Theater (Surgery in Ghana)

          On Friday I observed surgery at Ridge hospital. Here operating rooms are called theaters.  I watched two hernia repairs and two c-sections. Surgery here is done while the patients are awake. When I first walked into the OR it was strange hearing the patient talking to the surgeon. The patients are awake since it requires less observation and removes the risk of side affects from general anesthesia. The c-sections were awesome to observe. I think I liked them more than any other surgery I’ve even seen. I did learn that I can handle a significant amount of blood. In one of the c-sections the mother started bleeding. The blood was everywhere even the floor, since the surgeon couldn’t suction the blood out fast enough. The mother received a transfusion and she and the baby were fine. I guess it’s good to know that blood doesn’t bother me.   

Life Happens Even in Ghana

Life here in Ghana has been a little unpredictable since my last blog post. Dr. Anderson’s mother died very unexpectedly late Friday night. So life here has been a little different than we expected. I didn’t really know his mother well since she didn’t speak much English, but I have gotten to know the other members of the family. Saturday was very difficult for everyone. People traveled from all over Ghana to our house to pay their respects. Its difficult to see people you have grown very fond of grieve such a significant loss, especially after they just lost their grandfather in May. Please keep the family in your prayers. The one-week celebration of life is tomorrow and then the funeral is on August 18^th. Dr. Anderson will be staying in Ghana until then. Also, pray for safe travels for his brother, wife, and sons that will be traveling to Ghana from the US.

Monday and Tuesday we worked in Accra with the radio station screening people. I have really enjoyed the community clinics during the trip. I always felt like I was making a difference in the people’s lives. Hopefully the people will take our advice and change their diets and exercise more. The people of Ghana are beginning to face the same chronic disease that many western countries are also facing like hypertension and diabetes.

           Today and tomorrow we are just relaxing and preparing for the trip home on Friday. I can’t wait to get home. I’ve missed my regular diet, hot showers, a washing machine and dryer, Mom and Dad, Penny, and reliable running hot water. I am so thankful for this experience. I learned more than I can write about on this blog. I know now that pursuing a medical degree is defiantly for me. I have the resources, the intelligence, and drive needed to earn my MD. So the way I see it I’d only regret pursuing another career. The journey will be long, just like the people in Ghana live one day at a time, if I take it one day at a time I know I will eventually achieve my dream.

NICU

            I spent my day caring for 29 babies in the NICU. It was interesting learning how to care for such tiny babies. I got to feed them and hold a few. We feed them formula in a cup every three hours. Some of the mothers come in and breastfeed but many of the babies are too weak to feed naturally. I also learned that baby boys can lactate. I saw a nurse actually removing “milk” from one of the boys. I was somewhat horrified at first, but the doctor said it’s from the mother’s hormones and it stops after the first two days or so. The babies share incubators and heat lamps that were mostly donated from the US. The babies in the incubators are so tiny. I knew babies could be that small, but I have never seen or held a baby that only weighs 2.2 pounds.

One little boy is completely healthy, but his mother doesn’t want him.  She told the nurses to call a social worker. I know I haven’t walked a mile in this mother’s shoes, but I don’t know how you look at your baby and decided you don’t want it.  I held him most of the day. He is starved for human contact and love. The nurses and doctors are severally over worked, so the babies are only held or touched if they are being fed or checked. Most of the time the mother’s have to work or care for their other children – leaving the NICU babies in the care of the nurses.

            Side note – as I write this I have just gotten out of the “shower” and by shower I mean a bucket of water filled by opening 500mL pouches of water. The running water here has been cut off. We are not sure when it will return or if it will return and the house’s personal tank is empty. Please, pray that the water returns quickly. I can easily live with out electricity here, but running water is a different thing. Mostly we need to be able to flush the toilets. 

