"We have been misled by an erroneous map of the world for 500 years"

(www.upworthy.com/we-have-been-mislead-by-an-erroneous-map-of-the-world-for-500-years)

Today I leave for Philly to get ready to go on what I know will be an amazing trip abroad. This will be my first time out of the country and although I am a bit nervous for the challenges that may await, I am also excited for all the experiences that lie ahead. I have finally finishsed packing with a shocking 2 luggage  and 2 carry-on ensemble, quite surprising for my usual struggle to pack this light for a trip of way less than 10 weeks (I hope i didnt forget anything!). I've made most of my goodbye calls to family and friends to let them know I'll be away most of the summer, said goodbye to Twitter and Facebook and am ready to learn, grow, teach, laugh, dance, cry, smile and delve fully into this expereince which I know will teach me a lot about others as well as myself.

It's four days until I leave for Ghana, and I'm just beginning to form a packing list. 

TO PACK FOR GHANA

Deordorant

plug adaptor D/G

Flashlight

Sunscreen

Bugspray

Aspirin

Bandaids

water bottle

pens and balloons

SNACKS

dagbani phrases

pay credit card bill before leaving

call wells fargo

umbrella

greeting cards

bed sheets/towel

hello friends!

Grounding ourselves in the domains of identity matters and ecological studies, we ask how different dimensions of human identity (such as race, class, gender, sexuality and religion) affect our ability to act in the social and natural worlds; simultaneously, we look at how these spaces shape and re-shape our identities and actions, individually and collectively. Our cross-disciplinary approach re-examines personal experiences through the differing orientations of the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Seeking fresh understandings, we revisit well-known examples of children’s literature, alongside Eli Clare's memoir, Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation; Elizabeth Kolbert’s “unnatural history,” The Sixth Extinction; and one novel; as well as essays by community activists and educators Teju Cole, Paulo Freire, Van Jones, and Eve Tuck.

Abrams, Lindsay. “Study Reinforces Link between Autism and Pesticides: Living near farms and fields may put developing brains at risk.” Salon. June 23, 2014 [another much less cheerful example of relationality than those Haraway traces…]