Hi everyone. As crazy as it is, my one month trip is coming to an end. It literally feels like I just stepped off of the plane in Accra, excited and nervous to start my life here. And that's exactly what I did...I have a life here. I didn't just come to vacation and sight-see...but I lived, worked, and travelled here, and made many great memories in the process.
Today was my last day in the Police Hospital which was very bittersweet. As much as I'm ready to see my family and friends and snuggle in the comfort of my home country, I'm just as sad to leave all of the wonderful friends that I've made here. I spent the day going to all of the different units and said goodbye to all of my favorite people at the hospital. It's nice to know that no matter what happens in life, I have a handful of Ghanaian policmen willing to defend and protect me, and if I would let them, marry me.
I also took a test for Mr. Vieira to see how much knowledge I gained about HIV/AIDS. The test was actually pretty difficult mainly because he makes it 'tricky' on purpose. But I did fairly well, regardless and am actually surprised at how much I have learned.
This is probably the last blog I will send from Africa, but I will update once more when my journey is completely over and I arrive at home. We're going on weekend trip to Cape Coast tomorrow and then my flight leaves Monday night.
Now I'm off to Global Mamas which is a store where everything is handmade by African women, to look around with Kim! :)
Much love, talk to you when I'm back in the U.S.!
Thursday 9 June 2011
Wednesday 8 June 2011
This is the Title.
I'm updating a little earlier than usual today because I'm not feeling well. :( I left work early so I can go home and try and rest it off. The huge goodbye dinner for everyone who is leaving in the next few days is tonight so I don't want to miss it!
On a different note...it has finally happened. We all knew it was coming. And come it did. The cockroach encounter. First off, the cockroaches here are a bit larger than in the U.S...So squishing them provides optimum disgusting results. Deanna and I had 3 in our bathroom at two different times yesterday. Nicole killed the first one yesterday morning, after failing a few times, getting it stuck in our wardrobe, and chasing it out with mosquito spray. None of us wanted to pick it up, so I promised to buy Nick a beer if he threw it away. Success.
But then later that night, there were another two when we got home. I went into the bathroom and shut the door, and somehow in that one second it took for me to close the bathroom door, I unintentionally managed to trap the cockroach halfway in the crack of the door. It's head was sticking out toward Deanna and its butt was still stuck toward me and it was trying to wiggle out. Sick. We got Harry this time, and timing it perfectly, I opened the door and Harry killed our second victim. The third one was too high on the wall, so I threw some paper at it until it crawled out of the bathroom window. Needless to say,I dreamt about bugs all last night.
Monday was my first day in counseling...and I got lucky and invited myself to a seminar that the counselors were attending at the Ministry for Women and Children's Affairs. I got to attend a lecture about basic HIV/AIDS knowledge and why it is good to attend voluntary testing and counseling. Afterwards, the counselors held a voluntary counseling and testing session that I got to sit in on which was really interesting. I was lucky that I actually got to participate in something since Counseling Unit is the most difficult to work with.
Tuesday I was back in Counseling Unit and I was not so lucky. I made a powerpoint and entered some data, but that was it. Mainly I read Dexter. Last night was my last Projects Abroad quiz night...and although Harry had promised me numerous times that I could be on his team, when the time actually came, he broke his promises and therefore broke our friendship as well. My team tied with his though...and we both tied on the tie breaker...but his team won on the second tie breaker, unfortunately. Maybe someday I'll forgive him. I didn't go out with the others after Quiz because I was feeling quite tired.
Today I'm still feeling really tired and feel a little sick so I hope I haven't caught anything. I'm going to go attempt to sleep it off now, though. Hope everyone else is well!
On a different note...it has finally happened. We all knew it was coming. And come it did. The cockroach encounter. First off, the cockroaches here are a bit larger than in the U.S...So squishing them provides optimum disgusting results. Deanna and I had 3 in our bathroom at two different times yesterday. Nicole killed the first one yesterday morning, after failing a few times, getting it stuck in our wardrobe, and chasing it out with mosquito spray. None of us wanted to pick it up, so I promised to buy Nick a beer if he threw it away. Success.
But then later that night, there were another two when we got home. I went into the bathroom and shut the door, and somehow in that one second it took for me to close the bathroom door, I unintentionally managed to trap the cockroach halfway in the crack of the door. It's head was sticking out toward Deanna and its butt was still stuck toward me and it was trying to wiggle out. Sick. We got Harry this time, and timing it perfectly, I opened the door and Harry killed our second victim. The third one was too high on the wall, so I threw some paper at it until it crawled out of the bathroom window. Needless to say,I dreamt about bugs all last night.
Monday was my first day in counseling...and I got lucky and invited myself to a seminar that the counselors were attending at the Ministry for Women and Children's Affairs. I got to attend a lecture about basic HIV/AIDS knowledge and why it is good to attend voluntary testing and counseling. Afterwards, the counselors held a voluntary counseling and testing session that I got to sit in on which was really interesting. I was lucky that I actually got to participate in something since Counseling Unit is the most difficult to work with.
Tuesday I was back in Counseling Unit and I was not so lucky. I made a powerpoint and entered some data, but that was it. Mainly I read Dexter. Last night was my last Projects Abroad quiz night...and although Harry had promised me numerous times that I could be on his team, when the time actually came, he broke his promises and therefore broke our friendship as well. My team tied with his though...and we both tied on the tie breaker...but his team won on the second tie breaker, unfortunately. Maybe someday I'll forgive him. I didn't go out with the others after Quiz because I was feeling quite tired.
Today I'm still feeling really tired and feel a little sick so I hope I haven't caught anything. I'm going to go attempt to sleep it off now, though. Hope everyone else is well!
Monday 6 June 2011
I'll Try and Keep This Brief....
but I have a lot to say. First off, I'll begin with my week 3 list. I'll have to post tomorrow to tell the many stories of my trip to Ada-foah.
