bad news

well, not a good week here in ghana. on wednesday i had gone on a four day trip to mole national park in north-west ghana and my mom, who had been having diarrhea, a headache and nausea off and on for a few days decided that she would stay in accra at the volunteer abroad house while i was gone. after feeling better on thursday and friday, she awoke on sunday drenched in sweat, dehydrated and nauseous. she felt worse and worse as sunday progressed before she went to the lister hospital in accra and was diagnosed with malaria, an intestinal infection, and a urinary tract infection. to make matters worse, i was still a 14 hour drive away. i arrived at the hospital around midnight on sunday, where she was still feeling incredibly sick and quite scared too, given she is so far from home

thankfully, after a night of little to no sleep she began to feel better on monday morning as the antimalarial drugs and the iv antibiotics began to kick in.. i still can't believe she got malaria... we have take our malarone religiously, have slept in mosquito nets every night and have avoided going outside at dawn and after dusk. she will be in the hospital until thursday and we will be flying home early, most likely this coming saturday. mom is in good spirits though and slowing feeling better and better

i must say that this private hospital is a top class facility, better than many you would see back in canada. she has a private room with satellite tv, a bar fridge, a beautiful bathroom with a state of the art shower head, and of course air conditioning. and the care from the nurses and doctors has also been fantastic. they are courteous, caring, and answer her many questions with smile. i can't say enough about the quality of the care at the lister hospital. after sleeping two nights in a car, i came back to VA house because i am going to kasoa to say good bye to our homestay, the clinic where i worked and retrieve our luggage. of course, mom is very sad at the way her trip has ended and is distressed that she will not get to see our house family again.

i will quickly say that the week previous to this was the best week i've had in ghana... i was in maternity and helped deliver four babies and i must say it was incredible. and later in the week i was able to see wild elephants and sit on a crocodile (and no it was not sedated in any way) i wish i had more time to say more, but i must get to kasoa and then go see my mother

general update

Well, last week wasn't the greatest week for us here in Ghana. Last Tuesday, mom started feeling sick and it was downhill from there. By wednesday afternoon, we were considering taking her to the hospital, but luckily a few hours later she started to improve... at which point i got sick from about thursday night to saturday. Anyway the weekend was a write-off. We were supposed to go to a monkey sanctuary but we couldn't go because i was in no condition to leave the house. Let's just say that we lived in the bathroom for most of the week. Then our host father started getting sick on sunday. This makes me think it was something we eat. Further supporting evidence comes from the fact that leftovers sit on the stove (for at least a day) and don't go in the fridge... and then are served again the next night. Also, there is no soap in the house to wash dishes, our water is yellow and comes from the river, and the kitchen is infested with countless species of insects (and the occasional lizard). hahah oh ghana, i love you so much. To be honest, for some reason little of this bothers me.. i'm here for the experience... i expected to get sick--i can't believe it took this long--but mom is much less willing to accept these health risks (and is much smarter in doing so i would say).

Anyway, we're going to Ada Foah tomorrow, which according to many volunteers is the most beautiful place in ghana. It's right at the point where the Volta River meets the ocean. We're staying in a hotel that you reach by boat. It's on the beach and you stay in huts with sand floors and no electricity. And the price is right at only 10 ghana cedi a night. We're really looking forward to it!

Mom has finished at Christ Outreach and will spend the final volunteer week (next week) at a private medical clinic, plying her former trade. And from what I hear they are very excited to have her and even asked her to make any suggestions on how things could run smoother at the clinic. They know her very well from her frequent visits with the children. Thankfully, the orphanage received some money from parents who are adopting some of the children, however, it didn't go very far. They'll have some food for a few weeks anyway, but they're already out of clean drinking water. But more children keep getting malaria and continue to swim in stagnant pools, leading to more schistosomiasis cases. The children were sad to see her go, as was the matron of the orphanage, but she's going to go back for a visit before we live, which is still a way off.

