Tomorrow I'm off to the other side of the world. Still doesn't feel real, but I'm sure it will hit! Bags have been repacked countless times, I've accepted my residence offer for Carleton next year, and I'm trying to clean my room. For anyone that knows me: it's a big job!! (As I sit on my floor writing this instead...)
The nice thing about cleaning is finding things that you've forgotten about long ago. Like little bits of your past that have made you the person you are. I found one of my social studies projects from grade 7. We were all assigned one African country, and had to write about it's geography, trade, history, government, culture, etc. I've always loved projects like this, and I had forgotten that my country was Ghana. So to my grade 7 self: First of all, writing about all the different type of monkeys in Ghana is NOT exactly culture... And thank you for teaching me some basic Ga, but Fante and Twi are the languages that would be more helpful. And where I got the fact that they speak 16 languages there I have no idea?! But my grade 7 self did deem Ghana" une bonne place, et un des meilleures pays en Afrique". So, now it's time to go live it. Experiential learning at it's best!
My favorite part of that project was making a 3D map of Ghana. Being given a cardboard cut-out and needing to fill it in with paints, modeling clay, and real sand for the coastline. Every kid in both classes did a country, and we put together an incredibly cool map of Africa. I never would have imagined that I would be going to live in my country for 5 months.
Everyone asks me if I'm nervous to be teaching in another country, and I'm sure I will be once I'm there. I have had the most incredible and inspiring teachers, and if I have even a fraction of that in me, then I think it will be okay :)
Despite researching, talking to previous volunteers, and getting advice from others, I really have no idea what to expect. (My grade 7 report wasn't as informative as I thought it would be... :P) But as I walked around Fairfield on my last late-night walk with my sister, I realized I'm ready for this.
To everyone that has wished me good luck, to stay safe, and a goodbye: Thank you. To anyone that sees me in the next few days: I'll be the one with the giant purple duffle bag, and attempting to carry my Lattitude tote bag, a soccer poster about English grammar, and a polar bear stuffie for my new school. And of course, bouncing off the walls in excitement.
Love you all,
Sarah
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