Giving Thanks &

The electricity (or current) has been really consistent lately. I know I am jinxing everything. I will surely be reading by candlelight tonight as a result of this comment. It feels so good to sit underneath the fan at the internet cafe. The heat of the African sun is amazing.

I would like to thank my friend Marsha for her donations to the camp. She sent me to Africa with a suitcase full of educational supplies for the school about which people are very, very excited. The other IVs have and will be able to utilize these workbooks and flashcards for a long time to come. Also, thanks to Planned Parenthood (and Marsha for delivery), I was able to donate some supplies to the HIV/AIDS team for distribution during outreach. They are a big hit. I have also come to understand that Marsha has gone out of her way to check in with Joshua and make sure everything is fine. Marsha, I've been seeing so many butterflies and I always think of the conservatory!

Another friend, Judy, gave me a fan that her partner's sister made. It looks like a Chinese fan, except that it is made out of Tyvek and this really heavy duty plastic so that it is extremely durable. It has come in handy so many times I can hardly count.

Absolutely everyone who has been sending kind e-mails, comments or kind thoughts my way. They are all appreciated. I know that I've said it before, but I will continue to say it anyway, "Thank you!"

I have been lucky enough to be placed in volunteer housing with some of the most interesting and chill people...I am loving my housemates a lot.

This afternoon I went outside to find Drew drawing the name of a little boy that lives across the way from us, in the dirt. A few kids had gathered around and were reading the name. This little boy has captured my heart from the beginning. He is curious, smart and has a smile that lights up your day no matter what has happened. I stepped out of the house and looked over at him. We smiled at each other and then he came running over to me. I picked him up and we shared another grin before heading back to Drew. That kiddo makes my day.

It has been raining on and off today which has been pretty nice. It cools down a bit while it is raining. Tonight I am to go to dinner with my housemate to a local woman's house. Annie says that she is a great cook, so I'm looking forward to that. I am also going to be going to a local bar tonight with the other volunteers for some sort of a welcome get together for us newbies. That should be fine as well.

Doxycycline is the bane of my existence. It makes me nauseous every morning, especially if I take the pill before eating a ton of food and drinking a ton of water. I stopped taking it for a few days after I felt nauseous for an entire day, but I'm afraid of Malaria so I've started again. I've gone off of a few foods though as a result and now rely heavily on peanut butter for protein. I know it isn't the best, but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.

Annie, Eeke and I went into Accra yesterday to withdraw money from the bank, buy some supplies for the school, get food for a house dinner and use the lightening fast internet. Accra is very busy and there are people everywhere. It definately feels like a city, but it is strange because it lacks the massive high rises that I normally associate with a city.

I'm soaking up all of the accents and sayings of the people I've been living with. The other day Rachel said, "Stop saying quite! You say it all the time now!" I don't mean too...but I can't help it. You should hear the bizarre mix of english in that house with an aussie, a brit, a north Irish girl, a dutch girl raised in africa and a mid-westerner with a burgeoning scottish accent. Mix in a Pacific Northwest/Western New Yorker with a Western New York/Coloradian (Is that what you call people from Colorado?) and there you go.

I should sign off for now. I'm still working out my schedule for the shape of my week...more news on the actual work I am doing when I figure it out.

Last thing: Neal, who is -in kind- one of my favorite people, wrote the following in reference to my last post: "I can definitely picture you having said inner dialogue, and I'm glad your interlocutor was convincing!" I chuckled out loud at the internet cafe in Accra when I read this. Thanks for the good cheer Neal! It is a precious.