Cape Coast Castle

Friday was Steph and the Swedish people last day in Nsuta so now I'm all alone haha. I think there will be someone else coming in a few weeks though and Romeo will still be around so it's all good. It will keep me much busier at the clinic forsure. Plus I get to move into Stephs room which is much cleaner (It's amazing how your standards of "clean" change haha).

Friday I was feeling really sick so we didn't leave until a little later and then it took us forever to make it the Cape Coast which was supposed to only take 4 hours and ending up taking about 8. We stayed at a nice place on the beach for $8 a night and although I have quite a few bites it was generally good and it had toilets which flushed which is a HUGE deal here haha.

We went to Cape Coast Castle this afternoon which was an English castle where they kept slaves in dungeons before there where exported in ships to Europe and North and South America. It was very creepy walking around in the dungeons which held thousands of slaves laying ontop of their feces and urine that piled up over the years. Every few weeks food was thrown down and it was survival of the fittest to who got it. They also had "punishment" cells for the female slaves who refused to be raped and they were often sent to the Condemed cells and killed. It really was horribly eerie to see and amazing that this all happened not that long ago. The castle is right on the sea and there is a door called "the door or no return" where the slaves passed right before they were put on the boats. Here they were literally packed like sardines all lying down and piled to the ceiling.

After the castle we went to another hotel called Hans Cottage which is on the way to Kakum National Park where we plan to go tomorrow. The hotel is really cute and is centered around a pond that has crocodiles and you can feed them. Its weird because you can walk around the path or over the bridge onto the island and there will be a crocodile sitting right there. You are advised to enter at your own risk haha. It has a pool though which we were pumped about and we are in a room with about 10 beds but so far we have it to ourselves. I better get going though time is running out. Talk to you soon xoxo

Polyclinic

Yesterday I had community outreach and then we all went to the wood carving village and then to Kumasi. The wood carving village was really cool and they had some amazing things! I bought 2 masks and a few little gifts which I am in love with ;) Then we came back to Nsuta and watched Ghana play Mexico city in someones house. There was about 20 of us crowded around the TV because it is one of the only ones in town. The Ghanians are absolutely CRAZY about football! Everyone wears jerseys all the time and you see people playing it everywhere you look.

Today we didn't do anything too exciting because we needed to do alot of paperwork. I did go into the delivery room at one point though because I heard a baby screaming like crazy for about 10 min. It turns out that he was getting circumcised which was quite disgusting. There was 2 nurses holding it down and one was just using a knife to cut it and there was blood everywhere. I don't know what they were doing but it took about half an hour and the baby was screaming the whole time. Pain is very different here then in Canada. The patients are never given painkillers and are never asked how they feel. I can't imagine ever delivering in a country like this! Right after you give birth you are told to walk down the hall to the waiting room where you sit about 10 min and then walk home. Most of the mothers that get to the clinic are already in the process of giving birth and the head is coming out. Another interesting part to my day is that I was working in family planning and a young girl came in with her new baby to get birth control and we discovered that she was pregnant again already. She didnt seen too happy to say the least but abortion is unheard of here so instead of giving her the birth control injection we gave her tetnus for her pregnancy.

Tomorrow I am likely going down to Cape Coast and staying at Hans cottage atleast one night where the hotel is surrounded by a lake filled with crocodiles. Were hoping to also go to Cape Coast castle which is where a large slave industry was run and then to Kakum National Park where they have a canopy walk. I will try to get on the computer over the weekend or definitely monday. Oh yea tomorrow is my Mommys birthday for all of you that didnt know so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha Love you xoxoxo

Paradise

So I am unfortunately home from Ada! It was the most beautiful amazing place I have ever been in my life! When we first got to Ada we had to take a boat to get to Ada Foah where our resort was. So we get in the little boat and as we start driving along the river bank we start seeing mansions and wakeboarding boats and see-doos and stuff which I did not expect to see in Ghana. Its all white people though ofcourse who have gotten approval from the chief to buy the land. The houses were unbelievable too! All made of wood with straw gazeboes and what not. Then the further we went downstream we hit the cutest little fishing village because it is so close to the ocean that the men go out everymorning in there big wooden fishing boats. The village was all straw huts and the people were so friendly! Our resort was further down and was basically about 20 straw huts built on the sand. It was very basic with only a bed in the room and shared bathrooms (hole in the ground). From our door it was about a 10 second walk to the ocean on one side and a 10 second walk to the river on the other side. It was absolutely beautiful and so relaxing! There was no electricity or anything so we all had little lanterns which was super cute. It was such a perfect weekend to kick back and relax. We swam across the river one day with a surfboard and it was much further then we expected haha. It probably took us atleast 2 hours to get across and back. The resort was also really cool because it was so small and all the guests hung out together. We met some Ghanians who owned a football club in Accra and they were there with some volunteers from all over the word. It was really fun because we played beach volleyball and everyone had a different accent (German,Italian.,Scottish,Australian,English,Irish ect.) which was hilarious! They were really neat people and we might go visit the academy sometime.

