I'm Home...

Hey, sorry about the long wait, but I'm finally updating my blog from home.

I left Kumasi on Sunday the 8th in the morning, with a few tears. Got a bus to Accra at 8 am. The bus ride was not to bad, and I got to Accra at about 1pm. Took a taxi to the airport and had a good 4 hour wait till I could even check my luggage. Finally the time came to check my luggage and I made it up to the gate and waited a bit longer. I spent 9 hours in total waiting in the Accra airport, but it turned out not to be to bad.

The flight left only about 10 minutes late, which compared to my trip to Ghana, was nothing. I got to Frankfurt just after 7 am in the morning local time and my flight to Calgary left at about 9:30. It was easy finding the right gate, and I only ended up sitting and waiting in the airport for 1 1/2 hours, which was awesome. The flight to Calgary left on time, and the flight itself seemed to take forever, but we eventually made it to Calgary.

I got to Calgary after 11 am local time and actually had to pass through customs. The lineup was really long and I figured I wouldn't make my flight to Saskatoon just because I had good luck like that. But the line went really fast and I made it through pretty quick. I had to pick up my luggage and re-check it. It was a good thing for me just so I could see that my stuff actually made it at least to Calgary. It did, and I re-checked my luggage and went to find my gate. I found it and after a quick call home, I sat and waited for about 1 hour before my flight left. Time does not go by very fast when you sit and watch the clock, but the flight eventually left on time.

After the 9 hour flight to Calgary, the flight to Saskatoon felt like absolutly nothing. We landed and because of some other plane in our way, or something like that, we sat on the runway for like 10-15 mins. I actually don't know how long it was for, but it seemed to take longer than my whole trip from Ghana. Probably just because I could see the terminal and knew I was so close to seeing everyone.

We eventually got off the plane and finally seen everyone. It was great to see everyone after 3 months of only phone calls. I had an apple that my Mom brought for me, because I hadn't had one in 3 months and it tasted great. It was about 2:30 pm, when I arrived and after relaxing for a while we went for supper at the Great Buffet of China. There was so much food and although I didn't have very much, it all tasted amazing.

We left Saskatoon and I figured I would crash, because I had been suprisingly not that tired. Well, I made it maybe 5 minutes out of Saskatoon when I fell asleep, and didn't wake up til we turned up the street back home.

Its so nice to be home, but at the same time I miss Ghana so much. When I was still in Kumasi half of me want to leave and go back home. But half of me did not want to leave at all. So it was tough to leave, but once I eventually got going, I was excited to go back home. But now that I'm back home, I want to go back and see my girls. It was really hard to leave them.

Thats about it.

Possibly last post from Ghana

I'm still not sure if I'll get back here to do another post, so this may be the last one. I fly out of Accra on Sunday night at 10:10 pm. And arrive back home in Saskatoon at 2:30 pm on Monday. As long as my flights all go according to plan, and its not like the trip I had to get here.

This whole week has been, its my last...I told everyone I'd be doin that, and I am. Tonight is my last Projects Abroad meeting, I'm really going to miss those guys.

I can't believe it took me this long to remember that you can listen to the radio over the internet. Just on Sunday I found Mix 101.5 website and was listening to that. I never though I'd be happy to hear the Northern Lights Casino commercial.

I'm really going to miss the girls at the orphanage. I was holding one of the little ones yesterday, and asked her if I could bring her home with me. Well, she can't talk and wouldn't be able to speak english anyway, but it sure sounded like she said "yes". She is just over 1 1/2 years old but is really small and can't sit up or talk or feed herself, but, like the house mothers at the orphanage say, she's my princess, lol. I'm definatly going to miss her. Hey, anyone at home wanna adopt a kid, she'd be great. lol. You can't blame someone for trying. In fact I know 11 lovely girls just dying to be adopted.

Alright, that's it for now, I have to leave to go to the meeting. I'm not sure if I'll update this again before I leave. But I will update again when I get back home for sure.

One Week More...

Wow, only one more week here. Time flies.

In the past week I've had 3 different marriage proposals and in total 4 guys that love me (the one guy didn't want to marry me, he just loved me, lol). Yeah, that's more then usual. Its like they all know I'm leaving. All of them from random people on the street. Two of them were in the market, one was just this morning from some guy painting the neighbours house, and the other walked up to the window of the tro-tro I was sitting in. I won't miss that to much.

Stickin around Kumasi for the weekend. I need to get some shopping done that I put off for a long time. I knew I was going to do that. Oh well.

Not much else new around here, I haven't heard any news about the little baby that I blogged about in my last post. I'm still not sure if she is really in the hospital or not. I do know for sure that the other one passed away. I'm still holding out hope that the little baby didn't.

Well, got to go now. I will be back here at least once maybe 2 more times before I leave. And when I get back home I will be sure to put pictures up.

Not everything is sunshine and flowers...

