On my way

I feel like I should be singing the song. I’m leaving on a jet plane but instead I feel like it is a paper airplane. The flight attendant just said Rock and Roll so I guess it’s time to see this paper glide on mighty tiny wings to Chicago.

So to everyone who knows me you already know I love to live abroad. I make a distinction between traveling and living abroad. Even though I’ve spent a lot of time abroad I have to admit I’m not too big of a fan of traveling. The rushing from one place to next, long waits in hot and humid weather to see a museum that you’re too tried to walk around by the time you get in. I like the waking up every day to a new experience, but still living a normal life just in a different place that just takes a while to get used to.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Shelley. I grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota. We had a variety of livestock growing up but sheep always remained the steadfast farmyard animal. My parents’ farm is row crop corn and soybeans. I have three wonderful siblings. We have all chosen to study agriculture albeit it is down different paths. I am currently a graduate student at Iowa State University. I am going for a Master’s of Science in Sustainable Agriculture and Masters in Community and Regional Planning. By the end of my 3 year adventure I might also earn a GIS (Geographical Information Systems) certificate with or without my sanity. I am on my way to Ghana to complete research on food availability and access. I’m not going to get into details at this point, but the next few posts will bring you up to date on what this entails.

So for the disclaimer now… I am a young independent women, who is not scared to tell it how it is, or at least how it is in my viewpoint. Some may want me to soften my words or talk more ladylike, but first how I speak, behave and act does not reflect on anyone but me, so bug off if you don’t like it. Adding a bit of colorful language or out of the ordinary situations is part of life. In addition this blog will not only focus on my research but the fun and maybe not so fun parts of my experience in Ghana. I plan on running into plenty of characters and situations along the way and I’ll share them as freely as my triumphs and hardships in completing my research.

Also, I feel like I should maybe offer up an apology ahead of time in case I offend anyone or make them feel uncomfortable, but this blog is about my experiences and how I see and feel about them. Saying that I don’t really know how someone else can get too offended by how I feel about my experiences. So if I do offend you, I didn’t mean too and if you don’t like my story, please stop reading. I want this to be an open forum. I am always open to comments and questions. If you feel like you don’t have anything good or worthwhile to say, say it anyway. Be it good or bad. This is a safe place.

So if you are ready jump on the boat for this journey or paper airplane if you please. I’ll try to post daily or at least as often as possible. Thanks to all and I hope you enjoy.