Grand Valley State University Volunteers at Run-Off Restaurant

Part of my time with Challenging Heights has involved creating a video showcasing the Run-Off Restaurant and Bar. Run-Off is a business for charity. 100% of the income from Run-Off Restaurant goes to support the education of children.

The restaurant was set up for the purpose of raising funds for Challenging Heights which is a charity that supports the development and education of children in Ghana. If you would like to find out more about Challenging Heights, visit www.challengingheights.org.

In order to get the pictures for the video I had the opportunity to eat at Run-Off a few times and found the food delicious. I was hoping to be able to include the link to the video I created but unfortunately, I have tried twice to upload it to Youtube and twice it has errored-out. I will try again tomorrow from the Challenging Heights School because the internet is supposed to be faster there. Once I get it successfully posted, I will include the link.

On Monday, I got to meet an awesome group of volunteers from Grand Valley State University in Michigan. They attended the orientation session at the Challenging Heights Office and then we all headed over to Run-Off for lunch.

A lot of the dishes that Run-Off offers were tried by the GVSU gang. Below are a few of them. More pictures can also be found from the day on Facebook.

Fish with yam chips. The fish had a chip in his mouth.

Spaghetti Bologaise

Ghanian version of Macaroni Cheese

Chicken with fried rice and plantain

Chicken vegetable fried rice. (My dish)

 

 

Tuesday morning ramblings

This brush was along my walk this morning and I thought the combination of the flowers and seed pods was nice.

It’s a very hot muggy morning. I mentioned that it was a muggy day to the taxi driver and I realized that he didn’t know what that meant when he asked me what kind of day is muggy. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any breeze either so the windows in the office which usually let in a nice breeze are no help at cooling me off now that I have arrived.

I think some of the taxi drivers are beginning to recognize my route because today’s driver came and found me on campus. Not all taxis can come onto campus. They have to have special stickers. But today’s pulled up beside me when I was only half way toward the location where I usually picked up a taxi. I told him I wanted a shared taxi and he said, “This is a shared taxi.” I was the first one to be picked up so I was lucky to get the front seat.

I’ve been trying to capture some videos while riding in the front seat of the drive to or from the office. Each taxi has various things hanging from their rear view mirror and on the window so it can be a challenge to video around them. I don’t think my morning effort was very successful because he had a flag on his window that kept waving in front of the lens. Maybe this afternoon will be better, if I can get the front seat, because Tuesday is Market day so the streets will be full of activity and life. I would love to capture that flavor in video.

I think some kind of weather is coming in because I woke up with a headache and I have a feeling it’s because of the barometric pressure.

The campus caretakers were out in full force this morning and I took some time to photograph them. I saw one power lawnmower but I also saw at least four men who were mowing the lawns with machetes. One had a stick that held him up as he bent to chop the grass.

Because I was picked up by the taxi sooner than usual, I also got to the office sooner than usual. So while I wait for someone to arrive who had a key, I took the opportunity to use my tripod and self-time to take a self-portrait.

 

Aches and Pains

Friday started out as any other day. I had oatmeal for breakfast and water. I met with David right before lunch to discuss a project he wanted to me do and we ended up working through lunch. I had a small package of animal biscuits and then a granola bar. By 1 pm things started moving out the back end and by 2 pm I was feeling nauseous as well.

So I told Carly I wasn’t feeling well and caught the taxi to the south campus entrance. Now the walk from the south campus entrance to Lagoon Lodge takes at least 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I hit it about the time the school children were getting out and they all wanted to stop and talk to me. While trying to be polite I tried to keep moving toward my desired destination which was the bathroom in my room.

I did make it in time. While sitting on the toilet taking care of business, I suddenly could not hold my stomach contents anymore either. Fortunately, there is a bucket right next to the toilet that I use to wash clothes. So I had things coming out both ends at the same time. After several hours of that, I decided that maybe it was time to start the traveler’s diarrhea medicine. At 8 pm I took the first dose and that was the last of the problem with both ends.

The label on the medicine says it might make you sleepy. I believe it because I pretty much slept all day on Saturday. I barely ate anything either. I had a milo which is like hot chocolate but fortified for breakfast and for supper and I tried to eat fried rice for lunch. I barely touched a quarter of the serving but it was a start.

Sunday morning I woke up at 4 am feeling pretty good. I needed to go to the bathroom so I got out of bed and stepped into a puddle of water. At first I thought that maybe my water bottle had fallen over and spilled on the floor but once I turned on the light I realized that the whole floor was covered in at least a quarter inch of water. After doing some investigating, I found that the toilet tank had over-flowed and was still leaking water into the room. Obviously the float had not shut off the refill correctly.

