glasses!

i have worn contacts for thirteen years.  wow, that is half my life.  i wore glasses for four years before that.  

i have bad eyes.  thanks mom.

pc won't officially support contact lenses, so here are my new glasses!  i'm adjusting...

hello. my name is

in many parts of ghana, names are given based on what day of the week you were born.  

i was born on a thursday.  therefore, my name is yaa.

depending on where i live in ghana, for the next two years, i may be known as yaa.

this is actually happening.

i am actually moving to africa.  in 54 days.  the reality of what is ahead is beginning to set in, and i'm growing really excited!

i finally informed work people on monday that i will be leaving.  my last day will be on may 14.  it feels wonderful to be able to talk freely about ghana and to show my excitement.

i'm beginning to think about packing and all the little details now.  i got my second pair of glasses.  pc won't officially support contact lenses because of lack of sanitation, so we are required to bring two pairs of glasses.  i have the best eye doctor ever, by the way.  he (and his staff) were really excited to hear all about my trip, giving me a ton of free stuff and discounts on my glasses. 

i'm also finding discounts on other stuff for pc.  several outdoor companies offer discounts to volunteers.  my apartment, however, is not as sympathetic to the sacrifices a pc volunteer must make.  they will not allow me to break my lease; rather, i have to pay the buy out penalty of one month's rent.  at least i tried!

packing:  my new backpack should arrive tomorrow!  i am planning to pack a huge wheeled suitcase and that backpack for my 27 months.  my flight restrictions are 80 pounds, 110 inches with two combined bags.  and most importantly, i need to be able to carry my own bags.  hence the backpack as one of my checked bags.  

i have been trying to figure out a way to save some (or all?) of my dvd collection onto my computer so i don't need to bring them.  if any of you have advice on this front, can you please let me know?  i'm completely puzzled as to how to make this work.  

ok, one last subject for this scattered post:  this is the link to live streaming of a ghanaian radio station!  it's kinda fun to listen to if you get bored.

please leave me comments!  i want to see who is reading this and what kinds of things you guys want to read about!

address!

you may commence the mailing of letters!

this is my address through training.  it may also be my address for my permanent site, but i'll let you know on that later.

MY NAME, PCT

Peace Corps/Ghana

P.O. Box 5796

Accra-North, Ghana

West Africa