Ghana-urbanemergencies: Arrival in Accra

After a 14 hour trip, with a 6 hour stopover in Casablanca, we arrive at 4 am at the Kotoka international airport in Accra. At the customs counter we receive a visa stamp for 60 days, instead of the 3 months we had originally been granted from the embassy in the NL. The customs official offers to let us buy the additional month for 100 euro, which we of course do not accept. Fortunately, Frederick is waiting for us outside the airport. He finds us before we even have a chance to call him. We are such an eclectic group; it must not have been difficult for him to guess. There are many young Ghanains waiting outside to help us with our luggage, we notice this cool snapping thing they did with their fingers at the end of a hand shake. I remember thinking they are friends of Frederick, but later discover that Frederick does not know them at all. We ride in the car piled high with luggage on our laps, but once we are 'safe' we stop and put the luggage in the back of the truck. Fred explains to us that sometimes bags go missing when you do not pay attention. Frederick is one of the contacts we met through a pastor named Samson, who knows Armstrong, who works with Trude at Enviu. He lives just outside Accra with his wife Leticia and daughter Manuela.