Day 53

Cape Coast Trip Day 1

This morning I woke up at 5 and started packing as Cassie went to take her shower. I packed almost all of my belongings into one backpack and purse making sure to include all the things needed to renew my visa. We left for Agona and only waited a couple minutes there before Jackie, Lauren, and King arrived. We got on a pretty comfortable tro tro and left right away. I listened to music the whole way there until we arrived in Kumasi. King helped us navigate to the banks while only a few men grabbed at us this time. We went to the bank next to Barclays and I pulled out some money. King had a taxi waiting for us but we all had to go use the bathroom real quick. We got out to the taxi and as he was driving away he said we owe him 5 cedi instead of the 4 he told us because he had to wait 30 minutes for us. It was barely 15 minutes so we told him we weren’t going to do that. We had to drive through this checkpoint where a police officer that told us we couldn’t have more than 5 in the car. Our driver said something to him and he just waved us on. In the bigger cities the police are stricter about the number of passengers. We arrived at the bus station and there were about 6 seats left so we paid 6 cedi each for them and hopped on the bus. I was separated from the girls at the front of the bus while they sat in the very back almost 30 rows away. I put my headphones in and tried to fall asleep but I was so uncomfortable. The metro mass transit buses are very cheap but also very uncomfortable. Our travel days are nothing to look forward here and we hate them every single time. After about 2 ½ hours of driving we stopped at a random place. We all got out with our bags and stretched our legs. There were ladies selling bread, drinks, crackers, and mangos. Jackie bought half a loaf of bread for us to share and eat. We got back on the bus and I tried to sleep again but that wasn’t going to happen. I got my book out and began reading. It was hilarious trying to highlight on the bus. I would start to highlight a word and then we would hit a bump and I would just cross out the word. Some looked like I was trying to draw an EKG under the word. Cassie was sick sitting in the back of the bus so we switched seats. The back was actually really fun. We were thrown out of our seats a few times and made highlighting even more of a challenge. Our tailbones felt pretty bruised after the trip but it was quite the adventure. I ended up finishing my forever long book on the bus. Once we had arrived at the last top the taxi men were arguing over who could take us. They started to take King’s bag demanding that we get into his taxi to go to the hotel. One of the taxi drivers said it’s a very short walk and that we don’t need a taxi but he’ll take us for free instead. We didn’t want to squish into another taxi and since it was a short distance we opted to walk. Once we had arrived at the hotel we were pleasantly surprised at how much of a hotel-y feeling it had. The patio outside had wicker chairs and there was a reception desk with very nice men. They were watching the movie UP when we walked in. We got 2 rooms for a total of 50 cedi a night. We walked up to our rooms and we had 2 queen beds in our room where King only had one. We were all very tired and hungry which made us very cranky. Jackie and Cassie pulled out the Bradt guide and started reading everything about Cape Coast again. King was taking forever to get ready so we went to the rooftop and looked out at the ocean. We started walking to dinner and passed a couple other Obrunis on the street and they didn’t even wave. We were so offended and weirded out that they didn’t even recognize that we were there. We arrived at The Oasis for dinner. It is an outside restaurant with 3 gazebos over big wooden tables and chairs. There was a stage with 10 dancers or so dancing to drums. It was the perfect beach restaurant. I almost fell asleep waiting for the food to come. I got up and walked out to the beach and felt so relaxed and grateful for this trip. As I was walking back to our table a man wanted to come over and talk to me but I saw them bringing the food out so I stopped talking to him and went over to eat my absolutely delicious chicken pizza. This pizza would have been good in America. It had lots of veggies and cheese all over the pizza. We left the restaurant and walked around Cape Coast for a really long time. We were walking down on of the streets and saw a huge group of kids dancing azonto to some really loud music. We joined in with them for about 10 minutes before they started getting in trouble for dancing with us. We were causing too much of a commotion so the older kids were hitting the younger ones telling them to move out of the street. Lauren, Cassie, and I stayed with the kids and danced while Lauren and King went to look for a place to watch the Soccer game. We walked around some more and went to the shops right by the beach. There we met a really nice guy named Casim. He told us how his dad died at 14 so he started his shop at 15. He had mainly wooden masks and figurines in there that were so cheap and cool looking. The masks were only 5-10 cedi. We talked for a bit and then started to leave his shop. He told us before we left to pick out a bracelet that he’ll give to us for free because he like the way we talked to him. We were so taken aback at the generosity of this stranger. He said he didn’t even care if we didn’t come back and buy anything from him he just liked the way we treated him. We went to a couple other shops but the shop owners were a little too high to help us out then. It was dark outside so we just went to find Lauren and King. We went to this place that had the Czech vs. Portugal game on their very nice flat screen TV. We paid 50 pesewa to get in. We were literally the only girls in there surrounded by at least 100 other men sitting on benches under a big tent. Most of the men had a beer or two in them although I never actually saw any alcohol I could smell it in the air. We were really watching the game for Christiana Ronaldo, we were very excited when he got face time. We came in only a few minutes before half time so we missed most of the game but the score was still 0-0. With 75 minutes into the game Portugal got a goal. We all jumped up and screamed with the men in the place. The people behind us told us to sit down so they could see the replay of the shot. The 90 minutes was up but 4 minutes were added to the clock. Portugal ended up winning which made everybody pretty excited. We got back to the hotel and unbraided Jackie’s hair for more than 2 hours. She had her hair braided with fake hair into it and needed help taking out the hair. We watched Friends while unbraiding it and at first had a really good time but we were so exhausted from traveling that it quickly became annoying to do them. We unbraided in silence for about an hour until we were finally done. Jackie’s hair was out of control and it looked like she crimped her hair. While Jackie took a bucket shower, because the water wasn’t running, we all wrote in our journals and read scriptures. It was around midnight so we all fell asleep almost instantly. We’re not used to being up that late here! Despite the bad travel day I am so excited to be in Cape Coast and spending 4 more great days here!

