Day 25

Today was cleaning day at the clinic. My friends Comfort and Gladys were just beginning to scrub and told me to sit down and watch. I didn’t like the idea of just sitting there while they cleaned around me when I’m perfectly capable of scrubbing the floors. I asked if I could help and they were surprised I knew how to scrub the floors. We were mainly scrubbing to get the white paint up and clean all the dust that had collected. We had such a great time talking and dancing while cleaning the room. It was really hard work and I was so gross and sweaty by the end. It is not an option to be weak in Ghana. You have to be very strong to survive here. Then we grabbed the side tables from different wards and began scrubbing them down. The nurses are so much fun to talk to and are very nice to me. They said that they’ll be on the lookout for any cute obibinis (black men) for me to marry. They all offered their brothers but I declined those. They were telling me that they liked my work ethics even though I could only clean 1 shelf in the time it took them to do 3. I don’t think they expected me to offer to help or know what to do. Once we finished scrubbing out Comfort asked me to accompany her to the marketplace. I ran into the woman that sold plantains to me last week and she told me all about the traditional healers she goes to when she’s pregnant. All of her boys were walking by 7 months all because of the medicine she drank when she was pregnant. I got her information down so I could use her for my research. I love how unexpected my subjects come up. I went home and rested a bit because I had been in the sun most of the day and was getting pretty burnt. Around 5 Cassie and I ventured back into town to go to the market. We got most of what we needed then went over to Nimo’s house. Nimo is a very smart man so our conversations are very intriguing. Today I was thankful for the wonderful opportunities to strengthen my relationship with many people. I am getting more used to living this way and certain tasks aren’t as difficult anymore. Cooking, washing, and cleaning don’t take as long anymore and it’s not as big of a pain anymore. I know that the Lord is watching over me and blessing me constantly with safety and health. The wonderful people of Wiamoase have answered my prayers every single day. My wonderful roommate Cassie is so smart and gives me different ways to think about situations. I am so thankful for the time I have here but still find myself thinking of friends and family often.

XOXO

Natalie