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

what to expect, vaguely

june 2-4: staging.  i will probably be in philadelphia.  this is a general orientation time, lots of shots, and then being wisked away to ghana.

june 4-august 30: life in ghana begins.  for three months, the peace corps trainees (PCTs) will live with host families.  we will have training at least six days a week.  we will learn language, culture, safety and security, and for education volunteers, we will have a teaching practicum for three weeks.  during this time, we will spend a few days staying with a current volunteer at their location and shadowing them.  we will also have a chance to travel to our future site and visit it.  at the end, we will be sworn in as peace corps volunteers (PCVs).

august 30, 2009-august 29, 2011: i do not know where i will be living for the two years.  i will likely find out that information within a week or two of my arrival in ghana.

i can tell you what peace corps has told me:

"you will need to be very flexible in your housing expectations as there are no guarantees of continuous electricity or water, not to mention phone services or email access...

"your school will provide housing.  please, come prepared to be assigned to any part of the country...

"you should be provided with one or two rooms.  you will have a private bedroom but may share a living room and other facilities...

"peace corps also provides a water storage barrel, a water filter, a mosquito net, and money for a bicycle.  you might not have indoor plumbing or electricity.  you may collect your water from a well or borehole and spend your evenings preparing lessons by lantern or a candle...

"your diet may consist of a starchy staple prepared from rice, corn, yam, and cassava or plaintain, served with a spicy soup or stew which can be made from groundnuts (peanuts), tomatoes, vegetables, beans, and possibly some meat or fish...

"all art students study general knowledge in art, consisting of art history and fundamental theory.  your assignment will depend on your specialization and interests.  each student must take two of the following three-year options: graphic design, picture making, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, basketry, or leather work."

so that's an overview of my assignment description.  sounds exciting, yes?

all about ghana

how much do you know about ghana? i certainly did not know much before december. let me share some general information about the country and its people. of course, i have not actually been to ghana yet, so this information is simply what peace corps and the internet have told me. i'll be able to paint a more complete picture in just a few months!

location: ghana is located in west africa. it is bordered on the west by cote d'ivoire, north by burkina faso, east by togo, and south by water. it is just north of the equator and on the greenwich meridian, making it the closest land point to the "center of the world."

size: ghana is roughly the size of oregon.

language: actually, english is the official language! however, not everyone will speak it. i am supposed to begin learning twi now (too bad i'm the world's worst procrastinator...). twi is one of the widely spoken languages, and i will use it for travel. i will likely be learning a local language as well, but that will depend on what my permanent location will be, and i won't know that until i begin training over there. oh, and since i'm teaching deaf students, i'll also be learning ghanaian sign language, i believe. count 'em: that's three new languages for me to learn!

climate: hot. drier up north (toward the sahara), more humid toward the south. the seasons are wet or dry, not hot or cold. they are all hot.

economy: major exports are gold, cocoa, and diamonds. actually, ghana was a major source for the slave trade hundreds of years ago, and along the southern coast, slave forts still stand as memorials.

time: in the winter, ghana is five hours ahead of indiana. in the summer, it is four hours. ghana does not follow daylight saving time. (yay!)

alright. that's what i can think of right now. please let me know what other information you want me to look up on wikipedia and post here!

12 inches later

i chopped.

introductions

hello future faithful readers.  my name is joy.  in june i will be joining the united states peace corps.  

i first started thinking about peace corps a few years ago.  it was just a thought in the back of my head, and although i began an application then, i never moved very far in the process.  as i grew increasingly unhappy in my job, i started thinking of it more and more.  so about a year ago, i revisited that application i had begun.  i was intrigued and excited.  and scared.  i figured, it's an intense process to get into this program.  i would take it one step at a time, and i was certain i would encounter something that would stop me.  i refused to be excited about it for a long time because i was so sure something would stop the process.  

well, i applied.  i interviewed, wrote essays, completed a background check, gave fingerprints, went to the doctor, dentist, eye doctor.  and each step of the way i passed.  finally, in december, i received my invitation.  i was thrilled, to say the least.  but also scared.  i had been certain i would be disqualified somewhere along the line, and i wasn't.  

my dream job has three elements:  1. travel.  2. helping people.  3. art.  my assignment with the peace corps is to be a visual arts teacher to deaf students in ghana, west africa.  it's absolutely perfect.

so that brings me to now.  i leave in just under three months.  until then, i will be busy with work, beginning language lessons, packing or giving away everything i own, and cherishing time with my friends and family.  i expect to stay pretty busy with all of that!

i will update this as i learn more information (like my address so you can all start mailing me stuff so it will be there when i arrive!)