XOXO

Ama

Day 52

Today was another great day. I can’t get over how great this week has been and has yet to be. I almost wish I could space them out over the next few weeks but I’m sure I’m going to have the best last few days here. I made oatmeal for breakfast this morning before heading off to the clinic. On my way to the clinic I talked to a few new people and got my usual Twi lessons from my friends. Today’s lesson was how to say ‘Brother how are you, good morning’ I still have no idea what it is. The clinic was very quiet today so I went to the O.P.D. and talked with Mabel and Auntie Alice for a while. I mainly wrote in my journal until my friend Josephine came over and started talking to me. She always says the conversation in Twi before translating it to English. I showed the other nurses pictures of my family and friends and told them about each of my siblings. They all loved the picture with my parents especially. At the O.P.D. they were watching this horrible Ghanaian movie, which gave me a pretty good headache. Sister Ama came around with the sweet bread and I bought one from her. Around 11 I walked over to Isaac’s office to help him out with consultations. He looked at me and said ‘You are so beautiful today’. He said that the shirt I was wearing was very pretty and that I should wear it more often because he never sees it on me. I only own 5 shirts so I’m pretty sure he’s seen it 20 other times. I helped out with consultations today, which was a lot slower today. We got to talk more and I learned a lot more about Isaac. He told me about his girlfriend and how much he loved watching my movies. He left me alone with a few of the patients for a time so I talked to a couple of them and doodled in my journal for a while. I had to go to Agona to finish up what I didn’t yesterday at the Internet Café. The Internet was down at our usual café where King works, but there is another one down the street that I could go to. Everything was full so I had to wait for a while before using the Internet. Once a computer was free, I was in the zone. I spent the next 2 ½ hours with the fastest Internet connection ever since I’ve been here looking up everything I needed. I downloaded all my coursework for my Women’s Health class and even gpt recipes for banana pancakes. But the best part of the day was chatting with Audrey again. I left the Internet Café honestly confused at where I was. I had to get through an obstacle course of kids and goats for a second that helped me remember I was in Ghana. I was on cloud 9 the rest of the day. For dinner we wanted to try to make Onion Rings. This turned into quite the mess. We made a batter with flour and spices and melted a stick of butter in the pan. We first tried dipping the onion ring in butter than the flour but once we put it in the oil the batter just disappeared and it wasn’t working. Cassie said she thought we were supposed to use an egg in the batter so we cracked on into the flour and tried it from there. It was more of like a dough so we just molded it around the onion and quickly threw it in the pan. They didn’t taste half bad but it was quite the adventure. Cassie and I sat out on the ledge and ate the onion rings after Grace and Matilda had tried them. I really needed to exercise before our big trip that I am so stoked for! So I picked a 45-minute workout from my NTC app. After my shower, Cassie and I talked to Matilda and Grace about the girls at the senior high. Matilda said if you were to get a room full of 20 girls, maybe 1 of them would be a virgin. It is very common for girls to sleep around and sometimes they even prostitute themselves because they need some how to pay for their schooling. The men will tell them to sleep with them and they’ll give them stuff that they need for their schooling. Cassie asked if maybe the men were ashamed of doing this but Matilda said it was the girl’s fault. They shouldn’t be doing that. They are young in age but old in bed is a saying used very often during our conversation.. Once we were in the room it began to pour. It rained so much that we could barely hear each other. We talked for such a long time I was up till around 1. We talked about our families and other stuff. I was going to sit in my bed and write notes until I noticed that my bed was soaking wet because the rain had gotten through the window. There wasn’t anything I could do about it so I had to sleep on a cold wet mattress. Not the best night’s sleep.

