almost there

So as I near the departure date I have been trying to get everything lined up I now have my solar panels so that I might have electricity to continue this blog while in Ghana, I have a mosquito net and plan on using it. I am going to do a test pack and see if everything will fit so that I can meet the size and weight limits. All in all I feel pretty prepared even though there is still much to do. I am awaiting further instructions as to what to do during the staging process. I should get that info soon so that I can make my travel arrangements. I am just so excited I can't believe that this is really happening, I mean I have had dreams before and they have come true but this just seems surreal that I am about to live out of my realm and into a different culture. Anyway just thought I would put some thoughts up here because well that is what a blog is for right.

My Mission

As I get ready to leave in June I can't help but to think about my mission in Ghana. By this I don't just mean the duties for Peace Corps but my personal mission why I am even doing this seemingly crazy thing to some and noble to others. It is not that I am not thinking about my eventual duties rather I am thinking excessively about these things and forgetting my mission and why I have chosen to go down the unbeaten path. Truthfully I have been searching for sometime about what to do with my life. By this I don't mean long term but in the here and now. This type of thought will drive you crazy unless you can surrender to a higher power for guidance. Now I am sure that some would say that I just took the initiative and applied and it all worked out but from my perspective it is different I prayed for answers and the response I got was do something that can make a difference. This is easier said than done however. I mean it is not an easy task to just put aside my whole life and everyone I know to go halfway around the world and plant trees. I know life won't stop while I am gone and I don't expect it to rather I want it to continue as if I were still part of it influencing peoples lives the way I try and do presently. I look past all of this and toward the greater good that will be accomplished through my works not only allowing for a greater understanding of our culture abroad but to bring back an understanding of the culture in Ghana. I think this is one of the most important things i can do because we need a greater understanding of cultures in the U.S. if we ever want to overcome the prevailing notion that nothing else matters to us but us. Well I have rambled on for long enough I hope some of this makes any sense.

Support

I am constantly amazed at the support that I receive everyday not just from friends and family but from complete strangers as soon as they hear I am going in the Peace Corps. It really shouldn't surprise me I guess it is just a warm feeling to know that people still care about helping others in a selfless way. I will miss having all the things that I enjoy on a daily basis but really they are all just tools that make life easy. I want to have to live life in the here and now without all the luxuries that currently cloud my perception of the world we live in. It is convenient but is that really all life has to offer? The fact is that it may seem hard the think about a life without our stuff but most people in this world have very little in comparison and they are still happy with what they have. It is not just an ignorance is bliss kind of happiness but rather the gratification of living right now and enjoying this moment not worrying about the past or fretting over the future but simply living.

getting ready

So this is my pre-departure thought slash just making sure I can add a post. I am getting excited for my adventure in Ghana. I am just trying to get everything ready as far as solar collecters and water purifiers. Twi the most common language in Ghana is not an easy language but it doesnt seem to hard. Well that is all for all.