We're... still in NYC. At JFK, but still here, when we should've arrived 17 hours ago. Apparently Ghana Airways has one plane that shuttles from Ghana to the US and back, and when we met at 10.30am yesterday, it hadn't left Accra. So, it's 6am and we're sitting at the check-in desk, waiting to meet our guide.

As annoying as the delay was at first - another $20 cab fare to Jon's and back, and another day lugging the suitcase of DOOM - I'm glad for it. Tuesday night was pretty stressful - didn't start actually packing 'til 3am when everybody left, and I never got to bed. But getting to go back home, pass out for six hours, spend more time with Jon... was good. Relaxing. Destressing.

And it made the second departure easier. I practically started bawling in the cab yesterday, but this morning I was running out the door after a quick shower and the S2 finale of "The Sopranos." Maybe I just haven't faced it yet - maybe I already have.

Flight's at nine. Assuming the plane is here. :-p

3.5 hours out. We don't have a block of seats this time, like we did for China. If you're lucky, there's another Scholars kid within talking distance, but mostly we're on our own. Me? I'm again the E bitch seat, sandwiched between a big guy who oozes under the armrest and a businessman from Kumasi who hit on me 45 minutes out of the gate - wanted to know our arrival date/time to Kumasi, our hotel, then offered to show me around his office. He also asked me if I was Christian or Muslim. Why is the world so damn preoccupied with my religious beliefs?

Anyway... not liking the Ghana Airways so much. The plane shook during takeoff. The seats are tiny (although the legroom is decent) and "breakfast" consisted of a hardened poppyseed roll, a muffin with two blueberries in it, and scary coffee. I'm tired, don't want to sleep, and reeeeally wish we were landing already.

But, on the bright side, security didn't confiscate my needles or kiddie scissors, and Kate spotted some minispeakers so that we can be the room with the music.

Are we freaking there yet? I want to talk to my boy already.

Descending... soon. We should have about an hour left, maybe less.

Lunch was better than breakfast. Rice with sautéed veggies and a bigass piece of - naturally - eggplant. As though I needed to be reminded of my boy.

The theme for the in-flight movies, apparently, was "Haley Joel Osment plays strange children." The Sixth Sense and A.I. Finally saw Rena's finding-Teddy role.

This flight itself is nuts. :-) Loud, chaotic - some sort of party in the sky, minus the open floor space and the booze. It's a far cry from the flight to China, which was comatose except the four rows of NYU kids. This time, we're scattered, we're chatting in the aisles, we're talking to a group of RISD kids who're coming over for some variety of service program.

Almost there...