1. How to take blood.
2. How to do a CD4 count on an HIV patient.
3. The huts at Ada-foah are prone to collapsing.
4. Don't step on your Kindle.
5. Always check the taxi for your phone before you get out.
6. Don't leave your rain jacket outside overnight at a public beach camp.
7. I can survive on the bare necessities (although I dislike it, greatly.)
8. If a Ghanaian says you'll be back by 3...he means 4:45.
9.It's always possible to get what you need...for a price.
10.Ghanaians occasionally do favors just to ask for favors in return.
11. The third week in Ghana will go the fastest.
12. Saying, "If it's God's will that we meet again, then we will meet again." is a great way to get out of giving someone your number.
13. You can form fantastic friendships in 3 weeks or less.
14. Not all of the dogs here have rabies.
15. Helping children is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
16. Giving away your toy unicorn is worth it for a six-year-old's smile.
17. Ghanaians love for you to draw/color pictures for them.
18. The dress lady will probably not even reference your measurements.
19. Tro crashes are not a myth.
20. A great way to save money on weekend trips is to skip breakfast and lunch.
1. How to take blood.
2. How to do a CD4 count on an HIV patient.
3. The huts at Ada-foah are prone to collapsing.
4. Don't step on your Kindle.
5. Always check the taxi for your phone before you get out.
6. Don't leave your rain jacket outside overnight at a public beach camp.
7. I can survive on the bare necessities (although I dislike it, greatly.)
8. If a Ghanaian says you'll be back by 3...he means 4:45.
9.It's always possible to get what you need...for a price.
10.Ghanaians occasionally do favors just to ask for favors in return.
11. The third week in Ghana will go the fastest.
12. Saying, "If it's God's will that we meet again, then we will meet again." is a great way to get out of giving someone your number.
13. You can form fantastic friendships in 3 weeks or less.
14. Not all of the dogs here have rabies.
15. Helping children is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
16. Giving away your toy unicorn is worth it for a six-year-old's smile.
17. Ghanaians love for you to draw/color pictures for them.
18. The dress lady will probably not even reference your measurements.
19. Tro crashes are not a myth.
20. A great way to save money on weekend trips is to skip breakfast and lunch.
Thursday 2 June 2011
Another Day in the Lab
So today I was in the lab again. It wasn't a clinic day so it was pretty slow, but I still got to do a couple of HIV tests. I did on on my new roommate, Deanna who is new to the HIV/AIDS project. She's in the lab with me this week I tested her today. She flinched away from the finger prick so I didn't get quite deep enough to draw enough blood, and Laura jokingly stated that I would just have to take blood from Deanna's arm instead. And surprisingly, Deanna was all for it. Mohammed (my lab supervisor) walked me through taking blood one more time, and then I just did it. I got the vein on the first try :D...I was so proud of myself lol. I was so scared that I was going to hurt her that after I was done taking the blood, my hands were shaking haha. At least I know they won't shake during the process :) But now that I have my first one out of the way and know that I can do it, I won't be so nervous for the next one. Mohammed told me that I could take some more tomorrow from the real patients if I want to so I'm pretty excited.
Last night we all went to what everyone was calling, "the music thing" and I'm still not sure if it was a concert or a fundraiser, but it was really fun. It was a group of young Ghanaian men playing the drums and they were really good. On the way there we took a taxi...and as I slid out of the seat I said out loud, "Oh I really hope my cell phone wasn't in there..." as the taxi drove off. Lo and behold... it was. So Kim called it a few times, (of course I left it on vibrate.) and left a text message saying to call her number if it was found. As I stood there kicking myself for not checking before I got out, about 5 minutes later the taxi driver drove back up and handed me my phone. What a nice guy. He could easily have kept that or sold it or whatever...but he came all the way back and gave it to me. I gave him 5 cedis for his trouble and his kindness. The rest of the night was good though :)
Today I'm going to pick up my dress from the dress lady that made it for me and pick up Carmen's present as well so I'm pretty excited to see how they turned out! And tomorrow I'm leaving with the other volunteers to go to Ada-foah early in the afternoon so I probably won't blog again until Monday. I can't believe tomorrow is the weekend; where did this week go? I am excited to get out of Accra though and spend some much needed time in clean air and the beach.
Byeee :)
Last night we all went to what everyone was calling, "the music thing" and I'm still not sure if it was a concert or a fundraiser, but it was really fun. It was a group of young Ghanaian men playing the drums and they were really good. On the way there we took a taxi...and as I slid out of the seat I said out loud, "Oh I really hope my cell phone wasn't in there..." as the taxi drove off. Lo and behold... it was. So Kim called it a few times, (of course I left it on vibrate.) and left a text message saying to call her number if it was found. As I stood there kicking myself for not checking before I got out, about 5 minutes later the taxi driver drove back up and handed me my phone. What a nice guy. He could easily have kept that or sold it or whatever...but he came all the way back and gave it to me. I gave him 5 cedis for his trouble and his kindness. The rest of the night was good though :)
Today I'm going to pick up my dress from the dress lady that made it for me and pick up Carmen's present as well so I'm pretty excited to see how they turned out! And tomorrow I'm leaving with the other volunteers to go to Ada-foah early in the afternoon so I probably won't blog again until Monday. I can't believe tomorrow is the weekend; where did this week go? I am excited to get out of Accra though and spend some much needed time in clean air and the beach.
Byeee :)
Wednesday 1 June 2011
Outreach Day Two.
Today was another Outreach and Laura and I went to Nungua to an orphanage/school. The kids were lovely and so much fun :) Laura and I were the only ones that went so we stayed busy the entire time which was fun but really exhausting. There was also a dog with puppies there and I know they tell us not to pet any of the animals to avoid getting rabies...but I just couldn't help myself and I pet (petted?) them all. So far, I am not avoiding water. On the way home we got caught in a gust of wind that blew dirt all over us so I'm completely covered in this wonderful film of Ghanaian dust. It's a wonderful life :)
I also bought a dress today because I just fell in love with it. I guess I'll be saving in other places to make up for it lol.
