WOW, where to start...

The second I stepped foot of the plan, a friendly Ghanaian flight member was there to welcome all of us. I felt like a celebrity because the locals wanted to meet us and talk to us. What really impressed me was the amount of respect and sincerity they had on us. What love...

Man... the heat though!!!
The air feels so thick out here!!! My first thought before we laned was, "Great, now I'm gonna sweat like crazy and my hair is gonna frizz up BIG time." Haha! Instead everything jsut felt extra sticky-ICKY. Because the air was so dense, I had to manage my breathing a little harder to keep myself from choking(yes, way! I am not kidding!)

so many people were more than happy to carry our luggage...for a tip that is =]
When Jamie finally arrived at the airport, so many guys offered to carry our luggage to the van- some just grabbed whatever we couldn't handle. At first i was like, "Awww, so sweet." But then they were like, "teep [tip], where is my teep?" Do they not realize that we're poor out in the U.S.?!?! Haha, naw, I really hae to work at the "do NOT give in" act- but it is soooooo HARD!!! You know what really hit me? The number of beggars in the streets. I guess seeing poverty in a different part of the world can create some heavy impact- and it did. My heart sank completely watching a young boy guide a blind man to a vehicle to beg for money. An elderly woman in a wheelchair had no legs! She was wheelin and tried to weave herself through traffic. I can't even count how many vendors I saw. Everyone is struggling to eat our here...

But I try to maintain a positive outlook towards everything. I can choose to pity the people here (which I do because I can't help that it's in my nature), but at the same time I should ask myself- well how do they feel? Are they happy? Just because a person doesn't have much (or seems that way), that should not become the basis of their happiness. Everyone struggles to a degree. Poverty is futile. People, as well as myself, can learn a lot from the poor.

So far, I've had a blast. I just have to get used to the housing conditions. Sometimes the water from the sink gives off barely any water. We can't drink the water out here so when I brush my teeth or wash my face, I have to get a pack of fresh drinking water (it comes in little plastic bags for 60 cents per bag. My mom told my sister Naomi and I that we just need to pioneer it, so that's what I will continue to do...but Naomi's a diva...haha. I'm serious!!! This girl was surrounded by a whole bunch of Ghanaian boys (so ridiculous...they're just like American boys haha)...a few tried to talk to me but I didn't give them the time of day. It's tooooo HOT for all that, and I get irritated easily out in the heat.

But it's all good out here, I somewhat feel at home. Last night was fun because some of the local dancers came to the house and performed for us. Our house is pretty big- we got like more than 6 bedrooms (a bathroom in each), air conditioning, tv, living room, two kitchens and a patio. Pretty awesome, huh? I still miss home though...nothing beats that. But so far everythings been real good. We just visited the WEB du Bois museum- such an uplifting experience. I finally got to purchase calling cards after that too. Haha man these Ghanain boys know how to hustle--they follow us EVERYWHERE!!! They would wait outside a restaurant until we're all done eating. I'm telling you, making a living out here involves alot of determination. It just makes me feel good about my conditions back in the states. I am so blessed- I guess it took this much for me to FINALLY figure that out.