Letter to myself

Dear Jodi,

I hope you're enjoying that cup of coffee - you won't be getting much of that in Ghana.  I hear they only have instant coffee.  I can't believe that you're off to Ghana TODAY!  You've been prepping and planning all semester, you must be excited to finally be going.

How are you feeling about the trip - nervous, excited?   You've never been anywhere like Ghana before. Even though you've been to Guatemala which is also a developing country, I don't imagine the places are very similar.  Accra is a huge city!  A lot of the roads aren't paved!  Do they have crazy traffic or do people walk places?  Will there be people begging on the streets?  Do people live in houses or in big apartment buildings buildings?  And how will you deal with the accents?  It took you a while to understand the locals in St. John, USVI, but you only have two weeks in Ghana , is that enough time? Will you be able to quickly pick up the accent and understand?  And what about the food.  You hate eggs, yet all you keep hearing about is the plentiful supply of eggs and rice.  I'm sure you'll be able to find food you'll eat.  If nothing else, you're in a tropical climate - there are sure to be plenty of mangoes!

And what about the actual work you'll be doing?  Are you ready? You've had a year of OT school and you'll have two OTs with you, do you think you're ready to start doing OT-stuff for real? You and Sam are in charge of wheelchairs and adaptive equipment?  But, you couldn't even fix the garbage disposal this weekend, are you going to be able to fix wheelchairs?  You're pretty smart though, I have confidence that you can pull out your inner MacGyver and make it work.  How do you think you'll react to the conditions the kids live in - especially at New Horizons, the school for kids with disabilities?  You've read about stigma of people with disabilities in Ghana,  do you think the school will be sad?  Do you think you'll have a difficult time emotionally?  Just stick with your motto: fake it till you make it and I know you'll be fine.

You love to travel, you love learning about new cultures and having new experiences. So go out there and live every minute of the adventure.  I know you can do it!

Love,

Jodi

A short geography lesson...

Less than a week before I go, and I just realized I've never really explained where it is I'm going!  So here is a quick geography lesson to orient you with Ghana.

Ghana is a country in West Africa.  It is bordered by Ivory Coast (or Cote d'Ivoire if you're fancy) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (which goes into the Atlantic Ocean) to the south.  It has a population of 25 million (Texas, in comparison is home to 26 million people) and it's about the same size as Oregon. Ghana is just north of the equator which means it's a HOT tropical climate.  Wet and dry are the only seasons they have.  Rainy seasons typically run from April-July and September-November. The average temperature in May is only 83 but with the humidity it feels at least ten degrees warmer.

Our group will be splitting into two upon arrival.  One group will be heading east to the rural Volta region.  I will be part of the group staying in the Accra region.  Accra is the capital of the country and has a population of about 2.2 million people with the greater metropolitan area home to around 4 million people.  It is the biggest city in Ghana.

Ghana is home to 75 ethnic groups, the largest being the Akan people (if you've ever head of the Ashanti people, they are a subgroup of the Akan).  Because Ghana was a British colony until 1957, English is the official language and most people in Ghana, especially in urban areas like Accra, speak it, but many people also speak a tribal language.  Most Ghanaians (about 71%) are Christian (especially evangelical/Pentecostal) but there is a small Muslim population (about 18%)  in the northern part of the country.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, more than 6.3 million slaves were shipped from West Africa, including Ghana, to the New World.  In fact, there is a historic slave castle in Cape Coast that I hope to visit on my trip to learn more about the slave trade and its impact on the people of Africa.  Ghana is proud to be the first African country to declare independence and become an independent republic. Today, Ghana is one of the most stable countries in Africa.  The current president is John Mahama.  He was elected to office in 2012. He is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a center-left social democratic party.

So that is a quick run-down of some of the basics.  I'm excited for the opportunity to learn more about the country, its history and its people...just four more days!!!

I got my viiii-saaa!

Those who watch trashy TLC shows know what I'm referring to  :)

But seriously, our tourist visas for Ghana finally arrived.  It's always a little nerve wracking putting your passport in the mail and hoping it actually makes it back.  But the worry is over, everyone in our group now has their passports and visas.  It's hard to believe that I'm actually going to Ghana in TWO weeks!  Let the countdown begin.  But first I have to get through finals...

The state of rehab care in Ghana

If you have 30 minutes, watch this amazing video about life with a disability in Ghana and the state of rehabilitative care.  It's eye-opening and inspiring!   I am even more excited now to get to Ghana and be able to play even a small part in advocating for people with disabilities.