As I write this blog post I am on the airplane to JFK where I am will board another plane headed directly for Accra, Ghana. I am SO excited but also slightly nervous. During our training this past week it was really interesting to see the various levels of excitement and nervousness among the interns. The thing that makes Kirsten and I most nervous is that our trainers know virtually nothing about Ghana. They know the manager there but that’s about as far as their knowledge extends. They know nothing about the culture or history. All of the other interns are going to South or Central America, which are areas that the trainers know quite a bit about. The other reason that I am nervous is that I have never in my life met a Ghanaian. Many of the other interns served their missions in the country they are working in so they already have some idea what the people will be like; I’ve got nothing. This realization has made me nervous but also excited. I have so much to learn and experience while I’m there.
Last night we had a final, parting dinner where the interns who served last summer came and spoke about their experiences. It was interesting to see what each of them learned while they were teaching the Self-Employment Workshop.
I'm now on my flight to Ghana. The night before I left Steven said, "I wish I could be there when you land to see your face when you realize that they are speaking english but you can't understand a word they are saying." Well Steven, I didn't even have to leave the United States to experience that reality. While standing in JFK waiting to get on the plane I heard lots of different accents and speaking. I'm not sure which people are from Ghana but I could barely understand any of them. The man next to me tried to talk to me but I couldn't understand him. It also didn't help that my ears were plugged up from being 37,000 feet in the air.
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