I was in the Rural and Community Health ward this week, which meant commmunity outreach projects. One day i went to a farming village that was in the middle of nowhere. It was very exciting. We weighed babies, gave them vitamins and inoculations. In fact I was able to give my first needle this week to a 14 week old baby boy. Needless to say, he cried ahaha. I also went along on two visits to maternity clinics where we did similar work. It was hilarious when we arrived because there was always a sea of women with newborns, and of course there was a huge uproar because first i was white and second i was a male. Plus i've been growing a beard here for quite a long time now. It actually somewhat resembles a legitimate beard. Growing a beard while travelling/volunteering in west africa just feels right for some reason haha.

I know, i'm continually saying it, but so much to say, so little time... But I have to mention religion in ghana. This has to be the most fervently christian country i've ever been to. By far. I think it must be 70 or 80% christian, with a muslim minority of about 15%, and the balance made up by animistic local religions. But christianity especially is everywhere and it is an intrisic part of life here. Many cars and trucks, both private and commerical have religious slogans stickered on their windshields, such as "God is Love" or "Anything is Possible with Jesus". But that is just the start. Essentially, you can attend church on any day of the week--but of course sunday is huge here. Most churches have services that last from 9 am to 1 pm--yes a vast majority. However, there are many churches that start their service at 4:30 am on sunday morning and they go all day.. and i mean ALL day. It's incredible. In fact, when we stay in Kasoa on the weekend (which is rare) the music from the church usually wakes us up. Furthermore, i would say about 35% of all businesses here have some sort of religious reference in their title. Here are a few of my favorites from Kasoa alone:

1. Clap for Jesus Engineering Shop
2. In Jesus' Blood Print Shop (i still can't believe this is real place of business)
3. By God's Grace Fast Food (and by fast food they don't mean burger and fries)
4. King Jesus Phones

There are many more, but i can't remember them all. I'm going to have to start writing them down. Faith is very powerful here though. And given the economic situation for many, it is easy to see why. For example, a nurse who i have worked with extensively is 20 years old, has a basic 6-month 'nursing' degree under her belt and lives with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle does not let her or her aunt out of the house except to work. She has no money to further her education, and plus the government can withhold her salary for 2 years because she's a new graduate. And what was her only hope? "I pray to God that a miracle will happen" she told me. I can't tell you how many people i've met in similar situations, but most seem to find comfort and hope in religion which is a good thing for them to have. It certainly makes me appreciate the opportunities that i've had that much more.

I should say more about our host family too. Very interesting people. Eric, our host father is 35, but he told me he's 27 haha. His father is a chief (Eric's last name means 'chief') in the northern region of ghana, which is vastly underdeveloped compared to the south. Eric's father has 7 wives and eric has 31 brothers and sisters in total (including half siblings of course). He is one of 4 children who are not farmers in the north. He was supposed to succeed his father as chief but he said it wasn't for him. We're really not too sure what he does for a living because, he's home all day. He has a taxi, but it doesn't work and he's trying to sell it. Jemimah is pregnant (but doesn't know when she's due). She works at a hair salon in accra, but wants to start up her own shop in Kasoa. Based solely on my observations of our host family, it seems to be quite a man's world here. Even though Jemimah works all day, she still prepares food and cleans. Eric doesn't really have to lift a finger. And Akouse, Jemimah's 13 year old sister who also lives in the house, also does a lot of work. It seems to be that you have to pay your dues while you're young here by doing all the dirty jobs--washing clothes (which of course is done by hand), fetching water, and pounding fofu. She even refuses to let us carry anything remotely heavy when we're around. We play cards with our host family and a game called ludu and we talk a lot about how things are in Ghana and in Canada. I watch a lot of soccer with Eric, and we talk for hours about everything from politics to sports to the price of oil. I must admit though, extremely awkward moment this week. He said he wants to come to canada and work for a while to raise some money. But he expects us to pay for all flights, to sponsor him, and to find him work in Canada (where he couldn't work legally anyway). We were told by volunteer abroad that our host family would likely ask for money or for us to sponsor them to come to Canada. Anyway, we kind of brushed it off, not wanting to upset the current balance in the house as things have been very good. But next week, we're going to have to break the news.

