I really don’t know where the time has gone. I only have two more sleeps and three full days left in Ghana. Time seems to have moved both slowly and quickly on this trip. I remember the days crawling by in my first few weeks here but now, when I think back to my induction, it seems like it was just last week. Was it really almost two months ago?
I just re-read parts of my blog entries from my first few days here and the sense of Cape Coast as a foreign place seems like a really distant memory. I am now surprised to read about how uncomfortable I was in that first week. My last week here has been full as I tie up loose ends and try to cram in all the things I wanted to do or see in Cape Coast.
I had my last day at Unistar yesterday (I’m taking today off to run last minute errands and pack). The kids were, as always, sweet and adorable. I took my camera to school and it was chaotic as I took pictures during their morning break. It’s lucky that I’m so much bigger than all of them; they almost managed to pull me down in their excitement. I got some videos of them singing at the end of the day too. I can’t wait for people at home to see the footage!!
On Tuesday we did a medical outreach session at a Muslim school in Abura. Anita (the nurse) gave them a sex ed talk which was not as different from the ones at home as I had expected. We dressed some pretty infected wounds and a group of volunteers will return today to follow-up with those kids. I think this will continue with the medical outreach program – if a lot of treatment was given at the outreach early in the week, the group will return at the end of the week to check on those children. With so many people interested in the medical placement I think the program is going to keep improving. When I got here there were only two of us starting the medical placement and now, I think there are more than ten.
On Thursday night I went to the New Life orphanage with Nicole and a few of the other volunteers. We had intended to stay the night but ended up leaving after the kids were put to bed. This orphanage is amazing. It is on quite a bit of land and the kids all seem really healthy and happy. We hung out with them after dinner and watched part of Shrek on someone’s computer. These kids are clearly used to the presence of volunteers and really weren’t shy around new visitors. I had a nice snuggle with some of the little ones during the movie. I have no idea how Nicole, or anyone else, is going to say good-bye to these sweethearts after spending so much time with them.
Today I am running miscellaneous errands. Tomorrow we plan to walk around Elmina (the small fishing town I mentioned a while ago) and then spend the afternoon at the beach. On Sunday I will get on a bus to Accra and then start a very long trip home.
I have heard that the culture shock is worse on the way home than it is coming to a place like this. I suppose this is because you travel to a foreign place with a fairly open mind, unsure of what to expect. But, going in the other direction you expect home to be just as you remember it, without realizing that your perspective may have changed. I am expecting to be surprised at the amount of wasted water and at having the luxuries of electricity and internet always at your fingertips, but since I am expecting these things I don’t think I will be really shocked by them. I’m wondering if I will feel culture shocked by things I haven’t even considered. When I think of home now I find it hard to imagine any of it feeling foreign or strange. I plan to write one more update after I get home – I’ll let you know how I’m adjusting then. This last update doesn’t feel like much of a conclusion; I’ll try to do a better job with the next one.
Take care. See many of you in less than a week!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Puzzling things about Ghanaian life
This is a miscellaneous entry. These are all things that I have been meaning to mention at some point but haven’t included anywhere yet. Here is a brief list of things I find puzzling about Ghanaian life.
1. Couples - It was while we were at that Ghanaian wedding a few weekends ago that Nicole and I realized that you never seen couples walking around town, or anywhere, together. This is particularly odd because it is pretty common to see two men walking down the street holding hands. They aren’t gay; they seem to do it because it’s crowded in town and they don’t want to lose track of each other. I wonder what heterosexual relationships are like here. Are arranged marriages common? Considering the devout religious community, are relationships more clandestine?
2. Technology - I feel like civilization here has skipped a few steps. How is it that a third world country cannot conquer problems with personal hygiene, sanitation, food, and treatable/preventable diseases yet they somehow have access to luxuries such as DVD players and cell phones? I think DVD players and cell phones can still be considered a luxury at home – certainly they are things that are purchased only after all other necessities have been covered. I suppose we have been living in a city here where there is a market for such luxuries; I know a rural community would be a much different experience. Still, it’s strange.
3. Abnormal Gaits – It could be my imagination, but it seems to me that many people here have very strange limps or simply incorrectly assembled lower limbs. We’ve seen several people who have to crawl around town because their legs are so under-developed. Many children hobble around on crutches with horribly deformed legs and a lot of adults seem to walk with a slight limp. It could be that abnormal gaits occur with the same frequency back home but that we just have better management and assistance for those with disabilities.
4. Re-denomination of the Cedi
At the beginning of July, the Bank of Ghana is going to change its currency. The value of the cedi won’t change, but the bills and the coins are going to be different. Basically, they are knocking four zeros off the old cedi to make new cedi bills (the new 1 cedi bill will be the same as the old 10 000 cedi bill) and knocking two zeros off the cedi to make new coins in Ghana pesowas (Gp). The old denominations of the cedi include 1000, 2000, 5000, 10 000, and 20 000 bills as well as 100, 200, and 500 cedi coins.
As a rough idea of the value of things, here’s a brief list:
Taxi into town – 2 000 old cedis (0.2 new cedis; 20 Gp)
Corn on the cob – 1 000 old cedis (0.1 new cedis; 10 Gp)
Ice cream – 3 000 old cedis (0.3 new cedis; 30 Gp)
Bottle of pop – 5 000 old cedis (0.5 new cedis; 50 Gp)
Water sachet – 400 old cedis (0.04 new cedis; 4 Gp)
Rice and chicken – 10 000 old cedis (1 new cedis; 100 Gp)
New cell phone – 400 000 old cedis (40 new cedis; 4 000 Gp)
The new denominations will include 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cedi bills. So, the new bills are equal to 10 000, 50 000, 100 000, 200 000, and 500 000 old cedis. These are HUGE denominations. Few things in town would require a 100 000 cedi note, not to mention a 200 000 or 500 000 cedi bill. In fact, we like to have our money all in 5 000 notes to make general transactions faster. It’s true that handing over a huge wad of 5 000 notes is a bit annoying if you buy something more expensive, but this is really rare; most exchanges involve less than 5 000 cedis. The taxi drivers are going to be awful to deal with. Can you imagine handing someone a 50 cedi note for a 0.2 cedi taxi ride?
This is also going to create a lot of general confusion in converting old money to new bills. Whose brilliant idea was it to create two new forms of the cedi and to knock off four zeros and two zeros? Why not have one type of cedi and just take off just three zeros? Then the 10 000 note could simply become a 10 cedi bill. A huge advertising campaign has been launched to help people understand this change in currency (with an irritatingly catchy jingle: “There’s no change in value, the value is the same”) but I think there are going to be a lot of problems. It’s lucky for me that I won’t be here for that!! Good luck to Nicole and everyone else.
1. Couples - It was while we were at that Ghanaian wedding a few weekends ago that Nicole and I realized that you never seen couples walking around town, or anywhere, together. This is particularly odd because it is pretty common to see two men walking down the street holding hands. They aren’t gay; they seem to do it because it’s crowded in town and they don’t want to lose track of each other. I wonder what heterosexual relationships are like here. Are arranged marriages common? Considering the devout religious community, are relationships more clandestine?
2. Technology - I feel like civilization here has skipped a few steps. How is it that a third world country cannot conquer problems with personal hygiene, sanitation, food, and treatable/preventable diseases yet they somehow have access to luxuries such as DVD players and cell phones? I think DVD players and cell phones can still be considered a luxury at home – certainly they are things that are purchased only after all other necessities have been covered. I suppose we have been living in a city here where there is a market for such luxuries; I know a rural community would be a much different experience. Still, it’s strange.
3. Abnormal Gaits – It could be my imagination, but it seems to me that many people here have very strange limps or simply incorrectly assembled lower limbs. We’ve seen several people who have to crawl around town because their legs are so under-developed. Many children hobble around on crutches with horribly deformed legs and a lot of adults seem to walk with a slight limp. It could be that abnormal gaits occur with the same frequency back home but that we just have better management and assistance for those with disabilities.
4. Re-denomination of the Cedi
At the beginning of July, the Bank of Ghana is going to change its currency. The value of the cedi won’t change, but the bills and the coins are going to be different. Basically, they are knocking four zeros off the old cedi to make new cedi bills (the new 1 cedi bill will be the same as the old 10 000 cedi bill) and knocking two zeros off the cedi to make new coins in Ghana pesowas (Gp). The old denominations of the cedi include 1000, 2000, 5000, 10 000, and 20 000 bills as well as 100, 200, and 500 cedi coins.
As a rough idea of the value of things, here’s a brief list:
Taxi into town – 2 000 old cedis (0.2 new cedis; 20 Gp)
Corn on the cob – 1 000 old cedis (0.1 new cedis; 10 Gp)
Ice cream – 3 000 old cedis (0.3 new cedis; 30 Gp)
Bottle of pop – 5 000 old cedis (0.5 new cedis; 50 Gp)
Water sachet – 400 old cedis (0.04 new cedis; 4 Gp)
Rice and chicken – 10 000 old cedis (1 new cedis; 100 Gp)
New cell phone – 400 000 old cedis (40 new cedis; 4 000 Gp)
The new denominations will include 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cedi bills. So, the new bills are equal to 10 000, 50 000, 100 000, 200 000, and 500 000 old cedis. These are HUGE denominations. Few things in town would require a 100 000 cedi note, not to mention a 200 000 or 500 000 cedi bill. In fact, we like to have our money all in 5 000 notes to make general transactions faster. It’s true that handing over a huge wad of 5 000 notes is a bit annoying if you buy something more expensive, but this is really rare; most exchanges involve less than 5 000 cedis. The taxi drivers are going to be awful to deal with. Can you imagine handing someone a 50 cedi note for a 0.2 cedi taxi ride?
This is also going to create a lot of general confusion in converting old money to new bills. Whose brilliant idea was it to create two new forms of the cedi and to knock off four zeros and two zeros? Why not have one type of cedi and just take off just three zeros? Then the 10 000 note could simply become a 10 cedi bill. A huge advertising campaign has been launched to help people understand this change in currency (with an irritatingly catchy jingle: “There’s no change in value, the value is the same”) but I think there are going to be a lot of problems. It’s lucky for me that I won’t be here for that!! Good luck to Nicole and everyone else.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sick Weekend
Well, Nicole and I had a fantastic weekend. We have both been pretty sick over the last several days and spent most of Friday and all day Saturday lying in bed. Nicole has had a brutal cold for the last week and added stomach problems to her ailments over the weekend. I was okay, minus my endless runny tummy, until I devoured a lot of fried rice on Friday night. I felt gross for the rest of the night and couldn’t get to sleep until after 4 am, when I vomited up most of my dinner. Puking into a bucket on the filthy bathroom floor definitely does not make my list of “10 best experiences in Ghana.”
Saturday was fairly miserable too. Nicole and I skipped what was supposed to be a day at the beach and spent our time in bed moaning about squashy duvets and chicken soup. The other volunteers continue to be great and thoughtfully came over on Saturday night for a surprise visit armed with digestives, fresh fruit, Sprite, and movies. We felt much better on Sunday and got one full lazy day at the beach.
Saturday was fairly miserable too. Nicole and I skipped what was supposed to be a day at the beach and spent our time in bed moaning about squashy duvets and chicken soup. The other volunteers continue to be great and thoughtfully came over on Saturday night for a surprise visit armed with digestives, fresh fruit, Sprite, and movies. We felt much better on Sunday and got one full lazy day at the beach.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Photos
I just wanted to let everyone know that I've added some new photos to my Flickr account. There's a link to them on the right side of this page. Sorry that there aren't more but the computers here are really slow.
I hope everyone is well at home. Take care.
I hope everyone is well at home. Take care.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Midweek update
Teaching is still going well at Unistar. The KG 1 teacher is back so the class is totally under control. I’ve been able to continue teaching some lessons – with the real teacher translating the tricky bits into Fanti – and have also had a chance to work with some of the kids in smaller groups.
Unlike at home, the teachers here seem to focus on punishing mistakes rather than celebrating success. So, when a student isn’t answering a question I find it hard to decide whether they don’t understand the concept, don’t understand my English instructions, are painfully shy, or are too scared of being wrong (and being caned as a result) to say anything at all. I’ve also been wondering what happens to the children with learning disabilities here. They certainly don’t have the programs and support that we have at home and the poor children aren’t going to benefit from the canings that result from their errors.
We had our weekly quiz night/volunteer meeting last night. We usually just play games or watch a movie but Grant (our regional director) organized a treat for us last night. We watched a demonstration of African dancing and drumming from different countries and different regions in Ghana and then had a brief dancing lesson at the end of the evening. It was really amazing to see – people here are so rhythmically talented. They grow up surrounded by music all the time, whether it’s at home, in school, songs playing from stores during the day, in bars at night – they are always moving. Also, if everyone in Western culture danced with their energy and vigour, obesity would not be non-existent (Katie, this is definitely a calorie-burning workout that we should look into!). On Wednesday night we saw an impromptu drumming/acrobatic/dancing/fire show that was even more impressive.