XOXO Ama

Day 51

Today was such a great day despite so many unforeseen setbacks. I woke up early to do my washing and thankfully it didn’t take very long. It has rained every single afternoon for the past few days so my washing was a little overdue. I cleaned most everything I own (all 15 items) and hung them on the line to dry. I quickly got ready so we could leave for Agona. Here when I get ready quickly it literally takes me about 5 minutes to put clothes on, wash my face, and brush my teeth. We started to walk up to the taxi station and ran into Madam Esther’s youngest daughter Grace and walked up with her. On the way we saw the aftermath of a car accident. These water trucks about the size of a small semi carry hundreds of bags of water go through the town all day long. This one had run off the road over the gutter and into a building. There was water and pieces of the building everywhere. Thankfully no one was hurt. We drove to Agona for the Internet Café. I opened up my email and read another hilarious email from my mom. I was just about to finish posting my blog posts and the response to my mom’s email before the Internet cut out. The electricity wasn’t out but the network was. We prayed that it would come on soon and waited around just in case, but to no avail. It was around noon so we walked into the main market to get some fried rice. Our favorite lady who makes the best fried rice ever was back! We had her for the first couple of times and haven’t had her since. We are disappointed every single time we get it somewhere else. We walked back to Mama Doris’ family’s bar and got Alvaro Pineapple drinks with our fried rice. We waited around for King to text us about the Internet but it still wasn’t working so we did a bit of market shopping. At the market we spent about 2 minutes getting all the vegetables we needed as the stands were all right next to each other. Then we went fabric shopping. My favorite kind of shopping here. I got one yard of a fabric I’ve been eyeing for a while and another for a friend’s skirt. I bought them from the sweetest fabric lady that sells her fabric super cheap. Everytime we see her she wears the coolest hipster sweaters, yes sweaters even in the 100-degree heat. I’ll never understand why she does that. We needed to kill some more time so we went to get pictures for our Visa renewal. The pictures were HILARIOUS. They look like mug shots, actually worse than mug shots. King had just texted and said the Internet was back up again. We quickly walked back to the café but the Internet had just cut out again. We waited around some more and then the Internet came back for the next 2 hours very spotty. Audrey was on the Internet at the same time, which always makes my day that much better. I seriously think talking to her makes Tuesdays the best day ever. She helped me figure out where I’m going to live in the Fall! At this point I wasn’t able to do anything else on the Internet so I kept chatting with Audrey until the other girls were through. I don’t think I’ve ever had this many good days in such a short time. I got a fan-choco and got into a taxi home. The ride was going on smoothly until we saw a big crowd of people in the street. The taxi in front of us was stopped and the crowd wasn’t letting him get through. It looked like a riot and made me really nervous. They were hitting the car and harassing the driver in front of us. We asked one of the passengers what was going on and she told us that a taxi driver had died that morning in a head on collision. He was muslim so they were already going to bury the body. The group of people started to descend on the car and started harassing our driver. The majority of the crowd was very drunk and Ghanaians do not handle their liquor very well during funerals. Then they started yelling at him that he shouldn’t be out driving a taxi but he should be with the rest of them mourning the loss of their friend. They ripped off his side mirror and started opening the door on the other side of the car. Dorcus was the lady on the other side and she just said ‘hey’ and closed the door. I was freaking out that they would want to come to my side of the car and harass me so I held onto that door for dear life. Finally most of the funeral procession had passed so the driver peeled out of there. I guess he was distracted with everything around him because as we were driving we hit a goat head on. When a family of goats is crossing, drivers will usually slow down a bit and honk but we hit this one head one and it got dragged under the car for a while. We felt it under our feet bump and then disappear behind us. Both Cassie and I felt so sick about it, we were quiet for the rest of the time. Our taxi ride from hell was over about 10 minutes later. I got home and wasn’t all that hungry so I got my workout on to do some exercising. After my shower I warmed up some of the groundnut rice from last night for dinner and drank chocolate milk. I was very satisfied with the way the day turned out today despite all the other crazy events. Something about family really does make my days so much better. I know there is no way I would be able to stand this time on earth without my family. Both of my parents have made sacrifices I won’t know about until I am a parent one day but as I realize some of them I am in awe of both of them. I swear they are superheroes or something. I don’t know how they raised 4 kids as strong members of the church and all very independent individuals. I can’t thank them enough for the love and support they gave me even when I didn’t realize how much they were supporting me.

XOXO

Ama

Day 50

It was still raining when I woke up so I slept in a little longer knowing I can’t walk through the rain to the clinic. Once it did let up, I made my walk to the clinic. I only got 2 marriage proposals and confessions of love on my way to the clinic. I went straight into the dressing room and helped one of the nurses make cotton balls while watching the chief dress different wounds. I pulled out my computer and made a couple pages of notes about the procedures. After an hour of being in there we were finished so I moved into the dispensary. I talked to Rita for about an hour and recorded notes in my journal until Isaac came in. He said he needed some help with recording and that I should help out today. I love helping Isaac out because it makes the day go by SO much faster and I get shadowing hours in. It’s really a win-win situation. Today there were the usual 100 cases of uncomplicated malaria with the occasional accompaniment of UTIs and RTIs. The cutest baby came in today full of giggles. She laughed at every noise and face you make. Isaac is really good with the kids, which is always a great trait for doctors to have. We spent the next couple of hours with the patients and then my new favorite person came in. Her name is Serwaa Ama. She is this small 78-year-old woman hunched over with old age and full of trouble. She came in and although I didn’t understand the conversation just her actions alone were cracking me up. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard at the clinic. She wouldn’t answer Isaac’s questions and give him a sort of ‘well, duh’ expression on her face. She started shaking her finger at one point and then started cracking up as she glanced over to me. Her laugh was so contagious. She knew exactly what she was doing to try to upset Isaac and would look over at me every time and wink.  At one point she even started ringing the bell to see what would happen. Isaac was laughing too and it truly made my day. Another lady came in with her 8-year-old grandson and told him he is going to marry me. I told her he is too young for me because I’m 20. She said it’s perfect; I can train him until I marry him. The stream of patients seemed never ending until it started pouring down rain. The second it started raining Isaac said ‘Oh-no, we’re going to starve’. I don’t think I’ve had funnier things happen to me in one day at the clinic. The line of patients finally started slowing down until we were finished around 3. I packed up my stuff and walked home. The first girls I ran into kept harassing me for my clothes or money to give them. I just thought, oh no, one of these days. I was leaving the clinic around the same time the Salvation Army School was closing. There were swarms of kids on either side of the street walking home. I ran into a group of kids that stopped me asking what my name was and how old I am. The kids were all my height at only 11 years old so I don’t blame them for constantly calling me small girl. I had a nice conversation with them and other people on the street. I came home and warmed up some rice for lunch and recorded my notes and journal for the day. I also watched a couple episodes of friends, which always makes my day great. Cassie and I made ground-nut stew over rice for dinner and made enough to last us until the trip. We had quite the feast with our groundnut soup rice and fried plantains and lemonade. Cassie and I started talking about the fun things we’ve done while at school. She knows so many amazing places in SLC and Provo I really need to have her make a list of places to go for me. We continued the conversation and a million other topics for the next few hours. I am a huge fan of late night discussions and debates so I love it when we really get into our conversations. I was so thankful today for the little things that made me smile. I couldn’t think of a single pit throughout the entire day. I couldn’t help but smile thinking about my new friend at the clinic and the funny conversation I had with Cassie. I have my grateful glasses on all the time, which seems a bit ironic to me at times. When I first got here I kept thinking how blessed my life in America was but now I realize how blessed I am to be here. I didn’t need to come to Ghana for any reason in particular except I just thought it would be a neat experience for me. Little did I know how much change I would experience in such a short amount of time. I still have my troubling times where I wish this would all end soon but it’s days like this where I don’t want to think of ever leaving. When in my life will I ever get to walk through the streets waving at strangers that know my name with the most contagious smile. Sometimes all I need to make my day better is a smile from a little baby or an old grandma greeting me. The Lord truly knows us and never forgets us. I have a strong testimony of it.

