PST First Two Weeks!!

I have random internet access after ending early today, but not a lot of time so this will be quick.  Sorry  don't have any pictures yet!

So I spent the first week at a university near the capitol, Accra and never really felt like I was in a foreign country as we didn't get much exposure to anything but other PCVs and and a lot of lectures.  On Monday we traveled to small village called Anyinasin where I moved in with my homestay family.  I will be here for the next eight weeks and then will move to my permanent location.  Homestay is about what I expected.  I have had little language training and my family speaks no English so there is a lot of awkward staring and smiling and body language.  My room is disconnected from the rest of the house and at normal meal times I'll find a little tray of food outside my door.  :)  It's kinda' weird. But I'm sure it will become more comfortable as the days pass.  I found out from the homestay coordinator that the volunteer that stayed with the family before my arrival terminated her service during homestay, so the family thinks they did something offensive to make her leave.  That is unfortunate for me because that's why my family is so stand-offish to me.  But this is the hardest part and it takes a lot to make me uncomfortable so things are looking good so far!  The only downside is it's incredibly loud at night with sounds that would take this a whole page to list.  There are also chickens and goats running around everywhere, and it's not uncommon for a small herd to go running through the training facility (which is really a cement slab with a tin roof open to the outdoors) in the middle of session.  The young girls in my family love me, and they speak some English so that's an uplifting part of my homestay so far.  And I live right behind the school, which is right behind my training facility, so I get this little fan club of Ghanaian children running after me and climbing on me as I walk to training.   It's pretty adorable.  They call me 'Abena' which means 'Tuesday Born'.

The next two weeks I will be 'practice teaching' at a boarding school near my village.  I got to do a small lecture to a class today and I could not believe how smart the students were.  But I am training at an A-level school, which is where the most advanced students go.  I will be teaching at a much lower level school so I am prepared that my students will be far from the level of students I am currently working with.  But that makes sense because, obviously, teachers aren't needed in places where the students are doing great, we are needed where they are doing not so great.  So it sounds like I will be teaching at a senior high boarding school and probably living on campus when I get my assignment.

I love the food, and the people are extremely friendly.  Nothing but good things to say so far.  There are some current PCVs helping with out teacher training and I have gained some great insight from them in the short time I have spent with them.  They were even nice enough to take us to their favorite 'chop bar' (restaurant/street food) in our training area.  Very cool people.  My fellow volunteers kick a lot of ass as well!  :)

Next time I get online I will hopefully have my camera to put up some pics.  I'll also hopefully have more time to give a more descriptive update.  Untill next time!!

Apes

Correct Address!!

Hey everyone!  I got some new details regarding mailing address.  Letters and small packages should be sent to the address below.  Whenever possible try to fit all into a padded envelope.  It will get there much quicker.  Even sending several padded envelopes will get there quicker than a package.  You can still send larger packages to this address but it will take much longer.  Here it is:

April Kein PCT 
U.S. Peace Corps/Ghana
 P.O. Box 5796 
Accra-North Ghana
West Africa 
(label as “airmail” and number letters)


If you feel you want to send a large package or want it to get there quicker by using FedEx or DHL, use this address but it is VERY expensive.


April Klein PCT
U.S. Peace Corps/Ghana
4 Dade Walk Labone
Accra, Ghana
West Africa


My email is april.klein6@gmail.com and I will soon have a cell phone to communicate with you all.


I love you and hope to hear from you soon!

First Post!

     Well, here it is: my first Peace Corps blog post!  I've always wanted to start a blog but never had anything in particular or particularly interesting to blog about.  I also hope to use this as the main resource for my friends and family to keep you all in the loop during my time in Ghana.  I meant to start this  sooner; my flight for orientation leaves two days from now so my first entry is really a farewell! :)
     I can't exactly explain why I want to join the Peace Corps but I remember starting to seriously consider  it about five years ago.  A group of former volunteers spoke to a class I was in during my second year of college and shared stories of enriching life experiences, new life perspectives, and a lot of great benefits post-service.  I am definitely inflicted with the 'travel bug' and also value and respect people that are willing to give of themselves for the sake of others.  Peace Corps seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine my love of travel with the opportunity to participate in an act of service that will benefit the lives of others and open doors of opportunity for me in the future.
     About six months after graduating from college I began the application process.  I had heard horror stories about it and was determined to get to the end of it and receive an invitation to serve.  To put it bluntly, I admit that it was a total bitch of an application but doable and actually not as bad as I expected.  The hardest part is all the waiting and the length of time it takes to from start to finish.  Many people think that anyone can just get up and join because 'it's just volunteering' but it is quite the opposite.  I started the process in March of 2011 and didn't have a definite invitation to serve until March of 2012.
     So I am currently wrapping up a few final tasks this weekend, double checking my checklists and I'll be on the west coast of Africa before I know it!  This is a brief inaugural post, so I hope that my friends and family check into this blog from time to time as I will be posting stories, pictures, and many other rantings of my service in Ghana.  I will keep in the best touch as I can, and I love and miss you all! :)  Below is the address where letters and care packages can be sent during the first three months.