Its been awhile since I last updated. Lots has happened. Lets see....

I traveled to Cape Coast and Elmina the weekend that my mother left to go home. I visited the slave castles in both places, an experience that was moving and insightful. We also did a nature hike and canopy walk through a rainforest in Kakum national park, which has possibly been one of the best things i have done here so far. I was also able to attend my church in Elmina where I was able to meet with a friend from back home, Daniel Griffin. He is a missionary for my church and it has been almost a year and a half since I last saw him, so that was a nice surprise! I then spent a couple of nights in Accra, saw my mom off at the airport and then went to the market in Accra to secure some much needed supplies for the batik women back in the village. Im happy to say that the batiking has been going smoothly! Its been quite a long and tiring process to get it up and running but im happy to announce that we are going to sell for the first time at the market this thursday! A big accomplishment for the women.

I also got sick a couple of times so it was determined that I had typhoid fever...this wasnt so fun. I was checked for malaria, but it was determined negative and they supposed that the next most likely thing was typhoid. i have now experienced ghanaian health care and hope that i dont have to again anytime soon. It was quite the expereince....for some reason when they were doing the blood test i ended up passing out for about 10 minutes. They supposed it was due to the fact that I am anemic and my diet here has been pretty lacking in vital nutrients and vitamins, especially iron...most of the fruit and vegetables are unsafe to eat because of the fertilizer that is used. I have been living almost entirely on carbs, starches and proteins...yams, rice, plantains, beans, eggs, etc. I decided that the moment I land in JFK airport on the 20th I will buy an apple and a salad, two things I have been craving since the day I arrived!

The rainy season is coming to a close. For about the last 3 weeks it was raining everyday and our village ended up being flooded. The compound that I stay in was spared, luckily there was no damage. But directly behind the house, the area where the church is located is completely flooded, Seth the pastor of the church told me that the villagers will call the area "Lake Rachel" in my honor. haha! I was getting pretty tired of the rain, so its nice to have a change in weather. However, I am learing that in Ghana everything is a trade off. No rain means hot weather again...

Quickly to end, Obama will be in Ghana this weekend and I am making preperations to go see him...something that I am excited about. I mean common, its not everyday that Obama comes to Ghana, and furthermore its not everyday that Im in ghana! Im sure the crowds will be crazy, but im excited none the less.

My ratio of mosquito bites to marriage proposals is about equal

As I embarked upon my African adventures, I promised myself that I would try to keep any complaints to a minimum; there are plenty of things to complain about here, the heat, general sanitation issues, an almost daily loss of water and electricity, eating uncommon foods, etc. I feel like I have generally done well with my goal, until this weekend when I had my first major freak out. haha! I would like to share this experience, I find it ridiculous in hind site.

I work throughout the week and have the weekend off to travel to other areas. This weekend we found our way north to experience the Volta Region of Ghana to view Wli waterfalls, (the tallest waterfalls in West Africa) a Mona monkey sanctuary, and a Kenti weaving village called Kpetwe where I will be doing some cultural preservation research with another volunteer, Stephanie.

Transportation in Ghana is quite the experience. We rely on tro-tro's for our transportation needs. These vehicles exist in various forms, however at the most basic level they are large vans that are packed with people, (comfortably they seat 12 people, but I am yet to ride in a tro-tro with only 11 other passengers. The vans are generally packed with 15-18 people and on occasion, if it is a busy day, the number of passengers can reach 20) drivers race around the roads filled with pot holes at high speeds, flat tires and break downs are common, there is no air conditioning and generally gospel or reggae music is blaring from the blown speakers.

Our trip this weekend required us to take a 3 hour journey, transfering at several tro-tro stations. As luck would have it, there was a downpour the night before our travels that continued on and off throughout the morning. (The rain here in Ghana is a topic that deserves a whole post of its own, when I have more time.) Because of the rain, travel was a nightmare! The unpaved red dirt roads turned into a system of lakes and streams comparable to that of Volta. Before we left Atorkor I had drank about a half of a gallon of water, because I knew it would be awhile before I would reach an area where I could purchase bottled water and I didn't want to feel dehydrated for the journey. So after spending the morning in the tro-tro bumping up and down and up and down, by the time I arrived at our first transfer station I needed to use the bathroom very badly, as one could imagine. After piling out of the cramped tro tro I needed to find a bathroom, quickly. But, as I have learned everything in Africa is difficult. I was lead by the diver of our tro tro to a place to urinate, while my mom and our friend Joyce unloaded our luggage. I grew up in Idaho, camping and hiking, I know how to use the bathroom out doors and I was not worried. However, all that was there was a slab of cement with a small drain in the center...no ledge, no ditch, no hole, just a pad of cement. So my bathroom experience ended with a soaked sandal. As I write this I am embarrassed and wonder why I feel comfortable sharing...

