Linda in Ghana

My mom (Kym's mom) just left after a two week "vacation" in Ghana. It was an amazing visit, with everything from mosquitoes to canopy walks to Chinese food to tro-tro rides. First, I have to say, I've never been more proud of my Mom. This was her first big trip outside the US and she did great! There were times where I was getting nervous she might freak out, but nothing seemed to phase her (ex. having to use latrines, a pile of human poo outside our house, riding in a tro-tro cramped in with 20 people). We started the trip with me (Kym) meeting her in Accra, where she slept that first day after being awake and traveling for 20 hours (I was in heaven....we had an A/C hotel room and she brought a baggie full of Halloween candy and 3 tabloid magazines!). The next morning we flew to Tamale where we met Cam and our amazing group of friends, where she took us all out for dinner and drinks. Then, we headed to our site, Karaga. Here she was really able to see a "day in the life of Cam and Kym". We went to the nutrition center, school, polyclinic, and went for walks into the bush. This was by far her favorite part of the trip, and I agree. She was able to write in her journal, which I think was a first for her in many years (thanks Ms. Judy) and take a couple naps (again I think a first in MANY years!). After Karaga, we started to make our way down south by buses. We stayed a night in Kumasi (where she took us out for pizza with REAL cheese and we stayed at a hotel with a pool)then headed to Cape Coast. We visited Cape Coast Castle and ate delicious fish, lobster and shrimp (sorry for all the details about food, but we ate so well with her!) Then we went to Kakum National Park where we did the canopy walk and had a blast. After that, we headed to Accra, where we ate steak and fried calamari and for dessert had GELATO! It was a great trip and I'm so happy someone in our lives back home got to experience what our lives are like right now.

Mom, thanks for an amazing 2 weeks....you're AWESOME! It may not have been your ideal vacation setting, but you gave us a chance to see Ghana in a whole new light. We love you to pieces and we're so proud of you!