Globetrotting

Hello to All!

I am sorry for my dismal consistency of communication thus far. I am hoping it will get better, though I can't make any promises. I was not able to exchange my American dollars for Ghanaian Cedi (the local currency) until yesterday. As such, today is the first day that I have been able to buy internet time. But that's neither here nor there. I will now shift my attention from my financial situation to the focus of the message - Globetrotting!

I woke up at 6:00AM on Sunday August 30, 2009 primed for action. The Ghana group was to be that last group to leave campus. First was Peru, which set off at 10 AM. Next was India, which left at 12 PM. Serbia then left at 2. Upon saying the final goodbyes to the Serbian group, I was officially ready to finally catch the 5:15 PM shuttle from Princeton University to Newark Liberty Airport. 5:15 came around and we were off: Cole Freeman, Jessica Haley, Kathleen Ryan, Aria Miles, and myself. We arrived to the airport and proceeded to check our bags. We were to fly British Airways, and the itinerary that Princeton gave us had made it very clear that we were only allowed to check two bags and that each bag was to not exceed 23 Kg (51 pounds) in weight. I like to consider myself fairly self-aware, so as I walked to the stand to check in I knew without a shadow of a doubt - even before placing my bags on the airport scale - that both of my bags weighed more than 23 Kg. Sure enough, one weighed 25 Kg and the other weighed 26Kg. I was the last individual from our group of five to check my bags, and none of my comrades had exceeded the weight limit with either of their bags -- they all actually managed to stay comfortably below it. The British Airways attendant asked me, "Mr. Ricci, do you mind if I ask you something?" "Go ahead," I said. "Sir, you are traveling with three girls and none of them had any problem packing within the given constraints. How were they able to stay within the weight limit and you were not?" I thought for a second: "What would my mama Ricci say?" I went from there. "I'm so sorry; I packed a lot of shoes," I told her. She laughed and said, "With all due respect sir, what do you need five pairs of shoes for? You're going to Africa, not Milan." I was happy to see that she was willing to joke with me and thought that there might be a way I could avoid the $25/bag fee that I was supposed to pay. Being the perceptive boy I am, I noticed that her name tag said that she was from Green Bay, Wisconsin - a Packers fan! I explained to her: "A wise man once said, 'If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.'" "Vince Lombardi said that! Do you know who he is?" she said. I responded: "My dad is from Milwaukee and bleeds Green through and through, so yes I do know. And as for the shoes, my mom has always said, 'If the shoes fits, buy it in every color.' I guess you could say that I am a man after my parents' own hearts..." The attendant broke out in laughter and kindly told me to not worry about the fee. I had truly been blessed.

Our path to Ghana had two legs - one seven hour flight to London (Heathrow) and then another seven hour flight to Accra, Ghana. Between the two legs we had a six hour lay-over in London. The flight from New Jersey to London was peaceful and involved lots of talking, sharing, and speculating amongst our group as to what the next nine months of our lives were to entail. The second flight was essentially the same. Although, I struck up a conversation with a native Ghanaian who was sitting across the aisle from me. We talked about everything from American Universities, to Tar Heel basketball, to politics. At the end of the flight he informed me that he owned a hotel in Ghana and that I was welcome to stop by any time for a bite to eat at the hotel grill on him. I thanked him for his graciousness, and he wished me the best for my stay in Ghana.

After fourteen hours of flying; tactfully dodging a baggage fee in Newark; being forced to unpack, show, and repack my passport five different times in London; and making my first Ghanaian friend, I had landed. As I stepped off the plane I noticed a large, illuminated sign that said "Akwaaba" ("Welcome"). I had arrived. We had all arrived. The five "globetrotters" had arrived.