Ghanain Breakfast

Rice Porridge with milk and sugar
Hot dog
Bottle of Water
Pineapple Juice

In Accra

The flight was like a dream, I got great sleep, listened to good music, all 11 hours flew by, and with the plane being only half full, I got two seats to myself to spread out on. When I got in though, I was told at the border that my visa was only good for 60, not 90 days, and that I had three options… File an extension at the central municipal office in Accra, leave before 60 days, or overstay the visa, and go to prison for it. I think I’d do great in a West African prison.

Shortly after running into the visa issue, I discovered that I had a maple syrup explosion in my bag. None of the Vermont goodness I brought over liked the flights, and now one of my bags is like an old stack of pancakes covered in flies.

At the hotel, its expensive (by Ghanain standards) and depressing, but also clean and safe. I figured out a few minor technical details such as my plug rig for all of my electronics, and sat down with Samuel for a drink out by the pool. We talked about his upcoming ventures and I got to meet his wife who was very cool. They both love Accra and spend a decent amount of time near Cape Coast, they had been to Kakum earlier in the week. He remembered more people than I did from the last trip, apparently I’m not the first one back.

Tomorrow I’m off by cab to Cape Coast, it should be interesting showing up at the office, I really hope they’re expecting me.

Skype Users: My Skype login is JeffreySHallJr

Packing

Just got back from NYC and I'm getting everything ready to leave. Its interesting packing for business attire in 100 degree weather, I'm pretty sure I'll buy some long sleeve dashikis to wear to work over there as I remember lots of people wearing those to work instead of coat and tie.

I've got a bunch of books, a camera, cliff bars, clothes, a laptop and a flashlight. I'll figure just about everything else out when I get over there.

NYC -> Atlanta -> Accra -> Cape Coast here I come...

- Jeff

One Week to Go

In a couple of hours I'm going to be popping my first Mefloquine tabs to ward off Malaria, and this time next week I'll be in Atlanta waiting to fly out to Accra.

I got my LSAT score back, am really happy about it, and am taking care of all of the initial steps in the application process. Outside of work, I'm going to use the first month of my time in Ghana to figure out the kind of essays and personal statements I want to write.

Its going to be rough leaving Vermont, but I'm really excited for what lies ahead, Heritage House is really going to benefit from my expertise and being able to live in West Africa for a short time is something I've always wanted to do.

I'll be updating the blog as the packing starts in the next couple of days, my reading list so far is as follows:

Getting to Maybe
Black Like Me
How To Get Into The Top Law Schools
The Souls of Black Folks
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Immigrant Experience
The Rise of Globalism
Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids

Cheers,

- Jeff

Updates From the Green Mountain State

Checking in with just over a month left until departure to Ghana. My time in Vermont has been going swimmingly... I've never had it this good. I took the LSAT a couple of weeks ago, still haven't heard my scores yet but I felt prepared going into it. I've been hiking and exploring swimming holes getting lots of quality time in with my family which is much needed after 6 years of seeing them only sporadically. Getting back onto the golf course with my Dad this past weekend and hiking in the National Forest with my Mother over the past few weeks has been a blast.

I recently found some part time work doing Excel analysis for Stratton mountain which is filling the financial gap left by the end of a brief stint lumberjacking trees with an axe and a bow saw at my Grandmother's condo complex in Killington.

I've been keeping busy with an incredible girlfriend and her organic farm. Barring some work at Farm & Wilderness summer camp growing up, this is my first real farm work experience, and I'm really enjoying getting out and learning about where the food I've always taken for granted actually comes from and putting in good physical labor. One of the great pleasures of my time here has been watching the food Megan grows go from lumps of dirt on a wooden plank to delicious meals. Being a part of the long growing process with someone I love has kept a smile on my face every single day...

Above is a shot of me in a pasture just over the border in New York with a flock of pregnant sheep at a friend's farm. Below is a picture of chicks being raised at Megan's farm, and a Llama keeping watch over the flock...
































Big wins of the week include:
- Getting the parts needed to fix my portable GPS
- Fixing my record player by myself (currently listening to "Scratch" by The Crusaders
- Getting my Ghanain visa delivered well ahead of time
- Ghana's recent stellar World Cup performances against Serbia and Australia

Hope all is well wherever you are. Be sure to drop me a line if you get a chance...

- Jeff

Got My Ghana Visa Today

My Visa came in the mail today. I used Travel Visa Pro and had an excellent experience. They kept me in the loop with the whole process, were quick, low hassle, and cheap. This sets me up between July and the last week of November barring any extensions. Should be a wide enough time frame to get a lot of good work done.

Halfway Point

Vermont couldn't be going any better.  The brown season after the snowmelt was brief, and all of the mountains are in full bloom.  I've been doing a lot of hiking and am starting to get some agricultural experience by helping out on my girlfriend's organic farm not far from here.  I'm planning one more trip, probably to Boston or Montreal in the next few months, and in the meantime am buckled down for work, planning, and enjoying the outdoors.

LSAT Preparation is coming along with new practice tests every week, and lots of class and work in between.  My scores are getting toward where I need them and I think the class is helping a lot... well worth the money.  I was in NYC this weekend, got to see some of my fraternity brothers for the first time in a long time, and am now getting everything together for Ghana.

It looks like I'll be working with some dedicated folks to digitalize and audit cash flows for Kakum National Park in the Central Region of Ghana. (Pictured above)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakum_National_Park

I'll most likely be living in Cape Coast commuting to the site a couple of times a week.  Most of my work and my office will be in Heritage House in downtown Cape Coast, and all of my housing options are just outside of the city.  I'm going to book a ticket this week, and am planning to arrive in country at some point in mid June.

Hope all is well,

- Jeff