Where Did You Learn to Drive

So, it was a 4 hour taxi drive from Accra to Cape Coast and all I have to say is wow! All of the drivers have a complete disregard for stop signs, pedestrians, seatbelts, fear of getting hit by big trucks when passing on a 2-lane road (and the majority of the roads are only 2 lanes), animals, and speed limits. I felt my heart skip a beat at least every couple of minutes on the trip. When we went through big towns with markets, all the vendors on the street would smile at Hayley and I because we are obroni (white). The women and children would carry baskets full (and I mean FULL) of all sorts of food, water, candy, toys, etc. I really want to learn how to balance that stuff on my head, plus it would help with my posture. We saw a lot of funeral processions and weddings on the ride to Cape Coast. Typically all funerals are held on Saturdays, while most of the weddings are on Saturday or Sunday. Ghana is primarily a Christian country, but also it has Muslim and Traditionalist beliefs.

The Beginning of a New Adventure

So when I landed in Accra (the capital of Ghana) and stepped off the plane the heat just hit me like a door. It was so hot, but luckily I went inside the airport and it had air conditioning. I had to go through immigration and customs, both a piece of cake, and then continue on to collect my bags. Needless to say, I am a very impatient person and after almost 45 minutes of waiting at the baggage claim I finally got all of my bags. I met one of the volunteer coordinators outside of the airport and we walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch. One thing that I have quickly learned is that the restaurant service in Ghana hardly exists. I’m not sure if it is because one does not tip in Ghana, but it literally took 2 hours to order and receive a TAKE-OUT order. Like seriously the waiter was just chilling and taking his time talking on his cell phone. Anyways, the volunteer coordinator took me back to the guesthouse (a small motel) in Accra to stay the night. I got as settled in as I could after my 11 hour flight from Washington, D.C. and proceeded to eat my lunch. I was taken aback by the “packaging” of my food because I ordered Beef Red Red, which is smashed black-eyed peas with small chunks of beef type concoction, and a side of fried plantains. I loved the plantains, but I no doubt didn’t finish the rest. Back to the point, the “packaging” of the Beef Red Red was in a plastic baggie and I had to poke it with a fork to open it. It’s really similar to the way I have to drink the water here in water satchels. The water is not potable in Ghana and so you have to buy a small Ziploc-bag type of satchel that is filtered water. In order to drink it you have to bite off one of the corners and you’re good to go. The main thing that I have noticed here is that the people here are extremely warm and friendly. They want nothing more than to be your friend and show you their country and culture. Of course, my first day in Ghana would not have been complete without the power outage we had at the guesthouse. I knew it was going to happen, and I was prepared with my little flashlight and lantern. Luckily it was only out for an hour, and afterwards another intern, Hayley, came from the airport to go with us to Cape Coast the next day. It took me awhile to fall asleep because I had so much going through my head. I can’t believe I’m in Africa right now! The people are so awesome and they are constantly saying that I will be a real Ghanaian after my 3 months stay! I hope so because I can barely understand anything they say, even when they speak English. In Accra they speak Tree (I don’t know how to spell it but it is pronounced like that), while in Cape Coast they speak Fante. But, like I said it is very difficult to understand their English so let’s hope that my language lessons here help!

Today is the Day

Ok, so I leave at 7:30 tonight. My thoughts are as follows: scared, nervous, excited, and stressed. Why stressed? Well, needless to say I have not packed yet. Okay, not entirely true as I have already packed all my toiletries (for 3 months!), all my gifts, and all of my electronics. I just need to pack shoes and all of my clothes. Yes, I am a major procrastinator! Anyways, I will let everyone know how I am doing when I land in Accra tomorrow. It is about a 10.5 hour flight from DC to Accra so I decided it would be worthwhile to download a couple new movies on my iTunes; I can't wait to watch them! Accra is the capital of Ghana and they say it is approximately a 3 hour drive to Cape Coast where I'll be staying. I believe that I am spending the night in Accra until Saturday morning and then driving with another intern to Cape Coast, after which we will go through orientation about cultural norms and safety precautions. Well that's all for now but wish me luck and I will miss everyone very much!

6 More Days

Okay, so I've already started to pack my carry-on luggage, which is already filled with crayons, coloring books, PSU t-shirts and recycled cloth tote bags. I hope my host family and the children in the community like their gifts! I almost forgot...I bought a solar powered panel pack to take with me so I can charge all of my electronics and my rechargeable batteries for my night-light lantern :P Apparently, they have a lot of power outages, as well as a lot of rain. Note to self: pack an umbrella!

The Final Details

So I just found out that I will be staying with a family that has 3 girls and 1 boy (and they haven't hit their teen years yet!). Ahh, I don't even know what I should bring them as a gift, maybe Penn State t-shirts or some kind of family friendly game? Any suggestions?! In addition, I will be interning with the HEPENS organization and boy does it sound like I have my work cut out for me. Apparently they are in desperate need of funding, and so I plan to pull all the resources I possibly can to make Cape Coast, Ghana a better community! But, at the same time I have absolutely no idea how to check someone's blood pressure or write a grant proposal....oh god what did I get myself into haha. Oh well, I'm sure they will teach me and my skills will be so stellar they won't know what to do. I can only hope :) So, yes I am in a great mood right now because I have everything finalized (and just came back from a bike ride!). Now the only thing left to do is pack. Anybody want to volunteer to help?!

I finally talked to ProWorld Ghana staff

So I had my Skype interview with the ProWorld Ghana staff...finally! I coudn't be more excited! We talked about potential home-stay families, life in Ghana, and my internship placement. This is really happening to me. I'm finally going to West Africa to do exactly what I love to do, make the world a better place. Wow that sounds cheesy, but after researching the possible internship placements I believe I'll make one hell of a difference. The organization that I hope to be placed with is called HEPENS, Health Protection and Environmental Sanitation (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-Protection-and-Environmental-Sanitation-HEPENS/111234072270614). I can visualize my internship experience now... teaching communities how to enrich their lives by taking care of themselves and the environment. I was told by the ProWorld Ghana staff that I could be placed with a family that has little children, which made me even more excited! I had two young host brothers when I lived in Venezuela and it was the best experience coming home from school and playing games with them. The only thing that is making me a little nervous is the Ghanaian diet. I am told that they primarily eat rice, beans and plantains, which I can do but they also eat fish. I'm not a huge fan of fish, but I guess I will have to be less picky with my food. :)

Almost a month to go

So I haven't been online all that much since the last entry, partly because I was traveling cross-country. My first stop was in Wisconsin with my boyfriend and his family, and three days later I went to Alabama to visit my dad and brother. From there, we went to Las Vegas (as a college graduation present) and saw the Grand Canyon. All I have to say is "wow". I was never really scared of heights until we started our tour of the Grand Canyon. I can't even begin to describe its beauty and colossal size. Thankfully, my boyfriend joined me on the trip and we will surely be back to camp at the bottom of the canyon soon. Well, maybe in a couple years until we can get into shape. As for my Ghana trip, I haven't heard too much about it unfortunately. I was suppose to have an interview via Skype but the Internet in Ghana is less-than reliable. Hopefully I will learn more about my host family within the next week or two. I finished moving out of my apartment yesterday :( Surprisingly, it was very difficult to say good-bye after calling it my home for more than 2 years. I guess it has really sunk in that I am no longer a college student, but a young working professional.