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.
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