So, I was by myself in the childrens home for a couple of weeks, which was alright. But last Thursday I actually got help, which was a good thing because what was only 6 girls that I helped take care of when I first got here, was 12 on Friday as we got another new baby. The new baby didn't look very healthy at all, she was smaller than the one month old babies we have. I was worrying about her all weekend. When I got to work on Monday and what was 12 girls was now 10. There was one girl that had a bigger head than normal, and she had only been there for a couple of weeks, who wasn't there. And the new baby that arrived on Friday wasn't there either. So I asked where they were, and the house mother told me that they were both in the hospital. Then I got word from on of the other volunteers in the boys house that the house mother that she was with told her that the one girl with the bigger head actually passed away on Sunday.

I believe that the one girl actually did pass away, although I don't really want to. I'm not sure about the new baby though. She could be in the hospital, that's what I'm hoping for anyway. I really do hope that she's just in the hospital, but the way she looked on Friday and the fact that even though the house mother told me that the one girl was in the hospital and she isn't, well, I'm don't exactly have the best confindence. But I could always be wrong, and I hope I am.

So, yeah, I haven't had the best week, and I only have 7 days left with the girls, I don't want to leave them. I only have 1 1/2 weeks left here as well, and I want to stay. Although I miss the food from home, as well as some other things. So at the same time that I don't want to leave, I can't wait to go home, its weird.

Only 3 weeks to go...

Well this weekend I decided to stick around Kumasi and not do any travelling. There was a group of volunteers that went to Mole, I'm glad I already went as there is a whole bunch in the group going this weekend, and another group going next weekend as well. When I went there was only 5 of us so it was easy to get around, I wouldn't really want to go in such a big group.

Its 3 weeks today that I leave. Wow, that's crazy. Time really flies. I really should start buying stuff to bring home. I don't want to leave it to the last week and have to rush.

Some of the stuff that is here you wouldn't expect to be in Africa. You hear Celine Dion music all the time. I've heard some Backstreet Boys while walking though the market. I've seen some jerseys as well. I've seen Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnisota Vikings, Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns. And even weirder, an Oshawa Generals of the OHL. And I didn't see this one, but one of the volunteers from Montreal seen a Timbits jersey that some kid was wearing in the market.

I've kinda run out of things to write about, you can't really explain completely what its like here. I think everyone should make a trip out here. Ok, maybe that's not possible, but if the chance comes up to do something like this. Don't think twice about it. I've never once felt unsafe here. The people are so friendly, even when you ask for directions they will gladly tell you where to go. And lots will even walk you to where you're going just to make sure you get there.

That's about it for now. I'll be back here at some point this week. I'm not sure when though.

Awesome Weekend

So last time I said I'd probably stay home during the weekend, yeah, I didn't. I went down to just outside of Takoradi again, this time to a place called Green Turtle Lodge. Well, that's waht is was going to be. Until we got their at 9:30 on friday night and found out there was no room. So we went back down the road, which was really bad by the way, and went to Safari Beach. We got there at about 10 at night and they did have rooms, so we stayed there.

On Saturday morning we found out their was absolutly nobody else staying their, it was only the 4 of us that came. It was awesome. So Saturday was spent on the beach. Then at supper time we walked the 5-10 minute walk down the beach to the Green Turtle Lodge and had supper their because it was cheaper. Then sat on the beach and they had a bonfire. At about 9:30 we walked back to Safari Beach and slept.

We woke up and took a taxi to Takoradi and then caught a tro back to Kumasi. The tro-tro ride to Takoradi on Friday took 7 1/2 hours. Then one on Friday back to Kumasi took only 4 1/2 hours. Yeah, Friday wasn't that fun of trip and it took us nearly 12 hours in 1 tro and 2 different taxis. In between taxi rides is when it started pouring rain so we got a little soaked. But it was a fun weekend and I enjoyed lying in bed and watching the ocean through the open doors of the room. We didn't really want to come back.

That's about it. I only have 1 month left and I kinda don't want to leave. But I guess.

Back in Cape Coast

Well, I finally made it back to Cape Coast and didn't get sick that time. We left on Friday and took a tro-tro for the 4 hour ride. We just caught the end of the Ghana-Uraguay game, Ghana should've won, but its too bad. We got up on Saturday morning and made it to Kakum National Park and did the canopy walk. That was so awesome and a lot of fun.

We went back to the hotel and had lunch and went to Elmina Castle and seen that. It was sad to hear about what happened to the people who went through there. I'm definatly glad I made it out there.

It was overall an awesome trip and I'm really glad I made it back there. On Sunday we went to the beach and I actually got kinda sunburnt for the first time. But its not peeling yet and hopefully won't.

I don't think I'm doing anything this weekend. Just sticken around here, but I'm not completely sure yet. My times almost up on the internet and I have to go the meeting right now. I'll be back at some point.