Fun Facts About Ghana

First Edition

~Located in West Africa, Ghana was the first country the Peace Corps Volunteers served in 1961.

~Lake Volta, the world's largest artificial lake, extends through large portions of eastern Ghana.

~Located a few degrees north of the Equator, with the Greenwich Meridian passing through the country, Ghana is geographically closer to the "center" of the world than any other country.

~More than 250 languages and dialects are spoken in Ghana. Twi is the language that I am expected to learn whilst in training. It is mostly spoken in rural areas, and English is mostly spoken in urban areas.

~The capital city is Accra, and has over 2 million people. This is where I'll be spending the first three months of training with the Peace Corps. The population of the whole country is about 21 million.

~Ghana has twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. The main exports are gold, timber, cocoa, diamond, bauxite, and manganese. The exchange rate of the Ghana Cedi is $1 USD =Gh¢ 0.93.

~Ghana has a parliamentary form of representation. The current President is J.A. Kufuor. There is open debate and a positive political climate in Ghana.

~Internet access and telephone agencies are located in all major cities and most towns. Letters and packages are always welcome and below is the address that I can be reached while in Pre-Service Training (PST) until August 30.

Katie Caldwell, PCT
Peace Corps/Ghana
P.O. Box 5796
Accra-North, Ghana
West Africa

We Invite you...

I have been invited to Ghana!!!

Program: Small Enterprise Development

Job Title: Business Advisor

Dates: June 2009 - August 2011

Whoa, I need to catch my breath! It's been quite a wait, but I am relieved to finally have more information! At first the Peace Corps was telling me that I would probably be going to Eastern Europe or Asia. Then they told me the Caribbean. And sure enough, I'll be going to Africa!

Anyway, now that I have a little more information, and several more months to wait, I do plan on updating my blog frequently. And as always, feel free to call or E-Mail me with questions or comments!

Thanks for reading! ~Katie

You Have Been Nominated

I finally received an E-Mail from my recruiter about a week ago with this title. That's right, folks, I have been nominated to serve as a volunteer! It was such a relief to hear from the Peace Corps, especially since a month passed between my interview and nomination. But now, it seems that my application is complete and it's time to proceed with this arduous and gradual process.

I guess I should explain what a nomination means, for those of you unfamiliar with the recruiting process. Basically, my recruiter matched my skills and experience with a specific program and she recommended me for that program, in this case the Women in Development with Business. I haven't seen the official letter with my nomination, however I will post the details of that letter sometime this week.

The next steps in the recruiting process involve three parts: medical qualification, legal qualification, and suitability screening, and this phase, apparently, takes the longest. As my recruiter explained, they have to make sure that the country a volunteer serves in can accommodate his or her medical needs. Luckily, I don't really have any serious medical problems, and I have already passed the legal qualification (was there any doubt?), so I'm hoping that this process won't take as long as they say.

So, I basically plan on using this blog to inform my friends and family about what's going on. I know that there are many questions, and the most common one I get is, "Where are you going?" I can honestly say, at this point, I have no idea. And I won't know for sure until I receive my formal invitation, which is the last step in this procedure. But if anyone has any questions about me, the recruiting process, or the Peace Corps in general, please feel free to E-Mail me (kmcaldwe@gmail.com) or leave me a comment here.

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." ~Dalai Lama

If you're interested in learning more about the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov.