The Wrap

Its now almost a week since we left Ghana - we flew to Dubai and had a couple of days there which was great for a debrief and unwind before heading back to Perth. We've passed through there many times but have never stopped over. Its an interesting place, and a world away from Ghana - so efficient and clean! I went skiing for the first time in my life - in Dubai, in the middle of a desert, in a shopping mall!! How bizarre -but it was awesome fun, I really enjoyed it and will have to go to a real ski resort one day. Another highlight was having dinner at Al Mahara restaurant at the Burj al Arab (that's the big sail shaped building that you always see in pictures of Dubai). It was completely opulent, (and expensive!) - there was an enormous aquarium in the middle of the restaurant so we could watch fish and sharks swimming around while we ate our degustation seafood menu! Ah the life!

So now we've arrived back in Perth, and have returned to our little green house - home sweet home. Unfortunately I haven't quite adjusted to the time zone, so I'm writing this email at 2 o'clock in the morning!! Heading east the jet-lag always makes me suffer for a week!

Ghana seems a world away now - its very easy to slip back into your old life and routine like the past year didn't even happen. But living in Ghana was a life changing experience in many ways. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant and scared about going when we first discussed it (there were tears!), but I'm so glad that we bit the bullet and did it. It was a great life adventure, and I would do it again in a flash. In fact, I think I would be game to go anywhere in the world now if the opportunity arose. As long as you can always come home again at the end of it.... A year (or ten months for me) flies by so quickly, and life flies by so quickly too, that I really feel you have to embrace every new opportunity and experience that comes your way. We've been very lucky to have had this experience, and I'm very thankful for the time that we've had.

Our friends in Ghana are never too far from our thoughts - I keep wondering what Rita's up to without me there - she'll be pining I bet, but not for too long because she's a very happy person and she'll be joking again pretty soon! Can they use the internet without me? Well apparently someone has helped her out a bit because she sent me a message on Facebook yesterday saying she "misses me more than her mother's breast milk"!!!! Hilarious!!

I miss her a lot when I have to do the dishes too ;-) Hee hee!

I miss baby Jacinta - she's now eight months old, and is bigger than my niece Sophia who is almost 15 months. What a chubster! Hopefully I'll get to see some photos of her along the way. Its like having a World Vision sponsor child, but you know them personally and want to help them out however you can.

I miss having people wave to you as you walk along the road, and children yelling out "obruni hello!"

I even miss listening to our driver Alahassan's CD of 1980's power ballads (Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey anyone?) played over and over in the car!

That place gets under your skin..... Yes there's some good and bad things, but ultimately the people we met made our time in Konongo very special, and we'll think of then fondly for a long time to come.

So I think that's it from me for "Adventures in Ghana". Oh (collective sigh!) I think there will still be a few more photos to add (had to get a new laptop because I left mine behind, so once I get the photos transferred and sorted I'll put them on), so stay tuned for a little bit longer.... I think I'll quite miss writing a blog, I've enjoyed the process and it will be good to be able to look back in years to come and reminisce about our time in Ghana.

Maybe I'll have to start another blog?!