Somehow I found my way back to my mom who was holding my backpack which was dripping with red water, apparently at one of the stations the hatch of the tro tro had been opened up and my bag had fallen out into one of the giant red lakes. So my luggage was completely soaked, just drenched in red dirt water! They had just let it fall completely into a puddle, not washing it off or anything. I lost it! I yelled, and swore and almost started to cry. For those of you who know me, and my issues with spills and sanitation, you can only imagine. I spent the rest of the weekend outfitted in red-dirt stained clothing.

I arrived safely in GHANA, and what an adventure it has been already in only 2 days...to say the least. I am writing from Keta, a large town about an hour from the village where I am staying called Atorkor. The internet costs 60 cents for an hour. I don't think I will be able to make it here often, so I'm taking this opportunity to write.

It is hot, so hot. Today the first order of business was getting my hair braided...to help with the heat. The food is simple but so good, spicy and delicious. I am especially loving the fruit, pineapple for every meal! We are staying in the chief's residence, that means we have running water which is such a blessing. Also, I understand that there are only 2 air conditioners in the entire village, one in the common room of our home, and the other in the home of Mama Keeli's house where we eat, so we have somewhat of a monopoly on the AC's. haha.

Our first night was spent under a mosquito netted bed. It gets dark early here, around 6 pm. After that time we are supposed to stay indoors because of the mosquitoes and the risk for malaria as well as our general safety. From our room we could hear "half night" which is a prayer session taking place in the church behind our house, it lasts for, as you could guess "half night" or until about midnight. It sounded like singing and celebration. This combined with the sound of goats and chickens made for a sweet lullaby to fall asleep to on our first night in Atorkor. I think I could get used to this. Until then, Mia dogo emegbe! (See you later in Ewe)



Joyce, Me, Stefanie @ Internet Cafe, Keta

Today I took my last hot shower for the next two months. My flight leaves in about 5 hours. Getting to the airport with our large amount of luggage is going to be a challenge. It all weighs more than my mother and I combined...we are strong women though, we can do it! I still cant believe that after my 17 hour plane ride, I will wake up tomorrow morning in Accra, then just a short 3 hour trip to Atorkor Village. I cannot wait! Hopefully I will be able to update this, I'm pretty sure my village doesn't have electricity, so that means no internet. But maybe there will be somewhere nearby, possibly Keta. Until then, wish me luck! :)

The past week has been a whirlwind to say the least. On Friday I completed my final projects and exams to close out my sophomore year at MCAD, on Saturday I moved apartments with the help of many friends, and Yesterday my mother arrived in Philadelphia. This morning was spent feverishly running last minute errands and gathering supplies and this evening has been consumed with a real-life game of tetris, we tackled the task of packing a copious amount of humanitarian supplies into two large suitcases and three 50 pound tubs. I am happy to announce that after only three hours we have successfully packaged nearly 300 pounds of humanitarian donations to meet international flight regulations. 

I have been astounded by the amount of support that has been shown by many selfless people who have donated the much needed supplies that I will be taking with me to Ghana. I wish I could thank every person individually, but I would fear that I left someone out. That being said,THANK YOU to all who have so kindly given all kinds of donations, wether it be large or small your contribution will in some way bless the lives of those in need in Atorkor Village. 

I am including a list of the supplies that have been donated for the purpose of showing those who might be thinking about volunteering what the possibilities of simply asking can do:

CLOTHING

136 t-shirts (girls and boys)

125 baby boy onsies

45 baby girl onsies

78 pairs of boys underwear

111 pairs of girls underwear

38 pairs of flip-flops

SCHOOL SUPPIES

12 pencil sharpeners

60 rulers

3 bags of erasers

10 glue sticks

10 bottles of white glue

paintbrushes

rubberbands

4 sets colored pencils

4 sets colored markers

10 sets watercolor

20 ABC flash card sets

12 kids scissors

12 boxes of chalk

100's of pencils

100's of pens 

96 scented markers

4 reams of lined paper

3 reams of colored construction paper

1 box foam stickers

1 set pastel chalks 

55 notebooks

23 small notepads 

23 school books of each subject: english/health/science

MEDICAL SUPPLIES

15 tubes of toothpaste 

36 toothbrushes

9 bottles pain relievers, adults

9 boxes pain relievers, children

6 boxes triple antibiotic cream

4 boxes hydrocortisone cream

5 boxes anti-fungal cream

5 boxes vitamin C

1 case vitamin A

208 bandaids 

10 ace bandages

30 hospital towels

2 gallon ziploc bags full of gauze

1 walking cast

6 catheters 

1 child tracheotomy kit

8 emmison basins

SEWING SUPPLIES

14 seam guide rulers

24 bobbins w/thread

8 packages sewing machine needles

18 packages of hand sewing needles

14 pin cushions

15 seam rippers

10 packages of tracing paper

10 tracing wheels

14 tape measures

10 marking pencils

11 packages of straight pins

1 package of safety pins

11 thimbles 

14 sewing scissors

2 crochet hook sets 

3 knitting needle sets

8 skeins yarn

108 skeins embroidery floss