end of week 3. i seriously can’t believe it. this weekend was really hard cause the 1st bunch of volunteers from my group left. the hardest part was saying goodbye to my friend amy. its crazy how good a friend she became to me in just 3 weeks. she made me laugh so hard all the time. she even named her parasite (she got a stomach parasite we think). his name is pete. parasite pete. if you know me at all you can see just from that why i love her. thank god the other girl i’ve gotten really close to, carissa, is still here or i’d be miserable. it kinda sucks cause a large majority of the people left are people i can’t really stand. my roommate is one of those girls who will change everything about herself to be liked by the queen bee...& i can’t stand the queen bee. she thinks she’s gods freakikng gift to humanity. she looks at you like you’re an idiot & acts like she’s here for a much nobler reason than everyone else. whatever, i don’t need that. a lot of the girls here are kinda like my roomie, therefore we don’t really get along. i don’t like people who act like one way around certain people & completely differently around others. i’m sorry that i’m not willing to change myself to fit in & be liked by everyone. talk behind my back all you want, it won’t change me. i don’t like large groups of girls...thats why i love carissa & amy. they accepted me as i am. thats what makes a real friend.

on a brighter note, things are still going great. the dry season is beginning, which means less humidity, which means even though its crazy hot, it’ll be a dry heat. there’s this really cool phenomenon where a rainbow forms a complete circle around the sun, which means the dry season is approaching. farmers dread it. i kinda look forward to it. you haven’t experienced humidity til you’ve been in ghana during a rainy season. you’re clothes are wet w/in 5 minutes of putting them on. so hooray for the dry season!

we went to the monkey sanctuary this week & it was so freaking awesome!!! i hand fed bananas to monkeys. there little hands touched mine. they were so cute. they peeled the bananas right there in your hand. and they made the cutest little sounds while eating them. i really wanted to take one home w/ me =) i have many pictures. we had to wear giant rain boots (they only had one size & that size was like 9 or 10) and clomp down the path, which was super muddy & just wet in general (hence the boots), & then all of a sudden, MONKEYS! they just appeared. they made a funny kinda kissing sound. god i loved them.

i can’t believe i only have 3 weeks left. when i first got here the prospect of being here for 6 weeks was so overwhelming. but these first 3 weeks have gone by so quickly, & the next 3 will probably go by even faster. especially cause i have little things to look forward to at the end of each week. i have stuff being made by a seamstress that i get to pick up on the 23rd, then i have a package from margaret i get to open on the 31st, then i come home on the 7th. & yes, i am looking forward to coming home. i’ve had an undeniably amazing time here so far, & part of me won’t want to leave, but i really think by the end of the next 3 weeks i’ll be ready.

i already have plans w/ carissa (who lives about an hr away in winchester) to meet up & go to five guys after she gets back (she’s here 2 weeks longer than me). we’re also planning to go down to key largo to visit amy when its cold in va but not snowing. we both like snow too much to miss it =) i hear its already really cold & miserable back home. rachel (a volunteer who left friday) said that it was reported on cnn in england that it snowed in philly last week. thats crazy. i guess its about time to have another freezing cold halloween...we’re had too many pleasant ones the past few years.

the things i miss the most (other than family & friends): CHEESE! (all we have is laughing cow cheese. its a spreadable cheese that doesn’t need refrigeration...its weird), not being sweaty 24/7, cow meat (beef, steak etc.), milk (its full cream here), did i mention cheese?, my bed (mosquito nets are annoying), & last but not least, HOT SHOWERS. yes, the cold ones feel good, sometimes, but they are still cold.

i’m sitting in the big room typing this up while a bunch of people are arguing politics along w/ george, the very attractive, very nice, guy who works here. i’m not quite sure what his title is, but its pretty high in the pecking order. he wanted to be president of ghana but he married an american so now he can’t. he’s very smart. he’s also siding w/ the one republican at the table. its kinda funny.

well, we’re running on generator power as there’s a ghana wide blackout so my laptop isn’t charging even though its plugged in, so i’m gonna hop off here. plus, i gotta get outta this room...if i hear anything about conspiracies, bush, 9/11, or genocide anymore i’m gonna lose my mind. i’m gonna try to watch a movie w/ carissa. hey! look at that, the powers back. lets see how long it lasts this time...