My last days

I tagged along with Lauren's friend to the capitol of the Eastern region, Korforidua. This cute little town was situated between green rolling hills and had an adorable infrastructure. They host a bead market every Thursday, which is patronized by people from all over West Africa. We hired a driver to take us to some remote wateralls. Of course, I took tons of pictures of twin waterfalls, huge trees, and some pretty sweet insects.

On my last day, I spent a few hours at the Ghana Red Cross Society headquarters. I met with several people to learn more about the programs and services they offer, along with the sucesses and challenges they often encounter. Much of it was similar to what I am familiar with, except for the Refugee Camp management portion, which I learned a lot about. I also had a meeting with the President of the Red Cross in Ghana, who also splits his time as a Professor of Microbiology at the main University, and advises Fulbright researchers. He was a incredibly friendly and enjoyed hearing about my stay in Ghana. I was excited to have the opportunity to connect with them, as it gave me a broader perspective of the Red Cross, and it was
nice to meet people have way across the world that do the same work you do and for the same reasons.

My last Ghanaian meal was spent at Leslie's Aunt Sophhie's house. She spent all day cooking and made a very traditional Ghanaian dish, which I will totally butcher if I try to type the names but it was like a stew on beans and rice, along with seasoned and fried plantain, noodles, and grounded cassava. It was good. And there was no cow skin or mystery meat.

I ended up getting a mild version of "runny tummy" my last night and was feeling rather sick the plane ride home. I was pretty dehydrated by the time I got to NY but I made it!! I got some rest and hung out with my cousin Katie! We walked around the city until I couldn't walk anymore. I come home to Seattle tomorrow night!

I have some final thoughts about my trip and I will be putting up tons of pics on picasa in the coming days so keep an eye out. Looking forward to seeing everyone!