Leaving the nest

Today was the last day of class. If you could call it "class". Really it was the last time we will officially meet as a group until we reconvene for our final presentations the week before we head home.
Which, by the way, is in 35 days. Holy crap.
Since I'm staying in Accra for the entire research period, most of my work was done. I know where I'm staying, I didn't have to coordinate any travel plans or try and figure out where I'm staying next, and I already have my weaving contact and recently secured an advisor. So the past few organizational days have been pretty low-key for me. But that was fine.
Now, however, I'm beginning to feel the pressure of freedom all around me. I form my own days. Soon I will be moving out of my homestay and into a hostel with other students, so I won't even have to keep the usual hours... I could (gasp) sleep in!
Oh man I have to take a second and breathe. Let's not get too crazy here.
I'm really looking forward to the next month(ish). I think I'm going to learn a lot more than I already have, and the opportunity to weave kente in Ghana isn't something I pass by every day. So I'm pretty freaking lucky to be here. It will be nice to cook my own food, control what I eat (yay! No more fufu!), and set my own schedule. I just have to keep reminding myself that I have to write a 30 page paper at the same time, so procrastination is not recommended.
So when I publish the inevitable post in, say... 34 days freaking out about the ridiculousness of the paper, I'll have no one to blame but myself.
In other news, I got to poke around downtown Accra today, something I'd failed to do previously. I got to explore a whole new district, meet some new people, get heckled by new people, and visit a couple of shops. There's one store called Global Mamma's that's a free-trade store that has a base somewhere in the United States as well. They focus on Women's empowerment and helping them support themselves in Ghana. While their prices are much heftier than I've found anywhere else in Ghana (a dress, for example, sells for 27 cidi. I got my dress sewn (fabric included) for 10 cidi), they truly have things completely unique to their store. We visited one of their outlets in Cape Coast, but there was another in Accra that I got to pop into today. I also bought some Black Stars team jerseys, which are very popular due to their winning the U-20 World Cup! I never wrote about that here, but if I get around to it I'll share the story. Maybe one day when I have nothing else to write about.
One thing I DID miss in all our travels though... Trotros. I never really appreciated how easy they make my life and getting around this Ghana. Or how cheap, either. Even when they're more expensive, charging 45 peshewas (Ghana's equivalent to the cent), converting that back... it's less than loose change. I'm really enjoying how easy it is for me to explore all around Accra. I never got to do the "tourist" bits, and I'm planning to knock most of them off my list within the next month.
That's all for now {folks}! Just a quick update to prove I'm still alive, still studying, and still enjoying this Ghana.

It snowed at Colby yesterday. I writhe in envy. Enjoy it, kids.
Love,
Lo