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.