Whew! It's been a roller coaster of a few days.

There are many many moments, when I forget that i am in Africa. I'll be talking to someone, and then I'll look up are realize the foliage around me does not at all match home's. For some reason, that has been what cues in me in over and over,. Not that I am in the minority for the first time in my life, not even that it is very, very warm out , but the foliage. Banana trees, palms, high grass... it is all very beautiful, in a very, very different way than i have ever regarded scenery before.

I will try to cover a few of what I assume to world may be wondering in a series of "yes and no" questions.

YES- I do have mosquito bites already. NO the mosquitoes are not as bad as i thought they would be. NO I did not get a homestay, and YES I am very disappointed. I am living in an international dorm, "hostel" they call them in a room that is far nicer than my room in Harstad was at PLU. It's rather charming actually, and I have a balcony. Top that, PLU. No, I do not know what my calsses or internship are yet, although tomorrow is a day to work on that, YES I have internet access (obviously). YES I like the other people in my program, but NO they are nothing to the people I have left behind and miss very very dearly.

I am quite resigned to the fact that I will spend the next 4 month with brown feet and very sweaty clothing. It is much like summer camp actual;y, and I loved summer champ as a child. I am suprised at how quickly I have come not to mind the heat.

And Now, Bullet points.
-Here in Ghana, we drink water out of plastic bags (because it is cleaner than any tap). I buy it by the case of 30 for roughly 93 cents, or 90 pesewas. Is case you were wondering, the Cidi is stronger than the dollar, and while many things, food mainly, are cheeper, many commodities are not. It is crazy to me that an African nation is stronger than the US in currency. Food for thought, y'all.
-My resident Director, Kwase is extremely endearing. He, along with any Ghanaian I have met thus far have an extreme national pride. He so eloquently described the economic and political problems that have lead to the extreme disparity that exists between the poor and the rich here. As we drove to the hotel from the airport he said- "look at all this construction everywhere, you will see that many things are being fixed. We are building our country." Probably doesn't sound that profound to you, but looking at it all, the chaos- Roads oddly paved on one side, but dirt on the other, garbage everywhere, open exposed sewage system by way of deep gutters on the sides of all the roads (dry right now, because it is not rainy season) random chickens walking around, "3 star hotels," like the one I stayed in down a short road from disparate shacks where people live... His hope for the future is so inspiring given all that i can see in front of me.
-My sociologist brain has been exploding with excitement throughout all of orientation. I pretty much want to buy the whole university bookstore of books on teaching children religious values... We discussed gender issues today- Ghana, as is all of Africa baring South Africa, is very anti-homosexual. Part of it is because of the deep religiosity in this country. Even the most urban areas are devoutly Christian or Muslim. For those of traditional faiths, homosexuality violates roles prescribed to men and women in the grand scheme of life. Ok, not surprising to me- but what shocked me is how closely homophobia is tied to nationalism. Kwase said that not hetero relationships are believed to be "not Ghanaian." Over and over, gender roles and attitudes towards sex were emphasized as part of Ghanaian's pride in being Ghanaian. The president bared a conference of gay persons from happening in ghana- and the media, the churches, the people, openly praised him for it. The president is very highly regarded here. (Not like Bush, we all commented.)
-the university i live at is like a huge park. It is pretty, in it;s own way. There are parts that are better cared for than others, but it's a pretty neat place. I have yet to explore it though, so more on this later. See how I feel about it after the very confusing registration process...
-I had a revelation today. I had always looked at international student a at PLU in awe- like, wow, they are so brave to pack up everything and move to the united states, leave everything and come to such a foreign place where nothing is what you are used to. How overwhelming brave of them, i don't know if I could do. it. And then today, as I filled out the International dorm's much simplified version of an RCR (seriously, res life could learn a thing or two from this check in process) I realized that I AM an international student. For some reason, i have never thought of studying abroad as the same thing as being an international student- I think I thought of it more as a learning experience that is part of my PLU experience. Or as part of my life as an American college student who wants to see the world and can afford it. But this is it- I am in a program, one of many here on the campus that turns united states citizens into foreigners, into international students, with special international student orientations and payment contracts, and registrations, and ID cards... This has been a very profound revelation for me in a way that I don't know is anyone else will understand, but when i get home, i will view the international students very differently that I have before.
-It is beyond refreshing to wear little to know makeup (though I'm surprised at home "done up" the people in my program always are. East coast thing?), be dirty and sweaty without giving it a second thought, and best of all- to be in a country that does not have mirrors, except above bathroom sinks. This is truly wonderful. To know that the shape of my body has no bearing on how I am viewed here, and consequently, how I view myself, is beautiful...

I will not lie- there are wonderful moments here where I can see the extreme depth of knowledge I will gain from living at this university, in this country, amongst these people who are so kind- and i am elated. And their are very dark moments when I suddenly cry to realize how on my own I am. There is a support system here for sure- but I face an uphill battle against the pain of being so autonomous without out close relations- something I don't' think I took very seriously when I thought about studying abroad. But- I have my pictures to put up still, so I will be OK!

Until I can gather my thought more eloquently
-Love Skylar