Ghaaaannnaaaaa

Good morning, peeps!

Let me start my blog by informing you (if you haven't already heard) that I moved onto campus about 2 weeks ago! [Thanks to some amazing people for ALL of their help] Because this is a public blog, I can't dive into the small details, but I will say that it was unfortunate that this one particular homestay did not work out well. I believe that I put up with too many uncomfortable situations out of respect for the family as well as out of lack of ability to distinguish between what was considered "Ghanaian culture" versus individual personality traits. In the end, though, this is MY adventure and I cannot (and will not) live miserably to please other people :)

Anywho...

• I now live in an international student hostel surrounded by, of course, only the best of the best of CIEE. My roommate moved in a week ago & so far, it's going great! She's from Ghana, she's a senior & she's a very friendly girl. Living on campus has been so much more peaceful than I could ever have imagined & I'm realizing that I have much more time and energy to focus on matters that I came here to accomplish. 
•  In terms of weather, the past few days have been oddly unpredictable. The mornings would be boiling hot but by mid-evening it would just downpour, thunder, lightning & flood throughout campus. Things would seem to settle down then at about 2 a.m. chaos would re-start & the sky would flash brightly moments before a crashing sound filled the air. Unfortunately due to the unexpected storm, there have been cases of deaths (drowning) in other regions of the city.
• On Friday, Emilson & I are starting a volunteer project at a local orphanage that my friends speak so highly about. We are sOoOoOo excited and eager to get everything started this week & we will definitely let you guys know how it progresses.

That about sums up the importance of my trip thus far. As of now, my life is quite relaxing and enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, though, I definitely DO get homesick often. But I try to remind myself to stay in the moment- to remember that my family and friends will be there when I get back & anything that I worry about accomplishing will work itself out in time. There is no need to rush the experience only to realize how appreciative I should have been at the time. Instead, I need to make the most of what little time I have left and just take everything day by day.

Oh yes, Happy [early] Halloween everyone- save some candy for me!!

xoxo