Ridge

This week we have been at Ridge Hospital in Accra. On Monday we were given a tour and introduced to all of the head nurses in each department. This hospital has many more departments than the children’s hospital, everything from surgery to dental and even a VIP ward. The set up and building are very similar though. The first stop on the tour was the administration’s office, while we were waiting to meet with the nurse that coordinates everything for us we met two foreign trained nurses from South Africa and Norwey.  We talked for a bit about the differences here and our and their home countries. I was somewhat surprised that the Norway nurse decided to move here alone. She said that she met some really good friends and just decided to stay. Friends are better than have material possessions. The tour through the hospital was very interesting. The hospital is fully to capacity and beyond.  Beds are crammed in everywhere, even the hallway. In the NICU four babies all share one incubator. The only equipment in the radiology department is an X-ray machine. No CT or MRI. In fact there is only one CT scanner in the entire country.

            I spent Tuesday in the physical therapy department working with stroke victims and babies with birth injuries. It was quite inspiring watching the stroke victims learn to walk again. The youngest stroke victim was 36. He wasn’t overweight, but unknowingly had severe hypertension.  Helping the children was also interesting. Many of them had a week arm since their shoulder was dislocated during delivery. I have defiantly learned how awesome the miracle of birth really is. We should praise the Lord every time both baby and mom are healthy after delivery. It truly is the miracle of life. Today, I helped immunize over 150 six-week-old babies. After today I’d like to give a huge thank you to every mother and father that has cared for a baby cries non-stop. After six hours of hearing babies scream from getting their shots I knew I had lost my sanity.

            I am very thankful for these past few weeks in Ghana. I have learned more than I could ever share on this blog. The biggest lesson I have learned is to be content. I have been given much more than I need. I was born to loving parents that had a stable income in a country where my every need and more is met. I have access to some of the best medical treatments in the world. I drive on perfectly smooth roads in a car I was given. I am earning a college education thanks to HOPE and my parents. Yet, I have grown up in a culture that tells you to want more so I have fallen into this trap far to often. I recently read a book called Radical by David Platt and he asks the question “What would happen if we began to give what it hurt us to give?” I have seen the need first hand. The hospitals here are choked. They don’t have the resources to treat every patient. Some people are turned away since they don’t have the money. I know I can’t change the situation of every person in Ghana, but we are trying to change the lives of a few children by raising money for a new swing-set at the Children’s Hospital. (If you’re interested in donating please email me. Mnorth1@uga.edu). 

Misery Does Love Company

            We stopped at the Mall today to eat Chinese before dropping James off at the Airport. (He’s starting Medical School on August 1^st) After eating Emily and I made a quick stop in the bathroom. We walked in and I couldn’t tell if there was a line or not so I asked and one woman kept looking at me. It was somewhat awkward having her watch me like a hawk, so I finally asked her how she was. A conversation started immediately. She was a woman from California. She asked the usual like “why are you here” and “when do you go home”, so we returned the questions and quickly discovered that she was severally homesick. Oddly enough the first thing she complained about was the food.  (Sound familiar?) She said she had been sick entire time. Obliviously she was ready to go home and was just looking to speak to other Americans. I later realized she probably recognized my accent and that’s why she was starring at me. 

Other random facts I forgot to mention

1.     Mortgages don’t exist here. If you want a house you have to pay cash for it. This is part of the     discrepancy between housing for the poor and wealthy. Houses here also take a very long time to build. As does everything in Ghana – one road that is basically the artery of Accra was started over ten years ago and they are still nowhere near finished.

2.     Mother’s here that give birth naturally are sent home the same day. If you have a C-section you stay for two days. Maternity leave is 3 months long. Mother’s also dress in white for the first 6 months of the baby’s life.

3.     Girls must keep their hair short like a boy’s to attend public school. Girls also get their ears pierced the same day or shortly after birth.

4.     An “A” in a class at the University of Ghana (where Dr. Anderson attended) is an 80 or above. The students here don’t believe that an “A” at UGA is a 93 or above.