Now Kim and I are going to Trashy Bags...a store that sells items woven from recycled materials around Ghana.
Byeeeee.
I also bought a dress today because I just fell in love with it. I guess I'll be saving in other places to make up for it lol.
Now Kim and I are going to Trashy Bags...a store that sells items woven from recycled materials around Ghana.
Byeeeee.
Tuesday 31 May 2011
Tuesday.
This past Saturday everyone stayed in Accra. Most of the volunteers went to an Amnesty Conference here but I was not feeling well that morning and decided to try and sleep a bit more. I joined them for lunch and then Trivial Pursuit (British version) so I was really bad. Then we all went to a bar called Q Base to watch the Champions League Final...Barcelona v. Manchester which actually did entertain me the entire time. I found I actually got into it.
Sunday, Maria and Kim and I went to the Botanic Gardens and Cocoa Farm. The Botanic Gardens were beautiful and Cocoa Farms was just really interesting. Apparently it's the oldest cocoa farm in Ghana. They taught us how to dry out the seeds so it was really cool.
Monday was my first day in the Lab and it was and unfortunate day for me. They were in the middle of transitioning between supervisors so I didn't get to do anything yesterday. But today I ran some more rapid HIV tests (all negative :)) and learned how to take blood. I haven't gotten to actually take blood yet...I'm waiting on someone to come in with really good veins for my first attempt.
I'm still not eating well or feeling well after what little I do eat. I think I'll just have to get used to it until I leave.
Sorry this one isn't very entertaining...but I'm a bit rushed. So talk to you all later!
Sunday, Maria and Kim and I went to the Botanic Gardens and Cocoa Farm. The Botanic Gardens were beautiful and Cocoa Farms was just really interesting. Apparently it's the oldest cocoa farm in Ghana. They taught us how to dry out the seeds so it was really cool.
Monday was my first day in the Lab and it was and unfortunate day for me. They were in the middle of transitioning between supervisors so I didn't get to do anything yesterday. But today I ran some more rapid HIV tests (all negative :)) and learned how to take blood. I haven't gotten to actually take blood yet...I'm waiting on someone to come in with really good veins for my first attempt.
I'm still not eating well or feeling well after what little I do eat. I think I'll just have to get used to it until I leave.
Sorry this one isn't very entertaining...but I'm a bit rushed. So talk to you all later!
Monday 30 May 2011
End of Week Two List.
1. Do not ask if they have peaches in England. (They do.)
2. Don't trust a taxi driver when he says he knows where he is going.
3. Don't get in a taxi that will cause you to leave with mysterious blood on the back of your calf.
4. Ghanaians don't form lines at ATMs or Tros. They follow "Survival of the Fittest."
5. I will never be the "fittest."
6. If it looks like rain...it won't rain.
7. If it looks clear...it will rain.
8. Host families only clean the bathrooms if there is a new volunteer coming in.
9. How to dry out cocoa beans.
10. The difference in Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles.
11. Eat as much as you can when you go out to eat so you can last longer without eating the local cuisine.
12. ALWAYS carry baby wipes.
13. Find the cleanest bathrooms in your regular buildings...then coordinate your water/pee schedule to match when you'll be near those bathrooms.
14. It's impossible to "sleep in" here.
15. Do your laundry more than once a week.
16. Buy parasite medicine before swimming.
17. Random businessmen who have never used an ATM before will get ATM preference.
18. It is possible to get tired of chicken.
19. It is not possible to get tired of pineapple.
20. Always carry your rain jacket.
2. Don't trust a taxi driver when he says he knows where he is going.
3. Don't get in a taxi that will cause you to leave with mysterious blood on the back of your calf.
4. Ghanaians don't form lines at ATMs or Tros. They follow "Survival of the Fittest."
5. I will never be the "fittest."
6. If it looks like rain...it won't rain.
7. If it looks clear...it will rain.
8. Host families only clean the bathrooms if there is a new volunteer coming in.
9. How to dry out cocoa beans.
10. The difference in Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles.
11. Eat as much as you can when you go out to eat so you can last longer without eating the local cuisine.
12. ALWAYS carry baby wipes.
13. Find the cleanest bathrooms in your regular buildings...then coordinate your water/pee schedule to match when you'll be near those bathrooms.
14. It's impossible to "sleep in" here.
15. Do your laundry more than once a week.
16. Buy parasite medicine before swimming.
17. Random businessmen who have never used an ATM before will get ATM preference.
18. It is possible to get tired of chicken.
19. It is not possible to get tired of pineapple.
20. Always carry your rain jacket.
Friday 27 May 2011
Outreach.
Today was my first day to do medical outreach. Four of us were taken to a school to nurse the children's minor scrapes, ringworms, and rashes. It was so much fun! The kids absolutely love the attention so I got tons of pictures. It was great being able to be so hands-on. The leader, Richard, would guide and advise us on what to do if we needed assistance, but allowed us to do everything. We washed the cuts and scrapes with saline, and applied antibiotic creams and bandages. For the ringworm we applied a specific medication. But to be able to directly help a child and be able to see the effects directly was a wonderful experience. I will definitely go again.
Tomorrow I am traveling to Ada-foah with 3 other girls...Laura, Deena, and Maria. It should be a really relaxing weekend :) I'm having a great time here, but the city-life isn't my favorite so I really enjoy going away to the more scenic and natural destinations for the weekend. I've definitely decided I do not want to live in a big city when I start my own life...maybe a small one. But not one this big lol.
Now I need to go home and wash some laundry. Hope everyone's day is great!
Erin
Tomorrow I am traveling to Ada-foah with 3 other girls...Laura, Deena, and Maria. It should be a really relaxing weekend :) I'm having a great time here, but the city-life isn't my favorite so I really enjoy going away to the more scenic and natural destinations for the weekend. I've definitely decided I do not want to live in a big city when I start my own life...maybe a small one. But not one this big lol.
Now I need to go home and wash some laundry. Hope everyone's day is great!
Erin
Thursday 26 May 2011
Time is FLYING.
