Today started off with a little surprise. We had just arrived home from 37 military hospital and was getting ready to cut into a delicious mango. I was about half way through when I noticed a black spot in the middle, thinking nothing of it (as I’ve seen them before) I put my knife in to cut around and continue on. All of a sudden a huge bug starts to crawl out of the hole, I can see each and every one of its legs creeping out. Later on (after I run into the room, slip on the floor and fall against the door), we dig to see what else there is lurking in the pit of my mango and find a mini nest. All I could think of were « Mango Flies », they burrow under your skin and lay eggs, if you do not pop them out they eventually hatch and fly out of your skin….. I haven’t given up, mangos are still a huge part of my diet but I have opted for getting my mangos cut at the market from now on. Im aware Vince, once a suck always a suck.
I still put a lot of trust in the market food, especially at supper when you cant’ see a thing you are eating, if you bite into something hard (most likely a fish bone) you spit it out and keep on trucking. The amount of rice and fried plantanes I have been eating here would put Vincent to shame. You couldn’t hack it, guaranteed. My favorite so far is either red red (bean stew and fried plantaines)
or Jolof rice with salad, plantanes, and lots of their spicy sauce. Some other Ghanaian dishes are fufu (mashed cassava and plantane thrown in different flavors of soup, you rip off a peice of dough, make it into a little scoop and throw it in your mouth along with the soup you manage to scoop up), Kenkay or Banku (fermented or not maize eaten with rice, sauce and spice), Yams and spicy sauce, more rice of course (fried, plan or watche)…. The 3rd day here my roommate and I tried out fufu. Not only was it dark, I couldn’t understand what was being offered so I pointed to a random pot of soup and asked for fish (I have heard when you ask for meat you can get full intestines and cow/pig or who knows what hide). I got a glimpse of a fish head and was mess by the end of it, I have learnt to stick to day light eating when trying something new…
FuFu, with chicken and groundnut soup. With the fish head incident long past me I decided to give it another go. Amazing! At each table they have a bucket full of water for you to wash your right (never eat with your left!) hand before and after.
We have 4 days left at the polyclinic and than its off to a village for our last week. The Mamprobi p
olyclinic is just on the outskirts of Accra, the west side. They do not call it a hospital, however it is similar to a small rural hospital back home. It has its own maternity ward, antenatal and postnatal clnics, STI clinic, psychiatric clinic, recovery room (small ER), outpatients department, and community health offices (child welfare, public health, school clinics)….. Last week I had the chance to be in the recovery ward, antenatal and post natal clincs. I’ve started getting used to the whole aspect of 
healthcare here and how things are run however I still find myself trying to collect my thoughts and not walk around with my mouth haning open for most of the day. One of the days in antenatal I was able to do HIV/AIDs testing (which is mandatory for all pregnant women each and every time), it takes about 5 minutes for the results and if they are positive they are referred for further testing (quick oral test) and counselling. It was heartbreaking to have to deliver the news of a positive result, made especially difficult with the language barrer. If you have the national health insurance (which was just i
mplemented in the past couple years) most of antenatal and basic hospital care is covered for. However the funding can be sporadic and does not always make it to the hospital so there are times drugs are not available, or resources such as gloves or spirits (alcohol) which run out (almost everyday at 37 military hospital). Most patients have to wait until the family goes to buy their medication from the pharmacist (even in emerg) as well whenever a patient needs blood the family has to donate to either replace what was taken or so the patient can get it infused. After only experiencing our health care system it is the oddest thing to see money being exchanged for services right in front of me, and to see even emergent situations being put on hold because either the family is not there to pay or a lack of resources.
The antenatal/postnatal clinic is as efficient as it can be, they serve 100 – 200 women each day with only 6-7 midwives to see all those clients. Each morning I walked into a colorfull, hustle and bustle waiting room. These waiting areas are open to air with wooden benches, women sitting
hip to hip either pregnat or with a baby tied to their back with material (I have never seen so many pregnant women in a room before in my life). Each women has a different colored/patterned dress and it makes the room look like joseph has spread his technicolored coat over the benches. (This picture is at the end of the day, when almost everyone had gone home). The day starts off with singing and praying for 10-20 minutes and moves to an educational talk (20-40minutes) by one of the midwives (safe motherhood, family planning, abuse, mental health…). Although these talks are in « Twi », sometimes it is impossible to miss the meaning of them with the demonstrations they have (especially with family planning ). The women move on to weight and height, urinalysis, HIV/AIDs testing and than finally to see a midwife who assesses and educates them further. The nurses/midwives have amazing assessment skills however if their are complications, especially during birth and the women needs to be transfered to a major hospital for surgery it can be a problem. They have to find an ambulance, get ahold of the hospital (if possible) to get the OR ready (although they only have one OR room at the hospital close by because the other is under renevation), and if their are no other emergencies (chances of this are next to none) they can maybe get into the OR in an hour or 2, which by that time it could be too late. The maternal mortality is around 540 to 100 000 women, and in Canada it is about 8 to 100 000. However that doesn’t count all the deaths unaccounted for in rural areas…. Which could put it at double that.
