We Made It!

Hello All!

My mom and I are in Ghana in Ho, Volta Region! It has been a long journey to get here, we made it into town around noon today after running through the Minneapolis airport to make our flight to Amsterdam (we had an hour lay over, but about five minutes after getting off the St. Louis plane, our next flight was being paged as last call for boarding-we ran what felt to be a mile), facing a broken down tro tro, and fleeing a taxi that was feared to about catch on fire! =) We're safe and happy now! We are being welcomed and taken care of very wonderfully at the orphanage! Seeing the children again feels great. It has been a year and a half since I have been here and I was a little worried that they may not really remember me all that well. Not the case at all. Within the first few minutes, after hugs and greetings, even the smallest children wanted me to play one of our old games I showed them.....steal the noses off their faces! They are all so adorable and have already taken a liking to Momma Carol. Sister Bernice, the lady that runs the orphanage, has gone all out for us so that we feel at home and is treating us like royalty. It feels good to know that she is just as excited to see us and we are her. She is giving my Mom quite the ego boost, telling her that there is no way she is '60' and that she looks younger than Ghanaians younger than her! CJ is eating it up, you better believe it!

My mom is doing great and embracing Africa like the adventurous and crazy woman that she is. She has already eaten with her hands (even though she was given a fork...she still wanted to try it like the Ghanaians), visited the ladies' urinal (while our tro tro was being fixed, it was on the side of the highway and of course was fixed right after she got in the restroom...I thought we were going to get left behind), and drank the water from the bag. No surprise to anyone, she is talking to everybody and making friends! I think she is a little shocked (relieved is probably a better choice of words) though that we are not staying in 'the bush,' which is what she kept referring Ghana to before we got here!

We are going to head back to the orphanage and unpack our bags and figure out the best plan to spoil these kids with all the fun stuff we brought (thanks to the folks that gave stuff for us to bring as well)!

Pics, more updates, and a word from Carol later!

Alicia