Welcome!

Welcome everyone to Why Pree. Following my blog, you all will be able to embark on my much anticipated study abroad journey to Ghana.

To set you guys up for this adventure, I find it necessary to give you guys some background knowledge on me, my decision to go abroad and where, and why I find it necessary to write this blog. I will do so in a series of questions:

1. Uh, who are you?
• My name is Shelbie aka Shel-beezy. I am a second semester Junior at The George Washington University in the Columbian College majoring in Africana Studies, pre-Pharmacy. I am of Jamaican decent, first generation American. I come from a family of awesome people. I have a dog named Cornbread who is my baby. I have awesome parents and the COOLEST brother on the planet. I have a handful of friends but I can’t say enough about how AWESOME they are. My hair is natural. I love to cook and eat (I’m a serious foodie. Ask my friends). I love music of all genres. I like to read when I have time. I clumsy. I consider myself a hipste-nerd. Medium maintenance woman. Hm…that’s pretty much it.
  
  
2. What does "Why Pree" mean and what does it have to do with your blog?

·         Quite simply, “Why Pree” is a Patios (Jamaican) slang term that essentially means “Why watch/look at?” or “Why pay attention to?” In a sentence: “Dem ah pree dem shoe deh long time” (Translated: They have been pree-ing (looking at) those shoes for a while now.) Through this blog, not only will I be sharing my personal experiences and sharing my thoughts and feelings BUT I will also be documenting people, places, things, and occurrences that I feel are interesting, why I “pree-ed” them, and why I think you should as well. Get it?

(Song not safe for work lol)

3.       Why did you decide to study abroad?

·         To be perfectly honest, I was not really planning on going abroad during my undergrad college stint. Because I am on a pre-pharmacy track I was concerned with not being able to fulfill all my requirements in my four years and was not interested in “wasting” a semester. My good friend Janel PAINSTAKINGLY convinced me to apply to go abroad partly because she is a genius and knew it would be a great experience for me but also because she was too going abroad and didn’t want me to have too much fun without her in the states (hehe). I waited until literally the last day to submit my application, doing haphazardly, not really thinking I was going to be accepted and definitely not sure if I would even attend if I was. Fast forward about a day and a half later, I sat in my African History to 1880 class (ironically) and received an e-mail stating that I had been accepted to CIEE’s study abroad program to the University of Ghana at Legon. I was both surprised and uneasy. Is this what I really wanted? Could I handle this? What about me missing a semester of Chemistry? Well, needless to say, after a pretty rough semester ending filled with TONS of personal drama and emotions, I decided going abroad would be the best thing for me. I needed the break. Despite the (sarcastic) discouragement from my BELOVED ROOMATE WHOM I ADORE AND WILL MISS SO MUCH AND THAT NO ONE CAN REPLACE (Rebekah bka Rebekherr), we both agreed that GW was becoming increasingly overwhelming and I began to resent not only a lot of the people, but also the institution itself. This was something I was able to do solely for myself. Yup. It was time to evacuate GWU.

4.       Why did you "pree" Ghana?

·         Well, for a number of reasons:

1.       I am an Africana Studies major. What country is better to study in on the continent of Africa then Ghana? Such wonderful people and such a rich history. A no-brainer. This was the only program/country I applied to.

2.       My best friend Rebecca is Ghaniana/Nigerian. I’ve heard wonderful things. I love her dad. I love the food her dad makes.

3.       Literally EVERYONE who knows ANYONE who has been to Ghana (be it for study, travel, vacation) tells me they absolutely love it and that I am going to have the time of my life.

Do I really need more reasoning than that?

5.     But Shelbie, what happened to your 10000+ other blogs that you’ve started on hair, beauty, makeup, etc?

·         Well, to be perfectly honest, I have become really bored with the “natural hair” world. Of course I love my hair, still read blogs and watch vlogs BUT, there are more than enough natural hair blogs out there. Mine were ok, but I became really uninspired and thus stopped blogging. This will be different, because the focus is on me, my life, my experiences, what I like…and not my hair. After all it is JUST hair. Doesn’t define me at all. I am not “Afro-centric"... whatever that means. My hair is not chemically processed and I enjoy studying about the history of Africa, Africans, and those of African descent.  Simple as that. Period.

·       BUT I do plan of documenting the hair, makeup, and fashion, world in Ghana. It’s a passion of mine to do that kind of research and I feel it will be unique to share. I will try my best to update you guys on what I will be doing with the mop on my head, the products I will be brining to Ghana (which probably won’t be much) and what I will be buying (probably the basics). I will try my best to document a report fashion and makeup trends as well. AND lastly I will try to keep you updated on my fashion and beauty purchases. I plan on getting a few pieces made and doing a bit of clothes shopping J.

6.       Why blog and who is your intended audience?

·         This blog is intended to keep my family, friends, collogues, academic advisor, and associates updated on this journey that I am about to embark on. I find this blog the easiest and most efficient way to keep the people I care about updated on my trip, my experiences, and my whereabouts. But I also open everyone up to sharing this blog with their family and friends. I wouldn’t mind being invading the blogosphere. ALSO this blog will help me to reflect on my own personal journey. I hope to do some great self-reflection during my 4 month stay in Ghana. What better way to express myself then through this blog.

That pretty much sums up my little preface to this blog and my trip to Ghana. If I think of anything, I’ll be sure to add it.

I hope you guys are excited as I am. The date in which I leave is quickly approaching (January 17^th). I will try to give a few updates before I leave, discussing the costs, the preparation, and my feelings!

TTYL

-Shelbs

PS. Don’t get mad at me if I’m slow to update in the next upcoming week or so. I’m a busy girl, preparing for my trip. Uzzimee. You can follow me preparing for my trip at @nvshelbie as well.