Today was also an UNREAl day! First at work I got to give my first vaccine :) which was awesome and then I got to give the Polio vaccine to all the babies (given orally). I am getting more and more responsibility every day which I'm really excited about! The other girl has only given one vaccine ever so the fact that I got to do it so early on is really awesome. This afternoon we went to the caves in a village nearby which was crazy! We crawl into the little black hole and then you feel swooshing everywhere and he shines his light and I swear there was 300 bats! They were absolutely covering the walls and ceiling to the point where you could only see the wall moving. In the cave there was little sitting rocks everywhere where the christians came to pray when they were being persecuted. There was also a little underground creek running through the cave so it was really muddy and at points we had to get on our hands and knees and crawl through tunnels! I cant believe I did that and my knees were shaking the whole time haha. My time is running out though so I will check in again soon! Miss ya!

Easter Weekend

Yesterday we traveled from Nsuta to the Volunteer Abroad house in Accra. It took ridiculously long and I thought I was going to die in the bus! The drivers here are insane! Our bus yesterday was going about 120 down bumpy roads and the bus was shaking and we were passing people like crazy. We almost got in a head on collison about 5 times. I was praying so hard! haha. But we got here at about 1:00am last night and we are leaving to Ada Foah soon. It is only a 2 hour tro-tro ride to the volta basin and then a short boat ride to Ada Foah. I can't wait! It looks so beautiful and my friend who has been here 2 months says its the best thing she has done in Ghana. Other that not much to report so I will write again after the long weekend. Happy Easter!!!

Community Outreach

The last 2 days Steph and I went to nearby communities for community outreach. I love doing this! We set up like a little clinic outside and all the mother come with their babies (about 50-200 per town) and we weigh them on a scale that we hang from a tree and then record and graph their weight. The rest is mostly bookkeeping and doing recors of the children and then we give them their vaccinations that they are due for. I havent done any vaccines yet but I will soon. Last night 4 swedish girls and a guy came and they are staying for 2 weeks. Today we went to Mampong to the market. Yesterday afternoon we went to the kente cloth weaving village which was really cool and then to Kumasi market. the market is insane and is the biggest one in western africa. I will tell you more about that later because i have to run xoxo

Life in Ghana

Last night Romeo, his cousin and I went to my place for dinner (Romeo's mom is the cook and his brothers bring me breakfast, lunch and dinner). Then we walked to the school in the next village to meet some of their friends. That night some of us went to Atomic which is a local pub and I taught them to play the gauntlet (high or low). It was absolutely hilarious because drinking is not popular in Ghana at all. Especially for anyone under 30. So after a beer (about a litre) everyone was singing and dancing haha. I really love this town everyone is so sweet and kind and happy to see you. The children are so excited to see an Obruni and they run after you yelling "Obruni, Obruni!" Stephanie and Chloe came back today but Chloe leaves on wednesday and Steph only has 2 weeks and then it will just be me. I think 2 Swedish girls are coming tomorrow though with a different organization to work in an orphanage. I also got to move houses which I am very happy about considering I went to the bathroom last night and hundreds of coachroaches were crawling up the toilet. My new place is much nicer. It is on the rooftop of a house and I have a room with a fan (thank god because I didnt have one the last 2 nights) a bathroom with a western toilet! (that dosent flush) and a little fridge (that I cant really use since the power goes out all the time) But its definitely an improvement! Im trying to find some stuff to clean the bathroom up but I have been unsuccessful thus far. Today was also my first day of work! Today I mostly learned what I would be doing and then watched and helped with TB vaccinations for newborn babies. We had about 15 babies come in today because they didnt have any vaccine left last week so it was busy. The family planning and maternity ward of the clinic where I will mostly work is usually busy in the morning and then it completly dies down during the day. Today we got off at about 1:00. Tomorrow is community outreach where we go to a small nearby community to weigh the babies to check for malnourishment and give vaccines. I am really excited to go as it will be one of our busiest days other then Thursdays which is supposed to be packed. Because it is easter weekend I was given Friday and Monday off so Anna and I are going to make a trip to the Volta Region. Steph and Chloe just came from a town there called Ada where you sleep on a hut on the beach and the Atlantic is on one side and Lake Volta is on the other. They said it was one of their favourite places so Im really excited to go! Talk to you in a few days xoxox

