A Week Before I Depart

Prisca is on the right - she is hopefully visiting!
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I am in West Hartford,a week before my flight to Ghana (via Italia) which I only purchased last night. I am looking forward to the trip (obviously) but there have been a number of last min hassels due to the urgency of my bosses in Ghana for organizing the conference that is in mid-July. So, I have been doing last-minute visas, vaccinations, malaria pills, preparing myself mentally, finding appropriate (ie: modest) clothing, doing a research paper for my last course at McGill with work already to do for my internship on top of this and wanting to see a couple of friends in West Hartford. I am to be living in an American embassy house in the Cantonments neighborhood, with two other female summer interns. An embassy vehicle is to take me to the office and back every day.  My boss advises me:

Hanging out at the university campus at night in 2004.
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"The house has all the standards diplomatic housing features you would expect:  a drinking water purification system, alarm system, water tank, back up generator, etc., etc. and is located in a very nice and safe part of town (cantonments, in case you’re reading up on Accra). I’m sure you will like the house and area."

"The house has all the standard diplomatic housing features you would expect.."

Another pic of us chilling in 2004
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So, I will clearly be living it up in Ghana - much chic-er from my dorm rooms on campus before, although they were great. SO - if you're in the hood, come visit! I already heard from my friend Prisca who I met in Accra when we worked together at the WARC conference three years ago now. She is planning to take a trip to visit me from Nigeria by bus at some point which will be nice.

Also, I have Ghanaian friends from that conference that I have gotten back in touch with and will be calling once I arrive and buy a cell. I plan on going to church with them to meet people and form a good network. Also, I am blessed to have my grandmother's exhaustive list of worldwide friends come to my aid here as well - I will be contacting some of her Ghanaian friends as well. Finally, I have a friend here whose mother works with my mom who is making all kinds of plans when I return with her mother and another friend to go up north and travel - which would be wonderful. They're thinking the monkey sanctuary, waterfalls, her home village etc. I am very blessed to have some many friends and connections looking out for me on my travels!

Pavlina and Dorota - I miss those girls: again, from the 2004 conference - I plan on visiting them someday in Czech Rep. and Poland respectively.
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I am looking forward to papayas for breakfast, manioc, shopping in the market, bargaing and learning to drum and of course, this great work opportunity in development (among so much more!).I am also excited that I will get to know the city better. Anyway, I invite you all to keep in touch via this journal and of course personal emails as well. When you're traveling being in touch and writing down your thoughts and sharing them with your friends and family becomes so important.