50 Days Left!!

I mentioned in earlier posts that I was getting 2 extra pills of Larium to try out and see what kind of side-effects I might have from them (I heard they are pretty nasty). So I took one yesterday and it seemed to be fine, I had a slight headache, but that went away soon after. I took it in the afternoon with my lunch, then drank a whole bottle of water right afterwords (it says to take with plenty of water and food). I will take it again next Monday, but the pharmacist seemed to think that if I was going to experience any of the paranoia, and bad dreams it would happen right away. So hopefully after next Monday I will be fine :) These pills are almost $400 cheaper then Malarone, and you take them once at week instead of everyday, so I'm hopefully these work!

I just received my passport back from the Ghanaian embassy with my Visa, so the only thing I have left is pay Projects Abroad and go shopping for the last remaining items! It's getting VERY CLOSE...50 more days!!!

Yellow Fever Shot

So I got my Yellow Fever shot yesterday and it wasn't bad at all. I heard from several people that this shot really hurts and it can take a lot out of you, but it was the least painful shot I've gotten, my arm doesn't hurt at all right now and I'm feeling good :) I got my Yellow Fever Card that is required to enter into Ghana so it looks like I'm all set now! I also got 2 pills of Larium to try out, hopefully I don't get those crazy dreams because Larium will cost me $160.00 compared to $642.95 for Malarone. So I'm going to take them on Monday and see what happens...

Mole National Park

Mole National Park is the largest and most frequently visited national park in Ghana. It is reasonably well set up to cater for tourists and although it is more expensive than many other parts of Ghana it is well worth a visit.

Mole has the widest range of wildlife in Ghana. You'll see elephants, antelope, bushbucks, monkeys, warthogs, baboons and other smaller wildlife.

It is rumored that lions exist in the park but even the wardens haven't seen any traces for a few years. The last lion sighting in August 2004 was immediately followed by serious poaching incident resulting in the capture and killing of a male lion the following day.

Wli Waterfall

Wli Waterfalls cascades from a height of 60-80 meters, and is the highest falls in West Africa. The hills mark the border between Ghana and neighboring Togo. A walk through the forest of the Agumatsa wildlife sanctuary offers a chance to see a large colony of fruit bats, butterflies, birds, monkeys and baboons. To get there one has to walk through the Rain Forest on a small footpath crossing 9 smaller streams in the process.

Busua Beach

The Busua Beach Resort is a Nature Lover's dream come true. Located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in the Western Region of Ghana, the Busua Resort is about halfway between Abidjan, the capital of Côte d'Ivoire, and Accra, the capital of Ghana. Busua is in the very heart of the region's attractions, both natural and man made.

Places To Visit While in Ghana: Kokrobite Beach Resort

25km west of Accra, Kokrobite is also home to the Academy of African Music and Arts.

One great little hostle is called Big Milly's Backyard. A small hotel for rucksack travellers. Simple. Cosy. A garden surrounded with walls with small houses, rooms, cold beer and a snack three times a day. Wendy is Big Milly. A somewhat elder English woman who found her spot in Ghana. Very nice setting and well worth the short drive out of Accra. Definitely worth the short drive out of Accra

Visa Application

Time to start my Visa application. I found the application for Ghana on my Projects Abroad website, but clearly people can find the proper work on the web. I also need to attach a letter of support from Projects Abroad that states I will be participating in their program. The application is pretty easy to fill out, it just needs to be in all capital letters. You need 4 copies (5 total), you send 3 plus the original application (I'm sending it to Washington D.C.) in a traceable envelope from UPS and you need to send a pre-paid, self addressed envelope with it so they can send your passport back to you. So here are things going with my Visa application:

1. Visa Application (4 copies)
2. 4 passport photos
3. 4 letters of support from Projects Abroad
4. Passport
5. Pre-paid, self-addressed, traceable envelope
6. $50 money order, cashiers check, or bank certified check (I got a money order from my bank).

It was about $62 to ship my Visa application ($28 there and $34 back)...pretty pricey, but I added some insurance for an extra $2 that will cover up to $200 if anything happens to my to my stuff. I mean my passport, photos, and the $50 money order was about $170 so $2 extra wasn't really like much of investment! I went to UPS and the lady there was really helpful.

Projects Abroad

Here is some information about the company I will be traveling with. They are really helpful and amazing to work with.

http://www.projects-abroad.org/

Ticket is Booked!!!

Airplane ticket is booked! Now it seems very real. I'm flying with Delta Airlines and leaving around 7am on a Friday with one connection in JFK, then arriving in Accra around 7:30am Saturday morning.

I booked my ticket on StudentUniverse.com and they had a lot more options and the prices were also a lot cheaper. I decided that I would pay a little bit more for an earlier flight and for a flight that only made one stop. So I paid $1,562.00 for my ticket and yes it is expensive, but so worth it!

It's OFFICIAL, I'M OFF TO AFRICA :)

Beach

Skyline

Accra, Ghana's Capital City

Facts About Accra

Accras the capital and most populous city of Ghana, a nation on the coast of the western region of Africa. The city also doubles as the capital of the Great Accra Region, and of the Accra Metropolis District. Among the attractions of Accra are the National Museum, with a display of exhibits that reflect the heritage of Ghana from prehistoric times to modern times, the National Theatre with its distinct modern architecture, the National Arts Center with local arts and crafts to suit all tastes,Independence Square, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, the Accra International Conference Centre, the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral, the fishing port at Jamestown and Makola Market.

2 Months Away

Well it's about 64 days away and I couldn't be more excited to take off. I have applied for a private student loan through Sallie Mae to help cover the costs of this trip and here is what I have come up with (hopefully it all gets approved by the Financial Aid office).

1. Study Abroad Fee: $100.00
2. Program Fee: $4,415.00
3. Accommodations: included
4. Meals: included
5. On-Site Transportation: $450.00
6. Airfare: est. $2,500.00
7. Passport and passport photos: $110.00
8. Visas: $90.00 (I need to renew my Visa while out in Ghana)
9. Immunizations: $1,194.10
10. Health Insurance: included
11. Personal Spending Money: $2,520.00 ($210 a week, $30 a day)
12. Other: $621.43

TOTAL: $11,606.37

While out in Ghana it will cost me about $10 to renew my visa including 2 more passport photos. My immunizations included the shots I talked about earlier and the malaria pill, Malarone, which cost $642.95 (for 100 pills), plus some prescriptions I had to get.

The website Lonelyplanet.com was a really helpful website about Ghana (you can choose whatever country you want) and it gave me the costs of transportation. I also decided to talk to other people that had been to Ghana and that was the most helpful part. Also my contact person from Projects Abroad in Ghana is incredibly helpful, so it is important to choose a program to go with that are good with communication.