First night in Ghana

I feel like I'm in Africa, but at the same time, I don't. The first thing that struck me was the smoggy brown of the sky. Is it always like this? I wouldn't be surprised if the answer was yes, as half the roads are dirt roads and the other half are paved. I know "smoggy brown" doesn't sound appealing at all, but somehow it's quite beautiful in its own way.

Chickens and roosters roam the roads freely. I haven't noticed yet whether or not drivers take caution to avoid them. Everywhere you drive in Accra, there are vendors on the sides of the street, and even more who come up to your window in slow traffic, selling everything from bags of water to gum to SIM cards to shoes. George, our wonderfully knowledgeable Ghanaian tour guide, helped me use my crisp new cedis to purchase a SIM card and enough calling credit to call the U.S. for 50 minutes -- altogether 6 cedis... what a steal! (1 dollar = approx. 1.4 cedis.)

I've been here for 3 short hours, mostly spent in traffic on the roads. So far, I'm most amazed by the Ghanaians' ability to balance piles of merchandise on their heads. Said merchandise can include fruits, basketsful of water bottles, even large wok-like pots and pans!

I'm typing this on my phone as we're heading back to the airport to pick up the rest of the team. I'm really excited to be reunited with them all! The roads of Accra are quite bumpy, and there is a ridiculous amount of traffic. Don't think, though, that this urges anyone to drive slowly here. Any time there's more than 30 feet of open road ahead, the drivers gas it like none other. This results in a constant tug of war between gunning and breaking. This may take some getting used to. =P

Final Hours

More than half of this flight is done; thirteen more hours to go. Even as I sit here during my last few hours in the United States, it seems surreal that I'm going to Africa. Even more so that I'm going to Ghana.

I know it'll be an amazing experience, and I feel so blessed to have so much support from my friends and family, and yet I can't ease the anxiety that sits at the pit of my stomach at this precise moment, the same place it's been making a home for itself over the past few days. I think I'll feel more at ease once I reunite with my classmates in Accra. My worst fear now is that I'll somehow be unable to reconvene with them, and I'll be stranded in a foreign country, sticking out like a sore thumb. Please pray for me! Will update again when I can.

Last year, a few of the Columbia girls with darker complexion (Haitian, Jamaican, etc.) were in the marketplace in Kumasi. The Ghanaian vendor (a woman) said to them, "Your ancestors were the lucky ones. Look at you. If only my children's children could have half the blessings."

Such a poignant statement and powerful revelation, that a free Ghanaian woman would look at who she assumed were the descendants of slaves taken from Africa generations before, and stand in envy of those slaves... for the opportunity that would be provided to their descendants.

Countdown to Ghana: 25 days
Countdown to Beijing: 40