I only have 2 weeks and 2 days left in Ghana...where is the time going?
This past weekend the volunteers took a trip to Wli...the list is as follows:
Me
Kim...US, Texas
Deena...US, LA (I think)
Harry...England
Nicole...England
Kate...England
Kanya...Australia
Jo...Australia
Nick...Holland
Corina...Switzerland
Sabine...Denmark
Phillip...Denmark
We had a great time. We stayed in The Waterfall Lodge and it was gorgeous. It was a 5 hour tro ride...but it honestly wasn't so bad. If you had told me two weeks ago that I would be able to sleep on a tro, I wouldn't have believed you...but it is true. The first day we hung out and played football (soccer) and volleyball...and just joked around. The next day we did the hikes to the waterfalls. I attempted to hike to the upper falls...which is about 4 miles...uphill about the steepness of bleachers...up a mountain. The whole hike lasted about 2 hours. 5 minutes in...feeling good. 10 minutes in...face red and struggling to catch a breath. 15 minutes in...literally can't catch a breath and borrow an inhaler. 20 minutes in...still having trouble breathing and soaked through my shirt with sweat. 25 minutes in...two girls turn back but I'm too stubborn and decide to lead the group to set the pace a bit slower. 30 minutes in...I give it up. I was pretty confident that if I continued, the others in the group would be forced to deal with my limp body when I passed out. We weren't even halfway there and I was struggling to see straight...so I went back down to the lower falls....the problem being that the other girls had already turned back, so I was forced to go back alone.
Now I don't know if any of you have ever been alone in an African jungle, but if you have, you will probably agree with me that it is the single most terrifying thing to happen to me in my entire life. Especially since another group of volunteers a couple weeks ago had a Green Mamba snake fall into the middle of their group while hiking the same mountain. As if descending a bleacher-steep, rocky mountain wasn't hard enough to do alone...I was constantly thinking that I was being stalked by a leopard or was about to tread in deadly snake territory. So it took me about 40 minutes of mountain descending alone before I found the other girls. I've never seen my knees shake so badly...I was sure they were just going to fail me and leave me stranded forever. But they, and I, kept going somehow...Praying (literally) the entire time that I would not end up as a jungle cat's dinner, or somehow get myself pinned between rocks like that guy who had to cut off his arm.
All of it was worth it, though. Kate, Corina and I spent some time in the lower falls and it was stunning. I got lots of pictures and had a nice, refreshing swim (which I found out later DOES contain parasites...more on that later) and cooled off.
Monday I had my last day in ART and followed around a dietician . It was interesting but I didn't get much hands on action that day. I did, however, learn how to take blood pressures which I know will prove to be useful later in life.
Tuesday was my first day in PMTCT (Prevention of mother to child transmission) where I actually performed HIV and Syphillis tests on pregnant women. I got to prick their fingers and put the blood on the testing strips and add the reagents to see the results. We tested about 40 women and only 2 out of the 40 were positive for HIV (nobody was positive for Syphillis). One lady didn't really say much when she was told her results. I got the impression she may have been expecting it. The other lady was heartbreaking, however. She didn't cry, but when I looked in her eyes I could see all of the fear that she was trying to hold in. Apparently she had just been granted a visa to the U.S. (which is really hard for Ghanaians to do) and was terrified they would take it away from her now that she tested positive. I hope that they don't. This was probably the hardest moment that I have had here so far.
Wednesday was an African holiday...African Unity Day...so we were off of work. All of the girl volunteers went to the pool at the hotel Shangri La and spent the day there. It was extremely relaxing. Later that night, I fell down the stairs at home...really hurt and now I have quite a few deep bruises :-/
Today was my last day in PMTCT and I spent the day watching 2 month old babies and 9 month old babies get vaccinated. These babies were not HIV babies, but normal, healthy babies. I got to hold a few of them...which really started to confirm my thoughts that I may want to work with babies for a living. I got some great pictures...I'm finally comfortable enough with the culture to know when it is appropriate to ask someone for a picture. A lot of women are hesitant, especially when their children are involved...but I am happy to say that the women I asked today were very happy to participate. Some even took pictures of me! After work I stopped by the pharmacy to get some parasite medicine from swimming at Wli... taking the medicine will also ensure my safety if I want to swim again this weekend in Ada-foah because the water there also contains the same parasite. But all is well, and the medicine was cheap so we'll see! :)
Side note...someone don't let me forget to tell Carmen about spider-hunting and bug bite shockers.
Hope everyone is well and I will blog again soon!
Erin
This past weekend the volunteers took a trip to Wli...the list is as follows:
Me
Kim...US, Texas
Deena...US, LA (I think)
Harry...England
Nicole...England
Kate...England
Kanya...Australia
Jo...Australia
Nick...Holland
Corina...Switzerland
Sabine...Denmark
Phillip...Denmark
We had a great time. We stayed in The Waterfall Lodge and it was gorgeous. It was a 5 hour tro ride...but it honestly wasn't so bad. If you had told me two weeks ago that I would be able to sleep on a tro, I wouldn't have believed you...but it is true. The first day we hung out and played football (soccer) and volleyball...and just joked around. The next day we did the hikes to the waterfalls. I attempted to hike to the upper falls...which is about 4 miles...uphill about the steepness of bleachers...up a mountain. The whole hike lasted about 2 hours. 5 minutes in...feeling good. 10 minutes in...face red and struggling to catch a breath. 15 minutes in...literally can't catch a breath and borrow an inhaler. 20 minutes in...still having trouble breathing and soaked through my shirt with sweat. 25 minutes in...two girls turn back but I'm too stubborn and decide to lead the group to set the pace a bit slower. 30 minutes in...I give it up. I was pretty confident that if I continued, the others in the group would be forced to deal with my limp body when I passed out. We weren't even halfway there and I was struggling to see straight...so I went back down to the lower falls....the problem being that the other girls had already turned back, so I was forced to go back alone.
