Our final two days in Ghana were a whirlwind of bus rides and goodbyes. We couldn't have asked for more accommodating and knowledgeable contacts on this side of the Atlantic, and our pre-departure "thank yous" won't ever fully express our collective gratitude for their time, effort, and openness. The time we spent in Africa was brief but densely packed with powerful learning. To say that our journey has flown by is both cliche and an understatement, but I'll say so anyway as I'm not sure the right words will ever come.

A red-eye from Accra has us safely situated in Amsterdam, where most of us are napping our way through a lengthy layover. We'll be crossing the pond in just a few hours, sights set on Chicago for a bus back to our favorite little sleepy Iowa town.

The group has a great deal to process in the next few days as we synthesize an enormous variety of experiences into clear and coherent thoughts and opinions on the course. As is the case with any truly formative experience, the inquiry we've devoted ourselves to this last month has revealed in largest part how much more there is that we still don’t know. How much more we need to critically think, and read, and dig for answers to the complex human questions that will surely lead to even more "I don't knows". Our two wonderful professors have reminded us daily, with encouragement, that learning is a lifelong endeavor. An endeavor that, I’m sure all my classmates would agree, they have contributed to greatly.

With Ghana and the African continent behind us for now, we all look forward to people and places that we call home. It won’t be long now.

Thanks for tuning in.

Yours,
Robert