Alive and well

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that I am here in Ghana and doing fine. Thank you to everyone who helped me get here. I couldn't have done it alone, that is for sure. When I first got here I was all by myself and being asked on dates by immigration officers and had strangers trying to trick me. I soon met Mr.Passah and Dr.Akotia and they have helped me so much. I am very luck to be in such a good program. Things are soooo very different here and I don't even know where to begin. I don't have electricity or water right now but I have been managing just fine. I feel like I have really gone back in time, like to my grandmother's generation. I have to go fetch water from the yard to bathe, but it is fine. It is the roughest place I have ever lived in but it is the best accommodation around. It is very simple and safe though. Most people are very very poor, and at the arts center market yesterday I wandered into the back and found where all of the people lived. I think I am really learning to appreciate so many of the things that I take for granted at home. The people here are really nice! It is strange though because everyone can speak English but they usually speak twi, efe, or some other language with each other. I have been into the city and into the market and even tried my hand at bartering, how bizarre! The market can be intense because everyone is asking you to buy stuff but with time I think it will be easier. I found an awesome market on campus today.. .the Bush Canteen, I know it will be cool during the week, but it is unlike anything I have ever seen in the States. I am kind of outside of the main strip on campus but it is nice. There are horses right across the yard. The horses and monkeys are tied to the trees but the dogs, chickens, and sheep roam free. There are so many dirt roads here, it is incredible. Red clay paths are a main way to get around. The land is filled with beautiful grasses, trees, and flowers. Of course I am not much of a city girl so the buildings are a total turn off and don't impress me at all. That is usually the story though. The people are really the most interesting. There are so many beautiful faces, and they are so unfamiliar to me. The women have beautiful dresses. I can't wait to have dresses made. Sorry this is so long but I feel like there is so much to say. I am keeping an extensive journal though, so I will be able to tell tons of stories and share that when I come home. If anybody has any questions of wants to know anything please send me an e-mail or reply to this. messages are always welcome. Thanks again for all of the love, support, and help.
Love and Peace
JennieV.