Nsuta

Yesterday Anna and I travelled 6+ hours to get to Kumasi. The road was absolutely insane! There were potholes and speed bumps everywhere so it was a very bumpy ride to say the least. Nsuta is a small community about 1 1/2 hours from Kumasi and 30 min from the town Anna is staying in. It is very different from Accra and alot like the Africa you see on TV. It is in the middle of the jungle and most of the houses are very run down. There is no running water so we walk down to the creek and fill buckets to shower. There are flies everywhere! I have never seen anything like it in my life. There is also goats and chickens running around everywhere you look. The roads and everything are completely dirt and no one has stoves or kitchens. You cook outside with some hot coals. There is a really nice guy here named Romeo who is the local coordinator and he is Poppos best friend. He is my age so hes really fun to hang out with. His mom is also the cook so his little brothers bring me food 3 times a day. I have just been hanging out with him and his friend today walking around the town and meeting people. Then we came to the nearby town of Mamgpong where I am now to use the internet. Tonight I am moving from the house I am now to the place I was supposed to be staying but the girl took my room. They were out of town this weekend and took the keys so tonight we will figure it out but I think they will share a room. I met one of the nurses I will be working with and we had an awesome night chatting about the culture and what I want to do at the clinic. It is my first day working tomorrow so I will have more to tell you then. Ciao xoxo

The Last Few Days In Accra

Thursday we had some more Twi lessons and then Anna and I went to the beach again boggie boarding for the last time :( We had to leave there pretty quickly though because we were attracting quite a crowd and everyone wanted to get their picture taken with us. Today we did the "amazing race" where we had to race around the city doing different taks which was very crazy. The markets here are insane! Tonight we just hung around for the last night with all of the staff and two of the volunteers that were just ending their trip stopped by. They were a couple and as soon as they got there the guy asked me if I lived in Calgary and after I said yes he asked me if I went to Bishop OByrne because he did to....small world. And then I was talking to his girlfriend about what she was doing lately and she is going to UVic next year to take Biochemistry....weird haha. So we sat out there talking and telling stories for a long time and it is just so bizarre to meet someone from my high school in my grade for the first time in Ghana!

Tomorrow we are heading of to our placements in the morning. It is about a 6 1/2 hour drive to Kumasi and then an hour to Anna's village and then another half hour to mine from hers. I am so excited to finally get there. I met the other girl who will be working there for the first 2 weeks with me and she loves it so Im really excited. She is a really cool girl but her friend just moved up there (because she got kicked out of her placement) and she is definitely not a nice person! And I was all excited because I was told I was getting my own little apartment like thing in a complex with my own bedroom and bath and a small fridge. But now that the girl is in my room I have no idea where I will be living so that will be interesting. I might live with the nurses which will be fine so we will see. Anyways I will talk to you again when I get a chance. There is no internet in my town but there is about a 10 min cab ride away which is about a 10 cent trotro ride so I will go there in a few days. xoxox

Obruni!

Yesterday it was ridiculously hot so instead of going to the market we went to the beach :) I spent most of the time swimming and boggie boarding. The waves are absolutely massive here and you are only aloud to swim in a small area because the rest is too dangerous. The beach is really cool though and they have little shows and people with snakes and stuff. The water is beautiful except for the fact that you see a few plastic bags here and there. My only vice about this country is the litter! The people are so cute here and they are always checking on you and making sure you are happy and ok all the time. I think 20 people asked me if I could swim and then followed me around the whole time just incase haha. I have to admit that I fried myself though but today Im looking quite tanned. The sun is powerful here!

This morning we had drumming and dancing lessons again and then we took a tro-tro for about an hour up the mountain to a botanical garden. It was really cool as they had all kinds of trees and fruit trees like banana, starfruit, pear, mango ect. Inside the botanical gardens was a little village and the kids there were very excited to see us haha. They chase after you yelling Obruni Obruni (white person) and Good afternoon! haha. I love the kids here they are sooo cute! Tonight it rained which was awesome because its a little cooler! Well good night xoxox

Akwaaba!