One Funeral, One wedding, Two Days

           On Friday we attended Dr. Anderson’s grandfather’s funeral in Accra. His name was Kwesi Cato and he passed at the age of 91. The service began at 8:30 am and ended around noon. The service consisted of singing many hymns, tributes from friends and other organizations, a sermon, and the closing of the casket.  The church was standing room only with about 1,000 people in attendance. The program for the service was 50 pages long. Mr. Kwesi was a very influential man. He was wealthy and highly educated. People traveled from all over Ghana to be in attendance. The service was very nice. People spoke from the heart about a man full of integrity and honor. His children and grandchildren spoke of his wisdom and love. I was glad to be in attendance. After the service we went to the cemetery. Here in Ghana they actually lower the body into the ground while everyone watches. Watching the casket being lowered was unsettling. It made his death real. Memories from my grandmother’s funeral last year came flooding back to me. After the graveside service was over we returned to the church for a thanksgiving service. They catered lunch so people ate, danced, and celebrated Mr. Kwesi’s life. Around 4pm we headed home. The celebration of life services continued Saturday and Sunday, but we didn’t make it since we were attending a fellow UGA student’s wedding.

            On Saturday we went to a wedding for Fedel and Sandra. It was great. It was probably one of the happiest weddings I’ve ever attended. The congregation celebrated this couple and their union. The wedding lasted just over three hours. We sang and danced. The couple exchanged vows, signed their wedding certificate, and the minister preached. The minister’s sermon was my favorite part of the wedding. He spoke to the family about supporting the marriage and ways they pull the husband and wife apart without even realizing it. He advised the friends to give them space during the first year. He charged the bride and groom with their responsibilities to the marriage. Basically the minister said all the things that too many people are afraid to say – marriage is serious and something to not enter lightly.  Maybe if more people heard what this minister had to say our divorce rates would be lower.  Tyra also sang at the wedding (she is good friends with the groom). She did an awesome job! Two interesting facts about Ghanaian weddings – the groom still removes the veil to ensure he is marrying the correct women and they still ask, “if any one knows any reason why this man and women shouldn’t be married speak now or forever hold your peace.” I though they only asked that in movies. I’ve never heard this asked at a real wedding before. Also, the bride and groom don’t kiss – they hugged and he kissed her hand. If my wedding one-day is half the celebration of this one, I’ll consider myself lucky. I have to say Ghanaians know how to celebrate.              

            This week we are working at Ridge Hospital in Accra. Pray that we have safe travels each day and clear discernment about where in the hospital we should be working.  

Takoradi

So I haven’t had much to blog about lately since I’ve been exhausted from community work in Takoradi. This week we have consistently screened over 150 patients each day. We open are clinics at 8am and stay until the people stop coming. Everyday this week people have been lined up waiting for us when we arrive. It's still a bit odd for me to think about how much these people respect us. They arrive early and patiently wait for us.  We probably even saved one women’s life. She was complaining about abdominal pain, shortness of breath, her blood pressure was sky high, and her feet were severally swollen. Thankfully James recognized her symptoms. Dr. Anderson made a call ahead to the hospital and our driver with James rushed her to the hospital. She was having a heart attack with classic symptoms for women. (FYI men and women have VERY different heart-attack symptoms.) We have not heard from this lady, so we are assuming she is okay. Also yesterday I got measured for a dress. We are attending Dr. Anderson’s grandfather’s funeral on Friday and I needed a black dress. So with Claire I went to the market and bought the fabric. We then took it to the seamstress to get the dress made. The entire dress was only 23 cedis. As many of you know I’m not much for shopping so picking out a pattern for the dress and then the fabric was a bit overwhelming. I’m very glad Claire knew exactly where to take Emily and me, otherwise I would have been completely lost. I’ll keep you posted on how the dress turns out. 

