It's been a whirlwind!

I'll post more regularly as we get closer to mid-January and my departure for Accra, but I thought I'd check in and give an update on what's been happening so far!

I've been making new friends, for starters. As soon as we found out we'll be CMA's Leave for Change (L4C) participants this year, Amy, my counterpart who is heading to Sri Lanka (follow her blog here!), got in touch and we met for coffee to chat about our upcoming adventure and everything we're learning from talking to past L4C volunteers, and all their different experiences -- which have varied widely. The general message seems to be expect the unexpected. Be ready without being rigid. In my past life, I've had experience of rolling with change on finding myself in new situations (living in 5 countries and attending 11 primary schools before the age of 12, anyone?!), and I hope I can call on that.

Meanwhile, working with the folks at Uniterra has been a dream: right away, Uniterra got in touch to walk me through the complicated, time-sensitive processes of getting immunizations and applying for my visa in the next 8 weeks. They're also setting up in-country connections and pre-departure training (next week) to help us make the most of the short 3 weeks on assignment. Throughout, they've been amazingly clear, responsive, friendly and helpful. If you're looking for somewhere to volunteer, I'd totally recommend them.

More to come!