Sunday Anna, Steve (the owner), Daniel (one of the local staff) and I had a very eventful day! First we went to Lumbadi beach which was crazy! The ocean is beautiful and Anna and I tried out best to go swimming which wasent easy. The men are very touchy here and everyone wants to help the foreigners so every wave someone would pick us up so we wouldnt get wet or hold our hands and it was driving me crazy. They are just trying to be nice but I am so not used to being touched by strangers haha. After the beach we went to a football (soccer) game at the stadium where they just held the Cup of Nations (Africa cup). They stadium was beautiful but really crazy! The two main cities were playing Accra vs. Kumasi so the place was packed. Trying to get tickets was crazy because there was a mob of people all screaming and pushing eachother and then the cops were trying to break it up and handcuffing people which didnt help much. It was organized so bad and they only had one gate open at a time so people were going nuts and trying to climb the walls and stuff. It was probably the craziest thing I have ever seen and I tried to stand as far as possible away. I was just waiting for the tear gas to get thrown like I heard it did at the africa cup games. Luckily once again they love to help white people so we had our own brigade helping us to get in. That night I went for an awesome dinner with Sylvia at a beautiful restaurant. The food was so amazing and Im gunna miss it! Sylvia is so awesome! We had such a great chat and its nice to have her close incase I need anything. We talked alot about how much of a life changing experience this will be no matter what which I am really excited about. I am hoping to see her again when I get back from my project if not sooner on a weekend trip. Anna and I have alot of weekend trips planned all over Ghana so I am getting excited about that! Yesterday we started Twi language lessons which is not easy! Then we went to the local museum (which is about the size of my bedroom hah) and then to the art market where they have alot of carvings and masks and what not. All of that stuff is amazing and so well made! I am getting a handcarved drum made for me with my tribal name 2 local symbols and Ghana 2008 carved in it for $60 which is pretty amazing seeing that they are 100% hand carved and made with real cow skin. Yesterday was also the first day of our drumming and dancing lessons. They were both so much fun and I will have to videotape the dancing because it is hilarious!! Today we have some more language lessons and then we are going to the huge market which will be insane. Love you all and miss you!

Africana

So they have a computer in our house which is awesome and since there is only 2 of us we can use it anytime! Last night we all went to watch a performance of a drumming and dancing group called Africana. They were unbelievable! I have never seen so much talent and energy in my whole life. The dancer went hard jumping and running around for an hour straight. Then they brought a bunch of us on stage and we did a dance off which was hilarious! I cant believe how hard it is to move your body like they do. I am actually happier then I have ever been in my life right now. Just sitting there and watching the performance I was so moved and there is nowhere in the world that I would rather be. This country is so incredible the people are amazing the food is great (really really spicy though!) and the best part is that its so hot there are hardly any bugs! The only thing I have seen is ants and I haven't seen a mosquito yet even though we sit outside all night. Every person you meet wants to be your friend and welcome you to the country and when you walk around you have children following you everwhere yelling Obruni which means white person haha. Today the group of 20 left so it is just Anna and I and we are going to walk around with one of the guys today and then go to the beach later. The beach is supposed to be amazing and they have shows and acrobats all over the place. Tonight I am going for dinner with Sylvia so I am really excited to see her again! Ciao love you and miss you xoxo

Ghana!

So today is my first full day in Ghana. I got here late last night and was suprised by Sylvia (Ale's sister) at the airport. It was really awesome to see her again and we are going to lunch tomorrow! I am staying in a house with one other volunteer and a group of 20 high school students. The high school students are only here until tomorrow and then it will be just me at the other girl Anna. We are on different placements but our villages are only 30 minutes apart so we can travel most of the way together. Last night we walked to the beach which is honestly a minute walk from my house and it's absolutely beautiful! You can only swim in it at certain times though because the rip tides are so dangerous.

I am getting so excited about my placement! I've been talking to the girl who is the country coordinator (who actually went to UVic and came here a few years ago and never left) and she is so excited about my placement because she can't say enough good about it. She said that they will teach me to do vaccinations and to draw blood and there had been cases in other clinics where the doctors let the volunteers completely deliver the baby! She said it is also amazing because we travel alot to the surrounding villages and get to meet all the locals so by the end they will all know me. They also said it is even safer then Canada because everyone knows you and is really protective of you and they dont often get tourists. We will be living on the top floor of something like an apartment complex and there is 6 other families in our compound who we will be really close to. There is another girl at my placement now and she will be there for 2 weeks with me and then another girl will come. Anyways thats as much as I know for now but during orientation this week I will be learning all the details so I will let you know.

