Happy Holidays from Ghana!

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  Accra, Ghana
Monday, December 29, 2003

Happy Holidays everyone!

I am nearing the end of my Ghana vacation, and it has been INCREDIBLE (though not without a few frustrations here and there)! Tomorrow, I will be returning to Benin to celebrate the new year in Grand Popo with tons of other volunteers. I want to write up a long description of my stay here when I have more time. Until then you must be content with a few general comments.

First of all, I could definitely live in Accra! To someone who has been so far removed from the U.S. for so long, Accra is like going back there. The South in Ghana is so much more developed than Benin. There are nice roads, freeways, stoplights, convenience stores, nice shops, grocery stores with scanners that go beep, nice restaurants with food from all over the world, and more! It felt more like Christmas in Ghana! My friends and I went into the Koala Supermarket and were shocked by how like home it was. They were playing Christmas music, and people were bustling around snatching up food to make Christmas dinner; even the butchers and bakers were Christmas hats! I never thought I would miss all these ridiculous things, but I have.

On Christmas Eve, we truly experienced the Christmas spirit first-hand (more on that later), and on Christmas Day, this Christmas spirit continued and literally brought my friends and I to tears. The generosity of strangers is really incredible, and the generosity of West Africans is astounding. I cannot wait to tell you all these stories, but for the moment, I will keep you in suspense.

We spent the rest of our time in Busua, Ghana, which is a little beach town with breathtaking scenery. Across the water from the beach is a gorgeous little island with two palm trees sprouting up on one end. Hopefully, my pictures will come out well so that I can share this amazing view with you. We lazed around, sunbathed, boogie boarded, and body surfed on the beach with the most perfect-sized waves I have ever seen. Anyone who is planning a trip to Ghana, put Busua on your itinerary.

I am thankful that I have been able to come here for the holidays, but that doesn't mean that I haven't thought of all of you and missed home. In some ways, coming to Ghana has been such a wonderful break from Benin; on the other hand, it makes me miss the comforts of home a bit more. In Benin, though, things are easier in a way because I am more accustomed to them. Transportation in Ghana has been quite frustrating. I have had a great vacation, but it is time to go back. Traveling can be exhausting sometimes!

I hope that all of you have had a joyful Christmas (if you celebrate it) and that 2004 brings lots of luck (though, hopefully not brought on by fungus), happiness, and a plane ticket to West Africa to come visit (yes, I know, a selfish request at the end...oops!).

More in a week or so...