Content

A bunch of the ISEP and Missouri kids were hanging out last night talking about what we've experienced so far, and we realized: we’ve come to a point where we're content with being in Ghana. This is where I want to be this semester.  Homesickness isn’t much of a thing anymore.  We all met Candice's family last night, spent a few minutes missing our own siblings (many of us are the oldest), and then carried on.  I’m church hopping with friends on Sundays. I’m trying foods, trying to speak a bit of Twi, excited to begin classes, ready for swim season to get under way, anxious to start working with the kids at Beacon House or Mawuvio’s.  If I leave now, I will feel that I have failed, even if the cause is completely out of my control.  There’s no way that I’ve accomplished half of the things that I want to.  

During the first 3 weeks, I often complained that I wouldn’t be home for Hendrix's first Amerian football season in decades (the result of having done marching band throughout jr/high school) and that I’d miss the 100^th Shirttails (Go veasey).  But now, I’ve begun to recognize what I should’ve at the beginning: that while I will miss easy walking access to everything, friends (great to skype with you guys last night, by the way!), and knowing exactly when and what my classes are at the beginning of the semester, this method of registration has its own advantages and this semester is going to be something I can’t even imagine.  It's something that I want to try my hardest to make happen.  Because registration takes so long, I’ve had time to mull over and drop/add classes without the stress of starting class.  In 3 weeks, I’ve gone from thinking spicy foods are ridiculous to thinking, “Alright, yeah. This is doable.” Walking the three minutes to the pool by myself is now a routine and soothing part of my day.