Generally, things are good here in Cape Coast. We are well into the rainy season now and it rains at least a little bit every day. A ton of new volunteers have been arriving in the last few weeks and many more will be here over the summer months. Nicole and I are getting two new Canadian girls to this house on the weekend (four Canadian girls in all of Cape Coast and they put us all together). I think I’m going to be sad to leave many of these people behind. Through taking care of each other, sharing un-flushable toilets, and having too many discussions about the activities of our intestines, we’ve formed close friendships in a really short period of time.
Unlike at home, the teachers here seem to focus on punishing mistakes rather than celebrating success. So, when a student isn’t answering a question I find it hard to decide whether they don’t understand the concept, don’t understand my English instructions, are painfully shy, or are too scared of being wrong (and being caned as a result) to say anything at all. I’ve also been wondering what happens to the children with learning disabilities here. They certainly don’t have the programs and support that we have at home and the poor children aren’t going to benefit from the canings that result from their errors.
We had our weekly quiz night/volunteer meeting last night. We usually just play games or watch a movie but Grant (our regional director) organized a treat for us last night. We watched a demonstration of African dancing and drumming from different countries and different regions in Ghana and then had a brief dancing lesson at the end of the evening. It was really amazing to see – people here are so rhythmically talented. They grow up surrounded by music all the time, whether it’s at home, in school, songs playing from stores during the day, in bars at night – they are always moving. Also, if everyone in Western culture danced with their energy and vigour, obesity would not be non-existent (Katie, this is definitely a calorie-burning workout that we should look into!). On Wednesday night we saw an impromptu drumming/acrobatic/dancing/fire show that was even more impressive.
Generally, things are good here in Cape Coast. We are well into the rainy season now and it rains at least a little bit every day. A ton of new volunteers have been arriving in the last few weeks and many more will be here over the summer months. Nicole and I are getting two new Canadian girls to this house on the weekend (four Canadian girls in all of Cape Coast and they put us all together). I think I’m going to be sad to leave many of these people behind. Through taking care of each other, sharing un-flushable toilets, and having too many discussions about the activities of our intestines, we’ve formed close friendships in a really short period of time.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Weekend in Kumasi
Yesterday we got back from a great weekend with the girls in Kumasi. Nicole and I went with six other girls who were traveling up there to see their host sister graduate from University. With this connection to the University we managed to stay in the super cheap dorm rooms and it felt like one big slumber party with everyone crammed into a small room.
Kumasi is great. It’s quite a bit bigger than Cape Coast but I liked it a lot more than Accra. The Kejetia market is advertised as the biggest open market in West Africa and it is indeed huge. It makes Kotokuraba (our Cape Coast market) look petite and peaceful by comparison.
The Kejetia market is roughly divided into sections with fabric, shoes, jewelry, and food all concentrated in different areas. There was so much of everything and we managed to spend at least five hours wandering around. The fabric section was really extensive with a huge amount of variety. I found some patterns that I really like and I’m having them made into bags and skirts before I leave here (Mom, Katie, Mare – I hope you like the colours I picked!).
From Cape Coast, it takes about four hours to get to Kumasi by tro. The road is brutal. For the last hour getting into Kumasi, it is only partially paved. The road alternates: 500 meters paved, 500 meters dirt, 500 meters paved, etc (for an hour!!!!). Also, the heavy trucks kick up the loose dirt in the unpaved sections so you spend the hour driving through a dust cloud with windows that don’t fully close. On the way home I was feeling sick for this enjoyable part of the ride and eventually had to ask the driver to pull over so I could trek into the jungle and go to the bathroom. Amazing. On car trips at home, you’d never be expected to drive for four hours without some kind of a break. We’ve all survived another tro ride though. I think that was my last long tro ride too because I’m not leaving Cape Coast again until I go home and then I’ll be taking the STC bus to Accra.
Kumasi is great. It’s quite a bit bigger than Cape Coast but I liked it a lot more than Accra. The Kejetia market is advertised as the biggest open market in West Africa and it is indeed huge. It makes Kotokuraba (our Cape Coast market) look petite and peaceful by comparison.
The Kejetia market is roughly divided into sections with fabric, shoes, jewelry, and food all concentrated in different areas. There was so much of everything and we managed to spend at least five hours wandering around. The fabric section was really extensive with a huge amount of variety. I found some patterns that I really like and I’m having them made into bags and skirts before I leave here (Mom, Katie, Mare – I hope you like the colours I picked!).
From Cape Coast, it takes about four hours to get to Kumasi by tro. The road is brutal. For the last hour getting into Kumasi, it is only partially paved. The road alternates: 500 meters paved, 500 meters dirt, 500 meters paved, etc (for an hour!!!!). Also, the heavy trucks kick up the loose dirt in the unpaved sections so you spend the hour driving through a dust cloud with windows that don’t fully close. On the way home I was feeling sick for this enjoyable part of the ride and eventually had to ask the driver to pull over so I could trek into the jungle and go to the bathroom. Amazing. On car trips at home, you’d never be expected to drive for four hours without some kind of a break. We’ve all survived another tro ride though. I think that was my last long tro ride too because I’m not leaving Cape Coast again until I go home and then I’ll be taking the STC bus to Accra.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Good day at Unistar
Today was a great day with the KG 1 kids at Unistar. I felt like I had better control of the class and that I was actually getting through to them.
The kids here have an incredible ability with memorization. They have no trouble reciting the alphabet, numbers, or countless nursery rhymes and songs. When given the title (“Jack and Jill”, “Little Miss Muffet”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” etc), the whole class will recite the rest of the rhyme/song in unison. They know the words to some really obscure nursery rhymes. And all of this is in their second language! However, they don’t seem to understand what they have memorized. If you try to get them to identify numbers or letters out of sequence, they can’t do it.
At some point in the morning, I usually hand out their notebooks so they can do some writing or colouring. This always results in chaos as they fight over crayons or pencils, cry because someone ripped their book, and crowd around me so I can mark their work (they LOVE having their work marked). So, today I decided to skip the whole ordeal and we had educational, themed pictionary for most of the day. We covered common animals, things in the sky, body parts, clothing, sources of light, and sources of water. As I drew on the chalkboard, the kids would call out the English word for the object and then I had them spell it by calling out the letters as I wrote them – they were actually recognizing them out of the A to Z sequence! It was lots of fun and the kids seemed to really enjoy it. I really enjoyed it.
Even though I have switched to a teaching placement, I am still doing the once-a-week medical outreach program. Yesterday afternoon we went to a village just outside of Cape Coast. It was really interesting to visit this totally self-sufficient community. We were introduced to the chief of the village who was a very welcoming man. We spoke with him for a while and learned that he is the eighteenth chief of this 450-year-old village. There are about 700 people living in the community and they have their own school and church. He said he was grateful for our visit because sanitation is a problem for them and he is always glad to accept any help or education that will improve the health of his people. We met some of the village members in the school building and treated their small wounds. The experience was really interesting and I wish I had more time to spend the more rural areas of Ghana.
The kids here have an incredible ability with memorization. They have no trouble reciting the alphabet, numbers, or countless nursery rhymes and songs. When given the title (“Jack and Jill”, “Little Miss Muffet”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” etc), the whole class will recite the rest of the rhyme/song in unison. They know the words to some really obscure nursery rhymes. And all of this is in their second language! However, they don’t seem to understand what they have memorized. If you try to get them to identify numbers or letters out of sequence, they can’t do it.
At some point in the morning, I usually hand out their notebooks so they can do some writing or colouring. This always results in chaos as they fight over crayons or pencils, cry because someone ripped their book, and crowd around me so I can mark their work (they LOVE having their work marked). So, today I decided to skip the whole ordeal and we had educational, themed pictionary for most of the day. We covered common animals, things in the sky, body parts, clothing, sources of light, and sources of water. As I drew on the chalkboard, the kids would call out the English word for the object and then I had them spell it by calling out the letters as I wrote them – they were actually recognizing them out of the A to Z sequence! It was lots of fun and the kids seemed to really enjoy it. I really enjoyed it.
Even though I have switched to a teaching placement, I am still doing the once-a-week medical outreach program. Yesterday afternoon we went to a village just outside of Cape Coast. It was really interesting to visit this totally self-sufficient community. We were introduced to the chief of the village who was a very welcoming man. We spoke with him for a while and learned that he is the eighteenth chief of this 450-year-old village. There are about 700 people living in the community and they have their own school and church. He said he was grateful for our visit because sanitation is a problem for them and he is always glad to accept any help or education that will improve the health of his people. We met some of the village members in the school building and treated their small wounds. The experience was really interesting and I wish I had more time to spend the more rural areas of Ghana.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
First week of teaching
Busy week! Teaching has been great so far! I’m working at Unistar Preparatory School. As far as I can tell, the classes are Nursery (up to 3 years), KG 1 (4-5 years), KG 2 (5-6 years), and then class 1, 2, and 3. The teacher for KG 1 has been sick all this week so I have been given a class of thirty rowdy children all to myself (oh joy!). Though they are out of control, the kids are (generally) really very sweet. They definitely take advantage of the “obruni” trying to run things and act like unbelievable hooligans until another teacher comes in with a cane.
The caning has certainly been something to get used to. Most of the volunteers work in schools or orphanages so we’ve spent quite a bit of time discussing it. We all seem to be initially shocked by the caning because it is so different from discipline that we received in school at home (believe me, a “time-out” carries absolutely no threat here). And while we don’t agree with it and wouldn’t administer it ourselves, we have come to respect the fact that this is how they do things here and it is not our place to force Western practices into their culture. I think the caning at Unistar is minimal compared to many of the other orphanages and schools in town. The kids are pretty well behaved (as long as I’m not the one running things) and usually the sound of the cane hitting the blackboard or a desk is enough to startle them into silence.
The kids at Unistar are sweet (like all the children here) and the teachers and headmistress are very kind. The children are very polite and always call people “Sir”, “Madam”, or “Teacher.” The head of the school introduced me as “Margaret” (he found it easier to say than “Maggie”) and I had some really adorable kids from KG 2 calling me “Teacher Margaret” today. The KG 1 kids can be cute but the whole class is a bit too much for me to control. I’ll be glad when the real teacher comes back and I can just help out with smaller groups.
In the afternoons this week we’ve been painting three classrooms in a new school building. Several of the volunteers work at the Abura Literacy School, which is entirely staffed by volunteers and really only consists of four walls. The kids don’t come to school much during the rainy season because they don’t have a roof over their classrooms. A volunteer who was here several years ago started raising money to build them a new school. It has been a project in the works for quite some time but over the last three months it has really taken shape. It’s been fun painting and they hope to open the school in early September.
The caning has certainly been something to get used to. Most of the volunteers work in schools or orphanages so we’ve spent quite a bit of time discussing it. We all seem to be initially shocked by the caning because it is so different from discipline that we received in school at home (believe me, a “time-out” carries absolutely no threat here). And while we don’t agree with it and wouldn’t administer it ourselves, we have come to respect the fact that this is how they do things here and it is not our place to force Western practices into their culture. I think the caning at Unistar is minimal compared to many of the other orphanages and schools in town. The kids are pretty well behaved (as long as I’m not the one running things) and usually the sound of the cane hitting the blackboard or a desk is enough to startle them into silence.
The kids at Unistar are sweet (like all the children here) and the teachers and headmistress are very kind. The children are very polite and always call people “Sir”, “Madam”, or “Teacher.” The head of the school introduced me as “Margaret” (he found it easier to say than “Maggie”) and I had some really adorable kids from KG 2 calling me “Teacher Margaret” today. The KG 1 kids can be cute but the whole class is a bit too much for me to control. I’ll be glad when the real teacher comes back and I can just help out with smaller groups.
In the afternoons this week we’ve been painting three classrooms in a new school building. Several of the volunteers work at the Abura Literacy School, which is entirely staffed by volunteers and really only consists of four walls. The kids don’t come to school much during the rainy season because they don’t have a roof over their classrooms. A volunteer who was here several years ago started raising money to build them a new school. It has been a project in the works for quite some time but over the last three months it has really taken shape. It’s been fun painting and they hope to open the school in early September.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Reflection on the Hospital
Last week was my fourth week at the Central Regional Hospital in Cape Coast. I am switching away from the medical placement and will be teaching at a school in town for the rest of my time here. The hospital has been a great experience and has provided me with valuable insight into medical care in a third world country; however, my role in the hospital has been largely observational and I have really enjoyed the time I’ve spent interacting with the children here. So, I think teaching in a school is going to be a fun way to round out my experience in Ghana.
While the memories and thoughts are still fresh, I thought I’d take the opportunity now to reflect on my time at the hospital. Before coming to Ghana, I had thought that this experience would confirm a desire of mine to come back in the future and work in a third world country as a physician (if I ever make it that far). I can say now that it both has, and it hasn’t, convinced me to return.
