back in ghana
if somebody would have told me when this year began that i would be traveling to ghana not once but twice, i probably would have been surprised (but, knowing me, not entirely shocked). i had no idea when i scheduled my first trip in january that i would return in july! i had started to feel like i wanted to spend more time in africa before my volunteer trip. i had been to south africa, as well as morocco and egypt, but pretty much everybody in africa has their opinions on how none of those really count as an "african" experience. i wont lie -- i was more seduced by kenya and tanzania at first, and really wanted to get to eastern africa. though intrigued by west africa, i was not focused on coming here. however, i was more interested in volunteering with a program i felt would be the best fit than in having an african vacation, which i can honestly say was not the case with my first trip to ghana, and will not be the same for this working trip either. but opportunity and luck have a funny way of working out, and i find myself in ghana once again. i still intend to get myself to east africa, to the serengeti and the places that touched my heart when i read about them as a child. but i am so grateful to have this chance to get to know ghana in a different way. i will fill my weekends with places i longed to see last time but couldn't. i will share the experience with my soon-to-be husband, who i think still wakes up slightly surprised to find himself in far-flung corners of the globe in guatemala, iceland and now ghana with me (france, he had been to before!). we spent the past few months frantically trying to plan the wedding and get our lives in order to spend this time together in ghana, so it feels hard won and worth it. i am nervous but excited about the work part of things, which will be among the most intense and challenging experience of my career. i am struck by an overwhelming sense of gratitude to be here once again and look forward to more adventures over the next month.