I'm headed to Mampong, Ghana

So I am leaving for Ghana tomorrow morning at 7am and will arrive in Ghana on Thursday at 7:20am. It is about a 10 hour ride. I am hoping I can fall asleep for most of it. I started my malaria pills on Monday and made the mistake of taking it with yogurt. The pharmacist told me at least four times do not take the medicine with dairy products. I thought she was crazy because I had no intention of taking my pill with a glass of milk, but leave it to me to find the only other dairy I eat on a regular basis to take with my pill. Rough start, but my stomach can't afford for me to make that mistake again!!!!

So for those that don't know why I'm going to Ghana...let me catch you up. I am traveling with a group called Signs of Hope International which is housed in Utah. It is a nonprofit that was started about 6 years ago to support 5 Deaf residential schools in Mampong and Kibi Ghana. They take volunteers for two months each year to work in 2 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 1 high school. We will be working as teachers' aids, teachers, and doing anything they need to support the kids. I will be working in grades k-6th probably focusing on reading and science. I am excited to work with them. Before getting into my current career, Higher Education, I always said that college students would be my career, but young people would be my vocation and a space I would always connected with through service. It feels good to spend time in this space.

To get a since of how big the Deaf community is in Ghana, Signs of Hope International compares it to the state of Oregon because Ghana is about the same size. Oregon has 1 State Deaf school and Ghana has 13. Oregon school for the Deaf has about 110 students and Ghana has more than 2,700. The Deaf Ghana population uses a sign language that hopefully I will understand. It is a mixture of American Sign Lanugage, Ghanaian Sign Language and Signed Exact English. I have four pages of new signs I need to learn before arriving Thursday... good thing I have plenty of plane time.

Well, I think that is it for now...it is gettting late and I need to be up for a early flight. Thanks for following my blog, and thank you to everyone who has financially and spiritually supported this journey. Your contributions have been a huge blessing and I look forward to share each moment in Ghana with you. My goal is to blog weekly as long as I can get to an internet cafe.. until we chat again.. peace and love!