I cannot see myself coming back to a place like this and working in their health care system. It is so inefficient and seems, amazingly, overstaffed. More importantly, it provides health care only to those who can afford it, which is not many. I would be so frustrated by this system and, likely, feel like I was wasting time – why not just stay at home, where there is also a shortage of physicians, and do at least ten times the amount of work? The level of care is also not comparable to that at home. There is very little respect for patients, and confidentiality is completely non-existent. In these unexpected ways, this experience has slightly discouraged me from something like this in the future.
On the other hand, I can see myself coming back to provide health care and medicine to those who would not otherwise receive any – in the form of a free clinic or something – run by people from developed countries and not overstaffed with under-qualified nurses. Though, the thing I’ve enjoyed the most during my time here has been the opportunity to get to know a different culture and to interact and live with local people. I wonder how much of that experience you’d miss out on if you came to a foreign country and worked only with a group of Western professionals.
While the memories and thoughts are still fresh, I thought I’d take the opportunity now to reflect on my time at the hospital. Before coming to Ghana, I had thought that this experience would confirm a desire of mine to come back in the future and work in a third world country as a physician (if I ever make it that far). I can say now that it both has, and it hasn’t, convinced me to return.
I cannot see myself coming back to a place like this and working in their health care system. It is so inefficient and seems, amazingly, overstaffed. More importantly, it provides health care only to those who can afford it, which is not many. I would be so frustrated by this system and, likely, feel like I was wasting time – why not just stay at home, where there is also a shortage of physicians, and do at least ten times the amount of work? The level of care is also not comparable to that at home. There is very little respect for patients, and confidentiality is completely non-existent. In these unexpected ways, this experience has slightly discouraged me from something like this in the future.
On the other hand, I can see myself coming back to provide health care and medicine to those who would not otherwise receive any – in the form of a free clinic or something – run by people from developed countries and not overstaffed with under-qualified nurses. Though, the thing I’ve enjoyed the most during my time here has been the opportunity to get to know a different culture and to interact and live with local people. I wonder how much of that experience you’d miss out on if you came to a foreign country and worked only with a group of Western professionals.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Culturally packed weekend
We had a good weekend here in Cape Coast. On Saturday we were lucky enough to be invited to a Ghanaian wedding (a friend of Philo’s) and on Sunday we went to a live soccer match – in the pouring rain and complete with intense rivalry and soccer hooligans.
Ghanaian wedding - Philo invited us to this wedding early last week. Nicole and I had just enough time to buy fabric and have outfits made for the occasion. Our outfits didn’t really compare to some of the amazing garments that many people were wearing, but we didn’t look completely out of place. The wedding ceremony was held in a smallish church in town. We were treated to several beautiful songs (everyone seems to be so musically gifted here). Unfortunately for us, a lot of the ceremony way in Fanti but we were able to understand bits and pieces from Philo’s translation. There was a lot of excitement when it was time for the groom to kiss the bride – lots of cheering and laughing. We didn’t stay for any of the later festivities but the actual wedding ceremony was not as different as I had expected.
Soccer game – On Sunday we went to see a live soccer game in the stadium just down the road. The old, open stadium has wide cement stands and encloses a below-average quality field (by Victoria standards). The game was between two of the top four teams in the Ghanaian Premier league. Despite the pouring rain, there was a good turnout for the game. The soccer was entertaining – the pace was good (VERY fast strikers) and their touches were amazing but it was a pretty physical game. A few minor skirmishes occurred between the fans but they were broken up before they developed into large soccer brawls. The field was surrounded by gun-toting policemen who all rushed onto the field to protect the players on the winning team when the final whistle blew. Ghanaians take their soccer pretty seriously.
Ghanaian wedding - Philo invited us to this wedding early last week. Nicole and I had just enough time to buy fabric and have outfits made for the occasion. Our outfits didn’t really compare to some of the amazing garments that many people were wearing, but we didn’t look completely out of place. The wedding ceremony was held in a smallish church in town. We were treated to several beautiful songs (everyone seems to be so musically gifted here). Unfortunately for us, a lot of the ceremony way in Fanti but we were able to understand bits and pieces from Philo’s translation. There was a lot of excitement when it was time for the groom to kiss the bride – lots of cheering and laughing. We didn’t stay for any of the later festivities but the actual wedding ceremony was not as different as I had expected.
Soccer game – On Sunday we went to see a live soccer game in the stadium just down the road. The old, open stadium has wide cement stands and encloses a below-average quality field (by Victoria standards). The game was between two of the top four teams in the Ghanaian Premier league. Despite the pouring rain, there was a good turnout for the game. The soccer was entertaining – the pace was good (VERY fast strikers) and their touches were amazing but it was a pretty physical game. A few minor skirmishes occurred between the fans but they were broken up before they developed into large soccer brawls. The field was surrounded by gun-toting policemen who all rushed onto the field to protect the players on the winning team when the final whistle blew. Ghanaians take their soccer pretty seriously.
Friday, June 1, 2007
One month in Ghana
As of tonight, I have been in Ghana for four weeks. To sum up my time here so far, I thought I would talk about a few things in day-to-day life in Ghana. This is another long entry, but I’ve organized it into sections so feel free to skip any parts that you find boring.
Fanti – Fanti is a local language spoken in the Central Region (Cape Coast, Winneba, Takoradi) of Ghana. Twi and Ga are other common local languages. The volunteers all try to pick up some of the local language because it’s part of the culture but also to show that we’ve been here for a while so the taxi drivers don’t rip us off. Here are some useful phrases in Fanti:
Oh-tse-den? – How are you?
Boco – Fine
Me-da-see – Thank you
Wo-frem – My name is…
Adenti na wosisi me? – Why is it that you cheat me?
Mema wo akye/aha/adwe – I give you good morning/afternoon/evening
Woye nkraseni – You are a villager (meant as an insult)
Food – I still haven’t been able to stomach proper Ghanaian dishes. Don’t worry though, I have found more than enough food here that I can eat. My diet here consists of a lot of rice, bread, and chicken. I also eat plantains, eggs, really tasty bananas, mangos, oranges, pineapples, avocado, cookies, crackers, and ice cream (FanChoco – it comes in a bag and tastes like chocolate malt ice cream from home). Here’s a list of local dishes that I won’t touch:
Fufu – a congealed, doughy mass of something sitting in a fishy stew with tough goat meat on the side.
Any fish – I like fish at home but I really can’t stomach it here (see description of markets below).
Goat – the meat is really tough
Pig’s feet – ewwwww
Banku or Kenkey – some kind of fermented maize mash (though I swear mine had fish bones in it when I tried it).
Transportation – Taxis probably account for more than 80% of the cars on the road here. Their driving has taken some getting used to as they speed, swerve to the other side of the road to pass cars, honk constantly, and drive so close to pedestrians it’s a miracle more people aren’t shoved off the roads into the sewers. Like the tro-tros that I mentioned in a previous entry, they do their best to cram as many people as possible into a taxi. Last weekend we had nine girls (ten people, including the driver) in a car: four in the backseat with three on their laps and two in the front seat.
If you’re walking along the side of the road, you can expect to be honked at nonstop by taxis going in both directions. The driver will lean out the window and gesture at you in question until you wave him off. Taxi stations and tro-tro stations are even pushier as people are constantly in your face shouting, “Where are you going? Where are you going?” It’s also important to figure out the correct fares as quickly as possible because the drivers always try to rip off the obrunis.
Soccer – Soccer is huge here! I think I’ve described the STC station with its big screen TVs and bar. Last week we went to watch AC Milan play Liverpool for the Champions League final. There must have been three to four thousand people crammed into the small area. All the Ghanaians were cheering for AC Milan (maybe because Liverpool knocked out Chelsea?) and the roar was deafening when they scored. Right now they’re having playoffs between the top four Ghanaian teams so we’re planning to go watch a live game on Sunday.
Religion – Religion here is also highly emphasized. Christianity is the dominant religion in the south of Ghana while the north has a greater Muslim population. Ghanaian Christians are quite flagrant in expressing their faith. You can’t walk far without seeing a shop or small business with a name dedicated to God or Jesus. “If God Wills Beauty Parlor”, “Jesus Lives Light Hair Care”, and “My God is Able Stationary Shop” are just a few examples. Before our tro-tro ride to Accra last weekend, we had a man get into the tro and preach to us about finding God for fifteen minutes before he would let the tro leave. This is not uncommon and I have had many strangers come up to me to inquire about my Faith.
Garbage – I think I’ve commented on the garbage before but, coming from spotless Victoria, it really is remarkable. The amount of garbage here is amazing. Everything is packaged in plastic – cookies, ice cream, water, bread, even alcohol. The treated water that we drink comes in plastic bags that hold 500 mL each (you bite off a corner of the bag to drink it). Even alcohol (gin, rum, vodka) is sold in little plastic packets that resemble those soy sauce things back home. All of this plastic accumulates in scattered piles as there aren’t any garbage cans to collect them.
Bathrooms – You are quite lucky if you can find a public washroom that actually has a toilet. Many of them are nothing more than a drain or a shallow hole in the ground. Some schools simply have their students use the nearest open sewer. On Nicole’s first day here she had a taxi driver stop the car, walk around the back, and take a leak while standing behind the car in a busy street. For the luxurious washrooms that actually have toilets, none of them flush and none of them have toilet paper – not even the ones in the hospital. I’m so glad I brought a roll of toilet paper with me and I’ve taken to carrying around bits of it wherever I go.
Animals – Common animals seen wandering around town include goats, chickens, roosters, cats, dog, and lizards. Apparently, they all have owners but it’s beyond me how they keep them all straight. The cats and dogs here do not resemble the beloved household pets at home. They are all really mangy and underfed with ragged fur and scrawny bodies. Small lizards are quite common and frequently seen scaling cement walls.
Families – As far as I can tell, Ghanaian people are really family-oriented. It’s not unusual to have many members of an extended family living under one roof. The women seem to be the heads of their household, especially in the cases of wealthier families where the husband does not live in Ghana (Philo’s husband works in London and sends money back home). It’s amazing to see the women walking around town with a young child tied to their back and a huge load balanced on their head. The babies and young children are conveniently attached to their mothers like this so the women are free to go about their normal work.
Markets – Walking through a Ghanaian market is quite an experience. They are very densely packed labyrinths of stalls selling meat, fish, snacks, vegetables, spices, cloth, crafts, and other miscellaneous items. Inside a market it really feels like you’ve entered another world – one that is a bit of an assault to your senses. It’s relatively dark in the markets due to the metal roofs that partially cover all of the stalls. It is very crowded with aisles that are big enough for just one person but actually have several people trying to push past each other with large loads. The smells range from lovely aromas of nutmeg and ginger to the gag-worthy stench of raw meat in the sweltering heat. There is a visual overload as well with some stalls selling huge piles of fresh fruits or rice or pig’s feet while other stalls have stacks of brightly coloured cloth, jewellery, or electronic equipment. In Cape Coast, the main market is the Kotokuraba market, which is organized into a dense triangle of shops. Accra has the Kaneshie market and probably several others (though Kaneshie is the only one I’ve been to). Kumasi (inland from Cape Coast by about three hours) is home to, apparently, the largest market in West Africa. Nicole and I are planning a trip up there for next weekend.
People – In general, Ghanaian people really are very kind and very friendly. Of course there are exceptions, but they are relatively uncommon. The host families are lovely and, as further examples of Ghanaian kindness and generosity, I have had strangers guide me to my destination (even if it was twenty minutes out of their way), offer me a sheltered place to sit until the rain subsided, and argue with a taxi driver on my behalf if he was trying to cheat me. In addition to that, most people will greet you with a cheerful “Good morning/afternoon”, or “Obruni! How are you?” as you walk down the street. The girls here have also found that marriage proposals from complete strangers are not uncommon. We’ve all found a variety of ways to deal with this. I’ve taken to telling people that I’m already married – a lot of people confuse my gold ring as a wedding ring anyways. Though, in some cases, this hasn’t worked and the men have insisted that I need an African husband in addition to my fabricated white one.
Whew! Well, I hope that paints a better picture of Ghana for some people. It really is an amazing place and I love the atmosphere here. We have a culturally packed weekend coming up so I’ll update everyone on that early next week.
Fanti – Fanti is a local language spoken in the Central Region (Cape Coast, Winneba, Takoradi) of Ghana. Twi and Ga are other common local languages. The volunteers all try to pick up some of the local language because it’s part of the culture but also to show that we’ve been here for a while so the taxi drivers don’t rip us off. Here are some useful phrases in Fanti:
Oh-tse-den? – How are you?
Boco – Fine
Me-da-see – Thank you
Wo-frem – My name is…
Adenti na wosisi me? – Why is it that you cheat me?
Mema wo akye/aha/adwe – I give you good morning/afternoon/evening
Woye nkraseni – You are a villager (meant as an insult)
Food – I still haven’t been able to stomach proper Ghanaian dishes. Don’t worry though, I have found more than enough food here that I can eat. My diet here consists of a lot of rice, bread, and chicken. I also eat plantains, eggs, really tasty bananas, mangos, oranges, pineapples, avocado, cookies, crackers, and ice cream (FanChoco – it comes in a bag and tastes like chocolate malt ice cream from home). Here’s a list of local dishes that I won’t touch:
Fufu – a congealed, doughy mass of something sitting in a fishy stew with tough goat meat on the side.
