...to transport a ton of bricks, clear a field with a machete or feed a crowd of 300 - I know who to ask for help. Sophia Polasky, of Juneau, is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. She can be reached at scpolasky@gmail.com .

...I know to expect more than simply dinner when I show up unannounced - something far more filling than plantains. Sophia Polasky, of Juneau, is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. She can be reached at scpolasky@gmail.com .

...beating inside my chest. I marvel at its consistency as I feel myself very much alive, and I remember to be grateful. Sophia Polasky, of Juneau, is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. She can be reached at scpolasky@gmail.com .

...simply, ourselves. "To be alive, to hear this song ... that is a victory" (Traditional West African Proverb). Sophia Polasky, of Juneau, is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. She can be reached at scpolasky@gmail.com .

...been to me, and that it will illuminate the multitude of ways in which our hands are capable of great things. Sophia Polasky, of Juneau, was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. She can be reached at scpolasky@gmail.com.

...history courses and attend lectures on economics. What a gift, to know education will always be at my fingertips. Sophia Polasky, of Juneau, is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. She can be reached at scpolasky@gmail.com.

...indicated that all was right with the world. Though I suspect she was a bit disappointed I hadn't brought home Jay Z. Sophia Polasky, of Juneau, is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. She can be reached at scpolasky@gmail.com.