Days 2 & 3

"You have brains in your head.

              You have feet in your shoes.

       You can steer yourself 

In any direction you choose.

                        You're on your own. And you know what you know.

     And YOU are the who'll decide where to go."                     

I’m here! I successfully made it into Africa and that alone was a journey. I got to the airport to find out that my flight to Chicago had been cancelled. After about an hour of waiting & running back & forth between United & Delta, I got a flight out. Luckily I had my parents, sister, and my friends Tori, Danielle, & Jordan there to keep me company & send me off. I ended up heading to Minneapolis, then London, then Ghana. Fortunately a bunch of study abroad kids were on my flight from London so I got to meet them then which was exciting for all of us!

When I arrived at the London airport, they didn’t have me booked on the flight to Ghana. The agent helping me happened to be from Ghana & she was so sweet so I knew that had to be a good sign! Once they got me booked on that flight, I went through security & somehow lost one shoe & my boarding pass. The shoe was recovered but the boarding pass was not. I started to stress about that but they just printed me out a new one & sent me on my way with their adorable accents!

I met a nice British gentleman on my last flight over who does business in Ghana. It was a 7 hour flight so I was glad to be sitting next to someone I could chat with. He helped me fill out my immigration & customs forms and showed me all the beautiful sights outside the plane window. My favorite was some mountains in Spain that were topped with snow, probably because they reminded me of home :)

When I got off the plane, the first thing I noticed was how HOT it is! And humid! But I couldn't stop smiling all the way through the airport. Once I got my bags, I headed through customs & waited for everyone else to grab their bags. The locals here are so nice & will do anything for you, but the first thing I need to learn here is how to lie. They all kept asking me for money just for moving my bag or answering a question for me. And of course I paid them all cause I couldn't lie to them or say no. I was glad when I found out the currency exchange rate because at least I paid them a lot less than I had thought!

We all took a bus packed with kids and bags to our hostel which is a very interesting place too. We walked in to the front desk & there is a huge patch of grass on the inside. We all have balconies in our rooms & I walked out of mine to see a cute little lizard! So that was my first exotic animal, but also a good reason to use my net when I sleep. 

I tried my first Ghanian food last night and well... It isn't my favorite. Thank goodness I found some rice & fruit! I'll have to figure something out quick though! The textures are very strange and they are loaded with spices. Everything we've had so far has been fried which doesn't sound appetizing at all in this heat but I'll figure out some good stuff sooner or later!

We didn't have to meet until noon today which was a good thing because with the 7 hour time change & full day of traveling I slept straight until 11:30! Luckily the water in the shower is cold because if you know at all you'd know I take the longest hottest showers. So I got ready quick & we got some lunch and then went to the Accra Mall where I hooked up my phone & got internet running for my computer. 

The city is really different here. There is dirt & rubble everywhere and everyone walks around carrying everything they own on their heads. I swear some of these people are walking around with at least 50 pounds on top of their head with no hands!

The children are adorable everywhere just like I expected them to be :) At the airport three of them just kept looking at me & dancing for me. I will try my hardest not to bring any home with me though :) So far I am loving it! I am pleasantly surprised by many things & making friends with other study abroad students & locals alike. Will write more soon! Love to you all!

Kasey

Chasing the sunrise as we flew into London. It was so beautiful up there!