Any fish – I like fish at home but I really can’t stomach it here (see description of markets below).
Goat – the meat is really tough
Pig’s feet – ewwwww
Banku or Kenkey – some kind of fermented maize mash (though I swear mine had fish bones in it when I tried it).
Transportation – Taxis probably account for more than 80% of the cars on the road here. Their driving has taken some getting used to as they speed, swerve to the other side of the road to pass cars, honk constantly, and drive so close to pedestrians it’s a miracle more people aren’t shoved off the roads into the sewers. Like the tro-tros that I mentioned in a previous entry, they do their best to cram as many people as possible into a taxi. Last weekend we had nine girls (ten people, including the driver) in a car: four in the backseat with three on their laps and two in the front seat.
If you’re walking along the side of the road, you can expect to be honked at nonstop by taxis going in both directions. The driver will lean out the window and gesture at you in question until you wave him off. Taxi stations and tro-tro stations are even pushier as people are constantly in your face shouting, “Where are you going? Where are you going?” It’s also important to figure out the correct fares as quickly as possible because the drivers always try to rip off the obrunis.
Soccer – Soccer is huge here! I think I’ve described the STC station with its big screen TVs and bar. Last week we went to watch AC Milan play Liverpool for the Champions League final. There must have been three to four thousand people crammed into the small area. All the Ghanaians were cheering for AC Milan (maybe because Liverpool knocked out Chelsea?) and the roar was deafening when they scored. Right now they’re having playoffs between the top four Ghanaian teams so we’re planning to go watch a live game on Sunday.
Religion – Religion here is also highly emphasized. Christianity is the dominant religion in the south of Ghana while the north has a greater Muslim population. Ghanaian Christians are quite flagrant in expressing their faith. You can’t walk far without seeing a shop or small business with a name dedicated to God or Jesus. “If God Wills Beauty Parlor”, “Jesus Lives Light Hair Care”, and “My God is Able Stationary Shop” are just a few examples. Before our tro-tro ride to Accra last weekend, we had a man get into the tro and preach to us about finding God for fifteen minutes before he would let the tro leave. This is not uncommon and I have had many strangers come up to me to inquire about my Faith.
Garbage – I think I’ve commented on the garbage before but, coming from spotless Victoria, it really is remarkable. The amount of garbage here is amazing. Everything is packaged in plastic – cookies, ice cream, water, bread, even alcohol. The treated water that we drink comes in plastic bags that hold 500 mL each (you bite off a corner of the bag to drink it). Even alcohol (gin, rum, vodka) is sold in little plastic packets that resemble those soy sauce things back home. All of this plastic accumulates in scattered piles as there aren’t any garbage cans to collect them.
Bathrooms – You are quite lucky if you can find a public washroom that actually has a toilet. Many of them are nothing more than a drain or a shallow hole in the ground. Some schools simply have their students use the nearest open sewer. On Nicole’s first day here she had a taxi driver stop the car, walk around the back, and take a leak while standing behind the car in a busy street. For the luxurious washrooms that actually have toilets, none of them flush and none of them have toilet paper – not even the ones in the hospital. I’m so glad I brought a roll of toilet paper with me and I’ve taken to carrying around bits of it wherever I go.
Animals – Common animals seen wandering around town include goats, chickens, roosters, cats, dog, and lizards. Apparently, they all have owners but it’s beyond me how they keep them all straight. The cats and dogs here do not resemble the beloved household pets at home. They are all really mangy and underfed with ragged fur and scrawny bodies. Small lizards are quite common and frequently seen scaling cement walls.
Families – As far as I can tell, Ghanaian people are really family-oriented. It’s not unusual to have many members of an extended family living under one roof. The women seem to be the heads of their household, especially in the cases of wealthier families where the husband does not live in Ghana (Philo’s husband works in London and sends money back home). It’s amazing to see the women walking around town with a young child tied to their back and a huge load balanced on their head. The babies and young children are conveniently attached to their mothers like this so the women are free to go about their normal work.
Markets – Walking through a Ghanaian market is quite an experience. They are very densely packed labyrinths of stalls selling meat, fish, snacks, vegetables, spices, cloth, crafts, and other miscellaneous items. Inside a market it really feels like you’ve entered another world – one that is a bit of an assault to your senses. It’s relatively dark in the markets due to the metal roofs that partially cover all of the stalls. It is very crowded with aisles that are big enough for just one person but actually have several people trying to push past each other with large loads. The smells range from lovely aromas of nutmeg and ginger to the gag-worthy stench of raw meat in the sweltering heat. There is a visual overload as well with some stalls selling huge piles of fresh fruits or rice or pig’s feet while other stalls have stacks of brightly coloured cloth, jewellery, or electronic equipment. In Cape Coast, the main market is the Kotokuraba market, which is organized into a dense triangle of shops. Accra has the Kaneshie market and probably several others (though Kaneshie is the only one I’ve been to). Kumasi (inland from Cape Coast by about three hours) is home to, apparently, the largest market in West Africa. Nicole and I are planning a trip up there for next weekend.
People – In general, Ghanaian people really are very kind and very friendly. Of course there are exceptions, but they are relatively uncommon. The host families are lovely and, as further examples of Ghanaian kindness and generosity, I have had strangers guide me to my destination (even if it was twenty minutes out of their way), offer me a sheltered place to sit until the rain subsided, and argue with a taxi driver on my behalf if he was trying to cheat me. In addition to that, most people will greet you with a cheerful “Good morning/afternoon”, or “Obruni! How are you?” as you walk down the street. The girls here have also found that marriage proposals from complete strangers are not uncommon. We’ve all found a variety of ways to deal with this. I’ve taken to telling people that I’m already married – a lot of people confuse my gold ring as a wedding ring anyways. Though, in some cases, this hasn’t worked and the men have insisted that I need an African husband in addition to my fabricated white one.
Whew! Well, I hope that paints a better picture of Ghana for some people. It really is an amazing place and I love the atmosphere here. We have a culturally packed weekend coming up so I’ll update everyone on that early next week.
Week 4 - In Surgery
For my fourth week in the hospital, I have been in the surgical department. The main surgeon is Dr. Shaneff, from Bulgaria. There is also an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Fernando. The doctors who run the surgical clinic are all Ghanaian.
We start the mornings with rounds in the female surgical department and then the male surgical department. Dr. Shaneff has been great and takes the time to explain each case. After rounds we sat in on the clinic with the Ghanaian doctors. They all seem really young but were great in involving us and asking us questions about each patient. Surprisingly, we saw a lot of males with inguinal hernias. One of the other volunteers told me that hernias are the tenth most common cause of admission to hospitals in Ghana. Other than that, common things seen in the surgical department include general abdominal pain, an absurdly enlarged scrotum, and impressively infected wounds. One teenage girl came in with a knee injury from playing basketball; it seemed really bizarre to see something that is so common at home.
All of the elective surgical cases were cancelled this week due to the complete lack of running water. Thursday and Friday are the scheduled OR days. So, after rounds, instead of going to the clinic, we went to the operating room. I got to see Dr. Fernando do a below-the-knee amputation on an older woman with gangrene. The amputation seemed really barbaric (it probably does at home too), but it was fascinating to see the doctor tidily stitch up the stump. We also saw Dr. Shaneff direct what we expected to be an appendectomy on a young man. We saw this patient yesterday, and again today, in rounds. Yesterday they thought it might be his liver but, after an ultrasound declared his liver and kidneys as normal, they predicted appendicitis. It turned out that it was pancreatitis. The doctor mentioned some specific type (necrotic hemorrhagic pancreatitis?) that has an 80% mortality rate. I really know nothing about pancreatitis. Mom and Pops, I’ll have to ask you, or look it up, when I get back home. On Friday we saw a C-section!! Not surprisingly, I was struck by the size of the baby. How is something that big really expected to come out of people? The last surgical case I saw (or half-saw) was Dr. Fernando removing parts of someone’s toes. For some reason this disturbed me much more than the sight of intestines or a uterus and I couldn’t watch.
That’s it for my fourth week in the hospital. I’m happy to have reached the weekend.
We start the mornings with rounds in the female surgical department and then the male surgical department. Dr. Shaneff has been great and takes the time to explain each case. After rounds we sat in on the clinic with the Ghanaian doctors. They all seem really young but were great in involving us and asking us questions about each patient. Surprisingly, we saw a lot of males with inguinal hernias. One of the other volunteers told me that hernias are the tenth most common cause of admission to hospitals in Ghana. Other than that, common things seen in the surgical department include general abdominal pain, an absurdly enlarged scrotum, and impressively infected wounds. One teenage girl came in with a knee injury from playing basketball; it seemed really bizarre to see something that is so common at home.
All of the elective surgical cases were cancelled this week due to the complete lack of running water. Thursday and Friday are the scheduled OR days. So, after rounds, instead of going to the clinic, we went to the operating room. I got to see Dr. Fernando do a below-the-knee amputation on an older woman with gangrene. The amputation seemed really barbaric (it probably does at home too), but it was fascinating to see the doctor tidily stitch up the stump. We also saw Dr. Shaneff direct what we expected to be an appendectomy on a young man. We saw this patient yesterday, and again today, in rounds. Yesterday they thought it might be his liver but, after an ultrasound declared his liver and kidneys as normal, they predicted appendicitis. It turned out that it was pancreatitis. The doctor mentioned some specific type (necrotic hemorrhagic pancreatitis?) that has an 80% mortality rate. I really know nothing about pancreatitis. Mom and Pops, I’ll have to ask you, or look it up, when I get back home. On Friday we saw a C-section!! Not surprisingly, I was struck by the size of the baby. How is something that big really expected to come out of people? The last surgical case I saw (or half-saw) was Dr. Fernando removing parts of someone’s toes. For some reason this disturbed me much more than the sight of intestines or a uterus and I couldn’t watch.
That’s it for my fourth week in the hospital. I’m happy to have reached the weekend.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
A note to those at home
I started this blog with the thought that it would be an organized way to record my time in Ghana and a convenient way for my family to follow my progress. I was pleased to realize that more people have been following my blog than I expected and I have been touched by many of the comments and emails I’ve received. I love hearing things from home. Thank you for your support and keep the messages coming!
To Hugh, Mully, and the GNS girls – good luck this weekend!! As I write this, you are on your way to Osoyoos to compete in the BCs and wrap-up what has been a phenomenal season. I’ll be thinking about you and sending you good vibes. I look forward to hearing about the tournament. Good luck!
To Hugh, Mully, and the GNS girls – good luck this weekend!! As I write this, you are on your way to Osoyoos to compete in the BCs and wrap-up what has been a phenomenal season. I’ll be thinking about you and sending you good vibes. I look forward to hearing about the tournament. Good luck!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Weekend away from Cape Coast
We have just arrived back to Cape Coast after a fairly adventurous weekend in which we covered quite a bit of ground. This entry also covers quite a bit of ground and has ended up being fairly lengthy so feel free to skip parts.
On Friday, we headed to Accra with a bunch of the other volunteers from Cape Coast. The eleven of us all piled into a tro-tro for the three-hour journey east along the coast. Tro-tros are essentially rickety, oversized vans with an extra bank of seats and as many people as possible stuffed into them. For long journeys (i.e. several hours along major highways), they seem to be more concerned about safety and require you to actually buy a ticket to reserve a whole seat for yourself. For shorter journeys (up to 30 minute trips around town and the surrounding areas) you can just hail down a tro-tro and try to cram yourself into any remaining space. We’ve all had some fairly uncomfortable trips of sitting half on a seat and half on someone else’s lap.
Once in Accra we checked into our hotel (hotel is a fairly generous term here) and then headed off to the Projects Abroad party. Projects Abroad has volunteers placed all over Ghana – in Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi, and the Akuapem Hills. About seventy-five volunteers were there altogether. I met four girls who are living up in the hills and are from Oakville, Ontario. I mentioned that I was in Oakville in 1998 for a soccer tournament hosted by St. Mildred’s and (it is such a small world) it turns out that the four of them actually go to St. Mildred’s. None of them were at that CAIS tournament though – not only do they not play soccer but they also informed me that they were only in grade two back in 1998. I suppose that makes sense - they are only 16 now and that tournament was almost 10 years ago (wow!). The party was fun and we went out dancing with the other volunteers afterwards. Apparently, the Accra volunteers go out every night – one of the several reasons I’m glad I’m in Cape Coast.
Early Saturday morning we all piled into a tro-tro again and headed up to the Akuapem Hills. Once we got out of Accra the drive was spectacular (though it still doesn’t rival Cathedral Grove and Cameron Lake on the way up to Port Alberni). From the highway, the view looked out over green rolling hills and all the way back to overpopulated Accra. The hills have the potential to appeal to tourists and looks like they already have as there are several enormous mansions built into the hillside with incredible views.
