I don’t feel that there is any way to describe Ghana, its people, the language, the food, the culture and every experience that I’m experiencing. Each day is drastically different from the one before and I’m sure that no two experiences will be alike.

9 plus the driver were crammed into a little station wagon, aka the taxi, as we made our way from our new home in Adoonkuanta to the Peace Corps Office. The station wagon was I’m guessing from the early 80’s (older that me at least). The interior was completely ripped out exposing all the old, rusted metal… tetanus just waiting to happen. There was a 3rd row of sits built in the back of the car for ‘maximum people over loading’ allowing us to hit the number 9 on the scale of 1 to full. A few of us were hanging out the windows trying to avoid all passing shrubs that hugged the red road to town, as in hope of catching any amount of air.

Every car in Ghana must be like a cat… with 9 lives. It seems that when it’s truly thought to be broken, someone will get it going. Regardless if everyone has to get out and give the good ol’ vehicle a push start, or if the shocks need to be tied back together with just a piece of rope. Ghanaians will make that car run… no matter what.

Every vehicle I’ve been in since arriving in Ghana reminds me of a cartoon… one with an old beater for a car. And when driving down the road all 4 wheels pop off rolling in separate directions. The seats crash to the ground causing the doors to fall next. Last were left with the passengers just sitting there with the driver is still trying to go somewhere… anywhere. Peace Corps told us to not ride in cars that we think are unfit to ride in… I would say every vehicle in Ghana then.

With the 9 PCV’s in one taxi and 9 more in another taxi we arrived in style at the Peace Corps hub in Kukurantumi to find out our site placement… the big determining fact of where life will be taking us for the next two year. It was the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the question that I’ve been getting asked for the past 2 months… “Molly where in Ghana will you be” … “who knows, who knows”

Peace Corps drew out a big map of all the regions in Ghana… a few current volunteers stepped onto the map to show where they were living. Our Peace Corps Trainees stepped on the map to show us where they were from. Lake Volta (the largest man made lake in the entire world) was clearly mapped out in the Volta Region, and all the large cities were marked. The names were called from our different sectors. Math went first, calling out their city/town/village’s name and what region it was located in.

Everyone had been placing bets on where they were going… “I know PC will put me by the water,” “Everyone from health and water sanitation will be in the Northern Region,” “I heard that no one will be in the Western Region” were some of the rumors and bets that were going around. All I was hoping for was that I was to be near someone… someone that I liked...? The drum roll stated as the site assignments began.

Kute-buem, Ghana located in the Volta Region will be my new home as of August 12th, 2010. My job title in my village is “Cooperative Food Farming and Marketing Society” – only time will tell what that truly means. I do know that maize and ginger are major crops in the area… two things I know absolutely nothing about.

My housing situation makes me laugh… as quoted from all the information I was given… “You will have your own private rooms. Your source of water will be from a borehole. Your furniture includes a writing chair and a table.” – hummmmmmm… no idea about a bed, cooking facilities, bathroom facilities. I’m guessing that I won’t have any electricity. I’m glad to hear that I’ll have a ‘writing chair’ and I think I need to build some ‘carrying water on my head’ skills. (yes everyone carries everything on their heads – from water to wood, luggage to fruit).

From the beginning I was saying that I want to live in the bush, rough it for my two years of service. Have a latrine, and build some muscles for squatting. Get the bucket bath down… and learn to cook over an open fire. Here is my opportunity. Ready, set, go!