Less than a week to go! – Alex Wookey

It is now less than a week to go until we go and every day excitement is building! The trip has come around so quickly and it is such an overwhelming feeling knowing that we will finally be using all the skills we have developed over the last few weeks so soon. Since the start of this semester we have had lectures and computer workshops that have informed us about what kind of things we will be experiencing while in Ghana. While in Ghana we will be researching climate change and the impact this has had on settlements and migration working with a project called DECCMA. In the lectures we have learnt how we will collect primary data through qualitative interviews while also going through the interview structures and looking at any ethical implications we may face while in the field. The computer workshops have been very useful in looking at the dataset we will be using for our report and brushing up on previous SPSS skills learnt in statistics modules last year that will help us to analyse the quantitative data. The workshops have been used to sort out logistical aspects of the trip. We applied for our Ghanaian visa, completed a health and safety risk assessment form and were informed about further risks that we may come into contact with. We have also been provided with an itinerary that we will follow throughout our time in Ghana. As well as conducting the fieldwork it also includes a tour of the University Campus, a tour of the Trashy Bags factory site, a visit to Cape Coast and Kakum National Park. We are also all very excited to visit The Potters Village, which cares for orphaned children, as we have been fundraising for the charity. We had two bake sales to raise money which were both successful and it will be so rewarding to visit the charity and see exactly where the money is going. We are all so excited and just ready to get on the plane now!