Safe and sound

Greetings from Accra :)

OK before I say anything, let me correct a mistake I've been making for about four months now (if not 10 years): it's AH-crah, not uh-CRAH. Accra.

I arrived around dinner time (Ghana time) last night, so I don't have much to report. My room is great, in a wonderful apartment in Osu (the more touristy part of town, I'm told, though I haven't actually been outside yet...). It is really deluxe here. I was hoping for warm water and a fan, which would be two steps up from my room in Senegal - what I got was hot water (though I can't figure out how to work the darn thing), a security guard, a patio, air conditioning, and wireless internet. Yes, wireless internet. It's pretty sweet.

It looks like this is going to be a VERY different experience from Senegal, but also a very different one from anything I've had before. It will definitely be interesting.

Two observations: one, the airport here is highly, highly functional. Way more so than what I remember of Dakar. Two, it smells SO GOOD here. Every time I walk into another room I smell it again - the sweet, thick scent of what I assume is humidity, sea salt, food spices, and people. It reminds me a lot of Dakar, and a bit of the second hotel I was in in Sri Lanka. Sometimes walking around I feel like I can't breathe deep enough to get it all in. I just love that smell. Mmm, there it is again.

Alright, on to start my day. Hopefully soon I'll be titling my posts in Ga and Twi, like I did with Wolof, but so far I only know two words: Akwaabe (welcome) and obruni (toubaab... white person).

Love,
Morgan

...go with all your heart.

Hey everyone,

I'm going to try to update this blog when I have time, hopefully with some regularity, but I can't make any guarantees yet.

For those of you who don't know my plans: I'm leaving Tuesday the 15th from JFK and arriving Wednesday in Accra, after a layover in Amsterdam. I'm going to be a fellow at a Ghanaian company called ILC Africa, working with West African students on college admissions (standardized test prep, scholarship searches, admin work, etc.) and helping to jump-start ILC Africa's dormant nonprofit branch, which will provide similar services for economically disadvantaged students. I'll be in Ghana until mid-January, so everyone send good vibes on 9/9 and on Christmas :) Yes, and Veterans Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, the first Tuesday in December, every Wednesday, and every time you miss me cuz you know I'll be missing you...

Love,
Morgan

ps- quote is Confucius. I do believe the truest wisdom can be found on Barnes & Noble bookmarks.