So, we're here. It hasn't sunk in yet - it's dark, of course, so I'm seeing palm trees and white stucco, but it isn't Africa to me quite yet.

Two things I noticed getting off the plane - weather and scent. It's hot, it's humid, and it smells wonderful - fresh even with the mugginess, earthy, I guess, nutty. Spicy? Whole.

Our hotel, the Crystal Palm, is cute - two stories with thick wooden doors, fancy stairs, a balcony, and a courtyard with a pool. The restaurant reopened around two so that Moses, Melinda, Callie, Kate, and I could snack. Our room is little, but it'll do. And we'll barely be here, because tomorrow covers everything we were to have done Thursday and Friday, and we're leaving early Saturday for Kumasi. Lots of moving around on this trip.

However, I've found the one thing that's still not cheap - long distance. Through the hotel, it's 12,500¢/minute - about $1.50. China was $2. Either way, ouch. Gonna hafta see what I can do about a phone card, because even with meager little 15 minute convos like tonight's, it'll add up.

It's funny - I didn't miss Jon so much 'til just now. I guess I was preoccupied with hyperactivity in the airport, then lethargy en route. Didn't really think about it. 'Til now. Wah.

It's trips like this that give me an ironic sense of hope. We're here to have our eyes thrown open, to be drawn into a global reality, and then something just... happens that blows my mind, makes me realize that, for everything that's fucked to shit in this world, it will get better.

We went to the University of Ghana this morning to hear a lecture on Ghanaian history and to talk with students. And they were just so amazing. The ideology of Ghana and its people... so fair and even-minded. There's been upheaval after upheaval in West Africa, slowly moving toward Ghana. They're being inundated with refugees. And while they're in no political danger, they're still working to help the situation. So smart, these kids, and so much heart.