woah hey. ok. so it's monday.. the last one. the day after tomorrow i get on a plane and head for home. wow. it's hard to believe the time went so quickly.. it almost feels like i've got a firm footing here.. and now it's time to leave. but i'm so excited to get home and share the things that happened and pictures and presents (!!) with everyone.
the weekend was sweet- anita and nat and i headed into accra on saturday and saw cool 'capital city' type things.. independence park, the parliment building, etc. it was a great day just walking around and taking pictures and taking in 'downtown' accra one last time. yesterday anita and i went beach-side for an afternoon of relaxing in the sand :) it was so nice just to sit and listen to the waves and soak up some sun. it was not nice to have to tell people every could minutes that we did not want what they were selling, we did not want to go to a party with them, and we did not want to marry them.
ladies i tell you what. my purity ring saved me more times than i can count. not only is it a beautiful symbol of keeping ourselves pure until we're married, but you can hold up your left hand (should you wear it there like i do) and tell creepy african men that you really would like to come to the beach party where they'll probably put somethin in your drink and then goodness only knows what (seriously.).. but you can't go because you're married. but other than unwanted attention it was great. :)
today i'm back at the office- just today and tomorrow left- and tomorrow i think i might ask to take a half-ish day to finish packing and get things done at home.. depending on whethr i get laundry done tonight or not. both water tanks are empty- so there's no water- which impeded my ability to do laundry yesterday as i had planned.. but no matter. today is just as good. i'm kind of half packed.. just have to add the laundry. i have a bag of a couple pairs or shoes and some clothes that i'm throwing away.. africa has kind of destroyed them.. haha. so that freed up some room for all the stuff i bought :) and admittedly- i waited until the night before i left to pack when i was coming (i know ok. i know.), so with some more planning/packing time things should fit a little better.
tomorrow i'll go and pick up my second dress :) :) must find places at home to wear them. must. and then it's time for goodbyes at the office.. only 2 more episodes of 'second chance' to watch.. what will i do without salvador in my life?!? but wait. dont' be sad.. i found it on the internet.. so i can watch from home. haha.. i go to africa and come back addicted to a telenovela. lovely. then one last night in ghana- gotta get up early wednesday morning. we have to leave the house by 7am, i have to be checked in to the airport by 8, and then my flight leaves at 10:10am. i hit JFK at 5:29pm (9:29pm ghana time.. ew 11 hour flight.) and then jump a connection to pittsburgh at 9:20, landing in good old PA at 11:34 pm (3:34am ghana time. unfortunate.) and i'm sure at that point all i'll want to do is sleep.. and all my mom will want to do is ask questions.
but. i have a plan. shortly after lunch on the ACC/JFK flight i will take 2 advil pm... and sleep the rest of the way. ghana to america in no time flat. yesssssss. i dont have any nyquil or i would take that.. but i think the advil will do. the more sleeping that occurs the better.
with a shudder i realized that we move back into school a week from today. it's a weird thought that in 7 days i'll be moving into my dorm.. but i'm still in africa. well.. i'm not entirely sure i'll have time (and you and i both know i'll probably forget anyways) to write tomorrow, so i guess this the official sign-off from accra. i've learned more than i ever thought i would.. and i've probably grown and changd more than i realize. i continue to thank God for this summer- for the amazing opportunity that i've had to see somewhere completely different from my small world and for the chance to grow closer to Him through everything. God's pretty awesome.
echiri everyone. :)
great is your faithfulness oh God
you wrestle with the sinner's heart
you lead us by still waters into mercy
and nothing can keep us apart.
great is your love and justice God
you use the weak to lead the strong
you lead us in the song of your salvation
and all your people sing along.
your grace is enough, your grace is enough
your grace is enough, heaven reaching down to us
your grace is enough, i'm covered in your love
your grace is enough for me.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
the final countdown
monday morning. last full week at the office. and my oh my will this week (and the 2 whole days of next week that i'm here) be busy.
i'm doing the company interviews on chinese involvement in african industry tomorrow- so that should take all dayish.. especially since we're probably taking trotros (busses). but it'll be sweet to get out and see accra and talk to ghanaian business people.
mavis and i have to get back to accra market sometime this week- i still need to pick up a few last minute ghana-type things :) and that...could only take a couple hours if we planned well and didn't fool around- but comon. let a couple girls loose in the biggest market in accra and expect them to come home in a couple hours? try again. haha.
anita (romanian intern who arrived yesterday- soooo sweet) and i are going up to the national game park (up north..ooooooo) sometime this week- that'll take all day. but i'm pumped to see wildlife and sarafi-ish it ghana style.
i have to take my other fabric to the seamstress to get another dress made. side note. i picked up my first dress on friday. it's the most beautiful thing i've ever owned. it's perfect and wonderful and beautiful. the stitching is incredible and the design is exactly what i wanted.. it's perfect. mavis says that the color of my skin probably didn't hurt in making it so perfect.. but i mean comon. being pasty had to come in handy somehow.