Random Things

While in Ghana I’ve seen my fair share of random things that haven’t really fit into any of my blog posts. So here’s a list of them

1.     I saw my first albino baby. I was confused as to why this black mother was breast-feeding this white baby. Then we realized that he must be albino.

2.     Mother’s breast-feed everywhere in the complete open from Church to the market.

3.     One little boy at the immunization clinic had on Obama underwear. The Ghanaian’s LOVE Obama. They have Obama everything even a hotel and a college.

4.     Goats, sheep, and chickens roam everywhere.

5.     A Nigerian movie. It was basically a Lifetime movie with lower quality acting. We watched it with Jenifer – one of the older sister’s that lives with us.

6.     Men urinating anywhere and everywhere. With signs that read “Don’t urinate here.”

7.      Water comes in pouches not bottles.

8.     Ghanaian people are very early people. By 5:30 everyone is awake. This is beginning to rub off on me and the other girls. We had the opportunity to sleep-in today and we were all wide-awake by 6:15.

9.     Dogs here are scared of white people. The dog, Peace, that lives with us runs frantically away from everyone except Tyra.

10.   The power gets turned off on purpose during storms. It saves the power company money since less damage occurs. 

Canopy Walk

Yesterday was one of my favorite days so far in Ghana. We went for the canopy walk in the rainforest  at Kakum National Park. It was AWESOME. You walk on rope suspension bridges from tree to tree. The bridge is made of a ladder with a wooded board over the ladder with nets on both sides. There were 7 bridges in total suspended about 130 feet above the ground.   We were above some of the treetops. I LOVED it. Only 4 of these specific bridges have ever been constructed – one here in Ghana, Malaysia, China, and Peru. If you ever make it to Ghana I highly recommend visiting this park. We had fun just walking through the rainforest. I saw the largest bamboo tree I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately we didn’t see any animals, but if I ever return I want to stay in one of the tree houses over night. Most of the jungle animals like leopards are nocturnal so they lead tours at night from these tree houses deep in the forest. 

Update on Mercy

We were unsuccessful in getting the IV started. With severe malnourished children getting an IV started is very difficult. Our Pedisure shipment still hasn’t arrived, but we were able to give Mercy Gatorade and some soup with fish protein powder. Although some food is better than nothing Mercy still needs a lot of care. The dietician tried getting a feeding tube started, but Mercy kept pulling it out. I’m not sure I’d like someone trying to put a tube up my nose and down my throat either without being sedated. Please continue to pray for this little girl. She is truly alone in this world. Her father stopped by today and greeted Mercy with  “I’d thought you would be dead by now.” What a horrible thing to say to your daughter who is dying – a daughter you neglected. I have never been more thankful for our child protection services in the US. This horrible father, if he even deserves this title, would have been arrested for child abuse and Mercy would at least be put into foster care. (I know our foster care system is far from perfect, but it by far surpasses the system here in Ghana.) Here since the father refuses to give up his rights and refuses to care for Mercy she is stuck in the hospital where the nurses have begun giving up on her. Mercy’s only hope is a miracle. She needs someone to care for her, encourage her to eat, take her HIV medication, and love her. Please keep Mercy in your prayers. We are only at the children’s hospital for tomorrow then we return to running community clinics.  Dr. Anderson knows the hospital’s dietician so I’ll be following Mercy’s story closely. 

