Recently I have noticed the little things in life that
matter. I realized how much I took for granted in life. My living situation right
now is very close to camping with the exception of spotty electricity and
running water. You don’t realize what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone” has never
been more evident in my life. On Saturday I did my weekly washing. I have never
been more thankful for washing machines and dryers. It took me around 2 hours
to wash and hang my small pile of clothes. Preparing any type of food is a
chore, not to mention the time spent bartering at the market and figuring out
what food is available. Here in the Wiamoase region the roads are all gravel
and filled with potholes. Thinking back on it, I find it silly that I
complained about construction and traffic. I am able to drive around smooth
paved roads where traffic patterns are followed and enforced. At home I am so
blessed to have clean running water around me all the time. The Lord has
blessed me in ways I don’t even realize. In Wiamoase majority of the people
have never experienced the technological advances that I have available at the
tips of my fingers. Yet generally they seem happy and satisfied with their
situation. What we have sacrificed for our development is stark. Not everyone
wants to develop the way America has. We feel sorry for the under developed
countries because we think they lack so much. But what are they lacking? I’m
aware that there are people in under developed countries dying from starvation
everyday but there are so many other towns where they get by with what they
have. They use the resources around them and survive. They may lack our washing
machines, healthcare advances, and TVs but we lack the personal connections
with others when we become obsessed with our technology. We take our health
care, education, government, and houses for granted. If anything we complain
about most things. We must remember that although under developed countries may
lack the luxury items we have, it does not mean that they wish they had all of
the machines crowding up their house and lives. I have this unique opportunity
to experience another culture that many Americans won’t ever have. Already I
have learned to keep things in perspective, be grateful for what I have, and
recognize some of the more important things in life.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Day 15
Today I woke up in a bad mood just thinking about how I
don’t think I can do 11 more weeks of this. I slowly got ready for work and
headed out around 7:15. I ran into my buddy Kofi and changed my mood
immediately. His eyes got huge as he yelled Ama and jumped into my arms to give
me the biggest hug ever. It changed the way I was feeling for the rest of the
day. We played with his little soccer ball up the hill to the school. Then Afo
and his sister held my hand as we walked to their school together. In just half
an hour the Lord showed me twice that He is watching over me and He loves me.
As I walked into the staff meeting this morning the captain was discussing
something in Twi as usual at the staff. Afterwards Vicky came up and told me
that she loves having discussions with me because most of the conversations are
in broken English or Twi. She’s been here for almost a year so I’m definitely
going to use her so she can help me survive here for my short 3 months. The
clinic was SLOW. It was a rainy day again so that meant no patients. Three new
girls came in from nursing school to do their clinicals for 5 months. They came
in the OPD around 10 and told me they would be assisting me all day today. When
it was really slow I read my book Pushed by Jennifer Block. It’s an interesting
book about the modern realizations of labor and childbirth. Although I think it
is completely biased towards completely physiological births and against any
use of medicine, it’s a good read. I am reading it for my Women’s health class
that I’m taking while here in Ghana. The coursework for the class is very
interesting so I’m excited to start it. As I was leaving the clinic Vicky asked
me to accompany her to Kumasi tomorrow and I’m so excited to spend most of tomorrow
with her! The teenage boys in town asked Cassie and I to come and learn how to
dance with them at 4 but Cassie was too busy so I left by myself. On my way I
ran into our friend Kwame Samuel that told me his daughter could teach me. He
told the bartender next door to put on a good record so we could dance. The
girls taught me so many great moves. I
made quite the scene because before I knew it I had an audience of
people watching me dance. I told Kwame that I want to do something like this
for my birthday party and things sort of got out of control from there. He
asked the bartender if we could use the patio for a party on Wednesday and he
said it was fine but then he wanted to go into town to tell someone about the
party. Later I realized it was DJ that
gives announcements over the radio. I don’t think I realized the magnitude of
what would happen if they actually announce it over the radio so I hope I see
him tomorrow to tell him not to announce it. I went to the youth group around
7. I watched them play games, learned some Twi, danced, played some
instruments, got harassed by the boys, and took pictures. I’m excited to spend
tomorrow with Vicky and hope I still get to go to the Internet café before it
closes.
XOXO
Ama
Ama
 |
| My friends Afo (blue) and Kofi (orange) |
2 weeks! MOTHER'S DAY
I have made it two weeks here! Each day passes by so slowly
here but somehow I’ve been here two weeks already. Some days I feel like I have
been here for months and others just a couple days. This morning was mother’s
day so we gave Esther the bag my mom made for her and a mother’s day card. I
put on my new African dress and went to church in Asamong. The branch is tiny.
We meet in a run down old building with about 75 chairs set up even though the
ward membership is around 30 including the babies. I walked in to the calming
sound of hymns. Something about the familiarity and routine of church made it
so special. Today we watched the Sunday Morning session of General Conference.
