I come and check my blog every day. Check for what? Good question… someone else to have magically written the words that won’t come to me, I guess. There is so much to tell… so many stories to relay, so many blessings to share. Yet I fail to have the motivation or the creativity to put these things into words here for you to read. I have really had some amazing opportunities and adventures since being back in Ghana after the Christmas break… the Cup of African Nations 2008 was held here in Ghana in January and that was INCREDIBLE to witness! I am so glad that I was able to attend most of the games that were held here in Accra. Ghana didn’t win overall, but they did great, and got 3rd place. I had a flood in my bathroom (my water heater exploded… fun!), went on a weekend adventure w/ roommates and friends to a place called Ada where you have to take a canoe to get (no cars can go there). It is on the strip of land that runs between the Volta River and the ocean just before they meet and join. I will definitely be headed back to this inexpensive getaway next year! I have rekindled my love for Salsa dancing, taking lessons and going to a hotel where they play Salsa music every week on Wednesdays with my roommate Mariah. My class has shrunk, one student not coming back to Ghana after Christmas break and another just leaving to the states a few weeks ago has taken my total from 9 to 7. Together with my 4 roommates one weekend, I fostered a 2 month old baby girl named Gifty from the orphanage that Amanda, Meg and I go to every Wednesday. She was an angel and whatever family she ends up with should feel very, very blessed to have such a special baby with an incredible story! I have watched twin 15 month old boys who look like they are more like 6 months go from stoic, seemingly lifeless infants to happy, laughing, playing ones. I went to a festival in a town not far away called Winneba with Amanda and some Scottish friends we made, but unfortunately missed all of the festival and rather spent the day at a hotel waiting 5 hours for lunch, and ended up hanging out on the beach and making some more new friends. Just yesterday I helped set up and staff a triathlon, which my roommate Jules competed in and did GREAT! She finished first of all of the women and before several of the teams.
I have also missed a lot. I missed my sister Nikki performing in her creative ministries group at college, my sister Katie performing as Jan in the musical Grease at her high school, and my brother Jon rocking at boy scouts & growing up (he is SO tall & his voice has changed… crazy!). I am missing friends getting engaged and married, finding new loves and loosing old ones. I have lost touch with friends, re-connected on the internet with others, and learned a lot about friendship, love, and me. The simplest things in life matter so much and being here, so far away, has magnified my appreciation of them. A phone call, a postcard, an email with sincere words of encouragement can have an incredible effect on someone’s day. It can take you from tired and weary to smiling and excited in a moment’s time.
All that to say… I don’t even know… And this is the problem :) I don’t write because I don’t know how to say what I’m thinking/feeling. Not so much that I don’t know how to say it, but that I don’t know how to say it without scaring someone or making someone feel bad or getting in trouble or something. So please forgive my lack of posting… I really need to be much better about it, and hopefully with a little encouragement (ahem! comments help with that) I can make blogging a more regular thing (AT LEAST once a month, if not every other week…).
And ohhhh ya! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY – I love my mommy so much, she is the best and I certainly don’t know what I’d do without her… give your mom a hug today, don’t take advantage of the fact that you can do that, I sure miss it!!!
Love my Nel!!
Snow!!!