XOXO

AMA

Happy Father's Day!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

I love the fact that we get to take two days a year to celebrate our mom and dad and all the hard work they do for us. We get to make cheesy cards, serve them breakfast in bed, and cook their favorite meal. It just isn’t enough to show how much we truly appreciate them. My dad is a loving father and husband for his family. He is one of the hardest working individuals I know. He can put a smile on anyone’s face. He always knows when to make light of a situation and when to be serious. He gives some of the best advice. He is extremely bright. He is sensitive to the spirit and his family means more than anything to him. Some of my favorite days have been spent running errands with him all over the city. Whenever he would ask who wants to run errands with him I would always go. After a while it became an automatic response to agree to go even if I didn’t think I wanted to go. It didn’t matter if we were going to Lowes or Walgreens; I always went and had the best time. As a father of three girls I’m sure my dad had his hands full but rarely, if ever, have I heard my dad complain about having too many daughters. He loves his girls and shows it everyday. As a little girl I remember running into his arms while screaming DADDY when he came home from work and spending time with him. I remember him at my dance recitals with flowers in his arms and at swim meets rooting me on. I am one lucky girl to have such an awesome dad! Happy Father’s Day Daddy! I love you!

XOXO

Ama

(Bunco)

Related. No?

7 Weeks!

Another great Sunday! We left really early today and ended up being a few minutes early. During sacrament we had three speakers and then a ‘4 minute’ break. They always say we have a small break between classes but usually ends up in a 15-20 minute break. During Sunday School I read in the George Albert Smith book and caught up on my scripture reading. I love reading the scriptures like this and am really jealous that missionaries get to spend two years doing nothing but studying The Gospel. When I read a couple of chapters out of the Book of Mormon every night it becomes a story to follow. I am so thankful that we decided as a group to read the scriptures and finish the Book of Mormon before we leave. There are so many times where I would have saved so much time, energy, and tears if I had just learned to pick up my scriptures and pray to my Heavenly Father. I already see the changes He wants me to make taking place in my life. I know that He has always been with me even when I didn’t make the right choice. After church we walked back to Mama Doris house and made an egg and avocado sandwich. This is hands down the best sandwich ever. The homemade bread with the unprocessed egg and fresh avocado make them to die for. The eggs are so fresh they usually come with birdpoop and feathers on the shell. Today we got a special treat of an eye in the yolk. Yummy. After our lunch we had a group meeting led by me. I just did a short and simply meting because next weeks is going to be very long. I started it off with the quote

“Everyday is a new beginning, stay away from what might have been and look at what can be”.

I explained how we may wake up thinking how perfect our day is going to be and 7 hours later wishing this day would end already. It’s very important to look at how we can turn the day around even when every interview you’ve set up has failed and you feel like you’re getting harassed by every man, woman, and child in the city. Sometimes we need to take a step back and realize our day wasn’t what it might have been but you are the only one who can decide what it can be. Each choice we make, big or small, will somehow impact our lives. We talked further about how since we’ve passed our halfway point we find ourselves thinking really six and half more weeks of this! We can’t believe we’ve made it half way but sometimes it feels much longer than 6 ½ weeks. We are on the countdown now, which makes it all so bitter sweet. We want to go home and see our families, eat familiar food, wear cute clothes, and actually shower but we also don’t want to leave our sewer streets filled with crowds of children chanting our names. We know our time here is limited and it makes us sad that we won’t ever see these people again. We finished our meeting talking about how emotional this week has been for all of us. The halfway point has really affected us and made it all feel a little more crazy for us. We watched 13 Going on 30 after our meeting, which isn’t entirely Sunday appropriate but we’re running out of options. It is also a nice way to pass the time as we patiently wait for dinner to be cooked. During the last part of the movie we heard the sound of plantains being deep-fried, which means it’s going to be a good dinner. I am not a fan of the plantains and stew only so Mama re-heated some rice for me to eat with the Gardener’s Stew. It tastes like a thick red sauce and is delicious over just about anything. This stew is filled with Gardener eggs (similar to small egg plant I think), which are also sometimes filled with little worms. The other girls eat this on a more regular basis which means the chances of them eating worms is much higher but still never look too closely at the food you’re eating. Another life lesson learned in Ghana. Almost every Sunday meal I’ve ever eaten has a few minutes of silence as everyone shovels food in their mouths to fill their hungry bellies. We finished up dinner and talked for the next hour or so before Cassie and I headed home. Sundays are the best everywhere in the world but even better here in Ghana where we get together and talk about our pits, peaks, and praises of the week. It’s funny how similar they all tend to be. We all find it difficult to find the pits and so easy to find our peaks and praises. We are fascinated with God’s glory and this unique experience we have here. About an hour after we got home I got a phone call from my family so I could wish my dad a Happy Father’s Day. It was so good to hear their voices. We communicate a lot through emails so we’ve got the down low on each other but just hearing your family on the phone after a long time is really special. It was of course raining buckets so it was hard to hear them most of the time. I can’t wait to read their next weeks emails. I only wish I could talk to Audrey too but the time will come soon enough! I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store for us. Whatever comes our way, I know we can handle it. We’ve all turned out to be quite the hardy women. Not a quality we ever thought we’d have but a good one nonetheless!