olyclinic is just on the outskirts of Accra, the west side. They do not call it a hospital, however it is similar to a small rural hospital back home. It has its own maternity ward, antenatal and postnatal clnics, STI clinic, psychiatric clinic, recovery room (small ER), outpatients department, and community health offices (child welfare, public health, school clinics)….. Last week I had the chance to be in the recovery ward, antenatal and post natal clincs. I’ve started getting used to the whole aspect of 
healthcare here and how things are run however I still find myself trying to collect my thoughts and not walk around with my mouth haning open for most of the day. One of the days in antenatal I was able to do HIV/AIDs testing (which is mandatory for all pregnant women each and every time), it takes about 5 minutes for the results and if they are positive they are referred for further testing (quick oral test) and counselling. It was heartbreaking to have to deliver the news of a positive result, made especially difficult with the language barrer. If you have the national health insurance (which was just i
mplemented in the past couple years) most of antenatal and basic hospital care is covered for. However the funding can be sporadic and does not always make it to the hospital so there are times drugs are not available, or resources such as gloves or spirits (alcohol) which run out (almost everyday at 37 military hospital). Most patients have to wait until the family goes to buy their medication from the pharmacist (even in emerg) as well whenever a patient needs blood the family has to donate to either replace what was taken or so the patient can get it infused. After only experiencing our health care system it is the oddest thing to see money being exchanged for services right in front of me, and to see even emergent situations being put on hold because either the family is not there to pay or a lack of resources.The antenatal/postnatal clinic is as efficient as it can be, they serve 100 – 200 women each day with only 6-7 midwives to see all those clients. Each morning I walked into a colorfull, hustle and bustle waiting room. These waiting areas are open to air with wooden benches, women sitting
hip to hip either pregnat or with a baby tied to their back with material (I have never seen so many pregnant women in a room before in my life). Each women has a different colored/patterned dress and it makes the room look like joseph has spread his technicolored coat over the benches. (This picture is at the end of the day, when almost everyone had gone home). The day starts off with singing and praying for 10-20 minutes and moves to an educational talk (20-40minutes) by one of the midwives (safe motherhood, family planning, abuse, mental health…). Although these talks are in « Twi », sometimes it is impossible to miss the meaning of them with the demonstrations they have (especially with family planning ). The women move on to weight and height, urinalysis, HIV/AIDs testing and than finally to see a midwife who assesses and educates them further. The nurses/midwives have amazing assessment skills however if their are complications, especially during birth and the women needs to be transfered to a major hospital for surgery it can be a problem. They have to find an ambulance, get ahold of the hospital (if possible) to get the OR ready (although they only have one OR room at the hospital close by because the other is under renevation), and if their are no other emergencies (chances of this are next to none) they can maybe get into the OR in an hour or 2, which by that time it could be too late. The maternal mortality is around 540 to 100 000 women, and in Canada it is about 8 to 100 000. However that doesn’t count all the deaths unaccounted for in rural areas…. Which could put it at double that.
One my preceptors from 37 military. Like most of the nurses from the military he goes all over Africa to work in the countries who have ongoing civil wars. He is leaving in 2 weeks for Liberia.
This past weekend a couple of us went to a town just an hour outside of of Accra called Aburi for the day. Once again getting on the Tro was almost a matter of life or death,
after all that pushing, shoving and yelling you sit down and make friendly conversation with the person you almost (or 
did) elbow in the face. Everyone here has a story, whether they are from Nigeria, Chad, Ethiopida, Sierra Lione… most have been part of one there countries civil wars and have experienced more in their life than most people will ever experience. Back to Aburi, the town has beautiful gardens you can walk/bike around in and you can also walk around and experience the small town life. My roommate and I were looking for 
a bathroom and after walking through an alleyway with kids running up and down, we finally came to the « public » washroom. As many public washrooms in developing countries you have to pay for them, about 3 cents canadian. The lady who normally took the money was not there, we were about to leave the money on the counter when a 
Ghanaian walking around in his towel invited us to his families home to use his washroom. They handed me a a roll of toilet paper and led me to the facilities. I don’t expect much for bathrooms here, mainly as long as long as I’m not in an open area I’m good. This toilet ended up being the equivalent of an outhouse with 2 seats side by side. Afterwards they helped me wash my hands (pouring water over my hands from a bowl). We chatted with the family for a bit, said our thanks and went on our way. Once again I was surprised and continue to be by the friendliness and helpfulness of the Ghanaian people. I for one know I would not offer my bathroom to someone who was wandering aimlessly in Canada looking for one. 
Later that weekend a couple of us made our way to a beach town called Kokrobite, and stayed the night at « Big Millies ». Bucket
showers and washrooms, open aired rooftop sitting and Reggae every Saturday night. It was quite the vacation away from Accra.
