Bittersweet like 70% dark chocolate

Well today is my last time writing from Africa. It is a bittersweet time. I am really sad to leave and I might actually cry...weird I know. I have already said goodbye to the children and held it together pretty well because they didn't understand I wasn't coming back tomorrow. I have absolutely loved my time here and even though I can't wait to return to life and comforts of home, I can't believe how fast my time has gone by here. To remember Ghana and give you more insight of the things that I love most about here, I am going to list what I will miss most.
*Warning: some may be sarcastic. I know I wasn't sarcastic before but it must be something I picked up here :).
I am going to miss: being called "Yevu", our white parades, the happy faces of the children waving from behind every corner and fence, the happy, friendly of the faces of the Ghanian people as we walk by, the laughs from the Ghanian people as we try and speak Ewe, going to Ghanian hospitals with thoughts of malaria in my head, taking anti-malaria medication, the sticky yet wonderful aroma of deet in the morning, the high-carb diet, Fan-choco, choco delight (sigh), the smell of freshly burned coal in the morning, the enormous potholes filled with bacteria infested water, the goats and chickens aimlessly wandering the street and amazingly dodging the taxi cabs, the sounds of the taxi cabs honking at anything in its way cause in Ghana taxis and vans have the right a way. I am going to miss seeing how tough these Ghanians are as they carry fridges and suitcases on their heads, to name a few. Yes these were witnessed. I am going to miss tucking myself in my bed with my mosquito net every night only to wish I had gone to the bathroom before I did so. I am going to miss boiled groundnuts(peanuts) and drinking soda from a glass bottle. I am going to miss the cultural music radiating throughout the neighborhood until 4 in the morning on Wednesday nights from the church next door. I am going to miss late night chats with Alpha that usually turned into late night U.S. state capital lessons because he knows more than me. I am going to miss fuzzy hair, sticky, sweaty face, no make-up, I look like a boy in pictures look. I am going to miss the stickers that dangerously cover the back window of taxi cabs proclaiming their faith in God. I am going to miss Hi-Life dancing. I am going to miss the smell of the banana tub and the swarm of fruit flies that fly out each time I want a banana. I am goint to miss letting my yellow mellow and having to throw my soiled toilet paper in the garbage can. I am going to miss fans. I am going to miss my feet looking tan from the orange dirt. I am going to miss hand scrubbing my clothes in wash bins and line drying them only to have them rained on. I am going to miss the green grass and plants that grow abundantly and are trimmed with machetes. I am going to miss cold showers that remind me of Bear Lake and only to become sweaty shortly after. I am going to miss not wearing white shirts but creme ones from the children's dirty hands. I am going to miss all the marriage proposals ;). I am going to miss getting urinated on. I am going to miss the chatter of the children and the call of "teecha". I am going to miss the petting of my head because of the amazement of soft hair. I am going to miss the pinching, rubbing and poking of the children wondering if my white skin will come off. I am going to miss spiders on me from the flowers the girls put in my hair. I am going to miss those brown heads. I am going to miss flies, mosquitoes, ants, lizards and anything that crawls and does crawl on my food. I am going to miss the staff here, Christine, Atsu, George, Dela, John, Joe, Alpha, Rebekah, Bertha, Prosper and Xzibit. I am going to miss my fellow volunteers and the moments we have shared. I am going to miss walking by light of a flashlight only to wait 5 minutes for this site to load each link so I could keep you all informed. I am going to miss the quiet peacefullness of this town, the fireflies that you can see dotting the dirt path, the stars that have nothing to dim their light, the wonderful forests and lush plants that surround the area. Most of all, I am going to miss the people and the simpleness and happiness they live everyday. The happiness they have of life when they have next to nothing. The happiness that we all should have everyday when we think of all the wonderful things we have even when we think we don't have much. I am really going to miss how much these people remember where everything they have comes from, our Savior Jesus Christ.
It is amazing to me that just like the scriptures say, the meek and the poor are the ones who do remember the Lord the most. It has become very evident here and is one thing I hope to take with me. I also hope that from this trip I will remember every day that happiness is dependent on my outlook on life and nothing else. I am grateful for a wonderful family and friends that are with me through the good, the bad and the sad. I will miss Ghana and the people, maybe even cry the whole way home, but I am most grateful to have a great home to come back to where we have been fortunate enough to have the presence of the Lord in our lives.