Mercy

            We visited the only children’s hospital in Ghana today. My heart broke as we walked into the malnourished floor. I couldn’t even hold back the tears. The children were broken. Some of them were even alone. One little girl named Mercy has been in the hospital for over 2 months. Mercy is 14, HIV positive, alone, and severely malnourished. She looked to be about 4 or 5. Her mom is deceased and her father rarely comes to check on her. Mercy is too weak to even walk, so she sits with her diaper on in a crib made for a baby. I asked the one dietician for the entire hospital why Mercy wasn’t gaining weight. Mercy has only gained 2/10^ths of kilo in 2 months. The dietician told me that the HIV medication upsets the stomach and many children begin refusing food. The hospital doesn’t have the resources for better medication or more food options. Apparently in the US most HIV positive children are given Pediasure with their HIV medications and this combination is easier on the children’s tummy. Here Pediasure is basically nonexistent. We have a shipment of Pediasure coming from the US, but it hasn’t arrived yet. After seeing Mercy and asking many questions I went and explained everything to Dr. Anderson. He agreed that she needs an IV. We brought IV supplies with us since here in Ghana only the wealthy get IVs. We had to leave the hospital before we could find one of 8 doctors for the entire children’s hospital to ask about getting the IV started. So tomorrow Mercy will hopefully be receiving IV fluids and food.  This little girt is terribly sick. With out HIV medications and food Mercy will likely die. Unfortunately, Mercy isn’t the only child in this situation. Most HIV positive children face similar fates. Tomorrow we are helping run the HIV clinic at the children’s hospital. We will counsel the parents on how to feed the children with the antiretroviral medication. 

Washing Clothes

       So after two weeks I caved in and decided it was time to wash clothes. Here that means washing them by hand and hanging them on the clothesline. After working the clinic and eating lunch I mentioned that I was going to wash clothes. The boys immediately asked if they could join me. Of course I said yes and headed to grab my clothes and laundry soap. I asked Claire (one of the sisters that lives at the house) where we could get the washbasin, she went and got it for us and we headed outside to wash our clothes. Explaining how to hand wash clothes to two clueless college boys when I barely know how to was an epic failure. After about 5 minutes another sister, Jennifer, came out and said, “Just wash your underwear. I’ll do the rest tomorrow. You look like your suffering.”  This was only after the family watched from the kitchen hysterically laughing. I’m glad I could be someone’s entertainment!

Favorite Things

It has come to my attention that I haven’t really shared my favorite things about Ghana. So here's a few. 

1.     The mangos. They are triple the size of American mangos and much sweeter.

2.     The friends I’ve made here. With only 5 students we have bonded quickly.

3.     The family we are living with. They have graciously invited us into their home for 4 of the 6 weeks we are here. The mom is dr. Anderson’s sister. They feed us twice a day and even hand wash our clothes. (Please read the next post.)

4.     Getting to improve the quality of the people’s health care. I really enjoy screening the people here. 

5.     The children that light up when you give them a mint.

6.     My cell phone. If you ever travel to Ghana, Vodafone works everywhere. Even in the most remote villages. Their internet card also works everywhere. Hints the reason I am able to update this blog so often.

7.     The cheap prices here. One American dollar equals about 1.7 Ghana Cedis.

8.     The awesome views from our home. We are staying in the mountains about 30 miles outside the capital. It is much safer and very clean compared to the capital.

9.     Milo. It’s a type of hot chocolate the Ghanaians drink every morning. Its not as sweet as American hot chocolate and its caffeine free. It’s my coffee substitute while I’m here.    

  

Happy 4th of July

Today I’m missing home. I miss the food and celebrations. Mostly the food – I haven’t found any Ghanaian food I like which is surprising since I like a wide variety of favors. We went to the local pizzeria to celebrate the 4^th and in the words of Gene “That pizza was Fear Factor worthy.” It was disgusting to say the least. I’m pretty sure I’m losing weight. Thank goodness for the American snacks I brought – instant grits have NEVER tasted so good.  

Community Work

           Today was our first day of community work and it was a success! We set up our clinic in a local Methodist Church from 8am to 1pm. Ghanaian’s are very early people, so by afternoon people stop coming. We screened over 100 people – mostly women from age 19 to 80 something. The lady couldn’t remember her age. I guess that happens if you live long enough! Over all the women were fairly healthy. Hypertension is the biggest health issue facing Ghanaians and other Africans even African-Americans. I was running the glucose and hemoglobin station with James and Gene. I can now confidently prick just about anyone’s finger. Our equipment is not the latest technology hence we have to collect a good amount of blood to run these tests. By using older technology we are allowed to screen more people since the tests are cheaper to run.