XOXO

Ama

Day 48

This morning I woke up around 6 and got ready to spend the whole day in Kumasi for one of the Nurses from the clinic. I was told to meet at the clinic right at 7 so we could leave on time. I have definitely learned that 7 could mean 9 but I came on time anyways. When I arrived to the clinic they were fixing the car. Not a good sign. It took about 45 minutes to figure out what was wrong with the car before we were off. I rode in the car with Captain and Vicky, and the other staff members rode in the ambulance or bus that was arranged by the bride for transportation. Vicky and I talked non-stop for the next 2 ½ hours. There was a lot of traffic there so we had a long time in the car to chat it up. We talked about almost everything from religion to family to TV shows. I told her all about my family and realized how special our bond really was. I didn’t realize till right there that my family really made sure we grew up close to each other. It made me realize how much I really miss them! Although Vicky is seriously is the coolest fake mom ever and I am going to be so sad to see her leave! We were the first to arrive at the Presbyterian church around 10:30. We were handed the program where we realized the time was changed to 10 due to the funeral that was earlier in the day. We knew that it was going to be a very long day right then. They were only beginning to put up decorations around the outside. Vicky and I admired the church for a while and then sat down in the comfy pews. She told me that she knows that churches need to be beautiful and marvelous but you wonder why they spend their money on the building when you people around you greatly suffering. There was a beautiful painting of the last supper for the focal point with crosses on either side. This led into the discussion about Mormon temples and churches. I explained that our churches are nothing spectacular and need to be updated if anything. We don’t have crosses on our walls because we like to rejoice in the life of Christ and not his death. I told her how temples are for those who have made a covenant with the Lord and that is where we get married and perform Holy Ordinances on this earth. It was really nice to have a religious discussion with someone because I’m getting a little rusty at explaining the basics to people. The chapel was filling up a bit more but not nearly as much as it should be. It got to be around 11:30 and all of a sudden the wedding song started playing and the wedding party was walking down the aisle. The church still was very full but I guess they wanted to start anyways figuring the guest would just show up during the ceremony. The ceremony happened pretty quickly with vows, rings, and kisses exchanged. Throughout the program people were getting up and taking pictures of the groom and bride. Some guests were standing directly in between the preacher and couple to get a couple candid photos before sitting down again. Vicky said that she wished she could go up and there so I said why not, ‘I’ll do it!’ I got up and took pictures along side some of the other guests. There was a lot of singing and dancing throughout the ceremony, which really made it remind you of the joyous occasion it is. The preacher then gave a 30-minute sermon on marriage and how only with God it is possible. He was very energetic and loud with his words. He did most of it in English so Vicky and I didn’t need to use a translator at all. Vicky and the captain had to leave to go to Accra so they left after the sermon. I walked her out to the car and hugged her goodbye. I am really going to miss talking to Vicky and bringing her on our adventures with us. She’ll be back a couple weeks before I leave so I will be able to see her again thankfully. The rest of the wedding was donations for the bride and groom and A LOT of singing and dancing. At one point a lady came up to me so she could get a photo of me with her daughter. It’s times like this where I honestly feel like a celebrity. Her daughter was terrified of me so I had to sneak up behind her while her mother snapped the photo. The next hour or so was spent dancing in our spot and taking pictures of the ceremony. We all ventured outside after the bride to take photos and grab some lunch to go before leaving. The battery in the ambulance was still faulty so while they were figuring out what to do with the car I grabbed a piece of the wedding cake. They put the cake on a tray on a random car and started chopping up the cake into little pieces. It was this delicious carrot cake with raisins in it. I headed back to see what the situation with the car was. The driver decided we needed to push the car down a ramp so it can get going. I helped push the car and while I was pushing about 6 other men joined and the other woman had disappeared. We got the car downhill and started up in no time. I knew it would probably happen again but I was only hoping it wouldn’t happen while we were uphill somewhere. About 30 minutes into our trip we stopped to get gas where the car stalled out again. The men got out and pushed it to get it going again. The driver drove the car just like a 16-year-old with a brand new license and stick shift car. It was so jerky sometimes I fell out of my seat a couple times. Then about an hour into the trip we were in the middle of traffic and the car stopped again. We all laughed as the men reluctantly got out to push the car. We are lucky there were so many men in the car so we didn’t have to get out and push again. It was about 4 by the time we got to Wiamoase. I walked home quickly as it was drizzling. It’s always scary walking home with a dark sky because it could start pouring sheets without much warning. I got to the house about 30 seconds before the rain began and was pleasantly greeted by all of the other girls and Cassie’s friend Sammy all making crepes for dinner. We have made crepes before and absolutely love them. It is one of the few identifiable recipes we have figured out we can make. While the crepes were being cooked, we decided that it would be a good idea to shower in the rain. No regrets, it felt amazing. We stood underneath a waterfall of rain coming off the house and got out shampoo and conditioner. We ended up getting completely soaked but had fun doing it. Sammy thought we were absolutely crazy but thankfully Jackie explained that this isn’t normal for us. We dried off a bit and ate our yummy Nutella and banana filled crepes.  Sammy actually enjoyed them. It is usually too sugary for Ghanaians to handle and lately it’s becoming a bit too sugary for us too. We spent the next couple hours sitting around and talking. Somewhere in the night Jackie ended up giving Lauren a haircut while we cleaned up. The girls stayed for a bit more before going home before it got too late. We walked them to the taxi station and then went home.

