farewell, for now

As I sit here and write my last blog from Africa, on my last day in Ghana, I am filled with mixed emotions and don’t even know where to begin or what to write about. There is no doubt I am beyond excited to go home—to be around anything familiar, to not be an “Obruni” anymore, to know how to appropriately function in society, to eat good food (not white rice for a long, long time), to see my momma, sister, nana, boyfriend and all of my family, to see my dear friends in New York and Texas—it’s definitely time.

I have been moved and blessed by these four months. I have learned things about myself and about humanity that I will carry with me forever. I have met and become close friends with some of the kindest people in the world. I have battled everything from the Ghanaian health care system, the maltreatment of women, to the lack of development in the nation. I have been to some of the most beautiful places (Winneba, Tamale) I’ve ever seen, and had some of the wildest experiences I’ve ever had (remember the 1 Cedi hostel in Togo? Or the journey to Green Turtle Lodge?). I have traveled three African countries—Togo, Morocco, and Ghana, and none of these journeys were without tough moments that ended up being hilarious ones. I have learned that “Africa” is not at all what I expected. I have peed on concrete slabs in front of lots of people. I have learned to love Makola market (a true example of growth!). I have bought more fabric than I can even wrap my mind around (Gillian can attest to my utter anxiety in packing it all). I have refused more marriage proposals than you can imagine. I have been treated both like royalty and like the scum of the earth because of my skin color. I have taken 126 malaria pills, and never missed a day(!). I have written 66 (now 67) blogs. I have ridden in tro-tros that my mom would’ve had a heart attack if she’d seen me in. I’ve bartered for hundreds of taxis. I have not eaten enough Fan Ice (must find a way to get this back to the states!). I have made local friends in every city I’ve been to. I have cried more than I ever thought I would. I have laughed more than I ever thought I would. I have become used to, and sometimes comforted by, power outages and water shortages. I have lived in Labone, one of the nicest neighborhoods in all of Ghana. I have been to the post office once a week, every week since I’ve been here. I have received letters from my mom, Nana, Sarah, Eric, Kala, Amanda, Rachel, Rebecca and Carley. I have cherished these letters. I have acquired a new tan, a new wardrobe, and a new outlook on life. I have challenged myself to think deeper about issues like development. I have become more patient with myself and with others. I have learned to slowwww downnnn. All in all, I have had the most incredible, rewarding, adventurous, scary, beautiful, fun, trying, and perfect study abroad experience. In Ghana. In Africa.

So now for the letters, with which I will try to be brief, but which deserve to be said, on the internet, for everyone to read.

Dear Solomon’s Girls,

Thank you for every single day providing a safe haven for one another to be themselves. Thank you for nurturing each other, and me, and always finding a way to have fun. Thank you for being the most eclectic, unlikeliest of people to live in a house together, but for proving that this “Real World: Ghana house” was real, and wonderful. Thanks for doing your dishes (ode to Julia) and for doing life with me. Emma, Anika, Marykate, Marika, Monica, Crystal, Tanesha, Gillian, Marta, Julia, Katie, Victoria, Stephannie, Helene, Leigh, Naa, and Julia, you girls are awesome and I love you all.

Dear Gillian,

I know you’re going to read this today anyway, since that’s what we do, but I want you to know what an impact you’ve had in my life these last four months. I never expected that we would become such great friends, or that we would go through hospitals, tro-tros, multiple countries, countless cries and laughs, Mamma Mia (I’ll leave it at that), some of our lowest and highest moments, bike rides, prayer, and fellowship together. You are as beautiful inside as you are out, and I am honored to have gotten to share an oversized room and undersized food supply with you for the last four months.

Dear Anyone-Who-Ever-Wrote-Me-A-Letter,

Thank you. Thank you for brightening my day and pissing off dear Debby, whom I harassed for the mail every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Thanks for reminding me that even when I’m half-way around the world, people are still thinking about me and I am still part of my loved ones’ lives.

Dear Family and Friends,

Thanks for being patient with me, and for graciously encouraging me to go off on this adventure. Thank you for trusting me and for reminding me day in and day out that I need to wear bug spray, but more importantly, that I need to do what I, Elizabeth Shelby, want to do. Thanks for never hindering me from becoming who I am still in the process of becoming, and thank you for letting me go (even for just four months). Thanks for Skyping with me, for emailing with me, for IMing with me, for spending ridiculous amounts of money texting and calling me (and vice versa!), and for reading this little blog.

And finally…Dear Readers-of-this-Blog,

Thanks for coming with me on this journey. I’m glad to have shared it all with you. I hope you find something else just as compelling to read daily now! Just kidding. But seriously, I’ll miss writing it just as much as you’ll miss reading it.

Alright, I suppose I better close this computer up and pack it away—we leave in an hour and a half or so, and our plane leaves in 5 hours. If you read this at anytime within the next day, please send prayers of safety towards the sky, as Gillian and I will be on our way back to the states, EEEEK! We should get into New York on Saturday at 11 am NY time, so 10 am Texas time. I love you all and can’t wait to see you soon!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!