We stopped in Aburi to visit the wood market, which consists of about fifty stalls on either side of the road all selling stunning pieces of handcrafted wood – masks, statues, drums, chairs, tables etc. I bought a few pieces and am already wishing that I could carry back more. After a few hours at the wood market we headed to the Aburi Botanical Gardens. We ate lunch there but were too tired to fully take advantage of the gardens (again, they were pretty, but really can’t compare to Butchart Gardens back home).
After the Botanical Gardens, our plan was to head past Somanya, to the Agomanya bead market, but we were told that it is only open on Thursdays. So, we set out for Boti Falls instead. It was quite a trek to get to the falls. We rocketed along unpaved roads in a taxi for about thirty minutes before we reached a camping ground, which serves as a base for visiting the falls. I felt like we were at the beginning of some horror movie as the taxi abandoned us and we walked into this isolated, bizarre, little community.
We planned to spend the night at the falls, so a man showed us the room that they have available for guests. For 50 000 cedis (about $6) altogether, four of us shared this questionable room with two beds and a really sketchy bathroom. The waterfalls fully made up for the slightly sub-par accommodation though. We descended about two hundred stairs to reach the base of the 30 metre high waterfall. There is a pool of water at the base, which is safe for swimming. The falls aren’t as powerful as they would normally be because the rainy season has only just started. This turned out to be a good thing though as we were able to stand right under the falls. The water was refreshing and, after 10 minutes of being washed by the cool water, I felt completely clean for the first time since I got here.
We had a long sleep on Saturday night, went in the falls again on Sunday morning, and then began the long journey back to Cape Coast. We had a thirty minute taxi ride to Koforidua, a 2 hour tro ride to Accra, and another 3 hour tro ride finally back to Cape Coast. That considerable amount of time in a moving vehicle was less dull than you might think. We passed through many small towns that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise and I find that everything here, from the landscape to the buildings to the people, is so different from back home that the time passes fairly quickly as you try to take everything in.
It was really nice to return to Cape Coast. As we drove through it, I was surprised to realize how familiar it seems now. It has really begun to feel like my Ghanaian home. I am so glad that I chose Cape Coast. Accra is far too big, too crowded, and too pushy for me to feel comfortable. The Hills were beautiful but uncomfortably isolated – it would be an interesting experience to live in a truly rural community but I felt a certain level of panic as my cell phone signal vanished and the distance to civilization increased. Cape Coast strikes a very good balance, with the luxuries of communication and other conveniences but without the overwhelming size and population of a big city.
On Friday, we headed to Accra with a bunch of the other volunteers from Cape Coast. The eleven of us all piled into a tro-tro for the three-hour journey east along the coast. Tro-tros are essentially rickety, oversized vans with an extra bank of seats and as many people as possible stuffed into them. For long journeys (i.e. several hours along major highways), they seem to be more concerned about safety and require you to actually buy a ticket to reserve a whole seat for yourself. For shorter journeys (up to 30 minute trips around town and the surrounding areas) you can just hail down a tro-tro and try to cram yourself into any remaining space. We’ve all had some fairly uncomfortable trips of sitting half on a seat and half on someone else’s lap.
Once in Accra we checked into our hotel (hotel is a fairly generous term here) and then headed off to the Projects Abroad party. Projects Abroad has volunteers placed all over Ghana – in Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi, and the Akuapem Hills. About seventy-five volunteers were there altogether. I met four girls who are living up in the hills and are from Oakville, Ontario. I mentioned that I was in Oakville in 1998 for a soccer tournament hosted by St. Mildred’s and (it is such a small world) it turns out that the four of them actually go to St. Mildred’s. None of them were at that CAIS tournament though – not only do they not play soccer but they also informed me that they were only in grade two back in 1998. I suppose that makes sense - they are only 16 now and that tournament was almost 10 years ago (wow!). The party was fun and we went out dancing with the other volunteers afterwards. Apparently, the Accra volunteers go out every night – one of the several reasons I’m glad I’m in Cape Coast.
Early Saturday morning we all piled into a tro-tro again and headed up to the Akuapem Hills. Once we got out of Accra the drive was spectacular (though it still doesn’t rival Cathedral Grove and Cameron Lake on the way up to Port Alberni). From the highway, the view looked out over green rolling hills and all the way back to overpopulated Accra. The hills have the potential to appeal to tourists and looks like they already have as there are several enormous mansions built into the hillside with incredible views.
We stopped in Aburi to visit the wood market, which consists of about fifty stalls on either side of the road all selling stunning pieces of handcrafted wood – masks, statues, drums, chairs, tables etc. I bought a few pieces and am already wishing that I could carry back more. After a few hours at the wood market we headed to the Aburi Botanical Gardens. We ate lunch there but were too tired to fully take advantage of the gardens (again, they were pretty, but really can’t compare to Butchart Gardens back home).
After the Botanical Gardens, our plan was to head past Somanya, to the Agomanya bead market, but we were told that it is only open on Thursdays. So, we set out for Boti Falls instead. It was quite a trek to get to the falls. We rocketed along unpaved roads in a taxi for about thirty minutes before we reached a camping ground, which serves as a base for visiting the falls. I felt like we were at the beginning of some horror movie as the taxi abandoned us and we walked into this isolated, bizarre, little community.
We planned to spend the night at the falls, so a man showed us the room that they have available for guests. For 50 000 cedis (about $6) altogether, four of us shared this questionable room with two beds and a really sketchy bathroom. The waterfalls fully made up for the slightly sub-par accommodation though. We descended about two hundred stairs to reach the base of the 30 metre high waterfall. There is a pool of water at the base, which is safe for swimming. The falls aren’t as powerful as they would normally be because the rainy season has only just started. This turned out to be a good thing though as we were able to stand right under the falls. The water was refreshing and, after 10 minutes of being washed by the cool water, I felt completely clean for the first time since I got here.
We had a long sleep on Saturday night, went in the falls again on Sunday morning, and then began the long journey back to Cape Coast. We had a thirty minute taxi ride to Koforidua, a 2 hour tro ride to Accra, and another 3 hour tro ride finally back to Cape Coast. That considerable amount of time in a moving vehicle was less dull than you might think. We passed through many small towns that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise and I find that everything here, from the landscape to the buildings to the people, is so different from back home that the time passes fairly quickly as you try to take everything in.
It was really nice to return to Cape Coast. As we drove through it, I was surprised to realize how familiar it seems now. It has really begun to feel like my Ghanaian home. I am so glad that I chose Cape Coast. Accra is far too big, too crowded, and too pushy for me to feel comfortable. The Hills were beautiful but uncomfortably isolated – it would be an interesting experience to live in a truly rural community but I felt a certain level of panic as my cell phone signal vanished and the distance to civilization increased. Cape Coast strikes a very good balance, with the luxuries of communication and other conveniences but without the overwhelming size and population of a big city.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
End of week
Friday is a holiday (African Unity Day) so we all have the day off tomorrow. On the last weekend of every month, Projects Abroad hosts a party for all the volunteers in Ghana. The one for this month is on Friday night, in Accra. We plan to make a weekend out of it: head to Accra during the day, go to the party tomorrow night, and then visit the Aburi wood market and a bead place on Saturday. It should be good.
Obstetrics this week was okay. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Radiology, but it was still interesting. Compared to Pediatrics and Radiology, the Obstetrics department was huge. There are almost forty beds (Pediatrics had twelve, and Radiology had one small waiting room), and every bed is full. The women in the beds are the ones who have paid for their health insurance or can afford the medical bills. One of the doctors showed us a hallway and small room (closet, really) where they put the women who can’t pay for treatment. It’s both sad and shocking to see women with their very small newborn babies lying on the dirty floor of this hallway. As he pointed at them the doctor accused many of them of faking poverty in order to get out of paying medical bills. Appallingly, he said that they send someone from the hospital home with them to check that they are actually too poor to pay. What a stunning display of faith in people.
The cases varied to some extent with some women in the hospital for ovarian cysts, some with uterine fibroids, some with newborn babies, and a few others with a range of things. Doing Radiology before Obstetrics was a good idea, as we saw ultrasounds of many of these cases last week. I watched a procedure for uterine fibroids (definitely no embolization here) but sadly, or maybe not, didn’t get to see any births.
On Wednesday we did a medical outreach session at Lady Heike School. The kids were adorable, as usual. Again, we went with a nurse who spoke to them about personal hygiene and then we dressed minor wounds.
Obstetrics this week was okay. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Radiology, but it was still interesting. Compared to Pediatrics and Radiology, the Obstetrics department was huge. There are almost forty beds (Pediatrics had twelve, and Radiology had one small waiting room), and every bed is full. The women in the beds are the ones who have paid for their health insurance or can afford the medical bills. One of the doctors showed us a hallway and small room (closet, really) where they put the women who can’t pay for treatment. It’s both sad and shocking to see women with their very small newborn babies lying on the dirty floor of this hallway. As he pointed at them the doctor accused many of them of faking poverty in order to get out of paying medical bills. Appallingly, he said that they send someone from the hospital home with them to check that they are actually too poor to pay. What a stunning display of faith in people.
The cases varied to some extent with some women in the hospital for ovarian cysts, some with uterine fibroids, some with newborn babies, and a few others with a range of things. Doing Radiology before Obstetrics was a good idea, as we saw ultrasounds of many of these cases last week. I watched a procedure for uterine fibroids (definitely no embolization here) but sadly, or maybe not, didn’t get to see any births.
On Wednesday we did a medical outreach session at Lady Heike School. The kids were adorable, as usual. Again, we went with a nurse who spoke to them about personal hygiene and then we dressed minor wounds.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
STORM!!
I think it’s safe to say that the rainy season has officially started. We had an impressive storm on Monday morning and then again last night. The rain here is nothing like at home though; it’s more like Ontario summer storms (or, at least how I remember them). The rain tends to come in a downpour for a few hours and then stops, rather than drizzling constantly for days. The rain has a great warning system too. The temperature drops by a very noticeable, and appreciated, several degrees and the wind picks up. When this happens you know you’ve got less than five minutes to find shelter before you’re drenched.
On Tuesday nights all the volunteers go to Grant’s (the Cape Coast director) for a quiz night/movie. The sky was flashing with lightning, strobe light style, all evening. It was about half an hour into the movie when the temperature dropped and we decided to get out of there. Grant’s is about a twenty-minute walk away from our place, down these really dark dirt roads. Nicole and I seemed to be the only ones who urgently wanted to get home. We pulled ahead of the others by speed walking, trying to ignore the really creepy shadows and rustling in nearby bushes. As we rounded a corner we felt a cold blast of wind and both broke into a run, in our flip-flops, for the last kilometer or two back to Philo’s house. And, thank you soccer fitness, we made it inside the house just before the downpour started.
It was good fun! I love storms and it’s not everyday that you get to sprint through the rain with lightning and thunder around you while people laugh and clap for the running obrunis. Fun fun!!
On Tuesday nights all the volunteers go to Grant’s (the Cape Coast director) for a quiz night/movie. The sky was flashing with lightning, strobe light style, all evening. It was about half an hour into the movie when the temperature dropped and we decided to get out of there. Grant’s is about a twenty-minute walk away from our place, down these really dark dirt roads. Nicole and I seemed to be the only ones who urgently wanted to get home. We pulled ahead of the others by speed walking, trying to ignore the really creepy shadows and rustling in nearby bushes. As we rounded a corner we felt a cold blast of wind and both broke into a run, in our flip-flops, for the last kilometer or two back to Philo’s house. And, thank you soccer fitness, we made it inside the house just before the downpour started.
It was good fun! I love storms and it’s not everyday that you get to sprint through the rain with lightning and thunder around you while people laugh and clap for the running obrunis. Fun fun!!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Cape Coast Castle and Elmina
FANTASTIC weekend! Nicole arrived on Saturday after staying an extra day in Accra to wait for the luggage that the airline lost - not the way I’d like to start a trip, but she seemed unfazed. Kate, Tamsin, and I went to meet her in town and then the four of us headed up to do the guided tour of the Cape Coast Castle.
Brief history of the Castle: It is believed that a Swedish fort, built in 1653, was the beginning of the Cape Coast Castle. Cape Coast was captured by Britain in 1665 and the fort was expanded to be of similar size to the Dutch fort at Elmina (a nearby fishing town). Sometime between 1760 and 1795, the Castle was expanded again and became, more or less, the structure that still stands today. Cape Coast was founded as a small fishing village but grew into a hugely important trading port along the coast – it was at the heart of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the 1700s and would hold up to 1500 people in the dungeons.
The Castle was…odd. On the one hand, it provides an incredibly picturesque view with the whitewashed walls standing out against the bright blue water and colourful coastline of fishing boats. On the other hand, the dungeons are creepy and it’s disturbing to consider the horrors that occurred for so many years, in the very space that we walked through. There are separate male and female dungeons and you can see lines on the walls marking the levels that their excrement reached as they were held captive. Ironically, a church was built directly on top of these dungeons and the slaves would often hear the singing and praying from people above them. The part of the tour I found the most disturbing though was a so-called “condemned cell” – a small room with no ventilation in which thirty people would be packed and abandoned until they all suffocated. People would return three days later to pull out the dead bodies. I’m not entirely sure what to make of the Castle. It’s an odd (I can’t think of another word) feeling to stand in the exact spot where so much suffering occurred. Even while considering the horrors though, it’s hard not to appreciate the spectacular view – green trees, blue water J.