XOXO Ama

Day 47

This morning at the clinic I spent most of it wandering around. I started out talking to Vicky for the last time at the clinic because she’s leaving pretty soon. I wandered around talking to nurses and observing in the dressing room and dispensary. I only stayed for a little while because today I am supposed to go to Agona to meet up with Jackie for lunch. The power has been on and off for the past couple of days due to all of the rainstorms here so I knew using the Internet might not be possible today. I left around noon and didn’t wait long before the taxi was full and we left. Both of the places where we normally get fried rice were out so we had to go to a different lady. We got her rice last weekend at the wedding but it wasn’t very good so we were disappointed. We got it ‘to-go’ which means they put all of it in a plastic bag and hand you a plastic spoon. We walked to the Gentle Spot bar to eat it and each grabbed a coke. The food wasn’t bad so we ate and talked for the next 20 minutes before heading out and praying that the generator would be on at the Internet Café. Unfortunately it wasn’t so we just sat and talked with King for half an hour. Both Jackie and I had A LOT of things to get done at the Internet café so we were pretty bummed out. I had so much to do for my coursework and really wanted to check my email. I learn a lot of life lessons here in Ghana. Life lesson #835 Learn to go with the flow. Sometimes the power is out and your REALLY need to get work done for your research and other classes but it’s not on. So, instead of groaning, laugh about it and figure out another plan. The power was out so I didn’t get to download more coursework and check emails but I did get to talk with Jackie and learn more about her family. I could groan that I didn’t get to use the Internet at all or I can laugh about it and spend the next hour talking to Jackie and King. The day felt like it was wasted, but was it really? Just because I didn’t cross things off of my to-do list doesn’t mean I wasted the day. I got to further my relationship with people and not worry too much about my research. We left the Internet café and got fan-milks before departing ways. The power was still out in Wiamoase. I used up the rest of my laptop battery doing what coursework I could before it completely died. Cassie and I went to talk to Madam Esther and Grace for a little while. I adore those two. Cassie wanted to show them the Kente smock that she had just bought. They wanted to show us all of their kente cloth smocks and had quite a few to show for it. The funniest thing happened when Grace slipped her hands into the pocket of one of the dresses she was show us and pulled out 1 cedi. It was in her mom’s dress so she said finder’s keepers and put the money in her pocket. She decided to check the other dress pockets without any luck. When she checked her own dress pockets she said “I don’t know why I even check these pockets, I don’t have any money”. She is such a typical University graduate. Cassie and I made rice and used some of the leftover red sauce from yesterday for dinner. The power came on while we were cooking so we quickly charged our computers and finished up more of our coursework. I was so disappointed that I didn’t get to workout with Grace because of the rain but there’s always another day.

XOXO           

Ama 

Day 46

Not a very exciting day at the clinic but interesting nonetheless. I went to talk to Vicky first and I had a wonderful conversation with her. She is such a thoughtful person. I looked for a place to observe today and spent the next 5 hours in the labor and delivery ward. The first thing I saw was the patient lying on the table without a scrap of clothes on her. She was walking all around the room and venturing out to other parts of the ward without a care in the world. The nurses explained that when you’re in that much pain you don’t care how exposed you are. After a couple hours of observing her a woman came in with her baby just hours old. She had just given birth at home and came in to get the baby bathed and to have the OB check her.

They set the baby on the counter and then everyone left the room to help the mom get situated. I was the only one in the room while this newborn squirmed on the counter. I stood right next to it making sure it didn’t fall off while I still couldn’t believe everyone had left. The nurses came back in the room while they unwrapped the adorable baby and put him into the sink. He was on one side with the warm water on the other. They picked him up by his hands together and started scrubbing. They use the same loofa that I use to wash with and it is so rough I can barely stand it. The little baby barely cried as he got picked up without any support for his neck. Now I realize why they can carry so much on their heads, they’ve been training for it since birth, literally. The baby was born today so it will be called Yao (Thursday born). After they cleaned him they dried him off and put him on the scale. He weighed a perfect 2.6 kgs (6 lbs 1 oz). After the baby and mom were settled in the ward things got back to normal. The nurse was instructed to give the laboring woman one injection to manage the pain and the other to help the cervix dilate faster. This woman came in at noon yesterday which means she’s been here for more than 26 hours. She was still pretty far from delivering and I needed to head home to go grocery shopping with Cassie. Once Cassie was home we talked all about our days and then went into the market place. We first bought green peppers and eggs and then tried to find flour. No one had flour in the market place but another lady a little while down the road had some. We unsuccessfully looked for pineapples and mangos but I think they’re out of season. Once we got home I got my workout gear and did a 30-minute workout. About 20 minutes in Grace came to join me and she loved it! I was so happy that she came to join me. Tomorrow she is going to join me at the beginning of it. I think I also got Matilda to promise me she would join us for one. I then had another interesting shower experience. First the light wasn’t working but I had fireflies to help me out, which was pretty cool because those are my favorite bugs. The water pressure was pretty low so I just ran around under the water for a second then put shampoo in my hair. I used my new loofa and scrubbed myself down and then turned on the water but nothing was coming out. I waited for a few minutes hoping maybe I could get more water but it wasn’t happening tonight. So still covered in soap with shampoo in my hair I had to wipe down with the towel and walk back to my room. I felt so sticky but tried my best to get over it. Grace gave me groundnuts that she had just made so I ate a few of those for dinner while reading some of my coursework.  

XOXO

Ama

Day 45 Half Way Point!

