Saturday, August 18, 2007

  • Ghana Update 1 (July 13, 2007)

    Hi Everyone!  I'm in Ghana!!!!!

    Ok, so first of all, thank you sooooo much for everyone who sent support responses/financial support for my trip here.  I seriously could not have afforded it without your help!  I have been here for almost a week now and have had many feelings and experiences already.

    First of all, this is not what I would be calling a proper update - this is me having a little extra time at an internet cafe so I'm furiously typing and writing whatever comes to mind.  The reason why I am at an internet cafe is because I took a writing class during my summer school time in Paris (WRIT 340) and I had a big portfolio due today, a week after classes are out of session.  I had planned on finishing it before I had left France, but I also had another project due, and a final, and finishing exploring Paris... oh there was so much going on at the end.  I had only a little left so I figured I'd finish it up in Ghana and go to the internet cafe that we went to last year.  It was a risk because the systems were so slow (took 15 minutes to open a single browser, and I could only send a text email without attachments in 30 minutes), but I needed just a little more time.
       It was really difficult to finish it, even with the little I had left, because I arrived, then the entire next day was spent traveling to Kumasi, and then in the midst of this, my 2 week cough turned into a fever with chills and aches, and I couldn't talk because I was coughing so much.  I stayed home for the first two days of school, even though it was incredibly frustrating for me - I wanted to see the children!  Thank the Lord, I am much better now, and I did finish the portfolio by Wednesday.  BUT, it turns out that currently in all of Ghana, there is a power shortage.  Therefore, the power goes out every other day, but at strange times so it's really unpredictable.  Then the internet cafe that I went to last year is now closed down, and so we searched.  We searched for 3 days, went to 5 different locations, multiple times - either they were completely closed down or out of power. 
      But here I am!  Incredibly grateful for internet!  And I am treating my time here like it's my last.  :)

    Other things...
    - the children still remember my name! :)  They run and jump on me and carry my things and get so excited.  They remember everything I taught them... even Chinese.  haha.
    - the girl I was sponsoring last year is gone from the school now.  She was sent away to the capital... at first it was a mystery as to why she left - she just stopped appearing one day.  I was sad and so were the people at the school.  I have found her 2 older sisters tho - their family life is sooooo hard. :(  I dont have time to explain but please pray for Ophelia, Juliet, and Vivian - their mother died 2 years ago and their father refuses to see them or send money to help them.

    k my time is running out!!!   I hope everyone is well and please send updates!! :)

    love,
    Akua Dolce
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