The translator spoke over each speaker but if I listened close enough I could
hear it all in English. After Uchtdorf’s talk the power went out so the branch
president improvised and gave a lesson on Elder’s and High Priest’s duties. He
taught in Twi for about 20 minutes before the power went on and we continued
the session. After church we walked back to Mama Doris’ house and ate yams and
bean stew. We then had our meeting until it turned into story time for 4 hours.
We talked about so many things. It was nice to enjoy the other girls company
and take a break from work and the frustrations that come along with living in
Africa. It began to thunder so we walked to the station so we didn’t have a
repeat of last week’s experience of running in the rain. I got to talk to my
family around 8. It was amazing hearing their voices. My parents are busier
than ever trying to keep up with Katie and Steven’s schedules. Katie is excited
about going to prom with her friend soon and poor Steven has to get ACL surgery
that takes him out of LAX for the year. He’s tough so I’m sure he’ll bounce
back faster than expected. It was hard to say goodbye to them because I just
wanted to talk all night long. I’m excited to share more of my stories once I’m
home and show everyone what an awesome place Ghana is.
Also HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!
Also HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!
Here’s to the most amazing person I know, my mom. I
don’t know what I would do without my mom. She is one amazing super woman. She
is patient, creative, kind, caring, and full of love. She always thinks of the
little things and is always the practical one. She has the ability to see
things from a different perspective and be reasonable. She has dedicated her
whole life to serving others and taught her kids to do the same. She is hands
down the most creative woman you’ll ever meet. With a pile of random material I
can guarantee you she can have some sort of game or craft concocted in no time.
Every Saturday night as kids we would have a co-op where parents would trade
off watching all of the kids while the other parents went out on a date. Our
house was always the favorite because my mom would have the best snacks and
coolest games to play. I don’t think I realized how much work my mom put into
these Saturday nights until much later. On one rainy day she put a plastic bin
full of rice and threw in toys and measuring cups which kept us occupied for
hours. My mom also was amazing at cooking every single night. We rarely went
out because my mom always had something ready for us so we could eat our family
dinners. Even recently my mom was the biggest help getting me ready for my trip
to Africa. She helped me day after day with my one million errands. She is also
the most thoughtful person and collected letters and notes from friends and
family and compiled a scrapbook for me to take. It has notes from my elementary
teachers and old friends all wishing me luck in Ghana. I have read it so many
times already. Her family means more than anything to her and she always made
sure we spent enough time together. I don’t remember hearing my mom even
complain once about how much work it is to be a mother. She definitely makes it
look easy. I don’t think I thank her enough for the hard work and sacrifices
she made to raise four kids. I love you mom! Thank you for everything you do
and continue to do for me! Love you!
XOXO Ama
Day 13
This morning might have been the busiest morning yet. Normally
I only wake up for a few minutes while the roosters cluck and goats bleat but
this morning kids were screaming, goats bleating, roosters clucking, chicks
chirping, women sweeping, radios on full volume, and pots clanking. Normally I
would be very annoyed but here it comes with the territory. The phrase T.I.A.
comes in handy during situations like this. Despite not being able to fall
asleep last night until 1, I woke up at 6:45 with so much energy. I worked out
in the patio for 2 hours. I have a Nike Fitness Traning App on my iPhone that I
completely forgot about. It has the best workouts ever but for most of them you
need a medicine ball. I really want to do the full workout so I grabbed a big
stone from the garden and have been using that for my weights. It probably
doesn’t weigh more than 5 pounds but it works! After my workout I stayed
outside and began from the beginning of The Hunger Games again. I’m resisting
the urge to finish it all today. I then began my wash. I have never been more
thankful for washing machines in my life. It took me close to 2 hours to wash
my sheets, clothes, and towels. It’s physically exhausting especially because I
was in the sun doing it. I don’t do it exactly the way they want me to, which
takes much longer, so I do it when no ones looking to avoid the extra hour of
washing. I have never been more grateful for AC, washing machines, dryers,
microwaves, ovens, stoves, fridges, Wi-Fi, toilets, showers, running water,
electricity, and cars. It’s amazing how much I have taken for granted. This
does not even begin to list the amazing inventions that have simplified my life
and made it so comfortable. I didn’t realize how grateful I was for these items
until I didn’t have them anymore. The saying “you don’t know what you have till
it’s gone” is a HUGE theme of this crazy adventure. I am amazed at how happy
the people of Wiamoase are without any of these technological advances. I
realize that they’ve never experienced them before so they don’t know what
they’re missing. I hope I will never forget this lesson that I have learned
here. Mainly it’s don’t take things for granted. I would do so much for a bowl
of cereal with milk in an air-conditioned room. It’s the small things in life
that mean the most. I am thankful that I do have a stove and fridge for
personal use and a mosquito net to keep me safe at night. I am glad that The
Mormon church has made it’s way to Asamong so that it is so easily accessible.
Tomorrow is General Conference for West Africa!
Day 12
Today was very slow at the clinic today because of the rain.
