Hello from Ghana!!

I made it to Accra safe and sound! It was an easy trip. The flight was smooth, though very crowded, so it was a bit cramped. As a result, I really couldn't sleep.  I could not get comfortable in any position for very long. But, I finally saw La La Land, which I really liked, so that was a plus 😊  Also, because we were over the ocean the entire night, looking out the window at the stars was incredible! It's easy to forget how breathtaking the night sky can be without the light polllution. All in all, it was a good trip over.

Once I arrived, I made it through customs easily then got situated with some SIM cards. And as soon as my SIM card was in my phone, I got a text from Manny saying that his brother was on his way. Perfect timing! His brother, Andrew, picked me up and got me situated at a hotel down the street from his home. One of their sisters is getting married next week so he and his wife are hosting a lot of out of town visitors right now. He will be picking me up after work and taking me to his home to meet everyone.

I was able to take a shower and get a nice long nap, so I'm feeling refreshed right now. The only issue is that I can't figure out how to access my blog site through the iPad so I'm writing this on my phone, which is tedious and the reason why this isn't a very detailed post. Or very eloquent. I am not very good texting, nor am I very fast. This post has taken me about an hour to peck out! Lol! But that's also because autocorrect has been keeping me on my toes, so I've had to go back and correct the autocorrects. Hopefully I caught them all. 😊

I will try to write again later.

testing picture posts

Testing how to post pictures. Here is a picture of two of my greatest, small "things!" On the way to the bus stop yesterday. I won't be missing the cold and snow. 

A is for Airplane

Been up since 4:30am to try to get on Ghana time. Also, I'm super excited! I just got a text from the head of the nursery school asking me to prepare to teach letter sounds. This is going to be so fun! I love all of the fun letter sound songs that I remember from the girls preschool days. And Pinterest has a ton of cool ideas. I'm going to blow their minds with letter sounds! Haha!

Almost time!

Whoa! Where did the last six months go? It's so surreal that I will be leaving tomorrow. I had a busy, but productive day getting ready. Because of the snow on Tuesday, the girls had a 2 hour delay today. It was nice to be able to spend extra time with them before they went off to school. I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon going back to Target for a couple more things and doing my pre-travel house cleanup. I am OCD when it comes to leaving the house in disarray when I'm traveling. It's kind of pointless because I know by tomorrow evening the house will be in complete disarray again, but at least I'll know I left it relatively clean. Whether I come back home to the same level of clean--we shall see! Oh! And I also squeezed in a massage today :) I've had a really stiff neck for the last couple of days, so I figured I should probably try to resolve that before I get on a 10 hour flight where the likelihood of being able to stretch out and get comfy is pretty slim. I did buy one of those J pillows, so I'm excited to see how that works out. I'll keep you *posted.* (See what I did there? Blog humor! Bada bum!)

Emotionally, I'm feeling mostly excited--with a little apprehension and some nervousness thrown into the mix. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling some mommy guilt. Leaving for two weeks did not seem like a long time when I was planning this months ago. However, now that the reality of me leaving has started to sink in for the girls--and some tears have ensued because of it--I am starting to feel some guilt. But I'm trying to keep those feelings at bay and focus on the trip ahead. How amazing that this is all happening? Am I really leaving for Africa tomorrow? I still can't believe how easily this all fell into place!

I will write a post tomorrow about how this trip came to be. I will probably write it as I'm sitting in the airport. I fly from Philly to JFK, then have a 3 hour layover, so I'll have a lot of time to kill while waiting for my flight to Accra. Also, there will be some people reading this who have no idea how the heck I ended up planning a trip to Africa, so I feel like I need to explain that a little more.

Immunizations and preparations

One of the last steps in preparing for my trip is done. I'm immunized for yellow fever, hepatitis A, and typhoid. Got my scripts for antimalarial and antibiotic. I met with Manny to go over some logistics, so I feel confident everything is falling into place.  Now, I just need to go get some last minute supplies and pack. Need to do a Target run for the important stuff--Tums, Imodium, & Pepto! Given my sensitive stomach, I need to be prepared! I think that's what I'm most nervous about.  Nothing is worse than having an upset stomach, especially when you are away from home.  Given that Ghana's food can be pretty spicy, I also have started trying to incorporate more spiciness into my diet. Hasn't worked very well, though! I have good intentions of adding chili powder to everything I eat, but chili powder to my morning protein shakes never sounds appealing! I think it'll be fine though. I'm not too worried.

Today is exactly 1 month until I leave. So crazy! We are in Texas right now. Decided to take the girls for a long weekend in Dallas--the cheapest place we could fly direct from Philly. Given Norah's current obsession with armadillos, Texas is the perfect family getaway right now! I just hope the only armadillos we see aren't roadkill!

49 days and counting

With February just around the corner, the realization of leaving is starting to hit me a little bit.  Just 49 days until take off! It still seems crazy that I'm actually doing this. But it feels like I'm getting closer to finding out why I'm here on this earth. I can't quite articulate it, but it's almost like I know this trip will be a definite turning point in my life. It feels like I'm finally on the path that God has been trying to get me to realize.

Forty nine days! Seems like a long time, but I know it will fly. I have an appointment next Wednesday to get my shots, then all of the critical, necessary steps that had to be taken for this trip will be finished. After that, it's the noncritical, but just as important, things that I will need to do: finalizing my packing list, getting my travel "first aid" kit ready, reading more about Ghana and its culture, etc. I also need to meet with my priest, Manny, to talk through expectations and the logistics of getting from the airport in Accra to his family's home in Sekondi! I don't feel stressed, though. Just excited. And a bit nervous. 

Small Great Things

I'm reading a book by Jodi Picoult (one of my favs) called "Small Great Things." The title is inspired by the quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., "If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." This quote absolutely resonated with me, in a great, big way. I am often overwhelmed by the feeling of helplessness brought on by injustices in this world. The fact that some people just get a bad lot in life just by being born. The fact is, I am not one of those people. I was born into a wonderful, loving family and have had many privileges that a lot of people don't have the opportunity to have. I always had a secure home, family that loved me, food to eat, friends, etc. I didn't grow up wealthy, but I never felt the impact of the financial struggles of my parents, especially those of my mom once my parents divorced. I never had to worry if I was going to eat on a particular day or if my family was going to be out on the streets or if I was going to have clean clothes to wear. Because of the color of my skin--my pale, suntan-resistant, sunburn-susceptible, white skin--I never had to worry about being unfairly treated, arrested, profiled, or shot by police. I still don't. I didn't have a perfect life as a kid, but who does? I don't have a perfect life now (but, again, who does?). I just acknowledge that I've had many blessings that rarely have to do with the choices I have made or make. I believe God's plan is for all of us to do great things, even if they are small, great things. We are all capable of small, great things. I think the quote is such a good reminder that we don't need to feel overwhelmed or paralyzed by the inability to do great things--we can do small things in a great way and still have a huge impact on someone. I don't have millions to donate to organizations doing great things, but I can make a small donation or spread the word about the work they do. I don't have a lot of extra time to plan or organize a food drive, but I can offer to buy a sandwich or a cup of coffee to a man living on the street. The point is, we need to remember that we all are capable of doing small things in a great way. I know I need that reminder everyday, especially when I read about what's happening in other parts of the world, such as Syria. I feel paralyzed by the overwhelming need of those poor children who have been left orphaned. I want to do great things for them. But I know my limitations, and the reality is I can't quit my job or my life here in the U.S. to go save them all. But I can make a donation to one of the organizations that greatly need financial support. It may be small, but a donation can do great things in the right hands.