I went in search of Lodge staff but found none at that early hour. I did however find a mop and a bucket which I promptly took up to my room to see if I could start solving the problem myself. After working on it an hour, drenched in sweat and having emptied the bucket four times, I was wishing I had my shopvac from back home.

At 5 pm, I finally found staff and explained my situation to him. He left and returned with toilet paper. He obviously didn’t understand the problem. So I took him to my room and showed him. Then he understood and began taking over where I had left off. 

Fortunately for me, I didn’t have too much sitting on the floor so nothing was irreparably damaged. Now I’m sore in my neck and shoulders and I’m reminding myself that I was feeling good at 4 am so I have to attribute my aches and pains to the labor that I had done for an hour.

I’m hoping to go for a walk later today.

Taxis, guys and cultural tidbits

Let me tell you a little about the taxi system. From what I read, about 80 percent of the cars are taxis and from what I’ve seen, I believe it. You can get a drop taxi which is more expensive that takes you from point A to point B or you can get a shared taxi that runs a large circle route and it is either heading north or south at any given moment.  A shared taxi costs 60 pesewas and can carry up to four passengers at a time. This morning’s ride felt a little tight by the time the driver picked up the fourth passenger but people get in and out throughout the circle route.

For the most part, the drivers have not made me nervous with their driving. I have only had two drivers where I have seriously considered telling them my stop was way earlier then was it was just to get out of the car. They are the drivers that ride the bumper of the car in front of them, zip out as soon as there is an opening whether it is safe or not and seemed to be totally impatient. Fortunately, as I mentioned, so far I’ve only had two of those drivers.

This morning, the driver met me at the top of the South Campus gate hill, I hopped in and said “HFC Bank” and he said, “I know, I know.” I guess he has picked me up before in the morning.

***

I'm washing my right hand in prep for eating with it.

 A little about customs… You only eat with your right hand and if you order a dish that is eaten with the hand, they bring you a bowl of water, soap and a towel to wash the right hand. It is also considered rude to hand or take anything to or from someone with the left hand. I try to remember that and they are forgiving of foreigners but it is hard to remember to take and give the change with the same hand.

***

Robert may not know it but I’ve been using him as a somewhat successful shield against being hit on by guys. Ghana guys have no qualms hitting on women. No matter what size or age. So when they ask me for my email, phone number, Facebook info, I just tell them I’m married and show them my ring, and say that my husband wouldn't like me giving that information out. Today my waiter at lunch was extra persistent and wanted to know why my husband wouldn't like me giving my phone number to him.

It's not as bad for me as it is for the 20 something volunteers but I’m still getting hit on. Amy, one of my volunteer friends, bought a gold band and started wearing it yesterday just to try to slow them down a bit. She said she hates having to lie to them but it gets tiring.

Wednesday was a rainy day in Winneba. It was pouring early in the morning but by the time I was walking to the junction where I usually catch a taxi, it was just a drizzle. I had an umbrella with me but the little bit of rain hitting my arm felt good so I didn’t pull the umbrella out.

The driveway of the Challenging Heights Office was a lake when I arrived. They have boards balanced on blocks to walk over the water and mud. With my camera bag on my back and my computer case on my shoulder, it was very precarious traversing the distance. The green building is the Challenging Heights office building where I work when I’m not at functions taking pictures.  This picture was taken at lunch and the water had receded considerably by then.

Wednesday evening several volunteers got together for a farewell dinner with Kelsey who was flying back to the states on Thursday. We all met at a Chop Bar at 6 pm. Chop Bars are the local eating establishment and we had gotten waakye (rice with beans) a couple time before at this one. According to those in the know, the waakye (pronounced waa chay) is some of the best you could get.

 

After we all made our waakye or jollof purchases we walked over to a fruit stand and Carly bought a fresh pineapple and a fresh mango. The vendor cut them with a small machete looking knife right there and put them in a plastic back for us to take with us. We walked the 20 minutes to one of the volunteer lodges known as Emanuels to enjoy our meal together.

The walk from Emanuels to Lagoon lodge took Kelsey, Amy and myself about 30 minutes but the evening was cool with nice ocean breezes so it wasn’t too bad.

This is the fruit stand that Carlie purchased fresh pineapple and mango for us. Both were delicious.

 

The streets are alive in the evening. There was a long line for the chop bar that we got our food from.

