I'm baaaaaaack

So it's been 2 full weeks since I've left Ghana. This is just sort of a "how it's been now that I'm back" post. Ghana was amazing and really affected me in a positive way, as you could probably tell in the most recent post. The first week I was home was sort of difficult because I was really Ghana-sick and missed everything and everyone there, especially the warm weather. That first week I was back it was absolutely freezing in Texas... not pleasant. I'm sort of used to it now, especially since it's now in the 60s and 70s. :) Everything still reminds me of Ghana: movies, TV shows, songs, even certain foods. I can't eat scrambled eggs anymore without thinking of how often I made them in our kitchen, and how Holly and I tried to show everyone the heavenly-ness of breakfast tacos. The movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, will forever be associated with watching it with the girls in Kate's room, laughing at some of the crazy quotes. 

I miss everyone I met there like crazy, even the people I didn't originally click with very well. It's hard because I know that I may not see some of these people ever again, and that's incredibly difficult to accept. Thank goodness for facebook! I love that I still keep in touch with some of the girls in my program and I feel that if we ever see each other again, nothing will have changed and we'll still get along just as great. I'm planning on trying to find plantains somewhere and making some fried plantains. yum! I also want to print off a ton of my pictures and put them all over my room. This was the trip of a lifetime! Swimming in a waterfall, hiking through rainforests, going on a canopy walkway, feeding monkeys, going on a safari (!), buying traditional cloth, bargaining in the markets, riding on trou-trous, going to the beaches, learning African history and philosophy, meeting amazing people, volunteering with the most precious children, and becoming what I hope will be lifelong friends with people who I know will accomplish a great amount in the future. This experience has taught me more about myself and the world than 4 years in the same college most likely will. I will treasure it, and the people I met, for the rest of my life. 

The weirdest part about being home is how so little has changed, at least compared to what I expected. At least gas prices are finally down... only $1.50 a gallon!! Praise the Lord!! The economy is still dreadful and probably will continue to worsen until it can improve. However, compared to this time last year, I'm happier than I have been in a long time. I'm content, which is an amazing feeling. I still want to go abroad, anywhere, after I graduate and will most likely try to find a job in which I can do so. I really loved my experience in Ghana, still want to go back for an extended period of time and truly appreciate everything in that region. My best advice that I can give anyone now is that if you have the means and the chance to do so, go abroad. Anywhere. I've talked to friends that studied all over the world this past semester and I have not once heard a single bad account. Everybody I've talked to had a great time and misses it a ton. So here it is: Study Abroad. Take the chance. Go someplace completely different than what you are used to. Gain a different perspective of the world. Meet new people who have lived and experienced things that nobody else you know has. Just go for it. Take the leap. 

Love from Sherman!

Tidbit of the day: Be polite on airplanes. You can meet fascinating people on long flights.