A Short Update
So my last update was about two months ago, and that was about something that happened two months prior, so I guess I have a lot to write about. As you may have noticed, the grant application was put on my blog. About a month ago, the entire grant had been filled. I hadn’t planned on receiving the funding in its entirety until the end of August, so I was ecstatic when I saw that my grant had been filled. On behalf of myself and the entire Yefri community, I would like to thank the donors. You really cannot fathom the impact your donations have made and will make on this community. Like unloading a dump truck over a pond, you haven’t just made a splash, you’ve remade the entire geography of the pond itself. Ok, that metaphor was a little forced, but I think you get my point.
This past week, the community has finished installing the new windows and door. In the next week or two, we’ll buy a small air conditioner and paint the interior of the room. Then come the computers. Before the end of September, I’ll have purchased and set up the computers, as well as a modem. I’m going to wait on setting up an actual network (in order to allow the internet connection to be shared among all of the computers) until after I return from travelling to Accra at the end of September.
In case I haven’t told you, I’m running a marathon in Accra on the 26th of September. My training has been going well, I think, but I’ve never run a marathon before so I’m not really inclined to make predictions about my actual performance. Following the race, I have a meeting with Peace Corps volunteer representatives from the other regions of Ghana and the Peace Corps staff about various issues that arise among the volunteer population in each region. I was elected the representative for Brong-Ahafo. I should note that perhaps my use of the word elected is a stretch as no one else from Brong-Ahafo was willing to volunteer.
A week after this I have my mid service medical exam. Technically, the half way point was earlier this summer, but Peace Corps Ghana is undergoing some structural changes due to an increased Peace Corps budget. Given the proximity of this medical examination to my marathon, I’m inclined to think that my weight as recorded in the beginning of July will be the lowest of my adult life. All the more reason to binge on Wawa hoagies this Christmas, right?
Speaking of which, I’ll be home. I’m coming home in the middle of December and I’ll be going back to Ghana after the first week in January. If you’re around then, send me an e-mail. And (as if it wasn’t already a cliché deprived of all meaning) I’ll update again soon.