I walked into the clinic again during rounds and met up with the staff. I came in towards the end so everyone was going back to their offices and work. I spent most of the day in Isaac’s office and alone really. He kept leaving to go all over the clinic leaving me to keep myself busy. I pulled out my computer and began doing my Women’s Health coursework. I didn’t get too far before Isaac came back in with patients and I felt weird having my computer out in front of all of them so I put it away. Isaac then asked if he could look at my phone and went through all of my photos. That seems to be the popular activity this week. On Sunday all of the girls did the exact same thing but I was more embarrassed with Isaac looking through them because he asked about every single photo and watched even the embarrassing videos I have of my friends. Around 1:30 Cassie came in to get her cut treated. I had my friends Abiba and Gladys dress the wound for her. It was about 2:15 by the time we were finished but her mom said to take the pill and wait by the clinic for at least an hour. So I went to talk to Vicky for a while. She’s leaving on Saturday and I am so sad that I won’t see her for almost a month. She is so sweet and remembers everything I tell her going on in my life. It’s the best having a mom away from home checking up on you. Thanks Vicky! We went to get water for Cassie to take the pill and I was pretty hungry so I unsuccessfully went to look for lunch. I walked back to the clinic and sat on the side of the road for half an hour with Cassie making sure she didn’t have any allergic reactions to the medication. After we waited at the clinic for 45 minutes we walked home because Lauren and Jackie were waiting for us at our place. Cassie and Lauren left to go to dinner and interview their friend Pat. Jackie and I decided to cook dinner and made this absolutely delicious rice. We put tomato sauce, beans, onion, and garlic seasoning together over rice. It tastes like Spanish rice. After about an hour or so of cooking and talking we went inside and watched friends. We finished the last few episodes of season 5 together so I gave her the disks to watch with Lauren. We talked for another 45 minutes before deciding we’ll try to meet them at the market so they weren’t leaving too late.  I got on my workout gear but only did a 15-minute workout because I was pretty tired. I just lay there just thinking my day and everyone back at home. I don’t allow myself to think about home during the day and focus on what’s right in front of me. I love Ghana and everything I am learning about others and myself but sometimes it’s hard to be away from family and friends for a long time without much communication. I do not know how missionaries do this for 2 years. After another cold shower I went inside to finish up notes but had a really hard time falling asleep again.

XOXO

Natalie

Day 44

Today was our Agona market day and I had planned on going to the clinic but I could not fall asleep last night and only got a couple hours of sleep in before I woke up to Madam Esther yelling Cassie’s name. It was about 8:15 when I woke up and she asked if I was sick because I was sleeping in today. I explained to her that I couldn’t sleep very well last night but she still figured I was sick for sleeping in so late. My dad would get along great with Madam Esther. I went out into the patio area and read my notes. It was cooler than usual outside so it felt nice to sit out and relax. I spent a couple hours reading my coursework for Women’s Health. I had an hour or so to kill before I had to leave so I watched some episodes of friends. Cassie came back and we left to go to the station together. Once we got to Agona we realized our rice lady still wasn’t there so we had to go to the other lady. I usually hate her rice so I was annoyed that I had to get it from her again. I got mine without shito and went to the Gentle Spot to meet the other girls and eat our food. It was actually really good without all of the shito. We finished lunch and went to the Internet Cafe I instantly went to check my IRB approval and I GOT IT!!! I have been waiting for this for 6 weeks and it was about time! I also had a HILARIOUS email from my mom. I could barely hand it. She kept telling how things were good in the hood and how she and my dad get up early to read my blog posts and emails on Tuesdays. She says that she has been late to school most Tuesdays because of them. She is going to girls camp this week and the theme is Spark yourself or something like that. Katie got her a sparkly cowgirl hat because it was SPARKly. Hahaha I laugh just thinking about how cute and funny my mom is. After the Internet café we went to the market and it was way to overwhelming for us. We were there later than usual and it is a lot different at that time. I couldn’t wait to get out of the market place and after about 45 minutes we got everything we needed and headed home. The taxi ride was Cassie and I in the front seat squished together with our full backpacks. Usually Tuesdays are my favorite but today just seemed to annoy me more than anything. I worked out for 30 minutes that made me feel a lot better. After my workouts I love to just to just lay out and look at the beautiful moon. It is so calming and peaceful, something that is rare to get here in Africa. Working out is really my only alone time here so on days like this it really helps me get through it.

XOXO

Natalie 

Day 43

I got a later start at the clinic so rounds were over when I got there but I went to the dispensary and my good friend Rita was there and very happy to see me. I interviewed her for my women’s health class for BYU about what she thinks is the top three health concerns for women in Ghana. I spent the next 30 minutes asking other nurses and workers what they think. I got a variety of answers but enough to narrow it down to the top 3.  Isaac came in and said it was a very busy day and that he needed an extra pair of hands to help so I gladly went in to consultations to help him. He spent the next 6 hours diagnosing a continuous stream of patients. I don’t mind sitting there all day recording the information because it’s something to do. A lot of the patients were at the clinic for malaria but there were a lot of different cases too. My favorite part of the day was this little boy playing peek-a-boo behind Isaac’s desk with me. He had the biggest eyes and cutest giggle. I love all the little babies at the clinic. However, it still surprises me how carefree the women are with breastfeeding. I have seen more breasts in these past 6 weeks than I ever care to see again in my life. Women walk around with their baby latched on to their exposed chest all the time. At first it was kind of awkward but now it’s just the way of life. We didn’t finish consultations until around 2:30. I went around the clinic to find anyone else working to interview them also for my Women’s Health class and got another variety of answers. My walk home is usually at the same time as when the kids get out of school but today it was very quiet because most of the kids were already at home. I have learned that the only excuse to not talk to someone is if you tell them you are going home to eat. Going to the clinic I repeat me ko adwuma (I am going to work) or me ko ayaresabea (I am going to the clinic) and on my way home I repeat me ko fie (I am going home) or me ko didi (I am going to eat). It never ceases to put a smile on their faces when they hear the obruni speaking Twi. Once I was home I made some rice for lunch and watched a couple episodes of friends. I did my note taking and journal writing but couldn’t stand sitting anymore so I did my workout for the day. I am very thankful for gyms, medicine balls, and dumbbells. Using big water bottles and a rock for weights gets pretty interesting sometimes. My rock is starting to chip away, usually right in my face, so I’ll be in the market for a new rock soon. I got into the shower which is also a little bit of a workout on it’s own. The water is usually too cold for me to bear so I end up running around under the water for a while. While I’m running around, three friendly spiders and a couple lizards were nice enough to join me. The worms, cockroaches, spiders, ants, and crickets surrounding me do not faze me anymore. The other day I even had a cockroach crawling all over my neck and just brushed it off. Cassie has a phobia of them so I think we’re all glad it landed on me and not her. After my shower I continued to write my notes and draft some email for the Internet tomorrow! Today was a great start to the week but I can’t wait for tomorrow! Tuesday’s are my favorite day because it’s filled with emailing friends and family, yummy fried rice, and market shopping.

