Every tear has a silver lining

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So I am not going to get too much into the emotions about leaving Ghana. It was absolutely the hardest thing I have done in a long time and saying bye to the amazing friends was so upseting. One of my good friends Nanake knows people at the airport so he brought me and I got the VIP treatment and was able to hang out with Edem until the very last second before I had to go through immigration. I really appreciated all that Nanake did because I was an emotional mess and we had some issues with over weight luggage and he handled it all for me. Ghana became my home, it still hasn't hit me that I'm not there. I just feel like I am taking another weekend trip and in a few days I'll load back on a trotro and head back to ISH. I just can't believe its over, I dont want it to be over.

Ok, I can't get too much more into that because I'm still an emotional wreck about it and will start crying again. I got to London this morning at 6 am after a great flight. I forgot what normal traveling is like!!! I remember thinking that a 7 hour flight was so long when I got to Ghana, and this time it flew by. Of course I froze from the AC, but I got two full meals, watched movies and listened to music. I managed to get a little bit of sleep here and there, but I would occasionally wake up and start crying again. The poor guy next to me must have thought I was mental or something. Poor guy... Anyways, I got to London and said bye to Berkely and Johnny which was just another way too emotional goodbye. I went through immigration in London which was a breeze. Then I got my bags and loaded them up on a cart and went outside to wait for Bethany and her friend Hannah. They weren't waiting for me, but I waited a bit and then found them. I ran to Beth and it was so good to see her after crying my eyes out for the past 12 hours. Sometimes a girl just needs her best friend.

Well we were all half awake for various reasons, but figured out a plan. I was exhausted from the flight, and Hannah just returned from the US so she was jet lagged, so we decided not to do the London tour today. Instead we rented a car (it was cheaper that getting a bus or train between the 3 of us) and drove to Norwich where Hannah goes to school. The night before Bethany left her luggage there so we had to pick it up. Then we drove to Hannah's mom's house in York. The drive was absolutely stunning. There was so much green!!! I have just gotten so used to the African savannah, so to see all the greenery was very different. There were also these flields of yellow flowers that just looked like this amazing blanket of yellow over the hills. Only problem is that its so freaking cold! I've gotten used to the Ghanaian heat. Its like Spring for them and they think its warm, but I am bundled up in a sweatshirt and jeans and socks and shiverieng!! I never thought I would miss that heat.

I never realized how small of a country England is. We drove around today and later I looked at a map and we went almost all over the entire country. It was so cool to see something other than London, I'm glad I got to see more of the "real" England, not just the touristy parts. The homes are really neat here, they're almost all brick townhomes with the chimneys and bay windows. Just like the movies. Everything is landscaped so beautifully too!! Driving on the left side of the road and the driver sitting on the right is still weird though.

I have already had quite a bit of culture shock back into the western world. Its probably best that we made a pit stop in England, I think it will make the transition a little easier. Something as simple as a paved road seems so luxurious! When we got to Hannah's mom house I was a little overwhelmed by how nice everything is. First, its beautifully decorated!! The house is a home and its so beautiful. She also have a brother Josh who is 18 and a sister Bethany who is 16. Being in a "real" home was a little overwhelming, but nice. We were able to get a HOT SHOWER!!!!! AND the best part, we were able to use a hair dryer and a straightener. I forgot that my hair was actually capable of looking normal. Another weird culture shock; I got SOO excited when I saw a McDonald's golden arches. I made Hannah stop and get French fries (aka chips) and Beth got a Rolo mcflurry that was BOMB! I hope they have those in the states.

Hannah's mom made us some chicken in a really good gravy with potatoes and lots of veggies. Top it off with a glass of wine and I was in heaven. First homecooked meal I have had since January. Me and Beth were silent while everyone else was eating just because we were scarfing down the food. Just the feeling of sitting with a family while they joked around and bickered with eachother was so nice. It made me miss family dinners with my family. We seriously looked like orphans returning home or something. All day long we just had wide eyes and everything seems so nice and luxurious. I like this feeling, I hope it lasts longer. It makes me truly appreciate things such as clean public restrooms that I always took for granted before. I miss Ghana like crazy and want to just turn around and go back tonight, but all things considered its sort of nice to get back to the western world and those little luxuries.

Tomorrow we are going to see York more and tour around the old town and buildings and then come back to Hannah's house. Then the next day we are heading back into London and spending a day there before I head back to the states.

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