I HAVE ARRIVED

SO, OBVIOUSLY STAYING IN TOUCH HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR ME, AS EVIDENT FROM WRITING IN ALL CAPITALS, IN WHICH THE COMPUTER IS STUCK, OBVIOUSLY AMENITIES ARE NOT UP TO OUR STANDARDS. . HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN DYING TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE WHAT I HAVE BEEN EXPIERIENCING! SO HERE’S WHAT’S GOING TO BE MY FIRST BLOG ENTRY, AND IT WILL NOT BE LENGTHY SEEING AS HOW I HAVE TEN MINUTES LEFT AT THE INTERNET CAFE!

GETTING OFF THE PLANE JANUARY 31 AFTER 23 HOURS OF TRAVELING AND NOT A MOMENT OF SLEEP, I CHOKED. I CHOKED BECAUSE THE AIR WAS SO THICK YOU COULD EAT IT. MY SENSES WHERE SHOCKED AS I WAS GREETED WITH MY FIRST SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND SMELLS OF GHANA. AND LET ME TELL YOU, IF SMELLS COULD KILL, I WOULD BE DEAD BY NOW. ARRIVING, STEPPING OFF THE PLANE, WAS ONE OF THE MOST LIBERATING AND JOYOUS OCCASSIONS I KNOW TO THIS DATE. IT’S THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN A DREAM HAS FINALLY COME TRUE. I HAVE ARRIVED! HOWEVER, ALSO ARRIVING SHORTLY AFTER WAS MY LESSON IN PATIENTS, FOR MY AIRPORT EXPIERIENCE WAS NOT PERFECT. AFTER GREETING ALL THE PEOPLE I WOULD BE SPENDING THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WITH, I REALIZED I WAS LAST LEFT STANDING WAITING FOR MY BAGS AS OTHERS DRAGED THEIRS AWAY. SO, MY LUGGAGE HAD NOT ARRIVED, AND LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING I LEARNED THAT DAY ABOUT GHANAIAN CULTURE, TIME IS TOTALLY RELATIVE. SO WHEN I ASKED, WHEN WILL MY BAGS ARRIVE? ANSWER: MAYBE TWO HOURS OR FIVE DAYS, I DON’T KNOW JUST COME BACK. SO, I LIVED FOR THE FIRST BIT OFF THE GENEROSITY OF OTHERS. OF COURSE THAT NIGHT WE ALL JUST CRASHED BECAUSE OF OUR 23 HOUR JOURNEY. I FINALLY DOSED OFF BY 12AM TO BE AWOKEN AT 2AM BY THE SOUNDS OF BIRDS. NOW BRIDS HERE ARE UNLIKE ANYTHING I'VE EVERY HEARD, THEY LITTERALLY SING. SO THAT NIGHT I DID NOT SLEEP, MAKEING FRIDAY VERY INTERESTING.
THE NEXT DAY I TURNED 21, WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF STRANGERS, IN A DIFFERENT CONTINENT, WITH NO CHANGE OF CLOTHES OR MISQUITO REPELLENT. BUT LET ME TELL YOU THIS WILL BE THE MOST INTERESTING BIRTHDAY OF MY LIFE. MOST OF WHICH I SPENT IN THE AIRPORT WAITING TO RETRIEVE MY LUGGAGE FOR HOURS TO DISCOVER IT WAS NOT YET THERE. FRIDAY ALSO CONSISTED OF "LECTURE" OR ALMOST LIKE CULTURAL TRAINING TO HELP US ASSIMULATE INTO GHANAIAN LIFE. NOW THESE WOULD NORMALLY BE RIGHT UP MY ALLY (NO PUN INTENDED), BUT THE HEAT HAS BEEN TAKING MUCH MORE ADJUSTING TO THEN I EVER EXPECTED. IT IS CURRENTLY THE COLD SEASON AND IT IS PROBABLY IN THE 90S DURING THE DAY, AND HUMID AS GOD KNOWS! ALSO, I HAVE NEVER LEARNED THE VALUE OF WATER LIKE I HAVE WITHIN THE FIRST FEW HOURS OF BEING HERE. SHOWERS ARE A LUXURY AS IS DRINKING WATER, OF WHICH I THINK I WILL BE SPENDING MOST MY MONEY.
I SEE I AM GOING INTO SO MUCH DETAIL BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH MORE THEN I COULD EVER PUT INTO WORDS AND I WANT TO SHARE EVERY BIT OF IT. BUT FOR NOW LET ME TELL YOU WHAT IS TO COME: A TOUR OF ACCRA AND SOME OF THE POOREST AND YET MOST VIBRANT AND BEAUTIFUL TOWNS I HAVE EVER SEEN, A TRIP TO THE BEACH WHERE WE WERE BIG TIME RIPPED OFF (THE CHALLENGE OF AN OBRUNI, WHICH IS THE NAME FOR WHITE PERSON), GOING TO THE AFRICAN CUP!!!!!!!!! (MOST AMAZING EXPIERENCE EVER AND I CANNOT WAIT TO GIVE DETAILS AND PICTURES), GETTING PROPOSED TO BY SEVERAL NIGERIANS, DEALING WITH MOSQUITOS AND EVERY ILLNESS YOU CAN THINK OF, ADJUSTING TO CUTURAL DIFFERENCES, LEARNING THE LANGUAGE AND BASICALLY JUST HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE. I HOPE TO GET BACK TO THIS TOMORROW TO FILL YOU IN! I MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU ALL AND I HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SO THAT WHEN I CAN FINALLY CHECK MY EMAIL, I WILL HAVE SOMETHING WAITING FOR ME.

LOVE, ALI

PS. SPELL CHECK DOES NOT WORK EITHER SO EXCUSE ME!!!!!!