 

 

Trip to Senya

Today I rode over to Senya with two Challenging Heights’ staff to take pictures of a training session that they were leading for Child Protection Workers regarding recognizing and preventing Child Trafficking.

 Let me tell you first a little about Ghana time. If someone says they will meet you at a certain time, it usually means a half hour to an hour later. So the driver this morning was supposed to pick me up at 8 am he showed up at 8:40 am.  We then picked up David and Steven, the Challenging Heights gentlemen and headed down the road to Senya.

 The road to get to and from Senya was pretty much what we would call back home a B-grade road. The driver did an excellent job of avoiding the potholes though. At one point, he was on the left side in order to miss all the pot holes on the right side and a truck was coming from the other direction, also on the left side. I began to feel like they might be playing a game of chicken. Fortunately, our driver moved over to the right lane just in time.

 We arrived at the Senya Council Building about 10 am. I have learned to ask where the bathroom is before I need it. So one of the local gentlemen took me out of the building; down a dirt path; tried a locked gate (it was locked); kept leading me down the path; around another building; over some rocks; around another building; and finally to another gate. Inside there were girls with sewing machines and he asked them if I could use their bathroom. It was a very nice bathroom with a flush toilet. Even through when I asked him about the bathroom, I didn't need to go, by the time were we done with the hike, I figured I had better make the trip worthwhile.

 

I think the program went very well judging from the animated conversation and questions. I didn’t understand it because everyone was speaking Fante.

 

Since I'm dozing as I try to create this blog, I think I will call it a night.

 

For additional photos, check out my most recent facebook album.

 

It’s Sunday and I’m taking it definitely as a day of rest but I took yesterday as a day of rest as well. I’m battling either allergies or a cold and it has me pretty drained. It seemed to get kicked up Thursday evening after the rain which is why I suspect allergies. Most of yesterday was spent napping off and on and reading one of the used books I brought. I’m thinking I didn’t bring enough books to read.


Today after breakfast, I took a walk down to the beach. It’s about a mile and I thought that since it was morning it wouldn’t be so hot. I was wrong. By the time my friend, Kelsey and I got back from our walk, I was drenched in sweat.

The beach was very pretty though, with lots of palm trees and big fishing boats pulled up on the shore.

Monday I will be traveling to Senya to take pictures for Challenging Heights of a program they will be leading. I’m not sure how long a drive it is from Winneba but I’m being picked up at 8 am.

 

Here are some more general pictures which I posted on Facebook.
 

What I'm eating and where I'm sleeping

I had two requests today. One was to send pictures of my room and
the other was to include a picture of me. It’s kind of hard to get pictures of myself when I’m always the person behind the camera. But tonight in honor of the Ghanian dish that I was eating, I had my dinner partner, Kelsey, take a picture of me eating fish soup and banku. The fish soup was very spicy with lots of garlic in it along with the whole fish, eyes and all. Banku is fermented dough; definitely filling.

I got lucky enough to get a corner room at Lagoon Lodge so I have windows in my bedroom and two sets of windows in the bathroom; which is very helpful when trying to dry the clothes that I have been washing in the bucket you see in the shower. As it is, it usually takes at least three days to dry anything because of the humidity. I have been told that I have come at a good season because it is much cooler.The hot season is in January and February. All I know is that when I get back to my room at the end of the day, the first thing I do is jump into the cold shower and my clothes need washing every day because of the sweat.

Today my assignment with Challenging Heights was to go to the restaurant that James has started and take pictures in order to produce a short promo video. The profits from the restaurant go toward supporting the school. In any case, I had to order a dish so that I could get some food shots too. I thought I ordered chicken and jollof rice but I ended up with fish and jollof rice. It cost me 11 cedis which is about $5.50 US. That also included a bottle of water. The fish was very good.

 

 

Daily basics

Today I took a taxi to the main Challenging Heights office. This is what I have learned so far. To get from the Lodge to the Challenging Heights office, I walked through South Campus, about a 15 minute walk to catch a passenger taxi. Passenger taxis are where you share it with others and taxi travels a certain route. To catch the taxi, you point your hand down by your leg and when they stop you say “North” or “South” depending on which way you are going. Fortunately I was told what to say because I have no idea which way is north or south. Once I got in, I said, “HFC Bank”. The office is just a little before the bank so once I saw the office I told the driver to stop. It costs 60 pesewas for the trip which is roughly 30 cents. To return to the Lodge, I once again walked up to the main road, pointed my hand down by my leg and when the taxi stopped I asked for “South”. I hopped in and asked for Liberation Square. It costs 60 pesewas as well. I ended up getting out at the south campus gate which is a little before Liberation Square and doesn’t have as large a hill that I have to go up and come down.