Now I don't know if any of you have ever been alone in an African jungle, but if you have, you will probably agree with me that it is the single most terrifying thing to happen to me in my entire life. Especially since another group of volunteers a couple weeks ago had a Green Mamba snake fall into the middle of their group while hiking the same mountain. As if descending a bleacher-steep, rocky mountain wasn't hard enough to do alone...I was constantly thinking that I was being stalked by a leopard or was about to tread in deadly snake territory. So it took me about 40 minutes of mountain descending alone before I found the other girls. I've never seen my knees shake so badly...I was sure they were just going to fail me and leave me stranded forever. But they, and I, kept going somehow...Praying (literally) the entire time that I would not end up as a jungle cat's dinner, or somehow get myself pinned between rocks like that guy who had to cut off his arm.
All of it was worth it, though. Kate, Corina and I spent some time in the lower falls and it was stunning. I got lots of pictures and had a nice, refreshing swim (which I found out later DOES contain parasites...more on that later) and cooled off.
Monday I had my last day in ART and followed around a dietician . It was interesting but I didn't get much hands on action that day. I did, however, learn how to take blood pressures which I know will prove to be useful later in life.
Tuesday was my first day in PMTCT (Prevention of mother to child transmission) where I actually performed HIV and Syphillis tests on pregnant women. I got to prick their fingers and put the blood on the testing strips and add the reagents to see the results. We tested about 40 women and only 2 out of the 40 were positive for HIV (nobody was positive for Syphillis). One lady didn't really say much when she was told her results. I got the impression she may have been expecting it. The other lady was heartbreaking, however. She didn't cry, but when I looked in her eyes I could see all of the fear that she was trying to hold in. Apparently she had just been granted a visa to the U.S. (which is really hard for Ghanaians to do) and was terrified they would take it away from her now that she tested positive. I hope that they don't. This was probably the hardest moment that I have had here so far.
Wednesday was an African holiday...African Unity Day...so we were off of work. All of the girl volunteers went to the pool at the hotel Shangri La and spent the day there. It was extremely relaxing. Later that night, I fell down the stairs at home...really hurt and now I have quite a few deep bruises :-/
Today was my last day in PMTCT and I spent the day watching 2 month old babies and 9 month old babies get vaccinated. These babies were not HIV babies, but normal, healthy babies. I got to hold a few of them...which really started to confirm my thoughts that I may want to work with babies for a living. I got some great pictures...I'm finally comfortable enough with the culture to know when it is appropriate to ask someone for a picture. A lot of women are hesitant, especially when their children are involved...but I am happy to say that the women I asked today were very happy to participate. Some even took pictures of me! After work I stopped by the pharmacy to get some parasite medicine from swimming at Wli... taking the medicine will also ensure my safety if I want to swim again this weekend in Ada-foah because the water there also contains the same parasite. But all is well, and the medicine was cheap so we'll see! :)
Side note...someone don't let me forget to tell Carmen about spider-hunting and bug bite shockers.
Hope everyone is well and I will blog again soon!
Erin
Monday 23 May 2011
Things I have learned in Ghana so far...
So yesterday marked the one week mark of my arrival...and I decided that for every one week mark, I will compile a list of things I learned that week.
1. Don't give out your number.
2. Switch any rings you have to your left hand so the boys think you are married.
3. Not only are Teva shoes wonderful for the mud, dirt and African terrain, they also are great for killing bugs in your room.
4. U.S. is the only country where I am not old enough to drink.
5. No matter what a taxi driver tries to convince you, any price over 10 cedis is a rip-off. And usually anything over 5 is as well.
6. People from Holland and Denmark tend to be the least friendly.
7. All other countries think Americans are kinda dumb.
8. Don't attempt a 4 mile uphill hike up a mountain if you have never attempted such a feat before and you have a heart condition.
9. Use your mosquito net. Bug spray is also not optional at night.
10. Despite how the other volunteers may make fun of you for buying a fan...it's WORTH IT!
11. It is possible to fall asleep on a trotro.
12. Iron your lab coat.
13. Always greet persons of higher status. They will ignore you until you do so.
14. Ghanians are perpetually late/lenient about time. It's normal here.
15. Don't walk in an African jungle by yourself. If it's necessary, continuously pray and don't panic.
16. Don't get out of a taxi to walk home if you don't know how far away your home is.
17. When a guy says he wants to be your "friend" here, it basically means he wants to get with you.
18. Most children LOVE having their picture taken. Others will scream and cry if you don't ask first.
19. When working in a hospital, always ask to do things or you will otherwise just end up sitting there.
20. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to interact with the other volunteers. They are your family here.
Alright guys, I hope you have a wonderful day :)
Erin
1. Don't give out your number.
2. Switch any rings you have to your left hand so the boys think you are married.
3. Not only are Teva shoes wonderful for the mud, dirt and African terrain, they also are great for killing bugs in your room.
4. U.S. is the only country where I am not old enough to drink.
5. No matter what a taxi driver tries to convince you, any price over 10 cedis is a rip-off. And usually anything over 5 is as well.
6. People from Holland and Denmark tend to be the least friendly.
7. All other countries think Americans are kinda dumb.
8. Don't attempt a 4 mile uphill hike up a mountain if you have never attempted such a feat before and you have a heart condition.
9. Use your mosquito net. Bug spray is also not optional at night.
10. Despite how the other volunteers may make fun of you for buying a fan...it's WORTH IT!
11. It is possible to fall asleep on a trotro.
12. Iron your lab coat.
13. Always greet persons of higher status. They will ignore you until you do so.
14. Ghanians are perpetually late/lenient about time. It's normal here.
15. Don't walk in an African jungle by yourself. If it's necessary, continuously pray and don't panic.
16. Don't get out of a taxi to walk home if you don't know how far away your home is.
17. When a guy says he wants to be your "friend" here, it basically means he wants to get with you.
18. Most children LOVE having their picture taken. Others will scream and cry if you don't ask first.
19. When working in a hospital, always ask to do things or you will otherwise just end up sitting there.
20. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to interact with the other volunteers. They are your family here.