Anywho, mom and I are both feeling great now--the trip is starting to fly by. I must admit that for the first time i felt really homesick last week while i was back and forth to the bathroom. But at the same time, i'm very comfortable. Sometimes I forget that i'm in ghana. And then it hits me at random times and i realize how special it is. Even in the down time (of which there is quite a bit) i don't wish time to pass faster because i won't have another experience similar to this for a while (this won't be the last time i do something like this).

Christ Outreach Orphanage/Kasoa Health Center

First, I apologize for the extended delay. It's due essentially to laziness--the heat drains us so much. There are internet cafes here and there in Kasoa, but I don't expect them to be very fast.

Anyway, so on three weeks ago tomorrow we went to our homestay in Kasoa. It's a 40-45 minute drive from Accra (when there is zero traffic, otherwise it usually takes us 1 1/2 hours). We had hired a car to take us there because we had so much luggage making it impossible to take a tro-tro. About three-quarters of the way there, there was a police barricade. Of course our car got waved to the side (as everyone else was waved through). A police officer carrying a semi-automatic rifle came up and started yelling at the driver at the top of his lungs. He said that we weren't wearing our seat belts (99.9% of people here don't, and they don't even work in most cars anyway). Then he berated the driver for wearing sandals while driving. When he asked our driver for his license he said he didn't have it on him. So the officer asked him to get out of the car. Then the volunteer abroad country director, Kersten, had to get out and explain what we were doing and where we were going. We were finally able to leave after she gave the police officer her "phone number." We had heard stories of police corruption here and I was expecting to have to pay a bribe. Luckily we didn't, although I know other volunteers who have.

Our host family is very nice and they have a lovely home in Kasoa. Eric and Jemimah are married and Jemimah's 13 year old sister Akousua lives with them. Mom and I share a room in their reasonably large house (we also share the room with numerous cochroaches and lizards and mosquitoes). Were really not sure what Eric does for a living, but Jemimah works in Accra in a salon. She is also 4 months pregnant. They seem to have one of two things for dinner, neither of which we find particularly appealing--okra and red fish stew with banku (fermented dough) or okra and red fish stew with fofu (plantain that is pounded and mixed with some water to create a dough like substance). Usually they cook us our own meal, which is usually jollof rice and a boiled egg. We've had quite an assortment of Ghanaian food, and it is generally incredibly hot and spicy. I've enjoyed wayche, jollof rice, fofu with ground nut (peanut) soup, but mom hasn't taken quite as readily to the food. Both of us have lost a significant amount of weight though. I've lost 15 pounds in just over a month (i can't believe we've been here that long!) and mom has lost just over 10 pounds. The heat just kills our appetites in general, but i can't really afford to lose anymore weight.

Mom's placement, at the orphanage is interesting to say the least. The conditions for the children there are quite horrible. When she arrived there was no money for food, no clean water for drinking or for bathing, the sleeping arrangements were deplorable, as was the condition of the outhouse. Many of the children were also very sick. Mom's first priority was to take the children to the clinic. The youngest one, two year old Nana, had malaria, a severe chest infection, and anemia. Many of the children had various infections and sicknesses that until she arrived, were not being attended to. Many of the boys had been swimming in a stagnant pool of water, and as a result got schistosomiasis. Also, the accounting situation is in shambles. The owner of the orphanage, Auntie Rose, is 67 years old and really not in a position to run the orphanage whatsoever. But mom has done what she can and she loves the children, and they have certainly taken to her as well. Nana cries when she leaves and has started calling her Mama haha. Like most things in Ghana, a lot of things are talked about, but nothing gets done and this has frustrated my mother a great deal. But she's getting along and doing really well.