XOXO

Natalie

6 Weeks!

6 weeks! Cassie and Lauren had to give talks in church today so we tried very hard to be there on time but you never know if it’s going to take 30 or 60 min to get to church. It all depends on how long it takes for the taxi to fill up. We have to go through Agona to get to Asamong, which is why it takes so long sometimes waiting twice for taxis to fill up. The taxi to Agona filled up rather quickly but the one to Asamong wasn’t going to be filled up soon enough so we just told him that we would pay him to leave right now. It usually costs 60 pesewa to Asamong but if you don’t want to wait for the other people you can pay 3 cedi total to leave. We got there around 9:15 right during Sacrament. Cassie’s talk was on the Lord’s covenant people and she did an excellent job at explaining it with the translator. I hope too much didn’t get lost in translation because the talk was very good. Lauren also gave an excellent talk on obedience. She didn’t get through most of her talk because using a translator takes up most of the time. King came to church today to listen to the girls talk. Our Sunday school lessons were out of the book “Teachings of the Presidents of The Church: George Albert Smith.” After church we were starving so we made egg and avocado sandwiches. I am going to miss the fresh avocados, eggs, and bread. Those sandwiches were amazing. Afterwards we did our group meeting to discuss our projects, pit peaks and praises of the week, and our mid semester retreat to the Cape Coast. My research isn’t 100% approved yet so I’m still waiting on that to truly begin my interviews. My praises of the week was realizing how special being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints really is. At the wedding yesterday they said ‘till death parts us’ and I realized I will never have to say that line. I will get to say ‘for time and all eternity’ with my husband. Another special blessing I receive as being a member is the Prophet Thomas Monson and his apostles that give us counsel. In church they handed out the teachings of President George Albert Smith and just the couple of pages I read from it were so stirring. He wrote about how he was asked to speak at his friend’s funeral. This is just one portion of what he said:

“As I think of the experiences of people in the world, on occasions of this kind, I marvel how we have been blessed. I have no more doubt about eternal life and the immortality of the soul than I have that the sun shines at midday… it is a sad thing to part with our dear ones, even temporarily. We send them upon missions, or they go to other parts of the world to live and we miss them. When an occasion like this occurs it seems that they are more distant, but as a matter of fact they are not, if we but understood… instead of extending the condolence that sometimes might go to those who are bereaved, I feel more like rejoicing this day that I know that this is not the end.”

I actually took the book home to read because I was touched by the different messages that were shared in there. We planned our Cape coast vacation, which I am thrilled about. It will be nice not to worry about projects, coursework, and to get away. Let’s hope this week will be as great as last week!

XOXO

Natalie 

Day 41

Day 41

This morning I woke up and did my washing. I am getting a lot better at it so it doesn’t take as much time as it used to. I finished right in time to get ready and leave for the wedding! Cassie and I wore our African dresses and left around 10:30 because we knew wedding started at 9:30. These things never start on time; we learned that one pretty quick. Jackie and Lauren work with the bride Priscilla and she said that it was a traditional white wedding with cake and everything. I think we were mainly excited about the cake. Even in Africa we will do anything for a free meal. When we got there it hadn’t begun so we just sat around and waited. The next 4 ½ hours were long but very joyous. There was a lot of dancing, singing, more dancing, more singing, and nice hug between the bride and groom. The Presbyterian church doesn’t allow kissing between the bride and groom as that should be done in the bedroom. The part that surprised me the most about the wedding was the audience walking right up to the bride and groom to get pictures. It made it hard for us to see anything that was going on but I guess we just needed to get up and stand in the middle of the ceremony like everyone else. About 3 hours in we started to fade from hunger. Cassie left earlier while we just sat there waiting for the next part of the program, hopefully the cake cutting. We finally got up and ventured out in Agona looking for food. We saw Mama Doris who looked stunning. We didn’t even recognize her at first because she was wearing clothes with her nice wig and sunglasses. Both of our fried rice places were closed but Mama knew of another place to get it. It was at a bar we pass every time we walk to the Internet Café. The Europe Cup was going on so the place was crowded with people watching the game. We ordered our rice and each got a drink. The rice was pretty tasteless but better than the rice loaded with shito, which makes it too spicy to taste anything. We finished up and went with Mama to meet some of her friends. One of her friends asked me for my hand in marriage. Mama said it was ok and she would bring me for him tomorrow. He was very drunk which made the whole experience funny. We then went into a house right next to the church where they were handing out fried rice plates. I guess that’s what we get for not being patient enough. We decided to take the rice home to eat for dinner. We got in a couple of pictures with the bride and groom and then headed home. I came home and worked out for 45 minutes and showered. I read my coursework until Cassie came home. We heated up our dinner and sat around and talked for a while. We both wanted something sweet so went out in the town to see if we could buy sweet bread. We first went to Nana’s to buy water and after dropping it off at the house we went into the market place. Both places that normally sell it were all out. Cassie saw a pharmacy where she could buy multivitamins and I saw Najo and all my other little friends. We danced azonto for a little bit before Cassie and I walked home again. We stopped by Kwame’s shop and I got a Milo (chocolate milk) for breakfast tomorrow and some chocolate graham crackers. I did some more coursework and fell asleep.

XOXO 

Natalie