After a day in Ghana, I absolutely love taking the cold shower. Before coming to Ghana, I was a little worried about taking the cold showers at the Lodge. But once I got here, trust me, they feel wonderful. After a day of being drenched in sweat, it absolutely feels wonderful to step under the cold water. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day.



Water for drinking. You bite the corner off and just drink it from the bag.

Daniel,  the Challenging Heights staff who picked me up at the airport purchased some water for me on our way to Winneba on the first day I arrived. For 4 cedis, I got two bundles of 36 individual water sachets.  This is what they look like:

 



For ease of availability and cost, I bought a large bag of the sachets.

World's Children's Prize Introduction Sessions



All the colorful uniforms from the different schools.

Monday and Tuesday I was busy taking pictures for Challenging Heights. They had organized an information session for the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child 2013. All the schools in Winneba were invited to select four children to act as peer educators and one teacher who oversee the process. Three identical sessions were arranged, two on Monday and one on Tuesday. 

The sessions introduced the children to the three nominees by showing them videos of each nominee and how they were helping children. Winneba and Challening Heights is very proud that their own native born, James Kofi Annan, is one of the three nominees.



The students all listened attentively.

Here are the descriptions of the three nominees from the World’s Children’s Prize website:

 James Kofi Annan
James Kofi Annan is nominated for the 2013 World’s Children’s Prize for his work to stop child slavery. James himself was a fishing slave as a child, for seven years.
>Learn more about James





Each of the four students were given a
that they were to share with other students.

Sompop Jantraka

Sompop Jantraka is nominated for the 2013 World’s Children’s Prize for his almost 25-year struggle against trafficking and exploitation of children in the sex industry and other harmful forced labour. >Learn more about Sompop

Kimmie Weeks

Kimmie Weeks is nominated for the 2013 World’s Children’s Prize because he has spent over 20 years, since he was ten years old, fighting for children’s rights, especially for children affected by war.
>Learn more about Kimmie

More in the Globe Magazine

Learn much more about the candidates and the children they fight for in the Globe Magazine!
>The Globe Magazine

 For more pictures that I took of the event visit Challenging Heights Facebook page.

Weekend activities

Saturday I went with Amy, David, Maybell, Kristen, Tasha, and Lizzie to Kakum National Park. They were from all over: Canada, Scotland, USA, and Ghana.

The main attraction at Kakum National Park is the Canopy Walkway. I’m out of shape so it took a lot of huffing and puffing to climb the mountain to the start of the canopy bridges but it was worth it. “The canopy walk consists of a 350m-long, 40m-high wood-and-rope walkway suspended between seven trees and broken up by a number of viewing platforms.” (Palin, Michael. Ghana. Guilford, Connecticut: Bradt Travel Guides LTD, 2009.)

The trip to get to Kakum consisted of taking a tro-tro, which is a van full of people, from Winneba to Cape Coast. At the Cape Coast junction, we took two cabs for the seven of us to Kakum. We would have taken a tro-tro up but the two cab drivers wheeled and dealed with Amy to take us up. It would have been cheaper to take a tro-tro but with tro-tros you need to wait until they are full before they leave. The advantage of the taxi is that we could leave once we were all ready.

I took the opportunity between when we got off the tro-tro to when we got in the taxi to find a bathroom, which is always an adventure. There was a gas station across the road so I headed that way in hopes of finding the much needed facility. The lady in the station directed me around the corner where a man was collecting fees for the use of the toilet. I didn’t have the necessary 50 pesewas (about a quarter U.S.) but I had one cedi (50 cents U.S.) so he took that and waved me in. I was in no mood to haggle so I rushed in leaving my 1 cedi behind. The first door I went through would not open all the way because it hit the sink but I made it through and the stall door would only open half way because it bummed into the toilet. With my camera backpack on and my belt pouch in the way, it was impossible to squeaze through, so hastily took them off to get through the door. Then it was a rush to get every thing unfastened in time.. Upon exiting, the toilet attendent gave me my change. At least it was a regular flush toilet

My first day in Ghana, on the trip from Accra to WInneba I ended up needing to go as well. I had the taxi driver stop at a gas station. A very nice lady in pretty local attire lead me around the corner of the building and pointed to a small square building in back. I went into the first room and it appeared to be a single shower room. Finally, after looking in four other rooms, I decided that you pee squatting and then turn the faucet on to wash the pee down the crack in the floor.

