Some aspects of preparation were easy. I stepped right up for the immunizations (5 shots!) because I don't really have problems with needles. Putting together a new wardrobe was similarly straightforward. Three weekends in used clothing stores and it was done. In a special section of the closet hangs an array of tropics-friendly yet modest skirts and shirts in much brighter colors and patterns than I would normally wear.

The hardest part is the plane ticket, so irreversible and so expensive. Once the plane ticket is purchased I can calculate to the minute, how much time I have left before I say goodbye to him and move to West Africa for one year.

I will be studying Internet cafes in Accra, Ghana beginning in late October.

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