I flickred most of my pictures: Ghana Photo Set

a quick one

I just taught a Ghanian footballer how to use email (gmail). Send him an email if you'd like (EmmanualAryee@gmail.com).

Last weekend I went to Boti Falls, which was cool. Today I got the toga that a lady made for me! So cool and with authentic African material.

I'll write a more complete wrap up when I'm back in the states.

rain day or the miracle of birth

When it rains in Ghana the kids dont go to school. And the cities mostly shut down. Especially the rural ones.

It rained today.

This is why I'm here using the internet in Tema. Things have been going great. I got to see a birth, which was amazing. The other girl in the clinic got to scrub the baby and such. I rocked her in a little cradle like thing and sang to her. If there is another, I'll get to help even more.

I've been working in the maternity ward side of the clinic this week. Yesterday, I weighed and took the blood pressure of pregnant women. There was a little boy named Kofi who came in with his mom. He sat on my lap, and we played with the blood pressure machine after I fed him a banana.

A woman selling fish proposed to me (watch out Danis!), but I turned her down. "Lean on Me" Muzak style is playing right now. I'm going to bask in that.

singer sewing

Internet access again! This'll be a quicker one though. I'm in Cape Coast for the weekend.

3 liters of water is all it takes for me to take a shower. We've found its better to fill up water bottles and rinse when them rather than use the shower head.

I've been working in the general side of the clinic taking vitals signs so that the nurses can get to more patients quicker. I helped to dress a laceration on a little boy's leg (we used some nice homemade butterfly bandages).

This morning we went to the rainforest area (a national park) and walked on an incredible rope bridge system about 40 meter up in the trees. It was crazy and amazing.

I think I might do construction on monday. They are laying a concrete floor for a new school at a church. We usually only work from 8-12, but I think I'm going to start going in on the afternoons as well.

On the way here I saw a woman carrying a old-style singer sewing machine on her head.

So here it goes:
I have learned how to give injections (immunizations) to babies. I'm working in the Prampram health clinic, and the nurses there are amazing. I and one other girl are there and they are letting us do stuff I would never get to do back home. My first day I was put with the nurse doing baby immunizations, and she let me do several. I can't explain to you how excited I was that a. I had learned to give a shot and b. had immunized five human being against a slew of would be diseases. Today I worked in the general clinic. We saw one case of rash and forty cases of malaria. Most people had it already as well. The other girl (Krista) worked in the maternity ward and got to watch a birth. A birth! She stayed late to wait for it and the ladies later came running up to her "hurry! run!", so she ran to the back room and watched the baby be born on a rusted bed and a plastic sheet. I might get to watch one later.

All of the structures of Prampram (except the hotel) are basically open air. The clinic, the schools everything. When we walk through town the kids go crazy and start yelling "buffalo" at us (which means "white person"). The kids are amazing. The other people in my group (all college students and one 29 year teacher) are working in the schools and say that the kids are incredibily ready to learn. Erin taught math today and the kids skipped recess to stay and have her check their work.

My hotel is way nicer than I thought it would be. We've had some problems today getting running water. Its kind of hard to remember to not let any water into my mouth in the pool and not to rinse my toothbrush with the tap water. The shower is really hallarious. You must basically kneel (its euro style and cord is too short) and shake a trickle of water out of it. But really this is not a complaint but more of an observation and enjoyment.

I'll be in the clinic for two weeks, in a school for one week, and do a couple of days of construction or painting. I have no idea how often we'll come to this bigger city that we've come to to use the internet.

It costs the kids less than $5 a year to go to school- and still lots can't afford it.

I basically still can't believe that I'm here.

Ac-cra!

I'm trying to learn how to correctly pronounce the capital of Ghana- which I will be in for a few more hours before I go to the village I'm going to work in. I think you kind of say a little "c" in the first syllable and then put a bigger "C" and emphasis on the second syllable.

Many many flights. Some men got into a fight on my plane before I left for Africa. I saw the Sahara out of the window. The flight from Europe to Africa took as long as my flight from America to Europe- so its been lots of flying for me. I thought that one of my bags had been lost, but luckily the airport called me later and had found it!

I leave for Prampram in about 30 minutes. We have a group meeting, and then we meet with community leaders that we'll be working with. The rest of the group that is here with me seems cool. They're almost all college students.

amsterdam

I'm in the Amsterdam aiport. I think its about 5 at home.

My plane ride consisted of: weird foods, the movie "millions" which was great, and two very southern, talkative women sitting behind me.

Next flight in a few hours.

Leaving for Africa

I leave for Africa today ladies and gents. I'm going to try to update there- we'll see what internet capabilities I have. My mom claims that I have free international cell phone roaming- I'll update on that as well, because if so, expect some calls from another continent. See you in a few weeks.

template

So I've put up a new blog template to tide me over until I can design my own. Is it usable?

[Edit: Nevermind, back to the old one. I'll make a new one when I get back.]