For Nicole’s first night we went to the nearby STC (bus) station where they have a big screen TV and bar outside. I love the atmosphere there! They were playing the fourth Harry Potter movie, but you couldn’t hear any sound from the movie because the 80s/90s pop music was so loud. For 10 000 cedis (just over US $1) you can get an absurdly large beer from the bar. It’s definitely the coolest gas station/bus stop I’ve ever been to!
On Sunday we went to Coconut Grove Beach Resort in Elmina. Elmina was stunning. I definitely want to go back there and explore the town at some point. The 15 minute drive there was amazing too – on one side of the road you can see white sand beaches, crashing waves, and palm trees while, on the other side, people live in tiny huts of mud and straw. Elmina appears to be a smaller version of Cape Coast and, though founded 700 years ago, it still remains a fairly small fishing village. The Coconut Grove Beach Resort was really pretty and very resort-y. We quite easily could have been sitting on a beach in Mexico. It was nice to get away for a day though (and for a shower!!).
All in all it was a relaxing weekend and Nicole seems to love it here already.
Brief history of the Castle: It is believed that a Swedish fort, built in 1653, was the beginning of the Cape Coast Castle. Cape Coast was captured by Britain in 1665 and the fort was expanded to be of similar size to the Dutch fort at Elmina (a nearby fishing town). Sometime between 1760 and 1795, the Castle was expanded again and became, more or less, the structure that still stands today. Cape Coast was founded as a small fishing village but grew into a hugely important trading port along the coast – it was at the heart of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the 1700s and would hold up to 1500 people in the dungeons.
The Castle was…odd. On the one hand, it provides an incredibly picturesque view with the whitewashed walls standing out against the bright blue water and colourful coastline of fishing boats. On the other hand, the dungeons are creepy and it’s disturbing to consider the horrors that occurred for so many years, in the very space that we walked through. There are separate male and female dungeons and you can see lines on the walls marking the levels that their excrement reached as they were held captive. Ironically, a church was built directly on top of these dungeons and the slaves would often hear the singing and praying from people above them. The part of the tour I found the most disturbing though was a so-called “condemned cell” – a small room with no ventilation in which thirty people would be packed and abandoned until they all suffocated. People would return three days later to pull out the dead bodies. I’m not entirely sure what to make of the Castle. It’s an odd (I can’t think of another word) feeling to stand in the exact spot where so much suffering occurred. Even while considering the horrors though, it’s hard not to appreciate the spectacular view – green trees, blue water J.
For Nicole’s first night we went to the nearby STC (bus) station where they have a big screen TV and bar outside. I love the atmosphere there! They were playing the fourth Harry Potter movie, but you couldn’t hear any sound from the movie because the 80s/90s pop music was so loud. For 10 000 cedis (just over US $1) you can get an absurdly large beer from the bar. It’s definitely the coolest gas station/bus stop I’ve ever been to!
On Sunday we went to Coconut Grove Beach Resort in Elmina. Elmina was stunning. I definitely want to go back there and explore the town at some point. The 15 minute drive there was amazing too – on one side of the road you can see white sand beaches, crashing waves, and palm trees while, on the other side, people live in tiny huts of mud and straw. Elmina appears to be a smaller version of Cape Coast and, though founded 700 years ago, it still remains a fairly small fishing village. The Coconut Grove Beach Resort was really pretty and very resort-y. We quite easily could have been sitting on a beach in Mexico. It was nice to get away for a day though (and for a shower!!).
All in all it was a relaxing weekend and Nicole seems to love it here already.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Frustrations Mount
Today we had our second outing for the medical outreach program. We went to the Abura Literacy School again. Last week just two volunteers went (me and Brad) but with all of the new arrivals in the last while we had five volunteers there today. Kate and I took care of the kids with ringworm while the others dressed minor wounds. To welcome the volunteers the whole school (about 50 children) got together and sang several songs for us.
I can quite easily say that the most amazing thing about this place is the children. They are all so curious and so sweet. They have the most beautiful smiles and they give them so freely. It’s amazing to walk down a road and have a child from the other side of a busy street call out “hey obruni!” with a wave and a huge grin. You really can’t help but grin and wave back – which makes them really excited and they shriek and wave even more energetically as if some rare animal has just performed an extraordinary feat just for them.
Yesterday I asked Grant (the Cape Coast director of this organization) to speak with Nancy about having me start work there. I had thought that I would work at the hospital in the mornings and the orphanage in the afternoon or maybe, to really fill my days, get to the orphanage in the early morning to help the kids get ready for school, head to the hospital for a few hours and then return to the orphanage when the kids get home. It looks like none of that will happen now, thanks to Nancy. Grant told me today that Nancy doesn’t want me to work there. She provided the bullshit (excuse me) reason that she only wants volunteers who have come straight from home, not volunteers who have been in Ghana for a while already. Unbelievable. Just utterly unbelievable.
It doesn’t help that she and Grant are somewhat friends and that Grant was reluctant to push her on this. Apparently, I’m not even allowed to go in the afternoons to help out Laura (the new and only volunteer there right now). I was frustrated yesterday when I couldn’t think of a more significant way to help the children, and now I’m not even allowed to see them.
I cheered up after talking to Hugh and receiving a very welcome phone call from my Mom (sorry you two, I should stop having these phone conversations with you when I’m feeling really low). I then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around town. The long walk calmed me down and I felt a certain sense of accomplishment in suddenly being able to find my way around a place that, not too long ago, was entirely foreign and overwhelming. Also, there’s nothing like being greeted by happy, grinning children to raise your spirits.
Next week I hope to start in Obstetrics.
I can quite easily say that the most amazing thing about this place is the children. They are all so curious and so sweet. They have the most beautiful smiles and they give them so freely. It’s amazing to walk down a road and have a child from the other side of a busy street call out “hey obruni!” with a wave and a huge grin. You really can’t help but grin and wave back – which makes them really excited and they shriek and wave even more energetically as if some rare animal has just performed an extraordinary feat just for them.
Yesterday I asked Grant (the Cape Coast director of this organization) to speak with Nancy about having me start work there. I had thought that I would work at the hospital in the mornings and the orphanage in the afternoon or maybe, to really fill my days, get to the orphanage in the early morning to help the kids get ready for school, head to the hospital for a few hours and then return to the orphanage when the kids get home. It looks like none of that will happen now, thanks to Nancy. Grant told me today that Nancy doesn’t want me to work there. She provided the bullshit (excuse me) reason that she only wants volunteers who have come straight from home, not volunteers who have been in Ghana for a while already. Unbelievable. Just utterly unbelievable.
It doesn’t help that she and Grant are somewhat friends and that Grant was reluctant to push her on this. Apparently, I’m not even allowed to go in the afternoons to help out Laura (the new and only volunteer there right now). I was frustrated yesterday when I couldn’t think of a more significant way to help the children, and now I’m not even allowed to see them.
I cheered up after talking to Hugh and receiving a very welcome phone call from my Mom (sorry you two, I should stop having these phone conversations with you when I’m feeling really low). I then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around town. The long walk calmed me down and I felt a certain sense of accomplishment in suddenly being able to find my way around a place that, not too long ago, was entirely foreign and overwhelming. Also, there’s nothing like being greeted by happy, grinning children to raise your spirits.
Next week I hope to start in Obstetrics.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Week in Radiology and Human Service Trust Orphanage
The rest of the week in Radiology went well and was really interesting. It’s odd to have the work in the department come to a stand still as the power goes out several times a day and all the machines turn off. The hospital doesn’t have any running water at the moment either. I watched one of the X-ray technicians prepare a barium sulfate solution with an old rusty spoon and a cup that he rubbed “clean” with his grubby hands. I think the solution is probably gross enough as it is, without considering the unsanitary conditions in which it was prepared.
Dr. Sahid continued to be fantastic throughout the week. He was really pleased to hear that my dad is a Radiologist and proceeded to call me his “daughter in Radiology” for the rest of the week. He really was keen to sit around and “shoot the breeze” (more than most, and often with a patient sitting in the room waiting for an ultrasound) and we had several discussions with him about religion, feminism, politics, and the customs in Egypt as compared to Canada and the UK.
Maira has been back in Cape Coast this week after picking up her fiancé, Brendan, at the airport last weekend. Brendan and his friends were the main contributors of the money that Stefanie and Maira have been spending on things for these kids. It’s nice that Brendan has been able to see the orphanage and he has been just as amazing as Maira in interacting with the children. On Wednesday I was around as Maira and Brendan brought tupperware containers stuffed with goodies for the kids. Everyone got one container with a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, washcloth, underwear, T-shirt, and some candy. Maira and Brendan also mentioned that they have money left over and they’d like to pass it onto me in case there’s anything the kids need.
I really wish there was something more I could do for the kids. Stefanie and Maira have done so much already. Nancy (the woman who runs the orphanage) is a truly awful person and makes it hard to give the children possessions as she just stores them away in a locked room. Maira and Brendan have theorized (correctly, I think) that she keeps new donations of things locked away so that the orphanage looks like it’s in a poor state and visitors will sympathetically hand over cash which she can use on herself. It’s a terrible thing to think of anybody, but I believe this is true for Nancy.
On Wednesday she verbally lashed out at the kids: threatening to kill one of them and calling all of them ungrateful. And this was in English! Who knows what she says to them in Fante – a language none of the volunteers speak. Stefanie witnessed Nancy’s husband drinking all the time and saw him threaten the children with a stick while Veronica says she saw Nancy’s son hitting some of the boys. The orphanage is equipped to run really well. There is plenty of rice and meat that should be fed to the children but it just sits there. The six-year-olds are the same size as Philo’s youngest daughter, two-year-old Kookwa. There is a whole second floor of the orphanage that the children never go up to and that is, according to other volunteers, filled with toys and books that have never been used. Someone said that they saw a bike and many brand new board games hidden up there. It baffles me that anyone could have all these supplies and deliberately deprive children.
I really wish there was something else I could do but I am at a loss as to what, specifically, could make a difference for these kids. Obviously, what they need most is to be taken far away from Nancy and her family. An orphanage like this has the potential to do so much good. It would require relatively little effort to establish a routine and keep these children healthy and happy.
As Brendan and Maira left the orphanage for the last time yesterday they gave Nancy a crucifix as a reminder of them and told her that “God is watching you, and so are we.” I know they’ll both be back here.
Dr. Sahid continued to be fantastic throughout the week. He was really pleased to hear that my dad is a Radiologist and proceeded to call me his “daughter in Radiology” for the rest of the week. He really was keen to sit around and “shoot the breeze” (more than most, and often with a patient sitting in the room waiting for an ultrasound) and we had several discussions with him about religion, feminism, politics, and the customs in Egypt as compared to Canada and the UK.
Maira has been back in Cape Coast this week after picking up her fiancé, Brendan, at the airport last weekend. Brendan and his friends were the main contributors of the money that Stefanie and Maira have been spending on things for these kids. It’s nice that Brendan has been able to see the orphanage and he has been just as amazing as Maira in interacting with the children. On Wednesday I was around as Maira and Brendan brought tupperware containers stuffed with goodies for the kids. Everyone got one container with a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, washcloth, underwear, T-shirt, and some candy. Maira and Brendan also mentioned that they have money left over and they’d like to pass it onto me in case there’s anything the kids need.
I really wish there was something more I could do for the kids. Stefanie and Maira have done so much already. Nancy (the woman who runs the orphanage) is a truly awful person and makes it hard to give the children possessions as she just stores them away in a locked room. Maira and Brendan have theorized (correctly, I think) that she keeps new donations of things locked away so that the orphanage looks like it’s in a poor state and visitors will sympathetically hand over cash which she can use on herself. It’s a terrible thing to think of anybody, but I believe this is true for Nancy.
On Wednesday she verbally lashed out at the kids: threatening to kill one of them and calling all of them ungrateful. And this was in English! Who knows what she says to them in Fante – a language none of the volunteers speak. Stefanie witnessed Nancy’s husband drinking all the time and saw him threaten the children with a stick while Veronica says she saw Nancy’s son hitting some of the boys. The orphanage is equipped to run really well. There is plenty of rice and meat that should be fed to the children but it just sits there. The six-year-olds are the same size as Philo’s youngest daughter, two-year-old Kookwa. There is a whole second floor of the orphanage that the children never go up to and that is, according to other volunteers, filled with toys and books that have never been used. Someone said that they saw a bike and many brand new board games hidden up there. It baffles me that anyone could have all these supplies and deliberately deprive children.
I really wish there was something else I could do but I am at a loss as to what, specifically, could make a difference for these kids. Obviously, what they need most is to be taken far away from Nancy and her family. An orphanage like this has the potential to do so much good. It would require relatively little effort to establish a routine and keep these children healthy and happy.
