African Adventure Update

Hey everyone who might read this (that's right, all five of you!),

I haven't blogged for a really long time about my terrific trip of another T word, so I decided to give you all a little update. 

First off - I have so many little snippets of blogs-to-be that I wrote and decided that they weren't exactly blog worthy, so I decided I am going to post them throughout the summer as footers for my blog posts overseas.  I am dreaming that I will be able to mash up the posts in a way that ties the two together - be it a solution to a question I was thinking about that particular day, or just a general brainstorm about different ideas I had. So that could be cool, but it could also fail miserably - time will tell!

Now - On to the actual meat and potatoes of the experience.

Important Update Numero Uno:  I am going to Ghana.  It was decided a few weeks ago that I am on the AgEx team (Agricultural Extension for those of you who hate abrev.). This seems really awesome, and was my first choice in teams - so I am pretty well all around stoked.

Important Update Number Poo: I get to send an email tonight explaining what specific team I want to work with, and why I would be awesome.  This is pretty cool, and pretty damned nerve racking - so I hope I am able to piece something together in between supper and food coma o'clock.  I don't want to go too in depth at the moment because I am really hungry and have a gift certificate to a buffet (score!) - but the two teams I am interested in are:
Short Agribusiness Farmer Training Opportunities, which is a program about knowledge spread and developing short courses about agribusiness through working with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as well as the Farming Institutions.

Kuapa Kokoo,  this is a Fair Trade Certified cocoa company that operates as a co-op.  I would be assisting in the day to day operations of the company through interaction with farmers as well as extension staffers, as well as examining the company looking at the success and failures of certain programs.  The idea here is to look at the third party company and how they operate, compare that with what we know are already good extension techniques and practices and find the best way for the company to operate.  I am most excited for this one (crosses fingers / knocks on wood and all that jazz)

OH YAH, update on my dates - I go to Toronto on May 5th and get back from Africa on August 27th.

Anywhosits,

I leave you with one request: If you feel comfortable, I ask you to write me a letter.  This can be about anything you would like - serious, funny, random, or inspiring. Just write the letter, seal the letter - and leave me instructions on what date, or what time, or during what event / feeling you would like me to read it.  Thank you very much to those who have already done this, and thank you for considering it.

'till next time,
-Nathan