Ghana Trek

The title is an ode to my brother's obsession with Star Trek. He actually came up with it when I was trying to think of a title for my blog, so I compromised by titling my blog with one that I came up with and having the web address with his idea. Although, I am not as into Star Trek as he is, I did find it catchy. What can you expect from a public health nut and an engineer.

So starts my first blog in what will probably be an adventure of a lifetime. My pre-departure period has been hectic with saying goodbye to loved ones and the infamous packing. The packing has been the most stressful as predicted since no matter how much advice you get from returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs; the first acronym of many that I will be using, I'm sure), from books you read, and common sense, it's still hard to really, truly know what to bring. I can only depend on the fact that I packed as much and as well as I can and whatever I'm missing, I'll have shipped to me.

Speaking of shipping, I was reading this book about how to prepare for Peace Corps today and found something pretty interesting about how to get boxes shipped to you. Apparently, superstition is a common characteristic of developing countries worldwide and the author recommended having religious quotes and sayings from the bible written all over boxes shipped to you. It also would help to have the sender put your name in a religious title like, "Sister Mary Karen" or something like that. This would prevent a corrupt post office getting into your box because they would feel cursed if they did so. I'll probably have "Thou shall not steal" written all over my boxes.

As an answer to one of my most frequently asked questions, am I excited? Well, yes, of course I am, but also scared, anxious, and to put it bluntly, freaked out. In some ways, though, I feel like I haven't really had the time to truly and genuinely freak out yet. I've been so caught up in wrapping up stuff here that to actually sit and think and take in the fact that I will be living in Africa for 2 years hasn't really happened. I bet you it'll happen on my way to Philly where my staging is going to be, which, of course, is the worst possible scenario to start hyperventilating on a plane and acting irratic. At least at home I'll have my mom there to snap me out of it by saying, "You chose to do this so it's your fault." Which, of course, she's right.

Right now, I think it's all about mental preparation. Preparing to not seeing the family for at least a year, to be so far, to assimilate into a culture unlike my own, to speak a different language, to take sponge baths and pee in bushes, and all that wondeful bushwacking stuff, but really (and this is going to sound stupid and silly to non-pet owners) to say goodbye to one of my dogs who I may not see again in two years. Yes, I will miss my family and the US of A, but the fact that my dog, Leo, who is up in years may not be around by the time I get back brings tears to my eyes. (I can sense the eye rolling and the "oh please," but all you cynics, just wait till you have a dog or cat and you'll know what I mean). I have hope, though. Maybe foolish, but is still hope. We did take him for a long walk today and I swear, Leo wanted to prove to us that yes, he's nearly 14, but that doesn't mean we can count him out yet for he walked the whole way and even had enough energy to go run around the backyard barking. I think it helps having our new and much younger dog around. I think it's true that older pets tend to stick around longer if there's a youngin' running around just to prove that they're not out of it yet. Don't know if that works with humans.














Leo















Zoe

I wanted to test how long it would take to upload pictures and figured the dogs were the best ones to post right now (who can resist those faces???). So each pic took about 15-20 seconds to upload and that's with my mom's high speed wireless so I'm not holding out for anything faster in Ghana. With that said, expect few, but really good pics of Ghana to be posted.

Alright, friends and family, time is ticking, midnight nearly approaching and packing, oh yes, the endless packing still needs to be done. More like rearranging. I wish books weren't so heavy. Even paperbacks. They're not as heavy as hardcovers, but add 'em up and they're a lot of weight. I have to be picky and I can't be picky with books. I had no trouble sacrificing some clothes, but books I'm having the hardest time on.

Hopefully, my next blog will be in Philly and if not, then definitely in Ghana. I will update as often as I can, but since internet is shotty, don't freak if you don't see an update in a month or so. That may be because the nearest computer is 8 hours away or connection is so slow or unpredictable that it's just not worth it. Either way, look out for this spot for updates. Will miss you ALL VERY MUCH!!! Keep the emails and letters coming. I'm sure I'll be craving American correspondence over my time there.

Ciao for now,
K