Parting is such sweet sorrow!

Rachel at the airport
Originally uploaded by lynnikins.

For the first time I lost a post via Flickr! I posted this photo plus an entry yesterday, and could never get it to come up on Blogger. Oh well, must be some July 4th weekend thing. Anyway, this is Rachel at the Akron Canton airport on Friday July 1, about to board a flight to LaGuardia. She called us from NYC that evening after her AFS orientation at St. John's University to hear our voices one more time before her big African adventure. She was excited and happy. Her 28 intrepid fellow travellers are also outgoing and friendly like Rachel, but then it takes a certain kind of person to do this kind of thing. Rachel says they will all be good friends by the time they get to Accra, Ghana on Sunday evening. They took a crash course in Ghanaian culture on Friday, and will have more orientation when they get there. Rachel said the AFS presenters said Ghana is their most "extreme" trip--extreme both in terms of health dangers and cultural differences. AFS seems to go to a lot of trouble to ensure their safety; they had a major lecture on malaria (since Jim told Rachel that her antimalarial doxycycline is also used to treat acne, Rachel seems a lot more committed to taking the pills!), and have strict guidelines about food and drinks. They also keep all the students' money locked up in a safe, and give them allowances, so they don't have to worry about getting it stolen. The AFS people said to be prepared for men asking the girls to marry them, and children asking them to adopt them.

Rachel said that reading Brian Hough's African Adventures blog really helped to prepare her for what to expect in the way of culture shock. Bryan is a Peace Corps volunteer in a remote part of Ghana. He's been there over a year, working to monitor and eradicate some parasite endemic to the region. He is VERY FUNNY. His descriptions--complete with accompanying photos--of various experimental barricades to keep the local goats (and their droppings) off of his porch during heavy rains had Rachel and me practically falling on the floor laughing. A good sense of humor can get you through some pretty squirrelly situations. Bryan doesn't post often; his dad in Michigan posts for him infrequently. His latest post, A Day in the Life, is a real hoot.

Rachel's host family, the Agyankwas, are a family with 6 grown children--5 boys, 1 girl, the reverse of my family. The youngest, Reuben, is a university student studying accounting. The father is a librarian, the mother is a caterer, and the children are all professionals, just three living at home. The AFS students will have free time after their work at the orphanage, but they have a strict buddy system for doing things together. Rachel said she hoped her local buddies would be up for some exploring. There are only four boys in the group, which surprised me. I hope those adventurous girls are prepared to look out for themselves.