We are in the rainy season right now so it rains almost every night but this
was the first time it rained during the day since I’ve been here. The lab tech
Mr. Timotay asked me if I wanted to watch him do tests so I went around the
wards and watched him draw blood from different patients. It’s a little more
aggressive than I’m used to because they collect blood from the vein in the
hand. The lab is a small room no bigger than 10x8. He sits at a table against
the far wall and pricks the patients one by one and puts their blood on a glass
sample and piece of paper that he later uses to figure out HB level. Mr.
Timotay puts the blood stained paper behind a color wheel to decide which level
the patient is at. They also use a hematocrit centrifuge machine to test if the
patient is pregnant or for malaria. A majority of the patients were coming in
for malaria testing I believe. On the window side there is a long table where
the lab assistant works recording results and analyzing the blood through a
microscope. The blood is cleaned in a sink with a special dye then wiped with
the same gauze pad. There is a wooden box with a light bulb that flashes a bit
to dry and clean the glass slides. I left the clinic around 2 but before I
could make it home about 15 school kids were asking me to give them my watch,
shoes, backpack, water bottle, and everything else. Madame Esther told me that
these kids don’t actually want anything you have they just like that a white
person gave it to them. The rest of the day I just recorded my observations
from the clinic and took a nap. The doxy gives me a constant dull headache so I
can’t wait until I can stop taking these.
XOXO
Natalie
Day 11
Day 2 at the clinic. Today was BUSY because it’s market day
so everyone was at the clinic. I assume that most of the patients coming in are
for malaria because I saw temperatures around 39.7 degrees Celsius. It must be
so miserable for these babies to have fevers in this HOT climate yet you hardly
hear any crying. I left the clinic with my friends around 2:15. Cassie and I
needed some groceries so we ventured out into the Wiamoase market for the first
time alone. This is not a small task for the abrunis. We were on the lookout
for any fruits and vegetables. It is very hard to get the necessary components
of the food pyramid into our diet. Dairy is non-existent, carbs are abundant,
protein intake is manageable, fruits and veggies are ok, and sweets are hard to
find. We bought 10 mangos for 50 pesewa ($0.30) 4 HUGE avocados for 1 cedi
($0.60), a pineapple for 2 cedi ($1.20), green bell peppers 2 cedi ($1.20),
pasta for 2 cedi ($1.20), and plantains for 3 cedi ($1.80). The traders in the
market are so friendly and hilarious. They would leave their stands to help us
find mangos or would send their kids to help us find good avocados. I went home
and made pasta with tomato stew on top that tasted exactly like spaghetti with
red sauce. It’s one thing that I can make here without messing up!
XOXO
Natalie
Day 10
Today was AMAZING! I had my usual throng of children follow
me around Wiamoase as I walked to the clinic to begin my first day of work.
Each morning they begin the day with a staff meeting filled with prayer,
scriptures, and announcements. The Captain spoke mainly in Twi but she did make
a comment that hit a chord with me. She said “Whether you are weeding,
scrubbing, cooking, or administrating, in the end it makes a mighty ocean”.
Sometimes being a medical professional isn’t the most glamorous job and we have
to be ok with doing the dirty work because it’s what needs to be done for the
health of the patients. One of the administrators, Vicky, is from the UK and is
absolutely hilarious. She has been here for almost a year and is really trying
to immerse herself in this culture like I will. She discussed the differences
between the cultures and shared some pretty interesting experiences that went
on during funerals and weddings in Ghana. I began the day in the Out Patient
Department (O.P.D.) recording the numbers of temperature, weight, blood
pressure, and pulse. After about 45 minutes the head nurse left to administer
immunizations and so I was left to run the O.P.D. on my own. Temperature is
taken in the armpit, blood pressure and pulse are taken with an at home
machine, and the weight is on a Kilogram scale. I stayed there until the nurse
returned around 12. I went to the Antenatal clinic to do some observations with
Dr. Kate. I stood in the corner while she evaluated 6 patients one at a time.
She palpated the stomachs, told me how far along they were and then proceeded
to use an ultrasound machine without the screen I’m used to seeing. They were
out of ultrasound gel so she was improvising with petroleum jelly. She told me
that Wednesday was for all of the Wiamoase patients, Thursday for surrounding
city patients, and Friday for all the 14-24 year old patients. After about 45 minutes
I went back to OPD and finished my day taking vitals. My new friend Kosi, the
lab technician, kept me company when things got slow. We walked home together
while he told me of all the delicious Ghanaian dishes I need to eat before I
leave. He offered to come over and teach Cassie and I some dinners. Cassie and
I went back out in the town to pick up our dresses and socialize with
people. We met some cocoa farmers
playing the fastest game of checkers I’ve ever seen. As we were walking home we
heard our names being shouted by little kids but couldn’t see anyone around us.
We then looked about 30 feet up in the mango trees and little boys had climbed
up there to fetch mangos from the very top. I can’t keep their names straight
so whenever I see them I just call them Mango. We came home to attempt at
making tomato stew that flopped miserably so we’ll have to keep practicing our
cooking. Life is good and I love every minute I have here.
XOXO
Natalie
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