An Unexpected Change

It is strange how you can get an idea into your head and become so set on it, so focused on that particular vision.  In December when I found out about my placement at Theatre for a Change in Accra, Ghana, that is exactly what I did.  I became completely 100% focused on that particular placement.  I became so excited that every day I needed to find out something new about Ghana or Theatre for a Change, I was thirsty for any new piece of information I could get my hands on.  However, Thursday morning my idea of what to expect this summer was shattered.  I received and email informing me that Theatre for a Change has 5 interns from the UK coming during the summer, and as a result they do not have a need for me to go.  Immediately I had that sinking feeling in my stomach, you know the feeling I am talking about.  That feeling of extreme disappointment where the bottom of your stomach drops out, and you feel a little light headed and dizzy.  If you have ever had a moment of disappointment in life, then you know exactly what i am talking about.  I had a few brief moments of disappointment, mixed with fear and anxiety over what I would be doing/where I would now be this this summer.  I allowed myself five minutes to feel panicked, stressed and upset about this unexpected turn of events before shaking some sense into myself.  What is the point of becoming upset over a change that I had no control over? What is the point of worrying about what the future will hold when yet again I have no control over it? I believe that this summer we will all experience a loss of control wherever we end up.  A sense of unpredictability and lack of stability that we are not used to in our North American lives.  We will all have to learn to give up the control we so desire to have and simply take life as it comes at us.  It is useless to sweat the things you cannot control.  So after my five minutes of self indulged freak out panic time, I pulled myself together.  I believe that all things happen for a reason.  If Theatre for a Change was no longer going to happen then there must be a reason for it.  Maybe there was something better for me somewhere in the world.  

Friday morning I received an email from WUSC informing me that the field office in Ghana had 4 possible placements for me.  The are all in the same village and through the same organization, but they are all different in there own respect.  Instead of working with Theatre for a Change this summer, I will not be working with an organization called FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalists).  I will be stationed in a small rural village called Fotobi which it 35 km from Accra, 7 km from Nsawam (where there are many hospitals in case I have the privilege to increase my broken bone count), and 5 km from Pokrom where there is a clinic.  I have not received word back on exactly which position I will hold this summer, but I am hoping to be a Project Assistant/English Teacher at a High School.  This position will allow me to work closely with African women to address a number of issues which they feel are important, form wonderful relationships and really learn about the culture and traditions of Ghana.  I am so excited for this new opportunity and I look forward to sharing more information about it as I once again search to find every piece of information related to what my summer will bring.  

This sudden change in placement has given me a taste for the lack of control I will experience this summer.  This change has also showed me that things happen for a reason, and just because one door closes does not mean another will not be opened.  I believe that this placement is better suited for me then my previous placement and I am very excited for the new path it will take me on, and the adventure it will be this summer.