I'm On My Way Tomorrow!!!

Ghana, Africa ... here I come!

I'm all packed and ready to go. Now if I can just get a good night's rest I'll be all set for the big day tomorrow! I'm so excited. This is going to be an adventure of a lifetime!

I have planned all of the particulars for this big trip. We have ten people in our group going to Ghana. We have three mothers with three teenagers, two teachers, one teenager, and one ole' granny. It's been fun planning the meals, grocery list, and itinerary for the 10 days that we will be there. This will be a 'first' for all of us in our party. I think that's why I'm so nervous. I really don't know what to expect. I've seen lots of pictures and asked lots of questions and talked to the people we will be working with in Ghana, but until I actually experience it, I'm sure it's going to be different than what I've imagined!

We leave Salt Lake tomorrow morning at 11:00 and fly to JFK. Have a 3 1/2 hour layover there and then leave on a direct flight to Accra, Ghana at 9:30 p.m. We arrive the next day at 12:30 p.m. We have a wonderful driver with a 15 passenger van who will meet us at the airport. We are each taking 2 suitcases, one with our personal items and the second filled to the brim with school supplies, rubber stamps, ink, card stock, and paper. One of my suitcases was designated to hold food items. It was overweight by 2 pounds so I had to remove a 3 pound jar of peanut butter. I may be hand-carrying that on the flight! I hope TSA doesn't consider it a dangerous weapon! Gotta have my Extra Crunchy Skippy Peanut Butter!

Yao, our driver will take us grocery shopping, to the pharmacy to get our malaria pills, to the phone store for a phone card, and then to the computer store for a wireless modem. Yes, we plan on having internet in the jungle. After getting our essentials, we'll get on the road to Abomosu. It will take us probably at least 3 hours to get there. It's 90 miles from Accra, but on a very bumpy, rough road. We are going to be packed so tight in that van with all of our suitcases and groceries, I'm not sure where we're going to put the pigs and chickens??

My plan is to post our daily experiences on my blog as well as Facebook. I'll try to include some video footage as well. So, please check back daily to see the wonderful 'good' that World Joy and our volunteers are bringing to the Atiwa District in Ghana. We will be working in some of our schools which we have built, as well as helping out in the Health Posts, and helping repair and paint one of our World Joy schools. We've got a LOT of work to do, and I'm anxious to experience this new adventure!

I'm off to get a good night's rest. Probably won't get to chat with you until Friday!