Back to the outing to Kakum. After the canopy walk, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. For five cedis you could touch a crocodile that they had there. I wasn’t interested in touching him but I was more than happy to photograph Kristen touching him.

The food wasn’t that great but the crocodile I saw in the water and the birds in the trees were very cool. I wasn’t sure if the birds were eating fruit from the trees for feeding little ones in the their nest. I took plenty of pictures.

On the tro-tro trip back to Winneba, I sat next to David in the front and I let him play with my little camera. It’s always fun to see what interests children when they get to take whatever pictures they want. It seemed that David’s main interest were big trucks and buses but there was one girl while were were waiting for the tro-tro to fill up that seemed to catch his interest as well.

For those of you interested in what things cost, here’s a run down. The cost of the tro-tro from Winneba to Cape Coast was 4 cedis. The cost of the taxi from Cape Coast to Kakum which included the driver waiting around while we toured, the drive back including a stop at a restaurant for lunch and crodile viewing cost me 30 cedis. The trip back to Winneba was another 4 cedis. The cost of the Canopy Walkway for an adult, non-Ghanian was 40 cedis.

When we got back to Lagoon Lodge, I uploaded my pictures to my computer and then picked the ones I wanted to upload to Facebook. After that I had no energy left.  If you would like to see more pictures from Saturday, you can find them at this link: Canopy Pictures.

I had a delicious supper of Lagoon Lodge special fried rice. I was only able to finish half of it, so I gave the rest to Amy. It cost 12 cedis and the bottle of water was 2 cedis.

***

Sunday morning I ventured out. I walked the 20 minutes to where I could catch a taxi and asked him to take me to the Catholic Church on North Campus. I had been told that Mass was at 9 but when I got there at 8:45, I found out that it started at 8. The cab cost 4 cedis but I only had 20 cedis. I asked one of the guys standing outside the church if he had change for a 20. He ended up paying the cab for me. I was able to contribute 1 cedi. He also told me that I wasn't that late and invited me in. As it turned out, Mass here is two hours long.

I loved seeing all the beautiful dresses, hats and hair styles.

I ended up missing going up for communion because I was waiting for the people in the row ahead of me and the person next to me to go and they never went. It was too late when I realized the priest was putting the communion up. It seemed like very few people went up for communion.

After the two hour service I was hoping to use the bathroom before starting my walk/taxi ride back. I asked one of the ladies where I might find it. She took me around back and showed me a wood structure that was occupied by guys (I could see the top of their heads). There didn’t seem to be any markings differentiating men from women and I suddenly became self-conscious and decided I could wait until I got back to the lodge.

I started walking with the church crowd hoping that I would eventually see a taxi I might take back to Lagoon Lodge. At a main road I found one, asked his price for taking me to Lagoon Lodge which was 4 cedis as well. This time I was smart and asked if he had change for my 20 cedi. He did.

Once back in my room, I decided the next thing on my agenda was to organize my stuff. So I dumped my suitcase out on the bed and started figuring out where things could live for the next 3 weeks. In the process, I discovered the Bradt book on Ghana that I thought had been stolen from my side pocket. It had slide down to the bottom of a different pocket than the one I thought I had put it in. It wasn’t until the suitcase was completely empty that I noticed it through the fabric.

I went for a walk this afternoon in hopes of scoping out the location of the ATM on the campus that is near here that takes VISA cards and to get credits for the phone I have. As it turns out, the ATM is not far from the Lodge which is very convenient.

What I found out regarding my phone is that I need a new sim card because the one that is in it has not been used for more than four months. I tried to get a new one and to get it registered but the guy I needed to talk to was out of the shop. So Robert and family are still going to have to wait for a phone call from me.

I took the heat of the afternoon to try to catch up with my blog and while I was working on it we got a very refreshing rain. Once the rain stopped, another friend that I met, Kelsy and I tried to walk down to the beach but part way there, it started to sprinkle again. So I will have to check it out another day.

Arrived in Ghana

Shops along the road from Accra to Winneba.

The trip was relatively uneventful. I did get the full security screening: pat down, hands and all my items tested for residue and the contents of my carry-on and backpack thoroughly searched. The security office was very nice though. The main reason I got such a complete check was because I had an ice pack for my insulin that was more than 3 ounces and when they wiped my phone and the inside of my camera case they got a couple of alarms. Everything else checked out fine so I’m not sure why those two areas might have had something on them. The only possible caused was that I bought four used books from the library to bring on the trip and maybe one of the previous owners had residue that might have caused the alarms. In any case, it took a half hour but I finally got checked out and allowed to pass.