            It has poured down rain here all day long and our electricity has been out. As I write this we are all sitting in the living room reading by book light or on our laptops. Hopefully the power will return soon and the rain will stop before tomorrow. Tomorrow we are setting up outside in the town square. Muddy streets and wet clients will nota provide the best environment for wellness checks. Pray for dry weather!

Beaches, Nasty Beaches

Yesterday, we decided to adventure to the beach in Accra. We thought a relaxing day at the beach would be nice. So, we got a ride with Dr. Anderson to the beach since he was already going to his family’s meeting in Accra about his grandfather’s funeral. We arrived at the beach and my picture of a relaxing day at the beach instantly vanished. Trash, piles of trash were waiting to greet us. Along with locals trying to rip foreigners off by charging to walk this nasty beach. We ignored the locals and walked a short piece of the beach before leaving. Dr. Anderson conveniently forgot to mention that he hasn’t been to the beach here in over 15 years.

To all my Athens friends – I am so sorry that y’all suffered through 106-degree temperatures. I guess I will quit complaining about the horrible humidity here since the high is only 80. We don’t have AC, but 80 is nothing compared to 106.

Tomorrow we start community work. We will be checking glucose, height and weight, hemoglobin, lipids, and blood pressure. We practiced on each other today. Pricking each other’s fingers was the easy part, getting the blood onto the slide and into machine is the tricky part. I think we all have it though. Please, pray for us. There is a slight language barrier because of the different accents and some of the patients might be HIV positive. Pray that we are focused. Last year one student accidently stabbed her self with a used lancet. She had to be tested for HIV and thankfully she was negative. 

Congratulations, Justin!

I am so sad that I will be missing my brother’s pilot training graduation tonight. I wanted him to know that I have been thinking about his accomplishment and missing him terribly today. I have never missed anything big in Justin’s life – high school soccer games and graduation, Wings of Blue jumps, and college graduation. So it’s depressing missing this awesome accomplishment.

To Justin:

You are going to be the best MC-12 pilot that the Air Force has ever seen! Your perseverance this past year has been inspiring. You worked hard and you deserve to celebrate. I hope your career becomes everything you ever dreamed of. I pray that the Lord will lead you and protect you in the chapters to come. I love you! I hope you know I am your biggest fan and will always have your back. You better celebrate like there’s no tomorrow!  Congratulations, Megan

Shea Butter Ghana Style

Apparently, Ghana is the number one in exporter of Shea butter around the world. Who knew, right? It comes from the Northern region. The Shea butter you buy here is different than the kind in the US. Here it’s very white and completely pure. So we told Dr. Anderson that we wanted to buy some, and he asked the driver if he knew anyone in this village who makes it.  The driver knew a police officer, who knew someone, who lead us deep into this village to a older lady’s house. The walk to the lady’s house was shady – it kind of felt like we were going after drugs. Anyways, the lady makes the Shea butter at her house and apparently has the best product.  We asked her to buy some, and buy some we did. For the four of us who wanted Shea butter, we bought her entire stock for 35 Ghana cedis. This is about 18 US dollars.  The bowl was bigger than we expected – it filled a 3-gallon bucket and a gallon bag. So, I got about a gallon of Shea butter for $4.50 US. Talk about a deal. I have been using it the last few days and I love it! It works so much better than lotion and its completely pure. We, also, felt like we were helping the lady out financially, since most families live on only 150 Ghana cedis annually.

Mole National Park

            We made it safely to Mole National Park for the safari. The safari was somewhat of a let down. Growing up watching Lion King, you come to Africa expecting to see the savannah with lions, zebras, and giraffes. But we are in West Africa with more jungle, so we only saw elephants, warthogs, antelope, and baboons.  Don’t get we wrong, I’m glad I got to see Mole National Park, but for the crazy drive it wasn’t really worth it in my opinion.

