The first couple weeks

Jordan here: Hello from Ghana! We're here and all is well. Travel went smoothly and our whole group made it to Valley View University where we would stay for a week. This is the first time either of us have had a chance to get online. We have met some great people and learned a lot about what we will be doing in the future. We have taken several trips into the city of Accra to the Peace Corps headquarters in Ghana. There we received some shots and filled out some administrative paperwork ie immigration papers etc. We have been fed quite well by the staff on a steady diet of rice and chicken and fruit. The food is quite spicy, especially coming from a wuss who can't handle food his spices! We also got a chance to show off some talent one of the last nights at our talent show. Of course, Sarah and I did an encore of the thriller dance and people loved it :) Right now I am off on Vision Quest in Kpetoe near the Ghana/Togo border. I am staying here for a week with a current volunteer who is working on tree nurseries in his village. I have seen how life can slow down and is much simpler in some respects but more complicated in others. Sarah and I look forward to finding out our site and starting our time there. We should find out where we will be staying in about a week. Right now she is in Kukurantumi at the training site. I will head back there on Sunday morning to meet our family that we will stay with for 3 months of training. Sarah had some homework last night putting together a 15 minute lesson on light energy sources for the school she is shadowing. She needs to get this experience quickly before the schools get out until September. when they start up again, she will have her own classes! Tomorrow, my host and I will meet a few other volunteers who are hosting trainees at a pool to relax a little bit. We still have a long way to learn the ropes and get comfortable with everything, but we are learning. The people are very welcoming and I have no doubt, judging from the first couple weeks, that this journey will have its ups and downs, but will be a journey we will never regret.
We hope all is well in states. I see the Twins have finally made up a little ground, so that makes me happy. Be sure to comment or send emails. We would love to hear how life is going for everyone back home. Love to you all.
ps I hope to post pictures soon when I get back to using our laptop. stay tuned

Long Wait in the airport! What a lot of volunteers and a lot of bags!!!




















Aaron Williams, Peace Corps Director speaks at our staging event.



















Sarah waits with her pack ready to board the plane our of MSP airport.


Funny packing time videos from our last night in Minnesota






Check out this cool link to the Peace Corps Facebook page that shows the first group going to Ghana 50 years ago and the picture of our whole group and the Director of Peace Corps, Aaron Williams

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150194883485914.307678.110634980913

ALMOST THERE!!

After a stressful couple nights packing, weighing our packs, and repacking, etc, we were all ready to go. You can see me on the scale waiting to see if there might be weight problems. So far so good. Then we were off on our first flight.
Well its been a busy couple days and we're sitting in Washington Dulles airport about 2 hours before getting on to the 11 hour flight to Accra, Ghana. All our flights have gone well so far and when we finally got to meet our fellow PC Volunteers, of course they all turn out to be amazing people!! We spent yesterday in seminars introducing us to the mission and foundation of Peace Corps and some strategies on how to make it a safe and effective trip. At the end of the evening, we had a special visitor to the whole group: Aaron Williams, the current Peace Corps director dropped in to speak to us!! He was a fabulous, inspirational speaker and let us know we are about to be part of history, let alone the greatest job we'll ever love. He doesn't get a chance to stop by many staging events, so we felt very lucky.
After the seminars, we all went our to get some food. Sarah, no surprise, scouted out a great burger pub with half priced burgers and cheap drinks (way to go Sarah!). We had a great time bonding with our new friends that we'll be seeing for the next 2 years.
This morning, Sarah and I used our Coldstone gift certificate (thanks Mom) and had smoothies and ice cream for brunch, yum :) After grabbing a bagel for the afternoon, we headed back to the hotel.
Sarah and I checked out of the hotel this morning and I had volunteered to be a Group Leader that morning. That basically meant I needed to check in everyone from my group and collect their money for tips to give to the bus drivers. Peace Corps has given us a per diem allowance that helps us pay for food, and other things we'll need to pay for in the near future. So for a short time, I had to hold on to a large wad of cash before giving it to the driver. We stopped by the "clinic" before heading to the airport. By clinic, we mean the Department of Health building right in the middle of all the historic areas of Washington DC. We passed by the Washington Monument, the Pentagon, the Capitol Building, Lincoln Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial. We then got our last shot, our yellow fever shot. After that we said goodbye to our staging leaders and felt a little on our own for the first time.
Once we get off the plane, we need to be in professional attire and then the adventure over seas is really beginning. We probably won't have internet access for some time after that so this will probably be our last post for a little while. However, we do hear the cell phones are cheap there so we'll probably find one soon after landing. We'll catch you up after that.

Hey all! If you're interested in sending us packages/letters during our Pre-Service Training (from June 8th to the end of August) you can send them here:

Sarah and Jordan Wein - PCT
Peace Corps/Ghana
PO Box 5796
Accra-North, Ghana
West Africa

I heard rumors of it taking 4-6 weeks to send a package, but that depends on how you send it. If something were to get there after we are gone, I wouldn't worry too much - we have to make trips to the capitol for training, and we are bound to get it eventually! Just make sure to check what is allowed to be sent into Ghana, and know that whatever you send will go through lots on it's trip, so don't send anything perishable or anything that will melt.

Getting close - 5 days out now!!!

Love Sarah and Jordan