I may be returning from Ghana early. I was checking out my finances, and discovered that next term will cost me $11,500 here. If I return home, I discovered that due to the fact that I only need 1 class to graduate, it will cost me ~$400 to finish my degree. Including buying a new plane ticket home, I’d save about $10,000 bucks by coming home early. That’s infinite money back where I come from, but I’m still not sure what to do. I’m set up to take out the loans to pay for next term, but I just don’t want to be in debt.
I also go back and forth on whether I want to stay at all, as I’ve liked my experience, but I don’t know how much more I’d get out of it next term. I’ve been told that the classes at the university are mostly terrible. But if I stayed here, I’d be more comfortable and have chances to do new things in Accra and in Ghana. I also wouldn’t feel like I’m wimping out.
My travel plans for when this term finishes up are also a mess, whether or not I choose to come home early. I wanted to go to Spain and visit Erin, but getting there looks like it’d be way more expensive than I was thinking. I’d also like to travel around West/North Africa in general, but that requires money too. Finally, I really wanted to go to this music festival in Mali, which is a) expensive and b) in the very middle of an area where a group called Al Qaida in the Maghreb (a word meaning North Africa) has been kidnapping European tourists and attacking Malian and Algerian army posts very successfully. The music festival sounds amazing and like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but making a video about how much I love Allah while someone points an AK-47 at my head would be a pretty unique experience that I don’t want. I normally don’t worry about stuff like this and just say “oh, you have to know what regions to go to in countries like that.” In this case, the festival is exactly where the kidnappings and attacks have been occurring. Still, odds are I wouldn’t get killed by Al Qaida and I really want to go. It just seems like a terrible idea.
In summary, I’ll be home
- In the middle of December, if I decide I don’t have the money/inclination to travel around Africa and I want to not spent next term here.
- In the middle of January, if I decide to travel somewhere and I don’t want to spend next term here.
- In the middle of May, if I want to stay here and decide it’s worth $10,000, whether or not I do any of these travels in December .
I have to decide about all this very soon, like this week. Input is appreciated, because I don’t have a clue what to do.
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Oh man, I'm sorry I couldn't answer the phone and talk with you about this. As for input, I've got nothing substantial. I know tons of people "back home" (myself included) that'd love to see you sooner rather than later, but if you're going to get more benefit from being in Ghana and/or traveling, go that route. Debt-wise, I know I'm not going to be traveling or studying abroad until I can do it debt-free.
ReplyDeleteI am all for traveling but in this case, if you don't think you'd be getting more out of it by staying longer, then maybe it makes sense to go home? But travel around first since who knows when you'll be in that area next? I don't know, good luck making your decision... see you whenever you happen to decide to come back!
ReplyDeleteGhana--->South Korea--->??????---->Profit
ReplyDeleteHey it would be great to see you if you end up heading home early. As for whether or not you should come home it doesn't sound like you have a lot of reason to stay other then a music festival that may or may not get you killed :)
ReplyDelete--Hawken
Don't let feeling like you're wimping out be one of the reasons for staying. If you're going to spend $10,000 on something, have a freakin reason.
ReplyDeleteAlso, go on a(nother) sweet trip before you come back.
I'm all about traveling and having new experiences. sucks that its too expensive to come see me...silly Morocco being so large inbetween us haha. Thailand sounds cool though....crazy ;)
ReplyDeleteyou were really excited about that music festival when we chatted earlier this month. but that risk sounds like one i wouldnt take....me being tall and blonde and female and anything BUT african haha.
think things through....the debt part sucks...but i guess the weight of the experience has to be thought about.
*sorry that this was more of a ramble than an actual help. best wishes! xoxoxo
ps...the offer is still open if you want to come and chill in jan or feb (carnaval??!!) before you go back home. we could set you up on the sofa or something. just a thought!
Is Ghana worth another $10,000? I know, personally, that Alabama isn't, but maybe Ghana is cooler than I thought.
ReplyDeleteMusic festivals are cool. That video possibility - not so cool. You should come back for Christmas and start making your own music instead!