I left the San Diego International Airport on July 30. Gearing up for almost an entire day of flying is not an easy feat. A lot of preparation was required on my end to make it to Ghana in one piece, especially during a global pandemic. We had to bring so many health forms and paperwork along with us that it honestly felt overwhelming. We even had to pay for our arrival COVID test ahead of time to be let onto the plane. Some of the people in the group had some
complications with all of the requirements. Eventually, we all made it here in one piece, thankfully! I think we were all relieved to finally be done with our long flights. This year, our group is small. It didn’t really take too long for each of us to acquaint ourselves, especially since we have been meeting over Zoom during the Spring term. It is amazing to be able to be with a group
of people who are so adventurous like myself and willing to put themselves in the position of going halfway across the world for an internship. Although I am quite adventurous, the one thing I can never seem to stop feeling is homesickness.

Every adventure that I have gone on, I get it really bad. One thing that really helps me is to talk to other people about missing my loved ones because we all have these feelings. Another thing that helps me is to remind myself that I have
been homesick before and I have made amazing memories and done really cool stuff on other adventures. Writing in my journal helps me to stay present and focus on the world that I am experiencing. I am grateful that our first week was a time to get acquainted with our new temporary home in Accra. Ghanaians are so hospitable and some of the nicest people I have met. Everyone
seems to greet you with a hello and a smile. Everyone is so often in their own bubbles in the United States and there isn’t a lot of people who will smile at you for no reason.

I really cannot wait to get started at my internship with Joy TV. A big reason that I love journalism is because I get to talk to all sorts of different people. Broadening my horizons and taking my skill set to an entirely new culture is going to teach me so much and I really cannot wait to see all the great
work that my colleagues and I create while we are here.