            Mole National Park is more of a reserve than a park. The animals roam free and are allowed to go anywhere they wish – including the lodge. The first afternoon, one of the elephants named People’s Friend the Second came right up to the grassy area in front of our room. He was only about 20 feet away from us. Then on the morning we were leaving, we were eating breakfast outside and one of the baboons jumped up on the table next to ours and started charging at us. Luckily, a worker charged at the baboon and he or she ran away. Then we looked up and the same baboon was sitting on the edge of the roof. According to the safari guide, baboons are very aggressive animals especially towards women. Needless to say that was quite the adrenalin rush. One cool fact I learned on the safari was that elephants are actually black. We watched the elephants bathe and they are defiantly solid black. 

            On the way out of Mole National Park we stopped at the oldest Mosque in West Africa. The mosque was built in 1432. It wasn’t a very elaborate building, but it was in good condition for being in a village with thatched roofs and mud bricks. The cows outside the mosque used for sacrifices, really bothered me. They were tied up around the feet, where they couldn’t move or even stand up. The children also pulled at the heartstrings. They were dirty, lacking shoes, clothes and probably food yet, their eyes revealed innocence. They want what every child wants – food, clothes, shelter, and parents to love them. I pray for these children and their parents that they may have food to eat, clothes, and a clean place to live. Sanitation in the village and everywhere in Ghana is a major problem.

             

Crazy Drivers

 Driving in Ghana is crazy. I’m talking dirt roads going 70 mph. (I have seen the speedometer.) The police do not enforce driving laws so speed bumps are everywhere, especially the villages. The roads have no lanes so people tend to just drive wherever they want – even directly at oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road. Traffic in Accra is horrible. We are in Mampong, which is about 30 miles outside of Accra and it took us 2 hours to arrive in downtown Accra this morning. Also, everyone drives extremely close to other cars. We were even in a slight fender bender today, but luckily we were moving slowly in stop and go traffic. The trips are very stressful for me, because we come very close to death frequently.  Please, please pray for safe travels tomorrow on our 12 hour journey.

Accra

5:15 this morning we woke and left for Accra. We toured the national museum of Ghana and then left for orientation. We met with the head of health services of Accra about the medical problems plaguing Ghana. Malaria is the number one health concern, followed by cholera. Accra has exploded in population with people moving to the cities for work, but the work is scarce. Unemployment is about 20 percent. This has lead to massive slums, which lack running water and basic sanitation. Sanitation is Accra is a major problem only about 75 percent of solid waste is collected. This has led to dirty, smelly streets. Also, animals like cows, sheep, goats, and chickens roam the streets. We visited the market in Accra and I witnessed the sanitation problems first hand. I was very uncomfortable in the market – it was crowded like NYC on New Years Eve with vendors and people everywhere. The buildings are not even constructed well, they are thrown together with whatever the people have. The vendors are selling everything from fruit to hair dryers. We did not buy anything, since Dr. Anderson said that other towns have better souvenirs.

            On the drive home we saw the first American fast food chain to arrive in Ghana – KFC. This KFC had three levels and was one of the most elaborate KFCs I have ever seen. McDonalds is set to arrive sometime next year.  The food in Ghana is very, very spicy. I haven’t really found anything I am enjoying except the mangos and pineapple. For now I’m surviving off a PBJ for breakfast, fruit, and snacks from home.