As Brendan and Maira left the orphanage for the last time yesterday they gave Nancy a crucifix as a reminder of them and told her that “God is watching you, and so are we.” I know they’ll both be back here.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Radiology Rules!
As I mentioned in the last entry, I will be spending this week in Radiology. Today was great! I find it amazing that an Egyptian Radiologist working in Ghana has so much in common with most Radiologists that I know back at home. Dr. Sahid clearly loves his work, loves the variety in his work, is more than happy to have students around so he can share his wealth of knowledge, and he seems to like nothing more than to sit around and “shoot the breeze.”
The Radiology department obviously isn’t much like the ones at home. They have one ultrasound machine, a few X-ray machines, and a room for fluoroscopy. I spent the day in the ultrasound room with Dr. Sahid. With a few exceptions, the people who come into Radiology here are really sick. Most people can’t afford health care (they’ve just recently introduced health insurance but require people to pay for a year’s insurance in one lump sum so few can actually afford it) so they let the disease progress way too far. Today we saw a lot of tumors and malignancies that are way too far gone to do anything about. One woman came in with a mass on the side of her neck/face that was the size of a small soccer ball.
Dr. Sahid is great and takes the time to explain each case and draw diagrams of the anatomy. The bits and pieces of vocabulary that I’ve remembered from anatomy and physiology are proving to be very useful. Maira gave me a pile of anatomy flash cards (450 of them…wait till you see these Katie! We can use them if either of us become anatomy LAs next year) that I have been reviewing and that have been helpful.
I had a good weekend with some of the volunteers. We went to Kakum National Park and did the canopy walk on Saturday. The canopy walk consists of a bunch of walkways suspended in the trees about 30 m above ground. It was quite cool and I got some good photos. On Sunday we went to Anamabo Beach and lazed around reading books.
Well, I think that’s it for an update for now. I hope everyone at home is well. I miss you guys!
The Radiology department obviously isn’t much like the ones at home. They have one ultrasound machine, a few X-ray machines, and a room for fluoroscopy. I spent the day in the ultrasound room with Dr. Sahid. With a few exceptions, the people who come into Radiology here are really sick. Most people can’t afford health care (they’ve just recently introduced health insurance but require people to pay for a year’s insurance in one lump sum so few can actually afford it) so they let the disease progress way too far. Today we saw a lot of tumors and malignancies that are way too far gone to do anything about. One woman came in with a mass on the side of her neck/face that was the size of a small soccer ball.
Dr. Sahid is great and takes the time to explain each case and draw diagrams of the anatomy. The bits and pieces of vocabulary that I’ve remembered from anatomy and physiology are proving to be very useful. Maira gave me a pile of anatomy flash cards (450 of them…wait till you see these Katie! We can use them if either of us become anatomy LAs next year) that I have been reviewing and that have been helpful.
I had a good weekend with some of the volunteers. We went to Kakum National Park and did the canopy walk on Saturday. The canopy walk consists of a bunch of walkways suspended in the trees about 30 m above ground. It was quite cool and I got some good photos. On Sunday we went to Anamabo Beach and lazed around reading books.
Well, I think that’s it for an update for now. I hope everyone at home is well. I miss you guys!
Friday, May 11, 2007
End of my first week!
Today we began a public health outreach program to the schools. We went to one school in a poor community and dressed minor (though infected) wounds, and treated many of the kids for ringworm. It was interesting and, though the work was very simple, it was nice to get some hands-on experience. Before I left the hospital this morning I introduced myself to the Egyptian Radiologist, Dr. Ahmed Sahid. He seems great and is keen to talk to students so that’s where I will be next week.
Yesterday two kids died at the hospital – one child who really hadn’t seemed that sick on rounds and another little baby who was very ill. It’s sad to see children dying of such unnecessary causes. The baby must have died sometime in the night; by the time they realized that she had passed she was already cold.
Yesterday evening I went with Stefanie and Maira to the orphanage again so that Stefanie could say good-bye to the children. Maira has had them rehearsing “Lean on Me” and they all sang that to Stefanie yesterday, along with some other songs, to say good-bye. The kids are amazing. Stefanie and Maira were both crying and even I (who, admittedly, can be a bit of a suck – but I’ve only been here one week) was choking back the tears. Stefanie has done so much for them and is determined to do all she can from home as well. She left early this morning with Maira – the two of them will spend a night in a hotel in Accra before Stefanie flies home Saturday night.
Tonight we got an impressive storm – tons of rain and the sky flashed bright pink with lightning. It was quite cool and I’m hoping that this does something to improve the power outages and lack of running water.
Yesterday two kids died at the hospital – one child who really hadn’t seemed that sick on rounds and another little baby who was very ill. It’s sad to see children dying of such unnecessary causes. The baby must have died sometime in the night; by the time they realized that she had passed she was already cold.
Yesterday evening I went with Stefanie and Maira to the orphanage again so that Stefanie could say good-bye to the children. Maira has had them rehearsing “Lean on Me” and they all sang that to Stefanie yesterday, along with some other songs, to say good-bye. The kids are amazing. Stefanie and Maira were both crying and even I (who, admittedly, can be a bit of a suck – but I’ve only been here one week) was choking back the tears. Stefanie has done so much for them and is determined to do all she can from home as well. She left early this morning with Maira – the two of them will spend a night in a hotel in Accra before Stefanie flies home Saturday night.
Tonight we got an impressive storm – tons of rain and the sky flashed bright pink with lightning. It was quite cool and I’m hoping that this does something to improve the power outages and lack of running water.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
General update
Today and yesterday I spent the morning in the Pediatrics ward of the hospital. We followed the doctors around on their rounds and then sat in on their clinic. The doctors are two women from Cuba who have a limited grasp of English. This language barrier makes it a little hard to understand what’s going on. Though English is the official language of Ghana, it is really only spoken by those who have been educated. The people who do speak English have a wide range of abilities with the language and all have very thick accents, which also makes it hard to understand. Most of the kids come in with malaria or anemia, or both.
In the afternoons, I have followed Stefanie and Maira to Hans cottage (a pool and restaurant) where we have taken the children at the orphanage. They had a great time in the pool and then they were treated to a big meal of spaghetti and fries in the restaurant – that’s some food that I would have loved to eat.
The food hasn’t really been agreeing with me. I think it’s partly due to the heat but also to the fact that the food is so foreign. We have been eating Ghanaian versions of Western dishes, but it’s really not the same. I couldn’t possibly eat a real Ghanaian dish. With the heat and the smells of open sewers and urine everywhere, it is really hard to choke down food.
It is so unbelievably dirty everywhere. I don’t think I’ve seen a proper garbage can since I’ve been here. The garbage is just strewn about everywhere and sometimes in huge piles on a street corner. The sewers are all open and reek really badly. In town you can see chickens and goats walking and eating in the sewers – sort of removes the mystery of why people get sick eating meat…ugh. The beaches have the potential to be stunning – they are all white sand beaches with great crashing waves and a blissful breeze – but they are covered in garbage and feces from people who use them as their toilet. One of the other volunteers was trying to get a scenic picture and afterwards realized that she’d also captured a man having his early morning bowel movement, toilet paper roll and magazine in hand…gross.
Having said all this though, I’ve been amazed at how quickly I’ve felt more comfortable here. The Sampson family have done all they can to make me feel at home and Stefanie and Maira have been great with immersing me in Ghanaian culture. I’ve been quite lucky and am surprised at how quickly you can become used to the heat, lack of running water, intermittent electricity, and being covered in a constant layer of filth and sweat. The mosquitoes are not nearly as bad as I expected. They are supposed to get worse when the rainy season picks up, but still, I think that these people don’t know what Ontario mosquitoes are like.
In the afternoons, I have followed Stefanie and Maira to Hans cottage (a pool and restaurant) where we have taken the children at the orphanage. They had a great time in the pool and then they were treated to a big meal of spaghetti and fries in the restaurant – that’s some food that I would have loved to eat.
The food hasn’t really been agreeing with me. I think it’s partly due to the heat but also to the fact that the food is so foreign. We have been eating Ghanaian versions of Western dishes, but it’s really not the same. I couldn’t possibly eat a real Ghanaian dish. With the heat and the smells of open sewers and urine everywhere, it is really hard to choke down food.
It is so unbelievably dirty everywhere. I don’t think I’ve seen a proper garbage can since I’ve been here. The garbage is just strewn about everywhere and sometimes in huge piles on a street corner. The sewers are all open and reek really badly. In town you can see chickens and goats walking and eating in the sewers – sort of removes the mystery of why people get sick eating meat…ugh. The beaches have the potential to be stunning – they are all white sand beaches with great crashing waves and a blissful breeze – but they are covered in garbage and feces from people who use them as their toilet. One of the other volunteers was trying to get a scenic picture and afterwards realized that she’d also captured a man having his early morning bowel movement, toilet paper roll and magazine in hand…gross.
Having said all this though, I’ve been amazed at how quickly I’ve felt more comfortable here. The Sampson family have done all they can to make me feel at home and Stefanie and Maira have been great with immersing me in Ghanaian culture. I’ve been quite lucky and am surprised at how quickly you can become used to the heat, lack of running water, intermittent electricity, and being covered in a constant layer of filth and sweat. The mosquitoes are not nearly as bad as I expected. They are supposed to get worse when the rainy season picks up, but still, I think that these people don’t know what Ontario mosquitoes are like.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Start of work
Yesterday, Sunday, was a fairly lazy day. In the morning, Paakow showed me how to do the washing. In the afternoon, Stefanie and Maira organized some painting with the neighbourhood kids. We painted thank-you cards for their friends back home who donated money (more on Stefanie and Maira later in this entry).
Central Regional Hospital: I had my first day of work today. My first impression of the hospital was that it really is fairly modern; the buildings actually look newer than some hospitals at home. But, they just don’t have the equipment to do much. On our tour of the hospital today we were shown the mortuary. I have never seen a morgue in Canada, so a Ghanaian morgue was probably not the best example to start with. Like many things here, it was filthy with a sickly number of flies milling about. Our tour guide gladly showed us the room for the autopsies and the room where the bodies are brought in, both were covered with dried blood. The freezer room is definitely a sight I could have done without. The bodies were piled on top of each other on their freezer drawers, with three “fresh” bodies in the middle of the room. The first thing I saw as we walked in was a fat black arm sticking out from under a metal box. Our guide lifted the box to reveal a large, naked, dead black woman and then asked Brad (another volunteer who started at the hospital today too) if he fancied her. The lack of respect for the dead is amazing in this situation, especially given how religious and respectful the Ghanaian people usually are. We were extended an invitation to watch an autopsy tomorrow, but there is no way I could stomach it; the smell of the bodies today in the heat was more than enough. Tomorrow we start in the Pediatrics department and meet the doctors for rounds.
Human Service Trust Orphanage: The orphanage that Stefanie has been working at is very poorly run and the kids have very little. So, Stefanie and Maira have raised a bunch of money from their friends in Austria and New Zealand and have bought the kids bunk beds, sheets, towels, bowls and cups, and food. Of even greater value though, they have spent hours with them every afternoon working on homework, playing, and teaching basic social skills. These kids are so far behind where they should be; a good comparison can be made with the neighborhood kids who come by to hang out with the “obrunis” (white people). We finished at the hospital early today so I went along for the afternoon and helped deliver rice, chicken, and fish to the orphanage. Tomorrow and the next day we hope to take the kids to a pool. The kids are gorgeous and really respond well to the presence of volunteers. Today we had them writing thank-you letters to the people who donated money. The notes will go into the cards that we painted yesterday. Stefanie and Maira have really done amazing things with these kids and they certainly bring a different level of experience and maturity in handling these placements. It’s too bad that they’re both leaving so soon and I won’t get to spend more time with them.
Last night I went out for a drink with Veronica (the other volunteer at our house; there are four of us right now) and got to meet the other volunteers with Projects Abroad. They all seem really nice. I was mildly surprised to find out that most of them are British and are here as part of a gap year before University. It is odd to be one of the older volunteers here. They were very friendly though and I like the way Projects Abroad has arranged things so that the people here are always changing. Almost every week someone leaves and someone new arrives.
Central Regional Hospital: I had my first day of work today. My first impression of the hospital was that it really is fairly modern; the buildings actually look newer than some hospitals at home. But, they just don’t have the equipment to do much. On our tour of the hospital today we were shown the mortuary. I have never seen a morgue in Canada, so a Ghanaian morgue was probably not the best example to start with. Like many things here, it was filthy with a sickly number of flies milling about. Our tour guide gladly showed us the room for the autopsies and the room where the bodies are brought in, both were covered with dried blood. The freezer room is definitely a sight I could have done without. The bodies were piled on top of each other on their freezer drawers, with three “fresh” bodies in the middle of the room. The first thing I saw as we walked in was a fat black arm sticking out from under a metal box. Our guide lifted the box to reveal a large, naked, dead black woman and then asked Brad (another volunteer who started at the hospital today too) if he fancied her. The lack of respect for the dead is amazing in this situation, especially given how religious and respectful the Ghanaian people usually are. We were extended an invitation to watch an autopsy tomorrow, but there is no way I could stomach it; the smell of the bodies today in the heat was more than enough. Tomorrow we start in the Pediatrics department and meet the doctors for rounds.
