one month until the adventure begins.

Hello friends and family!

I have decided to keep a blog while I am in Ghana so you all can share my experiences with me! I am no writer so this will not be spectacular by any means, just me writing a letter to you all. At some point the capital letters will probably leave my posts because I don't like them. :)  

A little background on what I will be doing in Ghana....

I will be attending school at the University of Ghana in the capital city of Accra.  I am going to be taking a few classes (I will update you on those once I get there and learn more about them) and I will also be doing research.  I love research and I am very excited to start this!  I will be helping out with an organization called SafeWater which is paired with a local church in a nearby town called Tema.  SafeWater is paired with Cascade Engineering here in Grand Rapids and they have developed a water filter so that those living without piped water can have access to clean water.  Right now I am told I will be helping set up a fundraiser and researching what is going well and what can use improvements with the water filters that are set up there now.  But this is Africa and, like I have learned from my time in Kenya, that is most likely going to change.  I am so excited to get back to the laid back African lifestyle, I have missed it terribly! 

I am getting very excited to leave, organizing lists so I don't forget anything, and putting off the daunting task of packing for four months in two suitcases. This will be a challenge for me people.  I pray for peace of mind as I get ready to leave, suffer through goodbyes (not my forte), safety during my travels, and the disorienting first few days of living in a new country.  

Here are my travel plans as of today:

Fly out of O'Hare on August 11th and arrive in Washington D.C. a few hours later.  I will then fly straight to Accra and arrive sometime in the afternoon on August 12th.  

Wish me luck and I will update you all then! 

Much love to you all.