I can't believe it's almost here!

It's weird to think I'm leaving tomorrow. I've been here for so long I'm a little terrified of America. I am a little nervous that I'm just going to be awe struck by everything. I've been here so long I'm gotten used to bucket showers and bush stops and taxi's.

I'm very proud of myself. It's a dorky thing to say but I made it.
I feel like I'm dynamite.

I feel like this experience hasn't changed me. It has reaffirmed a lot of who I am. I'm still quiet and shy and I'm probably too nice to those that hit on me. Classic example was yesterday. I have a drunk friend at the bush k and he always tries to give me pills and he is just really annoying. Yesterday he was so drunk he poured beer on his head. Anyways Jessica had to be the mean one and shooed him away.

Though I don't completely take the men. Because let's face it, I'm REALLY tired of marriage proposals, whistles, etc. Today I got one of those hey babies and I just glared at him and said I ain't your baby. And I bit off another guy's head when he told me he loved me.

I don't yet know what my first meal back in the U.S. will be. It's too overwhelming to think about. My body is finally rejecting the food. Yesterday was yams and I hate yams so much just looking at them made me gag. I didn't win the porridge fight. No matter how many times I tell them how strongly I hate porridge... they just keep giving it to me.

It will be nice to just blend.

Today I heard Eric Clapton on the radio. And a few weeks ago I heard Roy Orbison and Rod Stewart and I was so happy. I can't listen to the country anymore because they're all country heartbreak songs and I end up getting really annoyed. I don't know what that DJ is trying to tell me but he's just cruel!

I finished my paper. Everything is in.
I am so ready to get on that plane back home.

So I'm still me. I'm not a jerk and I'm probably too polite for my own good.
Yesterday a friend told me that I was a child of god and that I was beautiful and that I was an angel. She was a little drunk. But it would explain all the pre-ministry boys!

This past week I've just been rounding out my schooling. Got everything in, said my goodbyes.
Now what? I hear people aren't gonna really care too much and that it's a hard transition getting used to the U.S.

I was asked what I would miss the most and it's this. When people meet you on the side of the road, they smile and greet you and when you're in a hurry they say 'ko ba' meaning go come. I made friends with a bead seller and every time she sees me she gives me free waist beads.

I don't know what it is about me but I've noticed that a lot of Ghanaian women like befriending me. I don't know if it's the way I hold myself or if it's because I'm really nice but a lot of women have seen me and told me you're my best friend, you're my favorite. A lot of the women staff here have done that. Jessica says it's cause I got kind eyes.

Oh. Last week I went to the cultural center and got to sit around and drum with random people in the market. It was great.

Anywho, I am almost HOME! It is so close. I just want to be on the plane.
I want to cherish my plane food.
With all else I've taken with me on the trip, I'm taking the plane socks.
And this time when the steward is cheeky I'm going to have a response.

The one thing I won't miss:
Massive amounts of male attention.

What I will miss:
Eating with my hands.
Tailored clothing.
Meeting artists/artisans by the roadside.
Playing soccer with the kids.
Making my homestay family endure movies they'll never make sense of (Batman).
BATIK.
Fresh pineapple for 20 peswaas.
FRESH EVERYTHING.
Crazy house colors.

I'm gonna get home and expect to see a woman selling oranges on her head by the roadside.

Holy crap. ORGANIZED traffic. Ice coffee.
SANDWICHES!
My bed. My books.
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.
My clothes.

I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!

I WILL BE ABLE TO WATCH THE OFFICE.
Oh. Home. You are so close.

Welp, I guess this is where we end.
No next time!
-Marissa.

I think my home stay mom is catching on to me. For weeks I've been skipping lunch in the hopes of not gaining weight. She insists that I gain weight so now my portions have been doubled. I am eating for four!

I don't know if I've ever mentioned how much I despise porridge. One morning it was so bad I couldn't eat it and after that they didn't feed me porridge. Except, my homestay mom is very smart and she somehow found a way for me to tell her that I liked it. So it is back.

And it is so bad that today I waited for them to leave so I could flush it down the toilet. And I know there are starving children in China. But if you ever had to eat porridge maybe you would understand.

I think my family finds me very odd. Two days ago I woke up from a nightmare where my sister was wearing all my clothes. It was so horrible that I couldn't get back to sleep. And then I realized that I hadn't seen my camera so I was shuffling around looking for it.

Funny thing is, in Ghana people don't have set sleeping patterns. So my whole family was up at three in the morning doing lord knows what. The next day they asked me why I was shouting in my room.

I don't remember talking to myself but chances are if my camera was missing I was probably swearing under my breath.

No worries. I found it. All is good.
In the hours I'm not working on this huge paper I'm usually at my homestay watching cartoons and I'm sure my family also finds that bizarre. I don't know what's getting into me, the other day there was some implicit remote wars going on.

See, VIASAT plays Friends at 8:30. I am a little homesick which means Friends is a very nice end to a very nice day. But that night my homestay mom's sister (she has six... and two brothers!) was over and was watching a poorly executed game show about traffic signs.

Playing with the radio last Saturday I realized that Ryan Seacrest comes on from noon - 2 pm. And you know I've been dying for some 'Womanizer'. I'm a little embarrassed to say how blissful it was to hear the Jonas Brothers. I mean, hearing that music is such a high point.

Let's just say my homestay family caught me dancing to Lady Gaga's Pokerface. I didn't even know they were watching. At the end of these weeks I can't imagine if I'm getting a little crazed.

Do I like it here? Of course. Is it hard? Yeah. Do I miss home? Duh.

Now that I think about it, it's so close. It'll be nice to be home.
The other day my homestay sister was looking at the label on the Carnation milk. I laughed because she was looking at a rice and cheese casserole. I tried telling her that back home it's a cooking milk. People here drink milk out of cans, or it's hydrated and I'm not sure if it's because of the lactose intolerance or how hard it is to produce, package and export milk.

Anywho. I have a 30 page paper I need to finish. Wish me luck.
It's hard to believe all I have standing between me and home is 2 weeks, a 30 page paper and a presentation.