Human Service Trust Orphanage: The orphanage that Stefanie has been working at is very poorly run and the kids have very little. So, Stefanie and Maira have raised a bunch of money from their friends in Austria and New Zealand and have bought the kids bunk beds, sheets, towels, bowls and cups, and food. Of even greater value though, they have spent hours with them every afternoon working on homework, playing, and teaching basic social skills. These kids are so far behind where they should be; a good comparison can be made with the neighborhood kids who come by to hang out with the “obrunis” (white people). We finished at the hospital early today so I went along for the afternoon and helped deliver rice, chicken, and fish to the orphanage. Tomorrow and the next day we hope to take the kids to a pool. The kids are gorgeous and really respond well to the presence of volunteers. Today we had them writing thank-you letters to the people who donated money. The notes will go into the cards that we painted yesterday. Stefanie and Maira have really done amazing things with these kids and they certainly bring a different level of experience and maturity in handling these placements. It’s too bad that they’re both leaving so soon and I won’t get to spend more time with them.
Last night I went out for a drink with Veronica (the other volunteer at our house; there are four of us right now) and got to meet the other volunteers with Projects Abroad. They all seem really nice. I was mildly surprised to find out that most of them are British and are here as part of a gap year before University. It is odd to be one of the older volunteers here. They were very friendly though and I like the way Projects Abroad has arranged things so that the people here are always changing. Almost every week someone leaves and someone new arrives.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Introduction
First night & trip to Cape Coast: I was picked up at the airport by a very cheerful Ghanaian man, Kwame Nyamero (Nyame). Projects Abroad have chosen well for their representative to meet volunteers at the airport; Nyame is outgoing, loves his country, and could not be any friendlier. He makes a very good first impression for Ghanaian people. He took me to the Projects Abroad office in Accra where I spent my first night. Thankfully, the power was on that night so the fan was working and I was able to get some sleep. Early the next morning (5 am; so, 10 pm Victoria time…I’ve never had so much trouble adjusting to a new time zone), Nyame picked me up and we went to the bus station to get a ride to Cape Coast. And, oh luxury (!!!), the bus was air-conditioned. It was lovely. As we drove through Accra, I was quite glad I wasn’t staying. The city is huge and crowded, and I really have no idea where I would begin in trying to find my way around. The busy markets eventually gave way to green countryside and a remarkably nice highway (in far better condition than most at home). The sight and smell of the sea were welcome and relatively familiar senses.
Cape Coast Induction: Grant (the regional director) picked me up from the bus station and took me on a whirlwind tour of Cape Coast. He showed me the bank, a café, the internet place (which was closed), and how to get around with their taxis. We ended with lunch in a Ghanaian café; I had chicken (really good!!) and jollof rice (orange/yellow coloured rice – cooked in tomato sauce or something, I think). The tour was pretty overwhelming and I don’t think I’ll be doing it by myself for quite some time.
Host Family and House: The Sampson family has been really friendly and really welcoming. Philo is the mom. Her brother, Paakow (20+ ish), also lives with them. Jaja (17) is Philo’s daughter and she does all of our cooking. Jojo (9 ish) is Philo’s son and Kookwa (2) is Philo’s adorable little daughter. The family lives in the back apartment of a house with four apartments. Our room is actually quite large with two good size beds, a chest of drawers, and a closet. The bathroom has been the only “shocking” thing to get used to. It is not terribly clean and it is hard to control the bugs in this heat. Also, the frequent absence of running water means that we take bucket showers and the toilet rarely gets flushed. We do get a bit of running water every day so we take the chance to fill a large bucket that we have beside the tub. Bucket showers are actually not bad at all but I have to admit that the lack of toilet flushing grosses me out a bit. The power goes out frequently (one of the reasons the internet may not be working) so eating in the dark has been another thing to get used to.
There was a party at my host family’s house last night – an early going-away party for Stefanie and Maira (two other volunteers here) who will both be leaving within the next two weeks. There were a lot of Ghanaian people there and I was introduced to a lot of people and names that I won’t remember or recognize (meeting people was made more difficult because the lights were out for a lot of the party). I met the volunteers staying next door as well: Will and Hannah. They seem really nice but will also both be gone within the next two weeks. It’s scary to think that in two weeks I’ll be the oldest volunteer in this little area.
Cape Coast Induction: Grant (the regional director) picked me up from the bus station and took me on a whirlwind tour of Cape Coast. He showed me the bank, a café, the internet place (which was closed), and how to get around with their taxis. We ended with lunch in a Ghanaian café; I had chicken (really good!!) and jollof rice (orange/yellow coloured rice – cooked in tomato sauce or something, I think). The tour was pretty overwhelming and I don’t think I’ll be doing it by myself for quite some time.
Host Family and House: The Sampson family has been really friendly and really welcoming. Philo is the mom. Her brother, Paakow (20+ ish), also lives with them. Jaja (17) is Philo’s daughter and she does all of our cooking. Jojo (9 ish) is Philo’s son and Kookwa (2) is Philo’s adorable little daughter. The family lives in the back apartment of a house with four apartments. Our room is actually quite large with two good size beds, a chest of drawers, and a closet. The bathroom has been the only “shocking” thing to get used to. It is not terribly clean and it is hard to control the bugs in this heat. Also, the frequent absence of running water means that we take bucket showers and the toilet rarely gets flushed. We do get a bit of running water every day so we take the chance to fill a large bucket that we have beside the tub. Bucket showers are actually not bad at all but I have to admit that the lack of toilet flushing grosses me out a bit. The power goes out frequently (one of the reasons the internet may not be working) so eating in the dark has been another thing to get used to.
There was a party at my host family’s house last night – an early going-away party for Stefanie and Maira (two other volunteers here) who will both be leaving within the next two weeks. There were a lot of Ghanaian people there and I was introduced to a lot of people and names that I won’t remember or recognize (meeting people was made more difficult because the lights were out for a lot of the party). I met the volunteers staying next door as well: Will and Hannah. They seem really nice but will also both be gone within the next two weeks. It’s scary to think that in two weeks I’ll be the oldest volunteer in this little area.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Departure Day
May 3rd came up quickly! I am writing from the Amsterdam airport where I have another four hours until my flight leaves for Accra. It is 9 am here in Amsterdam (midnight at home). I left Victoria at 7 am yesterday morning, had a brief lay-over in Toronto, and just got off the 7+ hour flight to Amsterdam. The flight to Accra is about six and a half hours and I'll go back a few time zones again. Amsterdam is 9 hours ahead of Victoria time; Accra is 7 hours ahead (I think). I'll be in Accra at 6 pm tonight (that'll be 11 am Victoria time).
I think I spend one night in Accra before taking a 3 hour bus ride west along the coast to Cape Coast. In Cape Coast, I'll meet the Sampson family and Maira (the other volunteer staying with them). By the end of the weekend, I will be officially introduced to my home for the next two months!
I think I spend one night in Accra before taking a 3 hour bus ride west along the coast to Cape Coast. In Cape Coast, I'll meet the Sampson family and Maira (the other volunteer staying with them). By the end of the weekend, I will be officially introduced to my home for the next two months!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
In one week...
In exactly one week I will be sitting on a plane heading away from Victoria. I have a lot to do before then.
In my last post I briefly described my accommodation and placement for my time in Ghana. Two volunteers typically stay with a local family together. By chance, I just discovered the identity of this other girl a few days ago. In an amazing demonstration of what a small world it is, my roommate happens to be another Oak Bay girl who I played softball with when we were little and who played on a Bays soccer team (the Lynx) with my sister. Nicole Hartwig is also Jessie's (Hugh's sister-in-law) cousin. What are the chances of that?! Nicole arrives almost two weeks after me and will be working in an orphanage in Cape Coast until the middle of August.
Well, I'm off to put a dent in my list of errands. Seven days and counting....
In my last post I briefly described my accommodation and placement for my time in Ghana. Two volunteers typically stay with a local family together. By chance, I just discovered the identity of this other girl a few days ago. In an amazing demonstration of what a small world it is, my roommate happens to be another Oak Bay girl who I played softball with when we were little and who played on a Bays soccer team (the Lynx) with my sister. Nicole Hartwig is also Jessie's (Hugh's sister-in-law) cousin. What are the chances of that?! Nicole arrives almost two weeks after me and will be working in an orphanage in Cape Coast until the middle of August.
Well, I'm off to put a dent in my list of errands. Seven days and counting....
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Accommodation and Placement
School is winding down and I will procrastinate from studying for my last three exams by describing my accommodation and placement details for my time in Ghana.
Accommodation:
I will be living and working in Cape Coast (three hours west of Accra, the capital). Cape Coast is on the coast (!) and is smaller than Accra. The town centre is apparently small enough to walk around, with a good market and selection of restaurants and cafes. I will be staying with Philomena Sampson and her family. It should be a full house with her brother, her three kids (ages 14, 7, and 7 months), and her niece (also 7 years old). I hope at least one of the kids is a soccer player!
Placement:
I will be working at the Central Regional Hospital. Apparently, it is one of the most modern hospitals in Ghana and most volunteers work in the pediatrics ward and/or the emergency room. More specifics on this to come later....
I leave for Ghana in exactly two weeks (minus four hours or so). The time has approached quickly and I'm looking forward to finishing my last exam on Monday so that I can shift my focus more to this trip.
14 days and counting.....
Accommodation:
I will be living and working in Cape Coast (three hours west of Accra, the capital). Cape Coast is on the coast (!) and is smaller than Accra. The town centre is apparently small enough to walk around, with a good market and selection of restaurants and cafes. I will be staying with Philomena Sampson and her family. It should be a full house with her brother, her three kids (ages 14, 7, and 7 months), and her niece (also 7 years old). I hope at least one of the kids is a soccer player!
Placement:
I will be working at the Central Regional Hospital. Apparently, it is one of the most modern hospitals in Ghana and most volunteers work in the pediatrics ward and/or the emergency room. More specifics on this to come later....
I leave for Ghana in exactly two weeks (minus four hours or so). The time has approached quickly and I'm looking forward to finishing my last exam on Monday so that I can shift my focus more to this trip.
14 days and counting.....
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Visit to the travel clinic
It is now the end of February and I've done very little since my last post to prepare for this trip. I've been preoccupied with exams, labs, and surprise birthday parties. I am also going to Seattle tomorrow to present an abstract on work that I did in Vancouver last summer. It's a lot of stress for a nine minute talk, and I'll be glad when I'm back here tomorrow night.
But, about Ghana.... I just got back from a visit to the Travel Clinic where they poked me with needles several times. In preparation for our family holiday to Costa Rica over Christmas, I already had vaccinations for Hep A and Typhoid. To that, I have now added a Yellow Fever vaccination, a complete Meningitis vaccination, and a booster for Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio. In addition to all that, I also have prescriptions for Malaria drugs (Mefloquine - which I need to test before I go because, apparently, some people go crazy on it), and antibiotics for traveler's diarrhea.
It feels good to have one more thing done in preparation for this trip.
Off to Seattle tomorrow!
But, about Ghana.... I just got back from a visit to the Travel Clinic where they poked me with needles several times. In preparation for our family holiday to Costa Rica over Christmas, I already had vaccinations for Hep A and Typhoid. To that, I have now added a Yellow Fever vaccination, a complete Meningitis vaccination, and a booster for Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio. In addition to all that, I also have prescriptions for Malaria drugs (Mefloquine - which I need to test before I go because, apparently, some people go crazy on it), and antibiotics for traveler's diarrhea.
It feels good to have one more thing done in preparation for this trip.
Off to Seattle tomorrow!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
First Post
I am procrastinating from studying for my Nutrition exam tomorrow and have decided to set up a blog.
Today is Valentine's Day and I leave for Ghana in just under three months. My trip to Ghana is the reason for setting up this blog - to have a convenient way to keep it touch with friends and family here in Victoria, as well as to keep an online diary that I can refer back to later when reviewing my trip and writing up a work term report.
So, as of today I have been accepted with Projects Abroad to work with them in Ghana for two months on a medical project. My flights are booked: Victoria to Toronto to Amsterdam to Accra and back again. I leave May 3 and am back in Victoria on June 26.
I am looking forward to the trip and, while it seems far away now, I know that the three months is going to fly by.
Today is Valentine's Day and I leave for Ghana in just under three months. My trip to Ghana is the reason for setting up this blog - to have a convenient way to keep it touch with friends and family here in Victoria, as well as to keep an online diary that I can refer back to later when reviewing my trip and writing up a work term report.
So, as of today I have been accepted with Projects Abroad to work with them in Ghana for two months on a medical project. My flights are booked: Victoria to Toronto to Amsterdam to Accra and back again. I leave May 3 and am back in Victoria on June 26.
I am looking forward to the trip and, while it seems far away now, I know that the three months is going to fly by.
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