We're in Ghana?

At long last the day has come when Lizziey and I embark on the journey of a lifetime, approximately 5838 miles away from our friends and family, to Ghana. We leave at 8pm from Chicago to London and then (after a 5 hour stop) to Accra, Ghana. I am not particularly looking forward to the actual flight, but the end destination outweighs the discomfort.

So you know where Ghana is, but where is Accra you ask? Well first let me explain that Ghana is divided into 10 administrative regions, which are then subdivided into 170 districts. The regions (and respective capitals) are from top to bottom, and left to right: Upper West (Wa), Upper East (Bolgatanga), Northern (Tamale), Brong-Ahafo (Sunyani), Volta (Ho), Ashanti (Kumasai), Western (Sekondi-Takoradi), Central (Cape Coast), Eastern (Koforidua), and Greater Accra (Accra). If your head is spinning from all those names, please see the map below. :p

Although we arrive at Accra, we will actually be staying in Kasoa, which is on the Central region of Ghana, but very near the border of the Greater Accra region. As we get to visit some of these other regions we will write more about what we find there. 

So our bags are mostly packed, and the realization that "this is really happening" has long kicked in! Lizziey and I boast at least 6 pieces of luggage, most all of them filled with school supplies. How we will  manage to carry them all I don't quite know yet, but we will figure it out. I would like to thank all of those who have donated school supplies and other materials to Lizziey and me, and to those who have put us in their prayers. I know that we would not have been able to acquire all the things we now have on our own, and that the kids at the school will really appreciate them. So thank you again! :D

As far as contacting us during our journey, we know that we have internet access (Yayy!). This blog of course will be updated an a weekly basis (if the light doesn't go out), and it is a great way to keep tabs on us (please also remember to leave comments). Also our facebook, skype/messenger and e-mails will work. This will be our postal address in Kasoa:
 P.O.Box KS437, Kasoa, Central Region, Ghana, West Africa.
*Note: If you plan on sending "goods" make sure they weigh less than 2lbs, otherwise they would need to be screened and we will probably never receive them. Letters and postcards will be fine, and most welcome :) 

Well it's getting late, and I have a long day ahead! 

Good Night, Good-Bye, and God Bless,

Jamie <3

Commencement

And let the packing begin!

A Summer of New Things...

Wow! It has been a while since my last post, but since Lizziey now has 3 in a row, I figured it was time to get some "Jamie" in here!

A short update as to what I have been up to in the past couple of months:
1. Graduated from Saint Mary's College with a B.A. in Psychology (end of May, "Yayy I survived college!" :D )
2. Backpacking tour of Europe (Spain,France,Netherlands,Germany,Czech republic)for a month (June, "It was awesome!" )
3. Strengthened my relationship with God and church family; Applied and received visa for Ghana and took all necessary shots (Yellow Fever,Polio booster, Tetanus, Typhoid) and medicine (malaria pills); enjoyed the rest of the summer with friends and family (in Puerto Rico, July-August, "I would say it was the best chunk of my summer!!!" :D )

*For more specific information about my summer, just contact me!

Thoughts on the future:
Whenever I tell people my plans for the next year, the words "life-changing" are inevitably thrown in. Besides usual question of "what for" and "why", people also add "do you speak the language?" since by this point they are aware that I will be a teacher for elementary school children. Hopefully the readers of this blog already know that the language is basically English, in order to avoid the confusion created by many different dialects. The "why" and "what for" is because I truly believe that God has given me this opportunity with a purpose for my life. Therefore it will be a "life-changing" experience, but not because I am going to Africa, but because of what I get to learn while being there. Yes, I am going to give and serve, but I am sure that I will receive even more than I can imagine at this point. Hopefully once I come back in a year I will be able to bring back what I have learned with me and share it with others! :)

Upcoming events:
This Saturday I fly back to Indiana, and I will be reunited with my new and old roommies! This Sunday Lizziey and I will meet with the sisters and the two other girls who were part of the program this past year. I can't wait to hear about their experiences and find out more about the program! August 29th is just around the corner and there is still much to do! Some members of my church have already graciously donated some school supplies, and I plan on buying some more soon. :D

That is all for now :p ,
God Bless
Jamie

Kiva

Two posts in one day?! Oh yeah!

Kiva is a microfinance organization focused on lending to small business owners in impoverished areas.  This is how the program goes:

Step 1) You can look through hundreds of businesses on the website. You pick one.
Step 2) You can use PayPal or Credit/Debit to make a $25 donation to that business.
Step 3) Others make a donation until the loan is complete.
Step 4) The business owner begins to pay off the debt (in either 6 months or a year usually)
Step 5) When the loan is repaid you can either ask for a $25 check back or make another loan!


Why am I telling you this now?! Well, If you click HERE you can make a $25 loan for free! Kiva is having a promotion so that you can make a loan without paying anything.  So please follow this link and join today! http://kiva.org/invitedby/elizabeth8141

A Passport, a List, and a Little Love!

Can you believe August 1st is here already?! The countdown is on; Jamie and I will leave the US in 29 days.

A Passport!
After many weeks of gathering paperwork (including Monica sending me some important documents I left at her house!) and finding a post office in Speedway, I sent my visa application in and hoped for the best. I was a little weary of this as the post office worker helping me seemed to not totally understand how to process a visa.  But a few days ago my visa arrive at my front steps! I am so excited to see that slip of paper in my passport making my trip official.

A List
There have been a few looming questions left unanswered, but today one of the former SMC teachers at Our Lady of the Holy Cross School corresponded and gave me a few tips about what Jamie and I should pack for our students.  I know many of you have been wondering about this as well, so I've made a list of items needed here!

Basically, we will need anything we are giving to the kids in batches of 36. For instance, we need 36 boxes of crayons. We will also need 36 pairs of scissors, etc. 

For the students:
24-ct. Crayons
Glue Sticks
Scissors
Colored Pencils
Pens (blue or black...like the packages of BIC)

The students also enjoy (all in quantities of 36):
Stickers
Silly Bandz
Sunglasses
(pretty much any thing that is small and can be found in quantities of 36)


Little Love:
Crossroads celebrated Love Week a few weeks back! In a nutshell, the entire church spent an entire week committing to serve the community with Christ's love.  But one of my favorite little lady's (she just graduated 2nd grade herself!) found some super cool supplies for Our Lady of the Holy Cross 2nd graders in Ghana!  I am so fond of the phonics workbook and math flashcards that she donated to the students!   That said, Jamie and I will take ANY school supplies you'd like to donate (including classroom decorations!) So for all of you who donate, either in material items or in prayer for the upcoming year, thank you for making every day an extension of Love Week!

And as I was rummaging (okay, okay, stalking...) a former group of students from Saint Mary's I found two lovely videos of their time in Kasoa. The first is a tour of their room and the local market. The second video is a glimpse of how excited the students were to receive a package from the US!

 Tour of the Room and Market in Kasoa!

Students Excited for Presents!