges did you face during the move?

I have not had many challenges as I am a "commuter" but I was the one who was responsible for figuring out what the solutions were for those who did move in. The biggest thing is receiving your household goods. If you do not have an established agent handling the shipment you will be left with lots of fees and a very long "clearance" time.

There are several very good internationals schools. There is an American, British, and French school. There are a fair amount of people who home school their children as well (mostly Americans).

Credit cards are generally accepted at most brick and mortar stores. That being said, Visa is the most widely accepted, MasterCards are accepted at a few places but forget about American Express. It is VERY expensive to shop at the nice stores for food. Generally I would go to the local markets. Be sure to give the produce a disinfectant wash (chlorine bleach and water) before consuming...

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1 comment:

www.john-peters.name said...

Hi,

I worked on a water project in Bolgatanga back in the 80s and recently published a novel based on our family's experiences. It is called, Oasis for Expats and you can check it out at www.john-peters.name.