Alright guys, I hope you have a wonderful day :)
Erin
Friday 20 May 2011
Last post before the weekend
Hey everybody.
My friend Kim and I had a little adventure that I would like to use to teach everyone what you should not do when you are in Ghana. First of all, don't leave Danqua Circle at 5 o clock...it will be nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get transportation back home. Second, if the trotros are full and you're frustrated with waiting...just keep waiting. Otherwise, taking a drop taxi becomes super awkward when the taxi driver wants to charge you 10 cedis and you force him to take 4 even though it's rush hour. He WILL be rude to you. Thirdly, if you are in standstill traffic...do NOT get out of the car and just decide to walk...ESPECIALLY if you do not know how far away you are. It will be a ridiculously long walk and it will get dark before you get home and you will be forced to pick up yet another taxi to avoid walking at night. Le sigh. On top of everything else, you will miss your nap and barely make it in time for dinner.
Last night all of the volunteers went out together again. It's really fun to hang out with 20 kids from all over the world because most of our conversations revolve around different words that Americans, Australians, Canadians, and Brits use and which ones are better. For example a Canadian and I got into a heated discussion with two Brits about the words Jelly, Jam, and Jello.
Today I worked in the ART clinic again, and it was much better today. The doctor was nicer and more helpful. He's going to teach me how to take blood pressures on Monday :)
Tonight we are all going to the Indian restaurant again to celebrate another going away date...should be fun. And on Saturday and Sunday about 15 of us are taking a trip to see the Wli waterfalls about 4 hours away. Hope everyone else is well!
My friend Kim and I had a little adventure that I would like to use to teach everyone what you should not do when you are in Ghana. First of all, don't leave Danqua Circle at 5 o clock...it will be nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get transportation back home. Second, if the trotros are full and you're frustrated with waiting...just keep waiting. Otherwise, taking a drop taxi becomes super awkward when the taxi driver wants to charge you 10 cedis and you force him to take 4 even though it's rush hour. He WILL be rude to you. Thirdly, if you are in standstill traffic...do NOT get out of the car and just decide to walk...ESPECIALLY if you do not know how far away you are. It will be a ridiculously long walk and it will get dark before you get home and you will be forced to pick up yet another taxi to avoid walking at night. Le sigh. On top of everything else, you will miss your nap and barely make it in time for dinner.
Last night all of the volunteers went out together again. It's really fun to hang out with 20 kids from all over the world because most of our conversations revolve around different words that Americans, Australians, Canadians, and Brits use and which ones are better. For example a Canadian and I got into a heated discussion with two Brits about the words Jelly, Jam, and Jello.
Today I worked in the ART clinic again, and it was much better today. The doctor was nicer and more helpful. He's going to teach me how to take blood pressures on Monday :)
Tonight we are all going to the Indian restaurant again to celebrate another going away date...should be fun. And on Saturday and Sunday about 15 of us are taking a trip to see the Wli waterfalls about 4 hours away. Hope everyone else is well!
Thursday 19 May 2011
Loving Ghana.
Hi all.
Last night all of the volunteers went to eat Indian food together to celebrate 4 of the Danish boys' going away date. 'Twas delicious.
Today I went to the Maternity ward in the hospital because my clinic was closed for the day...The morning was really great. I made friends with a doctor when I came in (who I didn't know was a doctor at the time lol) so he was really helpful all morning and literally drug me by hand as he went on his rounds. The ward has 3 rooms with about 6 women and their children in each, so it is really different from back home! And the babies stay in the beds with the mothers instead of having a separate bed for baby. While we were in the second room, one of the mother left to do something and while she was gone her baby started crying...just a little at first, but after about 5 minutes it had turned into wailing and I couldn't stand it any longer. I plucked up the courage to ask the nurse if I could go hold its tiny hand to comfort it, and she agreed...but once I got over there she asked me to just pick it up. Score. It stopped crying immediately...he just wanted a little snuggle. The mother walked in on me holding her baby and just smiled...SO different from what would have happened in the U.S.! The rest of the day I spent waiting to watch a delivery...4 hours...and when it finally came time to deliver, they informed me that I could not watch for some weird reason or another. After 4 hours...they didn't think to tell me sooner? That's how it is in Ghana though. The morning was worth it so my frustration didn't last very long.
After work some friends I've made and I visited Oxford street...known for its artisan stalls. It was the most fun and crazy and stressful thing all at once. All of them would grab you and follow you around asking you to buy RANDOM things that you would probably never buy on your own...And I got my first taste of bargaining. One of the girls who has been here longer gave me some guidance...and I got a backpack, woven bracelet with my name, and necklace all for 13 cedis. Now I need a shower.
Last night all of the volunteers went to eat Indian food together to celebrate 4 of the Danish boys' going away date. 'Twas delicious.
Today I went to the Maternity ward in the hospital because my clinic was closed for the day...The morning was really great. I made friends with a doctor when I came in (who I didn't know was a doctor at the time lol) so he was really helpful all morning and literally drug me by hand as he went on his rounds. The ward has 3 rooms with about 6 women and their children in each, so it is really different from back home! And the babies stay in the beds with the mothers instead of having a separate bed for baby. While we were in the second room, one of the mother left to do something and while she was gone her baby started crying...just a little at first, but after about 5 minutes it had turned into wailing and I couldn't stand it any longer. I plucked up the courage to ask the nurse if I could go hold its tiny hand to comfort it, and she agreed...but once I got over there she asked me to just pick it up. Score. It stopped crying immediately...he just wanted a little snuggle. The mother walked in on me holding her baby and just smiled...SO different from what would have happened in the U.S.! The rest of the day I spent waiting to watch a delivery...4 hours...and when it finally came time to deliver, they informed me that I could not watch for some weird reason or another. After 4 hours...they didn't think to tell me sooner? That's how it is in Ghana though. The morning was worth it so my frustration didn't last very long.
