The Prep

Hello! And welcome to my blog! As part of my class, I will be blogging about my adventures in Ghana! So to start off, I will talk about the preparation. And let me tell, you, it was a lot of preparation! First up: shots!

In order to get my Visa, one of the requirements was to get a yellow fever vaccine. Luckily NYU has a whole department in health services about international travel in accordance with Global Programs offered. The nurse was able to give me tons of information (and was a little scary to be honest, telling me that one student did come back with a type of micro bug in his eyeball due to getting water in his eye. Which made me never want to shower in Ghana. Which I will probably get over soon.) But I also got pills for preventing Typhoid Fever and Malaia. And super fun pills in case I get traveler's diarrhea.

This was a reminder to take my typhoid fever vaccine on my mirror. I'm sure everyone has one. And I realize the days were wrong on the reminder, but I still took them on the correct days!

This folder completely full of vaccine information! Also, my vaccine card that I had to turn into the Ghana Consulate to prove I had my yellow fever vaccine.

After I had my shots, I went to the Ghana Consulate in Mid-Town to get my Visa. It was a fairly easy process thanks to my checklist form NYU! In a week I got my Visa (On my new passport, I had to renew it earlier this year!). So I was pretty excited to get my first stamp!

My Visa! I am officially allowed in Ghana!

After I had gotten my shots and visa, I felt like all I needed to do was go! I also had to read a book called "The Broken Cord" before I got to Ghana. I'll admit, I'm only half-way done and plan to finish the rest on the plane ride over. And I'm pretty sure I will be crying on the plane full of strangers while reading it, because it is very powerful. It is about an American-Indian man who adopts a 3-year-old boy named Adam. He later finds out Adam's mother drank very heavily while pregnant with him and as a result Adam has fetal alcohol syndrome. I have read books about parents with children with disabilities before but I was really compelled to hear a father's side. Especially a single father who is a minority. Mostly I have read from a mother's perspective so it is really interesting to me. 

I've also been packing for 90 degree weather which is a little surreal to me. Last night was a huge snowstorm and the streets are covered in snow! I think the high was 9 degrees today. I'm also sure I over packed which is not news to me, since I ALWAYS over pack! And I hope I don't have to pay extra for my luggage since we are also taking books over to the children of Ghana for my professor! 

Well that is mostly what I have done to prepare for my trip! I leave soon and will be in Ghana before I know it! I am extremely excited and still cannot believe I am able to have this amazing opportunity. Next time I blog, it will be in Ghana!

Janelle