Cutest little girl we hung out with all weekend called "Nifty"
Something I have discovered in the past month is a snack
called « FanChoco », it is pretty much frozen chocolate milk in a large freezy tube. They have become a regular staple in my diet on the way to and from work, for 35 cents canadian why not? The easiest part about it is I do not even have to leave my seat on the Tro to get one, all I do is wave down someone carrying them on their head, give him 0.50 CDs and he passes one to me through the open window (hopefully before the Tro starts going again). We’ve been lucky, they will usually run after the Tro until it stops/slows down again and get it to us! Somehow in the +30-38 weather they are still frozen rock solid each time.There is a new football stadium being built right on the outskirts of campus and when it is finished it will be the stadium all the higher end leagues will play at. We walk by each day and although it looks like the co
nstruction is at a 
standstill (a common site in Ghana) Ben and I finally decided to climb in and see what the inside looks like. Surprise surprise, a brand new track, surrounds the green soccer field in the middle! The next morning we wandered over, chatted with the guard, climbed over the stone wall and hop onto the track. This does not replace the football field we regularly exercise at while simultaneously watching a game on the field right beside it. The other day we were joined by a group of 4-6 kids whose brothers were playing in the field beside us. It was hilarious, they were sprinting with us and doing everything, the only difference was they were in flipflops /barefoot and were barely breaking a sweat while we were dripping. The premiere league teams actually practice on those fields as well so its amazing entertainment when we need a break.
With only 2 weeks left of nursing (woop woop!!!), it is time to start planning our travels to surrounding west african countries. We are thinking of hitting Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin. Time can be a factor, especially with the condition of roads, some times taking at least a day to travel a distance that would maybe take 5-6 hours in Canada. Mali (being the home of Timbukto) is slowly being ruled out for this reason…. Sorry Chris I won’t be able to visit and get a picture for you. Burkena Faso is one of the poorest countries in Sub saharan Africa, however is known to have some of the friendliest people, while Benin and Togo have long roots in Voodoo. We are heading up to the northern region of Ghana after the village to visit Mole Park, its Ghana most important reserve, you can either take a walking tour or hire a vehicle (in that case you will most likly see more wildlife like lions and leopards).
Although I have been here for almost 2 months I am still learning new things at every turn. Recently I found out when someone says « your invited? » it means sit down and have a handful of my food (literally) or take a seat and join me. I wish I would have known this earlier because my usual reply before I knew this was Yes… thank you?… and I would just stand there looking lost…. We are also learning the ways of travel…many times you can hop in a someones vehicle with them for free if they are going in the same direction as you. Football is almost as important as religion here. Every time there is a game on all the Ghanaians, Nigerians… gather in the TV room, right next door to our room, and above us, and for the next 1 – 3 hours do not expect to get anything done, there is yelling, cheering, dancing, and people running up and down the stairs screaming. Last but not least, being smelly is something you get used too, its unavoidable with the heat and humidity
nstruction is at a 
standstill (a common site in Ghana) Ben and I finally decided to climb in and see what the inside looks like. Surprise surprise, a brand new track, surrounds the green soccer field in the middle! The next morning we wandered over, chatted with the guard, climbed over the stone wall and hop onto the track. This does not replace the football field we regularly exercise at while simultaneously watching a game on the field right beside it. The other day we were joined by a group of 4-6 kids whose brothers were playing in the field beside us. It was hilarious, they were sprinting with us and doing everything, the only difference was they were in flipflops /barefoot and were barely breaking a sweat while we were dripping. The premiere league teams actually practice on those fields as well so its amazing entertainment when we need a break.With only 2 weeks left of nursing (woop woop!!!), it is time to start planning our travels to surrounding west african countries. We are thinking of hitting Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin. Time can be a factor, especially with the condition of roads, some times taking at least a day to travel a distance that would maybe take 5-6 hours in Canada. Mali (being the home of Timbukto) is slowly being ruled out for this reason…. Sorry Chris I won’t be able to visit and get a picture for you. Burkena Faso is one of the poorest countries in Sub saharan Africa, however is known to have some of the friendliest people, while Benin and Togo have long roots in Voodoo. We are heading up to the northern region of Ghana after the village to visit Mole Park, its Ghana most important reserve, you can either take a walking tour or hire a vehicle (in that case you will most likly see more wildlife like lions and leopards).
Although I have been here for almost 2 months I am still learning new things at every turn. Recently I found out when someone says « your invited? » it means sit down and have a handful of my food (literally) or take a seat and join me. I wish I would have known this earlier because my usual reply before I knew this was Yes… thank you?… and I would just stand there looking lost…. We are also learning the ways of travel…many times you can hop in a someones vehicle with them for free if they are going in the same direction as you. Football is almost as important as religion here. Every time there is a game on all the Ghanaians, Nigerians… gather in the TV room, right next door to our room, and above us, and for the next 1 – 3 hours do not expect to get anything done, there is yelling, cheering, dancing, and people running up and down the stairs screaming. Last but not least, being smelly is something you get used too, its unavoidable with the heat and humidity
STF
I am terribly offended you won't put in the extra effort and head to my homeland...
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