My bags are packed, I’m ready to go.

Not so sure about ready, but primed.  Much of my time has been oriented towards being ready for what’s in front of me.  The most straightforward part is the packing.  “Straightforward” is not the same as “simple,” however.  Friends and family know me as an anal retentive traveler.  The prospect of 9 months away from my big pile of stuff gets me just a wee bit antsy.

I did a lot of business travel in my career, but those were 1-2 week stints.  If I didn’t have it, I’d only be uncomfortable for a fortnight.  Backpack, roller bag, passport, and we’re off.  I’ve never packed this much in my life.  The guidance was “stuff you need, but probably can’t get in Ghana.”  OK.  At 56 you need more (and less) stuff than at 26.  I also didn’t play music then.  Some will argue that this is still true.  One year+ of retirement got me going on lots of different instruments.

Linda  rolls her eyes at the inventory:  disassembled bass (cheap), midi things, cables, speakers, harmonicas and kazoo.  Still undecided about the jaw harp.  Oh, and the gargantuan laptop to make it all work.  She’s right.  I have lost my mind.

“Matlock” was a very popular TV show in the 90’s starring Andy Griffith.  I rarely watched it so that’s why, when I heard about the “Matlock Effect,” it stuck with me.  The syndrome is as follows:  you watch the show maybe once a year.  Then EVERY time you watch it (i.e. the next year) it’s ALWAYS the same episode.

I left my appendix in Maryland during Thanksgiving 2011.  Not as romantic as Tony Bennett crooning about San Francisco, but dramatic nonetheless.  After all the kerfuffle my thought was, “well, I don’t have to worry about that useless thing anymore.”  Then I watched Dr. Oz today – the first time in about a year.  He’s doing a thing on appendices and how they are actually very important, saving up good bacteria for times when, say, eating a diet of foreign foods wipes out the other good stuff in your gut.  Hmm…timing is everything.  I hop on the plane this Friday.

My journey starts with a scavenger hunt.  Visas, shots, and all the things I’m convinced I can’t live without for 9 months.  OK, visas first.  Nigeria and Ghana seem the most likely places I’ll be frequenting.  Work permits, residence permits each have their own needs.  Lots of pictures of my ugly mug, and some questions I can’t really answer.  Like, when do I leave? (Now I know that.  Then I didn’t.); when do I return? (beats me);  where will I be living? (not sure since addresses there are a bit vague and seem to include stuff like “Off Idejo St.” and “near <something>”).  My favorite treasure from the hunt:  a notarized letter from the Ada County Sherriff’s Department proclaiming that I’m truly a mensch.  I will treasure that.

Out of Retirement, Into Africa

I’m going to go work in Ghana for 9 months.

Like all the best moves in my life, this was unplanned. My former boss forwarded a message from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business soliciting volunteers for business coaching in West African countries. After an application process that lasted slightly longer than my assignment will be, I was accepted.  The mission of this program fits my “what’s next?” goals to a tee. Try to figure out where I could help something grow.

I strongly encourage retirement in measured doses.  This time has been great.  I set my sights on learning.  And “finding myself:”

I found that my aging frame required various medical repairs. I found myself re-marking territorial boundaries with my wife of 35 years, and the dawning realization that I was the intruder. I found a whole bunch of musical instruments that I wanted to master, gigs I wanted to play, and in-laws I needed to help. Busy year. But when I found the frequency of letters to my Congressmen spiking at an alarming rate, I decided it was time to get out and start chapter 2.  A year is enough. The corporate goo has been flushed from my system.  Here we go!

You can follow just the posts from Africa by clicking the “Ghana” category.

Stanford asked me to include a little disclaimer here.  “The ideas and thoughts expressed in this blog are my own personal views and do not represent the views or opinions of SEED or Stanford.”

You can find it here: https://seed.stanford.edu/about-seed.