First Post

Hello I wanted to keep everyone updated while I'm on my trip. For those that don't know I will be traveling to Ghana, West Africa on September 25. I will be staying near the school for the deaf in Kibi, for two months. 7 other volunteers will be traveling with me. We will be spending our time instructing the teachers there in sign language and we will each be assigned a class to help teach. We are basically there to help bridge the gap between the deaf students and the hearing teachers. We also will be torturing students. I am so excited to have this opportunity to be surrounded by another culture and be serving the people there at the same time. I wish I was leaving sooner but I can wait. The nonprofit organization I will be going with is Signs of Hope International. This is their web site http://www.signsofhopeinternational.org/

I first heard about their program when one of my deaf Professors came in with their promotional video. He has gone to Ghana with this organization multiple times and has loved every visit. I have also talked to other students who have gone and have heard their wonderful experiences. I have also heard some of their horror stories. One story I heard was one of the reasons I cut my hair.

"Brittney a girl with very long blond hair, was helping clear some brush, so the school could build a shed there. When another girl, working behind, her told her to stand still. She said there was a spider in hair and she was going to get it out for her. After a while Brittney was getting impatient because the girl was taking so long. When she asked what the big hold up was, the girl said in an apologetic voice, "I'm sorry Brittney I can't get all of them out." Brittney then flipped her head forward and watched as dozens of tiny spiders came falling out of her hair."

I don't know about you but I'm defiantly not going to have hair long enough for anything to make a home in. Anyway I probably won’t start posting anything interesting until we get closer to the take off date. I have a few group meetings until then so I might have some more info soon. In fact on August first I get to meet with the group of volunteers that just got back from a 2 moth stay in Kibi on Saturday. Thank you for checking my blog out and I'll keep you all up dated.