After work some friends I've made and I visited Oxford street...known for its artisan stalls. It was the most fun and crazy and stressful thing all at once. All of them would grab you and follow you around asking you to buy RANDOM things that you would probably never buy on your own...And I got my first taste of bargaining. One of the girls who has been here longer gave me some guidance...and I got a backpack, woven bracelet with my name, and necklace all for 13 cedis. Now I need a shower.
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Antiretroviral Therapy
Hello All!
I'm back in Sharpnet with another volunteer that works in the hospital with me. We just ate lunch...mine was a packed sandwich from the house maid...I still don't know what exactly was on it. I tried to eat it...but just having no clue what was going into my body was too much for me to handle lol. Me and the other guy were both placed in the Antiretroviral therapy clinic today. Basically I just watched a doctor have quick checkups with patients currently on the antiretrovirals, and meet with new patients requesting to be put on the medicine. They spoke the local language mostly while I was there so a lot of it I couldn't understand. But every now and then he would speak English with a patient...which I found to be way more beneficial for myself. To be quite honest, the day was a little frustrating. First of all, Ghanaians do not know the meaning of the word "punctuality" and they handle medical practices way differently. The doctors' offices do not have an examining table, just a chair next to the doctor's desk. And the patients come in right on top of each other. The doctor does not take any additional time to review the files or to write additional information down between patients. It's just handled way differently here. Tomorrow I am supposed to return to the ART clinic, but they only have clinics on Wednesdays and Fridays so I'm going to ask if I can visit the Maternity Ward in the hospital.
Yesterday I got lost. That was fun. But not really. It's kinda terrifying being lost in an unfamiliar country. But knowing me and my horrible geographical sense, I knew it would happen eventually. The Ghanaians that I asked for help were really really sympathetic and nice so I felt safe. I found my way much to my relief and bought a fan so I wouldn't die at night. I slept much better.
Also yesterday was Quiz Night for the volunteers so I got to meet all of the ones here in Accra. They were all nice, and even though I'm still really new I felt included.
More later!
I'm back in Sharpnet with another volunteer that works in the hospital with me. We just ate lunch...mine was a packed sandwich from the house maid...I still don't know what exactly was on it. I tried to eat it...but just having no clue what was going into my body was too much for me to handle lol. Me and the other guy were both placed in the Antiretroviral therapy clinic today. Basically I just watched a doctor have quick checkups with patients currently on the antiretrovirals, and meet with new patients requesting to be put on the medicine. They spoke the local language mostly while I was there so a lot of it I couldn't understand. But every now and then he would speak English with a patient...which I found to be way more beneficial for myself. To be quite honest, the day was a little frustrating. First of all, Ghanaians do not know the meaning of the word "punctuality" and they handle medical practices way differently. The doctors' offices do not have an examining table, just a chair next to the doctor's desk. And the patients come in right on top of each other. The doctor does not take any additional time to review the files or to write additional information down between patients. It's just handled way differently here. Tomorrow I am supposed to return to the ART clinic, but they only have clinics on Wednesdays and Fridays so I'm going to ask if I can visit the Maternity Ward in the hospital.
Yesterday I got lost. That was fun. But not really. It's kinda terrifying being lost in an unfamiliar country. But knowing me and my horrible geographical sense, I knew it would happen eventually. The Ghanaians that I asked for help were really really sympathetic and nice so I felt safe. I found my way much to my relief and bought a fan so I wouldn't die at night. I slept much better.
Also yesterday was Quiz Night for the volunteers so I got to meet all of the ones here in Accra. They were all nice, and even though I'm still really new I felt included.
More later!
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Akwaaba
Akwaaba means Welcome!
And so far, I definitely feel very welcome. Being an American, I just about draw every eye on the street...and to think I thought I was going to blend in.
Flights were pretty good...minus the 10 hour last one. That one was a killer...but thinking back on it, I should have at least appreciated my last 10 hours of A/C despite how cramped my footspace was...lol. Thankfully I made great friends with my seat buddy on the last flight so that she and I stuck together to get through Immigration and baggage claim. Speaking of the baggage claim, apparently in Accra, there is no organization to that whatsoever...so it took us a good 20 minutes of watching the line of bags roll by to figure out that our bags had already been taken off and set to the side with another huge group of bags.
Nyame picked me and another girl up and set us in a cab to take us to our host families. He was truly a character and promised me that once my term in Accra was over, that I would beg my parents and Projects Abroad to extend my visa to stay longer. I don't know about THAT...but we'll see :)
I live with Mrs. Cudjoe who is an elderly lady whose children have grown and left the house and her husband has passed away. She has three hired helps...Abigail being the most friendly. Mrs. Cudjoe stays to herself but is really a wonderfully sweet lady. I share the house with 5 other volunteers...3 Dutch, 1 British, 1 Swedish. And I have no clue how to spell any of their names except the British one...Harry...who ironically is a carrot-top just like the prince. 4 of them are all studying Human Rights here and are gone on a field trip, so it's just me and one Dutch boy in the house now.
Yesterday was my induction day and Richard---a Ghanian who holds the title of Medical Coordinator for Projects Abroad---took me around the major areas of Accra. Accra, btw, is MASSIVE. The areas we visited were Circle, Danqua, and my home district...Dzorwulu (pronounced Jo-oo-loo but most of the time just sounds like Jo). Circle was super busy and crowded and actually quite terrifying. I do not believe I will ever be going back there lol. I work in Danqua which is way easier and safer to navigate for little me. I ate some traditional Ghanaian dishes...kinda. They were SUPER spicy so I did the best I could.
Culture shock has hit me right in the face...and has hit me HARD. I have lost my appetite almost completely. My tummy rumbles but it takes everything in me just to put food in my mouth and swallow. It's good food, I'm just still really overwhelmed. I haven't been able to sleep well either because I wake up every couple of hours immobilized by the lack of A/C and the extent of the humidity and heat (even at night). But today, Richard helped bargain a deal with a street seller and on my way home I will be purchasing a standing fan to aim on myself at night. Hopefully that will help. I do have running water..and it's cold...which is actually the best thing ever in this climate. You couldn't pay me to take a hot shower these days.