i need to visit evelyn and francis to say goodbye sometime this week.. i doubt next week will be good for a whole lot- i fly out wednesday morning at 10:10am.
so- with all of that to do- this week will fly by.. and before i know it i'll be home.. for 4 days.. before moving back to school... for senior year. sweet mother.
this weekend was super sweet- sandra and i went to the "night of 1006 laughs and music" on saturday. they bring in the best comedians and recording artists from ghana/nigeria to perform.. it was sooooo funny. i had to work hard to understand the nigerians.. but it ws hilarious. the show was at the ghana national theatre in 37 (the district of accra it's in), which was built by the chinese in 2003.. oh the random facts you learn.
sunday we just kind of hung out and watched movies- anita came over for most of the day and i made breakfast.. she came to africa and got an american breakast of pancakes, eggs, toast and sausage.. piled high with syrup. dinner was definitely ghanaian though. it's been sweet to hear about bucharest and what anita's life is like and what she thinks about africa and things.
coming to the end.. words cannot express how much God has grown me this summer. and for all the amazing experiences and great pictures and sweet gifts (oh man i can't wait to give them to people)... the most wonderful part about being here is seeing how my faith and walk have grown and changed. it sounds so cliche.. go off to africa and live with out hot/running water for a couple months and come back talking about how much God changed you.. but i mean.. it's true. when you strip away all the distractions of home.. all the things i stressed about needlessly and all the things i tried to take into my own hands without even realizing it. it's amazing how distracted and pulled in different directions i was without even knowing. and having all that taken away for a summer brings you back to things that matter. it's strange how you can be refocused and have your eyes opened wide all at the same time. being here and learning about the other side of the world.. people who's lives are so different from my own little bubble, which extends far beyond grove city. my whole life was a bubble.. safe and sheltered and comfortable.. God popped the bubble in africa. it's a lot more than i feel like i can type out.. i know i probably didn't explain it very well.. but.. yea.
i'm doing the company interviews on chinese involvement in african industry tomorrow- so that should take all dayish.. especially since we're probably taking trotros (busses). but it'll be sweet to get out and see accra and talk to ghanaian business people.
mavis and i have to get back to accra market sometime this week- i still need to pick up a few last minute ghana-type things :) and that...could only take a couple hours if we planned well and didn't fool around- but comon. let a couple girls loose in the biggest market in accra and expect them to come home in a couple hours? try again. haha.
anita (romanian intern who arrived yesterday- soooo sweet) and i are going up to the national game park (up north..ooooooo) sometime this week- that'll take all day. but i'm pumped to see wildlife and sarafi-ish it ghana style.
i have to take my other fabric to the seamstress to get another dress made. side note. i picked up my first dress on friday. it's the most beautiful thing i've ever owned. it's perfect and wonderful and beautiful. the stitching is incredible and the design is exactly what i wanted.. it's perfect. mavis says that the color of my skin probably didn't hurt in making it so perfect.. but i mean comon. being pasty had to come in handy somehow.
i need to visit evelyn and francis to say goodbye sometime this week.. i doubt next week will be good for a whole lot- i fly out wednesday morning at 10:10am.
so- with all of that to do- this week will fly by.. and before i know it i'll be home.. for 4 days.. before moving back to school... for senior year. sweet mother.
this weekend was super sweet- sandra and i went to the "night of 1006 laughs and music" on saturday. they bring in the best comedians and recording artists from ghana/nigeria to perform.. it was sooooo funny. i had to work hard to understand the nigerians.. but it ws hilarious. the show was at the ghana national theatre in 37 (the district of accra it's in), which was built by the chinese in 2003.. oh the random facts you learn.
sunday we just kind of hung out and watched movies- anita came over for most of the day and i made breakfast.. she came to africa and got an american breakast of pancakes, eggs, toast and sausage.. piled high with syrup. dinner was definitely ghanaian though. it's been sweet to hear about bucharest and what anita's life is like and what she thinks about africa and things.
coming to the end.. words cannot express how much God has grown me this summer. and for all the amazing experiences and great pictures and sweet gifts (oh man i can't wait to give them to people)... the most wonderful part about being here is seeing how my faith and walk have grown and changed. it sounds so cliche.. go off to africa and live with out hot/running water for a couple months and come back talking about how much God changed you.. but i mean.. it's true. when you strip away all the distractions of home.. all the things i stressed about needlessly and all the things i tried to take into my own hands without even realizing it. it's amazing how distracted and pulled in different directions i was without even knowing. and having all that taken away for a summer brings you back to things that matter. it's strange how you can be refocused and have your eyes opened wide all at the same time. being here and learning about the other side of the world.. people who's lives are so different from my own little bubble, which extends far beyond grove city. my whole life was a bubble.. safe and sheltered and comfortable.. God popped the bubble in africa. it's a lot more than i feel like i can type out.. i know i probably didn't explain it very well.. but.. yea.
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