On Beginnings and Stories

Hey everyone!

As part of Engineers Without Borders Canada’s Junior Fellow program, I am incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to travel to Ghana to work with an amazing company called VOTO Mobile this summer. I’m excited to share more about my experiences with EWB, VOTO, and in Ghana in general with you!

I hope to share what I’ve learned, what made me laugh, what challenged me to grow and change, my bad puns, and the complexities involved in development. To be clear, this is one story—namely, mine—but I will do my best to honor and to share the stories of all the people I meet. Africa is a vast continent of over one billion people, with just as many or more stories, perspectives, and experiences. I cannot provide the answer to the question, “What’s Africa like?” because I am only one person, working with one social enterprise, in one city, in one country. With that said, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to take part in one particular story, to share it with you, and to answer any questions I can. I hope through sharing this, that you can learn, laugh and grow along with me.

Perspectives

Right now, I’m sitting in the airport, waiting to board the first of three flights that will take me to Accra, Ghana’s capital city. After a week of pre-departure training (more on that later; I can’t quite do it justice in the time before I board), I’m excited, but also pretty nervous. Suffice it to say, this week has been one of tremendous learning and growth. In a way, getting mentally prepared for my placement has been a lot like packing my suitcase—equipping myself with the essentials, and emptying my head of what is familiar and easy, so that I have room to bring back that which I learn.

Time is running short, so I’ll leave you with this:

“The journey of discovery lies not in seeing new places, but in having new eyes.”

-Marcel Proust

I hope this post finds you in good cheer and good health!

Yours sincerely,
Alex