Church

June 24th

Today, I experienced church like never before. We attended the local Methodist Church with Dr. Anderson. The church was easily 150 years old, and made to comfortably seat 300 people. It was shaped like a T, with pews on the side of the pulpit as well. Today, there were easily 400 people in the church. The pews were packed and some of the people were even sitting in the isle on the side in lawn chairs. There was a funeral yesterday, and today for a female member of the church, so the people were dressed in the traditional Ghanaian funeral colors of black. Almost everyone in the congregation was wearing black and white. The service was filled with music, dancing, reading scriptures, and preaching. The service lasted 3 ½ hours, we didn’t even attend Sunday School. I only recognized one of the hymns – It Is Well. The other hymns and scripture reading was in English, but the preaching and other talking was in the traditional dialect of Mampong. I was reminded why, the bible was written in the language of the people. The gospel wasn’t for the rich, or well educated religious leaders. The gospel is and was for everyday people – the tax collectors, the liars, the thieves, and sinners just like me.

            After church we came home, changed clothes, and headed out to lunch for Tyra’s birthday celebration at Palm Hill Grill. (Tyra’s a fellow student who turned 27 today. She’s a PhD student studying public health.) I just ordered hot chocolate, since it was 3pm and we eat dinner at 5 o’clock. The hot chocolate came out and I had an entire tray. I was given the coco, sugar, cream, and hot water to mix together and make the hot chocolate. It was actually very delicious. Others had fried rice with chicken, but by far the most interesting was the cow foot soup that Gene ordered. It was hairy and looked strange. Gene did NOT like it, he said too spicy and weird for his taste. (Mine too!) He was a good sport though and just ate the broth off the soup.  While at Palm Hill a local named William invited us to join him while he ate. He was very friendly. We learned that he is the leader of the first college ever established in Ghana.

            Tomorrow we head to Accra (the capital) for orientation about the health care system here. Then on Tuesday we travel north to Mole National Park for the safari. This is the longest and most dangerous drive – 12 hours by dirt road with the occasional robbery at gunpoint. We are leaving by 4am so that we will arrive before dark. Here in Ghana it gets dark by 6pm. Please pray for safe, uneventful travels.

First Impressions

I'm here safe in Ghana. The flight and drive was easy.
First Impression
1. The house is HUGE and very western. Its a gated house with little villa's around it.
2. Its humid - Georgia's humidity is nothing.
3. The fruit is awesome, especially the mango and pineapple.
4. The small group is going to be very nice.

We are just hanging out to day. Nothing to special. Tomorrow we are going to church. I'm very interested to see how church in Ghana is.  

Packing

I just finished packing my last bag. I'm pretty sure I packed enough for this life and the next one. Of course I packed the essentials, but I also have lots of bug spray, sunscreen, scrubs, toothpaste and toothbrushes to donate, toilet paper (yes, toilet paper) , medical supplies, malaria pills, and even a solar shower since running hot water is lacking. The solar shower actually works and I'm betting that its worth every penny of the 6.97 I paid for it. I also packed tons of food: meal bars, easy mac, instant grits, dried fruit, nuts, and pretzels. I'm not sure about the food in Ghana - more to come on that subject. My two checked bags weigh almost the max and my carryon is stuffed with clothes. My mac and Modern Family DVDs will also be making this voyage. Even though my bags are maxed out, I'm still hoping I packed enough. I've never been gone six weeks and its hard to know exactly what to pack.

Location, Location, Location

Since, I've received a fair number of blank faces on the location of Ghana I decided to post a map. As you can see its in the western part of Africa. Surprisingly, its only four hours ahead of east cost time. Its about the size of Oregon, and I'll have the privilege of visiting most of the country before I return home.

Good to Go

Its my last Saturday before I leave for Ghana, and what am I up to -  creating a blog. I've always wanted a blog, but I've always felt that I didn't have stories worthy of others time. But now that I'm headed to the other side of the Atlantic I'm sure I'll have plenty of interesting posts. Anyways, I'm not sure how often I'll be updating this baby, since I'm headed to a place that lacks even hot water. Hopefully, though, I'll be making it to an internet cafe at least once a week.  I hope to post pictures, stories, prayer requests, and anything else. Feel free to leave me comments  or email me (mnorth1@uga.edu) while I'm gone, I'm sure I will (I already do) miss my friends and family back in the States.