HURRY Up... and Wait

Well, another day has passed and I am still in Toronto.   I slept in, went to the gym, got ready, packed AGAIN, checked out and went for brunch.  I had my Timmies, FaceTimed with the family, rushed to check-in for our 11:30pm flight at 3:45pm (?not sure why) and then waited for supper. 

Not a bad day I suppose - short of the Irishman who phoned me at 7:00am to see if we would be meeting up in London to catch the flight to Accra.  Unfortunately - No.  Both Irish coaches made it out of London today and are already in Accra, Ghana....waiting for us!  

The delay in our flight has provided the coaches time to visit and meet new people.  I just can’t believe the number of folks I have met who have been to Africa, pleasure and volunteering.  My server, Angel in the hotel restaurant - just came back in November from his vacation in Africa.  He truly loved Africa and was amazed by its beauty.  Right before I left Winnipeg I met 2 people who have been volunteering in Africa for 15+ years; plus they shared the story of their other friend in Winnipeg who has opened 7 libraries in the greater Accra region in Ghana.

http://www.osuchildrenslibraryfund.ca

The stories are very consistent - working with people from Africa has been a successful means of improving their communities.  It’s not always volunteering in Africa either.  The Canadian Cooperative Association offers a Women’s Mentorship Program where female leaders from overseas financial co-operatives come to Canada to learn and observe within our environment.  So far over 160 women have gone through the program.  The link below takes you to more information about this program:

http://www.coopscanada.coop/en/international_dev/get-involved-with-cca/our-programs/womens-mentorship\

Well gotta go and rush to our gate, where we will no doubt spend time waiting to (hopefully) board our plan and head to London.  Snow has not been our friend on this trip :)