Ghana! A Travel Journal of Ghana and West Africa

Since a bunch of people were asking what i was packing here's some pictures of everything I'll be taking for my 2 month, 2 week trip

Here's all the med's I'm brinign with me to hopefully avoid the complete West African experiance!

I have to say I'm excited to be able to use my brand new backpack for the first time, Kareem (my roommate) was making fun of me earlier last semester when, the day I got it, he came back to the apartment to find me proudly strutting around my room with it stuffed full of dirty cloths 'cause I so excited to try it on...and Allison wouldn't let me walk her home that night through with the pack on, they just doesn't understand! I think I get it from my dad...he'd be happy to sleep with his road-bike

I don't know how I feel about this whole thing now. I'm glad I'm doing it, but what can I do? I'm a HISTORY major; giving them a lecture on the causes of the Franco-Prussian war isn't going to help. Though I guess (or I've heard) that most people feel like that before they start a new job/internship/career or whatever; you just gotta jump in with both feet.

I'd really like to get on the Water and Sanitation program, helping the camp get clean safe water. Right now the sewers run basically through the street I'm told. Although i'm sure a fair amount of down and dirty work is involved, I think (and hope!) that we also get to do some water education for the Liberians as well. The problem with just cleaning and doing the grunt work is (besides smelling like shit after your done) that after we leave everything will go back to how it was before, so we need to get the local people interested in doing the work themselves, we need a sustainable program.

If not that the HIV/AIDS program also sounds promising, but I think i need some kinda of health background for that one. Too bad though because I'd love to help with that issue, the statistics of AIDS in Africa are morbidly amazing.

I hope I'm not put in the education program, i just can't see my self as a teacher! I would have no idea how to teach somebody to read, or do math, or do anything! I guess thats the challenge though?

But right now I'm really hazy as to how the whole volunteer program works in the camp, but I guess I'll figure it out soon!

Here's a funny random photo from the theather near us here in perth...it was too good. Those crazy Aussie's.... My heart goes out to any man that was dragged to see this!!

P.S. today is National Sorry Day in Australia

# posted by Matthew @ 5/26/2006 04:12:00 AM