Today, we landed in Accra, Ghana after a long overnight flight. The plane got off the ground almost exactly five hours late due to a deicer malfunction which required us to change planes in JFK. The flight was uneventful, particularly if one considers sleep an event, but it was good to get there and our arrival was only four hours late, not counting the twenty four other hours we lost from being delayed in Hartford.
When we landed in Ghana, we descended aluminum stairs to the tarmac and were taken by bus to the terminal. It was 90 degrees and dry, and not entirely unpleasant after a night on a cold plane. When we got to the terminal, we queued up in the immigration lines with our passports, yellow vaccination cards and immigration forms. Immediately in the terminal was a legal sign that reminded me why there are aome places i dont travel. That went smoothly, and we passed through to baggage claim and customs. We met our driver inside and headed outside to find the car. As soon as we stepped out into the heat, we were definitely in a different country. Most notably was the barrage of people that followed us closely all the way to our car asking for tips for “services” like pointing out where the curb was rough or where I might trip.
Our driver is extremely helpful and go an amazing amount of luggage ( at least 14 bags ) into the SUV. This involved some amount of squeezing and packing and putting stuff in our laps since there were five people ( including the driver ) in the car. We then went to pick up the sixth person.
Eric is a partner with Nell in the development of Mafi Dove’s project with the Peace Corps and has been a person on the ground with the village ever since. He helps maintain the communication which helps Nell plan and coordinate with the village.
Excitement rose in the car as we arrived and we saw the last road to the village come into a cluster of mud and thatch huts.

It is 10:10am local time, but we just left New York 8 hours ago and it was 9pm. Currently webare flying over the Ivory Coast and should be arriving in Accra on about an hour. Last night, the plane we boarded at JFK at 3pm, yesterday had a problem with the deicer over the left wing ( seeing a pattern here?) and crews worked on it until the realized it was not going to happen in a reasonable time, so the pilot anounced, the crew apologized and the passengers moaned and deplaned onto motion sickness test cabins. Delta called them people movers, but the Ghanaians on board joked that it was taste of travel in Ghana – if there were 100 more people and some chickens packed in. One fellow traveller explained to us that Delta is known for this “taste of West Africa, right here in the states. We were taken back to the terminal and queued while they got another plane, stocked it, cleaned it, fueled it and ran to within minutes of our necessary departure time to avoid hitting the maxmum pilot on-clock time. To assure that we hustled like good cattle, they kept explaining that if we did not board all 42 rows of the 767 in 30 minutes sharp, the flight would have to be cancelled. The slightly bullying tone was quickly disarmed when one of the English teachers from American International School yelled out that the destination is “pronounced uh-CRAH, not ACK-ruh, you nauhghty boy.” at which time a murmur of agreement, and a burst of giggles went out among the passengers.
This same teacher stopped by to give Bob and me her card and to offer their hospitality should we run into any trouble ( particularly medical) while in Ghana, and reminding us that this is a “third world country,” which is a helpful reminder, especially to keep in mind with healthcare needs.
We took off about 9pm, five hours (and a day) late. I never learned to sleep on a plane, and I had a rough time keeping a comfortable position, but I dozed some and with a tiny cup of warmish airplane coffee, I think I’ll start to wake up soon.

Here we are, driving to JFK airport to catch our rebooked flight to Accra, Ghana. After our flight was delayed, yesterday, we had to come up with a contingency plan. As a group, we had a lot to decide and many options to balance, and as a team we did very well at proposing solutions, weighing the risks and benefits and deciding on a plan of action.
We stayed at a Ramada Inn, near Bradley airport, and got a good amount of rest. I was asleep by 9 and awake at 7, which was a good catch up night.
Though it was a frustration to be late, it was a good thing to be forced to slow down a minute, relax, and think of the trip as a mission of giving and experience, rather than just an extension of packing. I actually feel more ready to take on the trip and to be more open to the experiences – all of them, including the frustrating parts.
I am also very grateful for Nell coming along with us, since she has done this trip before and has acted as tour guide and travel arranger. She also provides a great level of calm, when things change.
We are so very excited.