Today I was briefed at the Police hospital by Mr. Vieira about what I'll be doing in each of the clinics. His first question was where was I from, and I told him America, to which he replied one word, "Obama." Hahaha. I will work a week in each of the clinics. I start tomorrow in the Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic, then move to Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, after that I will work in the Lab and run tests, and finally, I will work my last week in Counseling. He asked me my current knowledge of HIV/AIDS which was definitely lacking...but don't you worry...he spent 3 hours filling in the gaps for me. At the end of my month, I will give a presentation to a local school on HIV/AIDS and its prevention proving my new knowledge.
I can't wait to start tomorrow...that's when my real experience begins. The police hospital isn't as scary as my research made it out to be. Everyone is super nice, especiallly if you give them a big smile and say Morning! One man even called me a beauty today :) which makes me smile because if any of you could see me right now, you'd know I am definitely not looking my finest.
Scariest part so far is the transportation. I take a series of trotros, or tros for short, and shared cab taxis to get to work everyday. It takes about 45 minutes every time due to traffic. Today is my first day to travel alone without Richard's help, but another volunteer in my house has volunteered to meet me in Danqua today and come home with me. Trotros for those of you that don't know, are like super OLD vans that they pack to capacity...no air, no belts, and no personal space. They actually aren't as bad as I thought. I'm just worried about arriving at the wrong destination since they aren't marked and the trotro mates are hard to understand. But I'm slowly understanding the dialect better and better every day.
Alright well I must leave now, I'm running out of internet time on my computer in Sharpnet (internet cafe).
Post again soon! This weekend I've been invited to travel with a group to see some waterfalls so I will have lots to talk about in the upcoming week.
Stay safe everyone...Love you all!
Erin
And so far, I definitely feel very welcome. Being an American, I just about draw every eye on the street...and to think I thought I was going to blend in.
Flights were pretty good...minus the 10 hour last one. That one was a killer...but thinking back on it, I should have at least appreciated my last 10 hours of A/C despite how cramped my footspace was...lol. Thankfully I made great friends with my seat buddy on the last flight so that she and I stuck together to get through Immigration and baggage claim. Speaking of the baggage claim, apparently in Accra, there is no organization to that whatsoever...so it took us a good 20 minutes of watching the line of bags roll by to figure out that our bags had already been taken off and set to the side with another huge group of bags.
Nyame picked me and another girl up and set us in a cab to take us to our host families. He was truly a character and promised me that once my term in Accra was over, that I would beg my parents and Projects Abroad to extend my visa to stay longer. I don't know about THAT...but we'll see :)
I live with Mrs. Cudjoe who is an elderly lady whose children have grown and left the house and her husband has passed away. She has three hired helps...Abigail being the most friendly. Mrs. Cudjoe stays to herself but is really a wonderfully sweet lady. I share the house with 5 other volunteers...3 Dutch, 1 British, 1 Swedish. And I have no clue how to spell any of their names except the British one...Harry...who ironically is a carrot-top just like the prince. 4 of them are all studying Human Rights here and are gone on a field trip, so it's just me and one Dutch boy in the house now.
Yesterday was my induction day and Richard---a Ghanian who holds the title of Medical Coordinator for Projects Abroad---took me around the major areas of Accra. Accra, btw, is MASSIVE. The areas we visited were Circle, Danqua, and my home district...Dzorwulu (pronounced Jo-oo-loo but most of the time just sounds like Jo). Circle was super busy and crowded and actually quite terrifying. I do not believe I will ever be going back there lol. I work in Danqua which is way easier and safer to navigate for little me. I ate some traditional Ghanaian dishes...kinda. They were SUPER spicy so I did the best I could.
Culture shock has hit me right in the face...and has hit me HARD. I have lost my appetite almost completely. My tummy rumbles but it takes everything in me just to put food in my mouth and swallow. It's good food, I'm just still really overwhelmed. I haven't been able to sleep well either because I wake up every couple of hours immobilized by the lack of A/C and the extent of the humidity and heat (even at night). But today, Richard helped bargain a deal with a street seller and on my way home I will be purchasing a standing fan to aim on myself at night. Hopefully that will help. I do have running water..and it's cold...which is actually the best thing ever in this climate. You couldn't pay me to take a hot shower these days.
Today I was briefed at the Police hospital by Mr. Vieira about what I'll be doing in each of the clinics. His first question was where was I from, and I told him America, to which he replied one word, "Obama." Hahaha. I will work a week in each of the clinics. I start tomorrow in the Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic, then move to Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, after that I will work in the Lab and run tests, and finally, I will work my last week in Counseling. He asked me my current knowledge of HIV/AIDS which was definitely lacking...but don't you worry...he spent 3 hours filling in the gaps for me. At the end of my month, I will give a presentation to a local school on HIV/AIDS and its prevention proving my new knowledge.
I can't wait to start tomorrow...that's when my real experience begins. The police hospital isn't as scary as my research made it out to be. Everyone is super nice, especiallly if you give them a big smile and say Morning! One man even called me a beauty today :) which makes me smile because if any of you could see me right now, you'd know I am definitely not looking my finest.
Scariest part so far is the transportation. I take a series of trotros, or tros for short, and shared cab taxis to get to work everyday. It takes about 45 minutes every time due to traffic. Today is my first day to travel alone without Richard's help, but another volunteer in my house has volunteered to meet me in Danqua today and come home with me. Trotros for those of you that don't know, are like super OLD vans that they pack to capacity...no air, no belts, and no personal space. They actually aren't as bad as I thought. I'm just worried about arriving at the wrong destination since they aren't marked and the trotro mates are hard to understand. But I'm slowly understanding the dialect better and better every day.
Alright well I must leave now, I'm running out of internet time on my computer in Sharpnet (internet cafe).
Post again soon! This weekend I've been invited to travel with a group to see some waterfalls so I will have lots to talk about in the upcoming week.
Stay safe everyone...Love you all!
Erin
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