Akwaaba Y'all

Alrighty everyone, pre-departure countdown has officially reached the point of including half day increments.  It is t-minus one and a half days until I jet off for Ghana and I thought I would procrastinate real preparations by writing a post, and updating everyone about travel plans.  

I'll be headed out early Thursday morning with only 30 some hours of traveling until I touch down in Accra.  I'll be arriving around the same time as a couple of other girls who will be working in Cape Coast as well.  I had the realization the other day that given our upcoming shared experiences I can likely look forward to making some really spectacular friends on my adventure as well.  We will be picked up by our program director and driven about two hours west to Cape Coast where we will meet out host families, and probably crash pretty hard.  

Before I leave I wanted to share a couple of serious (ok, maybe not all of them) thoughts with my friends and family.  

• Learning a new language is intimidating.  English is the main language spoken in Ghana, but given my position doing outreach I'll be encountering enough other dialects that I'll be assigned a translator.  However, we are also expected to learn some Fante.  Now, mepa wo kyew understand that latin based languages have come to me rather naturally.  However I am kose to report that Fante is nothing similar to any language I'm familiar with.  I expect to rapidly make myself out as an obvious obrundi.  
• Crocodiles.  This may be a reoccurring theme of my posts.  For those of you who don't know about my totally rational fear of crocodiles, alligators, and all other current day dinosaurs, you've been warned.  
• Spicy foods and I are really good friends.  Its a really good friend sort of love, but the kind where you probably don't want to spend all of your time together.  Ghanian food is known for its use of scotch bonnets, an incredibly spicy pepper. For a reference point, jalapenos hover around 3000 on the scoville scale for peppers.  Scotch Bonnets hit between 100,000 and 350,000.  I guess this is challenge accepted.  
• It is incredibly difficult to say goodbye to the people you love.  Through out the past couple of weeks I've had the pleasure to spend time with many of those people in my life who mean the very most to me.  The amount of support that I've experienced has been a terrific surprise, and the kind words are all cherished.  From the repeated goodbye hugs, and surprise parties, to the words of wisdom, and genuine interest you all have been wonderful.  I guess that is why I blame you for making it difficult to say goodbye.  Why do you guys have to go around being so gosh darn nice?  Luckily, that also means that I've something wonderful to look forward to on my return.  

Well y'all, I should get back to documenting my experience of witnessing excitement meet nervousness in a huge explosion of adrenalin.  I'll send word of my safe arrival as soon as humanly possible.