Mind Over Matter

This past weekend some other volunteers and I went to Kakum Natl Park. It's a rainforest and they have this canopy walk through the trees. It's supposedly 30 meters above the ground. Um, not sure, but it's pretty high and the bridges are ladders with wooden planks over them, roped together with net around them. If you know me you know my moderate aversion to heights. But I did it! Seven bridges through the African rainforest and it was beautiful. As with most things on this whole trip, it's mind over matter. If I wasn't good at that before I will be when I leave. After Kakum we went to a monkey sanctuary nearby that was started by a Dutch couple who moved to Ghana nine years ago and have lived in the bush since. No electricity, running water or Internet. They didn't know Obama was president until 15 months after the fact. They rehabilitate orphaned animals and reintroduce them into Kakum. We saw monkeys, civet cats, hyras (?), and snakes. There was a green mamba who had fallen into the snake pit from a tree. Um, if it can coincidentally fall in the snake pit, I'm sure it could happen to land on a shoulder. Deadly poisonous snake. Awesome. We then had lunch at a place where you can pet crocodiles. I maintained a respectful distance between the croc and myself. Our transport for the day was tro-tro. Imagine the oldest, squeakiest minivan possible and the. Drive it over pothole covered dirt roads at 50 miles an hour. If you pretend it's a roller coaster and let your. Key relax like jelly it's not so bad. Weekend excursions seem to be a necessary diversion from life in Eguafo. It makes the time tick by a bit more quickly and spices up the routi e. it's hard to feel very impactful here - but i think that as with most things you have to find the small ways you can make a difference. I've started reading books in English to Comfort, a neighbors child, each night. I help a fellow volunteer with evening tutoring, and just hang out with the orphanage kids (who are all mostly teenagers so don't need bath/bedtime help). This is certainly not an easy experience and I already feel the quick lessons of gratitude for my life in the West. Mind over matter.