The clinic that I work at is about a 10 minute tro-tro ride away from our homestay. It has about 6 beds in it, a maternity ward, an RCH ward, a lab, and 'emergency'. The first week I was in the lab. Let me tell you, it was much different than the lab i was used to at BioMedica! We had three pieces of electrical equipment--a basic light microscope, a single channel spectrophotometer for testing blood hemaglobin, and a small centrifuge. We perform only about 15 different tests, most using dip sticks. By far the most common one is malaria (followed by typhoid fever), which is tested by staining a blood smear on a slide and looking for parasites under the microscope. I've been able to try my hand at pretty much every single lab test (none are difficult whatsoever) Obviously we take blood in the lab as well. Sometimes gloves are worn, but not more than half of the time (and only by those who are taking blood, not those even working with blood). Also gloves are not changed between patients. These are shocking health care practices, especially where HIV/AIDS is such a huge problem here in Ghana. I was actually being made fun of because I was wearing gloves at all times when I was working--unbelievable, but it didn't bother me. But the people in the lab were fantastic and the all call me by my Ghanaian nickname, Kwesi and ask me all sorts of questions. I also had about 10 marriage proposals during my time at the clinic so far haha (even one from the head nurse and one of the primary hospital administrators). When I say that I have a girlfriend, they say they don't care and that they're willing to share-hilarious. No one hear speaks english as a first language, so everyone around us (mom and i) is speaking Twi, which is frustrating at times, especially when you know they're talking about you. But I'm used to it now and I don't care--I usually just laugh. For the past two weeks I've been working with the nurses at the entrance to the clinic who take vital signs of every patient who comes in (blood pressure, temp, pulse, weight). It's very simple work but I get to meet a lot of people. I've also familiarized myself with how the Ghanaian health care system works (all the paper work, insurance, etc.). I have to say though, that the pace of work in Ghana is very, very slow compared to home. Efficiency is a word that doesn't seem to carry much weight hear. I have a lot of time to sit around, but somehow, everyone else does too. This seems to go for all businesses we have come in contact with haha, and it definately takes some getting used to. If you have a meeting with some scheduled for 10 am, it's likely they won't show up anywhere near 10 or 11, and maybe not at all. But i'm getting used to it now. I've been lucky to observe many different procedures here as well, all fairly minor but good experience nonetheless. I will mention one thing that really shocked me though. While I was working last week, a taxi sped up to the clinic and the driver carried out a boy whose left foot was hanging by a thread--the bone was clearly visible and the tissue damage was outrageous. He was also losing lots of blood. I was the first one to great them and they rushed inside. The resources at our clinic are very limited though. We have no plasma or blood products of any kind (no refridgeration). They tried to stem the bleeding as best they could but could do little else. The boy was still there when I left an hour after he came in. I found out the next day that he had no health insurance and no next of kin or relatives could be contacted. So instead of referring him to a hospital in Accra, he WAS SENT HOME! He had lost an outrageous amount of blood and his foot certainly had to be amputated. There is no way I can see him surviving. Thinking about it now still shakes me.

Anywho, I have so much more to say but i'm running out of minutes on the internet here. We've gone on a few weekend getaways around Ghana, which i have been extremely eye-opening and interesting, but I'll update about it this week (i promise). And i know i shortchanged my mom's placement a bit, but it's just because i'm writing it and she's not--but i'll get her to put her two cents in soon. Overall, we're doing really well. I'm extremely comfortable here now, i'd say i'm at home and mom is coming around ahah, i can't tell you how impressed i am with here!

Lastly, i was absolutely ecstatic to find out that i got into memorial medical school in st john's. i was on the waiting list for about 2 weeks, but found out early this week that i had been accepted. it definately made my day (to say the least). i'm really excited for this fall. Hope everything is going well with everyone back in Canada!