I arrived in Accra, Ghana today, Friday, June 7, 2013 at about 1 pm. Ghana is five hours ahead of Iowa time. I did manage to get some sleep on the flight over so at first I felt pretty charged but now I’m fading fast.

Tuesdays and Fridays are market days.

The taxi ride from Accra to Winneba was interesting. It took a bit of time. We got to Lagoon Lodge some time after 4 pm. Along the way we were in a mild fender bender . A big truck started pulling into our lane and crunched the taxi’s side mirror and front panel. Both drivers pulled over and did some haggling and arguing till finally the truck driver went back to his truck, came back and gave the Gideon, the taxi driver some cash.

I also was amazed at the various hawkers running among traffic selling their wares. That has to be a hot dangerous profession. Other than being very hot, I really enjoyed the ride to Winneba.



Road to Lagoon Lodge

Once I got settled in and showered, I got to meet Carly and some of the other volunteers at Challenging Heights. They are a very nice group of ladies.

Lagoon Lodge

Then we took and evening walk and I learned where I can catch the taxi. While I was out I purchased time for my phone card. I tried to make a call home this evening but I didn’t have any luck. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. More questions for the other volunteers tomorrow.

Amy, one of the volunteers invited me to join her on an outing. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you the name tonight because the Brandt Ghana book that I bought to use as a reference got stolen from my luggage. L I had put it in a side pocket which did not have a lock on it. When I got to the lodge I noticed it was gone. Carly is going to lend me hers for my stay. Thanks Carly.

Check-in Time

It is now 2:53 am. I found myself wide awake at 2 am and though I tried to go back to sleep (the alarm is set for 4:30 am) I could not. My mind kept racing, thinking about the upcoming trip and the previous evening's challenges.

I tried to do the online check in and discovered that for flights to Ghana and a few other places in the world you have to present the credit card that purchased the flight at the Delta check-in counter along with an ID with a matching name to the card. I tried to explain over the phone to the Delta agent that it was a corporate card purchase and that I was not in possession of the card. I quickly learned that the standard response is "The person who made the purchase can simple take the card to any airline, along with the confirmation number, show a valid drivers license with a name that matches the card.". I of course explained that the nearest airport is an hour away only to have him reiterate the same response.

Finally after some phone tag between Melisa, Caroline, and I (Caroline is the holder of the card); Caroline and I discussed options. I called Delta back, got the same standard line and asked to speak to a supervisor. More time on hold. In the end, all the supervisor could do for me was to refund the ticket amount to the original college card and put it on my card. Fortunately, there were no additional fees and I got all my previous seat assignments.

So this morning, at 6:30 am I will be good to go since I will be able to present the card that the ticket was bought with, along matching ID... my card, my driver's license.

Ghana here I come

This is my first attempt at blogging. Hopefully you will find it interesting and informative. I plan on posting pictures and updates from my trip to Ghana.

I was selected as the 2013 Grinnell Prize Staff Fellow and will be volunteering at Challenging Heights which was founded by the 2011 Grinnell Prize winner, James Kofi Annan.

You can read about last year's 2012 Grinnell Prize Staff Fellows by checking out Caroline Saxton's and Tilly Woodward's stories.

More information can also be found on Facebook with the Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize page.

***

The time is fast approaching for my departure for Ghana. My flight leaves from Des Moines, Iowa at 8:15 am on Thursday, June 6 and I arrive in Accra, Ghana on Friday, June 7 at 1:05 pm. There is a five hour time difference between Iowa and Ghana. My trip legs are Des Moines, Minneapolis, NYC and Accra.

Last night as I was going over my checklist of what I wanted to pack, Rascal my cat wanted to make sure I didn't forget him. He curled up in my suitcase, then in my computer case and finally in the sock drawer. I must say, he has cute down to an art form.

I am going through what I packed again tonight to see if there is anything that I don't really need. My suitcase is very heavy. This trip is a lot different from the cross country motorcycle trips I took 30 years ago. It was easier to travel light then: no diabetic supplies, no cpap machine, no laptop. Plus, I can't just stop at Wal-Mart to buy bug spray to keep the malaria mosquito's at bay. So I have to decide.. do I need one or two bottles of Off to keep me covered for the full three weeks? The list is long of things that I might need which I just can't buy readily. I do believe I will be paying the over weight charge on my luggage.