Over 40, people go "crazy". The boys play girls, the girls push their own boundaries. I learned to dive when I was over 40, then I went rafting for the first time. Love for Africa is not new. But traveling alone with another woman without a man is new. No, not because it suddenly dawns on everyone. I think that no matter how safe some parts of the continent are considered, a woman should not go without a male companion. Still, more and more young girls and older ladies are starting the journey, so since we are pushing the boundaries over 40, I took the plunge. The thing is that I have become comfortable in my relationship, in the sense that I am used to Bandika always being there for me. If there's anything he helps, if I'm really unhappy, he solves it. And now I won't have Bandika by my side. If something needs to be solved, I need it. Independently. Or, at most, with Kati, the chairman of the board of trustees of the Africa Differently Foundation.
My joining the program also started very fun. I couldn't sell the tickets I bought months earlier for one of the performances of Mamma Mia, so we reorganized and still went to the theater. In fact, we met Andi, the founder of the Foundation, there, unplanned, but according to the will of the heavens. I jokingly asked when we were going to Africa, and the answer was that they were looking for volunteers for the Ghana project. Well, that's how it started.
The journey had an adventurous start in Vienna as well. At the airport, after dropping off the package, we talked until we ended up at G instead of C. We passed a line (and I laughed that it was about to start), until a lady in uniform guided us. After finding the boarding gate very skillfully, we set off for Paris. I really hate CDG airport. Also the mixed bus rides. 2E is also under renovation. There is no normal field strength and no information boards. After we got to the K39 gate after the many security checks, we sat down for lunch, because the day is still long and Ghana is still far away. And I bid a tender farewell to espresso coffee. Very sensitive.
When they opened the gate, I was not too surprised to see that there were few white people among the passengers. However, the black women all wear traditional African clothes. When the wind and atmosphere of Africa hit you on the plane. With a completely logical thought, I checked in not next to the window, but on the side of the two-seat row closer to the corridor. I shouldn't have to wake anyone up if I can't sit still anymore. Next to the window (and a little bit on my chair) sat a man from Burkina Faso a little older than me... And he hasn't bathed recently either. The words of an acquaintance rang in my ears: the Ghanaian plane will be colorful and smelly. And really. In order to keep a minimal private sphere, I tried to move to the right, so of course the flight attendant and everyone else who tried to approach the lavatory came to me. The flight attendants included several handsome men, one of whom definitely looked like Brad Pitt with brown hair. Sometimes I regret not buying a first class ticket.
The plane to Paris took off almost an hour late, and only a minimum of it was brought in. We first landed in Burkina Faso. The story is interesting because for weeks it has been a topic among friends that in some African countries they don't teach world geography, they only know the geography of Africa or maybe only the geography of their own country and how good it would be to teach African children about world geography in a playful way and history. One of my acquaintances was constantly pulling with Burkina Faso in the weeks before departure, so that I could come and skillfully teach the Ghanaian children who is their neighbor to the north. When I landed, I was so comatose that I started to get out with the crowd. It was only when my mobile phone announced that I was being welcomed to Burkina Faso that I realized that I didn't want to leave the plane in the right place. We spent quite a bit of time in Burkina as well, then headed in the direction of Accra. We landed not long after. The three take-offs and landings took a toll on my ears, and upon disembarking, approx. I was as deaf as after the diving course. Proof of vaccination against yellow fever is requested upon entry. They take a photo and take a fingerprint. When taking a photo, the little guy tells me to take off my glasses. Late at night, when my eyes are tired anyway. Well, a bass weighted obstacle course... I've never heard of it before, and now I don't even see it. Then I also had problems with communication during the visa check, because I couldn't hear at all, and the guy didn't even articulate normally, by the time we discussed that I was coming for a week with a girlfriend, all the passengers entered at the other windows and the terminal was empty. Then I see that Kati hasn't finished yet, even though she started earlier. Somehow we got really stuck on the grate. Then came the next challenge, the checked baggage in my name, which contains 23 kg of donation, did not arrive with us, and this was informed by an SMS from Air France.
The other packages were among the last to get off the plane, and Kati began to worry that she would have to conjure up more than just one package with the airline. When leaving the terminal, they also check the packages and the stickers you received at the sending airport to see if you are really taking your own package out. Waiting in front of the terminal were Anita, Judit and Gergő, who have been volunteering here in Ghana for months and know the local conditions well. They were waiting for us with a local phone card, but Kati's device somehow failed to make friends with the card. After a short discussion, we got into the car - uber here works very correctly and very well - and headed to the accommodation for the night. Our accommodation was solid, simple, the wi-fi didn't want to work, but it was a good place to charge all devices, sleep, and wash my hair, but the breakfast was divine and the restaurant cozy.