Today we came to town and walked around downtown and met some of the locals. Its very crazy and busy here and we have crowds follow us everywhere we go. The coordinator said it is just because of the big group though and we wont get harrassed at all when we are in small groups. Tonight we are going to a concert to watch one of our coordinators friends play so Im really excited. As for the heat I am dying but I am managing haha. It is hotter then ever and it never cools down even at night. Luckily I got the top bunk right at the corner of 2 windows and under a fan so I was actually cold last night! Well I better get going! I will talk to you all soon. Miss you and love you xoxo

The Countdown

So it's almost here...2 days and counting! I can't believe it's finally here. I've spent alot of time talking to Dave and Alé about their time in Africa over the last few days and I have to say that I finally getting a little nervous. I know that this is going to be a really challenging experience but I don't think that I anticipated just how challenging it's going to be. I think that these feelings are good though because I hoping that I will be happily suprised if I lower my expectation's. I have to admit that the thing I am most worried about is probably the least of my worries...the bugs and the heat haha. Right now it's almost 40 degrees everyday and it dosen't cool down at night and obviously our hut dosen't have AC so it will be quite uncomfortable! The other thing that I am worried about is getting too attached to the patients...but I think that is inevitable. Well anyways that's how I'm feeling so now I will tell you what I have been up to lately.

The last couple of days I have been hanging out with Alé running errands and chatting. She has become such an amazing friend and I can talk to her about anything. We pretty much chat any chance we get about absolutely anything. She is such a great role model because she is so strongwilled and she isn't afraid to fight for what she wants. I love that she couldn't care less about what anyone thinks. We've talked alot about Africa and her challenges there and she definitely dosen't sugarcoat it but I think that is exactly what I need right now.

Last night we went for dinner in an area of Rome called Trasverste and it was delicious. I am really enjoying the slow pace that we have lately because it is preparing me for the laid back environment of Africa plus getting prepared for Africa is never ending as I always think of last minute things I need. Today was an outlet adaptor because I got one for italy but not Ghana so now I will attach my chargers to an italy adaptor and then a ghana adaptor. Way too difficult if you ask me! Why in the world would different countries have different plug-ins is beyond me haha. Anyways I better hit the hay. Miss you all a ton xoxo

More Pics!

The Best of Rome

The last few days have been jam packed so I will give you a little play by play haha.
On friday night I got in late so we went and watched Uncle Dave play hockey with his new team because they are preparing for a tournament in Northern Italy so they have practice 4 days a week. Yes believe it or not there is hockey in Rome but I have to admit there is a few on his team that even im better at skating which is sad. Saturday we drove out to Capena to Nono and Nona's (Ale's parents) country home. It was absolutely beautiful and there house was amazing. The built a huge spanish style villa that has 3 floors, 2 full kitchens and 5 bedrooms on a 4 acre olive tree farm. They make their own olive oil and Alé always cooks with it and it is amazing! The countryside is incredible and there are olive trees everywhere. That afternoon they took us to an animal market where there were hundreds of animals for sale including chickens, peacocks, goats, cows, fish, horses, puppies, kittens, turtles..pretty much anything you can possibly think of. It was really cool and the kids loved it. Emma and Dylan got 2 fish although they wanted a pony haha.
Today I toured downtown Rome a little more. I started at Circus Maximus where the chariot races were held (and also the site of Live 8) and then I walked over to Bocca della Verità where I put my hand in the hand of truth. Legend says that if you put your right hand in the hand of truth, while telling a lie, it will be bitten off (apparently priests used to put scorpions in there in help it along). Then I walked over to Capitoline Hill and walked through the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum was really amazing and there were hundreds of ancient ruins and 2 massive arches leftover from law courts, offices and temples. My last site of the day was the magnificiant Colosseum where I did a 1 hour audioguide tour. This was really amazing to finally see and definitely one of the coolest things in Rome. It's awesome to stand from above and look down at the subterranean tunnels where the "ferocious beasts" and gladiators cowered prior to their debuts. I spent the rest of the day wandering around downtown mostly near the Spanish Steps which is my favourite place to hang out. Ciao xoxo