reflection #2: homestay family

When I found out that I would be living with a homestay family as a part of my internship, I couldn’t have been happier. Throughout the years I’ve only heard good things about homestay experiences and I knew that it would enhance my trip with true Ghanaian culture. I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t easy…. Adjusting to 1-12 hour power outages each evening and shower-less nights due to water shortages took some time; but in the end it all added to the adventure.

I’ll start off by introducing you to each family member from oldest to youngest. First off we have “Grandma” who speaks absolutely no English and tries to have full Fante conversations with us every time we walk by. She’s 80 years old but still runs the store outside of our house and prepares the bread pans for Auntie Maggie two to three times a week. I like to think she would be really sweet if we knew what she was saying but Skyler swears she was placing curses on us since she would whisper to herself and stare our way.

Next up is Auntie Maggie, she was our “house mother” but didn’t do much hands-on taking care of us. Auntie Maggie was more of my shoulder to lean on/personal therapist throughout the two months and is the most inspirational person I know. She works at the hospital in the HIV/AIDS clinic and acts as a counselor and prescribing nurse for over 800 patients. She’s also an incredible bread-baker and made 50-80 loaves two to three times a week since it’s in such high demand. As if that’s not enough, she’s also heavily involved in her church community and leads morning devotion at the hospital. Her daughters idolize her and often talk about how hard their beautiful mother works.

We’ll skip Sister Bebe for now and head to Maria. Maria is 24 and moved back into our house in July after getting in a car accident and losing her pinky. When she first arrived we didn’t see much of her because she was sleeping and recovering but towards the end she became a really fun sister to hang out with. Even though she’s older and doesn’t necessarily have to help around the house she always did it without being asked and loved being around everyone.

Shalda is our 21-year-old sister and her and I definitely had the most sisterly relationship out of anyone. She’s super sarcastic and funny so most of our time was spent making rude comments to each other that we didn’t actually mean. She would purposely slam my door to wake me up in the morning or call me a child when I wouldn’t eat all my food but I loved every second of spending time with her. She told us all about her life at school and how she would love to work in the business field one day. Due to Ghanaian culture and being the second youngest she was dubbed our cook for the two months we were there. In other words, she got to deal with our picky appetites and all the meals we wouldn’t eat. Lucky for us, she was a Ghanaian Rachel Ray and once we found food we liked, dinner was always amazing.

Gloria is our 18-year-old sister and the poor girl did EVERYTHING around the house. It’s in the culture for the youngest child to do all the house chores so she was up every morning at 5 am sweeping and stayed up late to finish all the dishes for her family. During the day she sat at the family store in the middle of town since she’s in between her high school and college schooling and always told us she was bored. Gloria is definitely the quietest sister and Shalda often told us she was “weird” but she has dreams of being a doctor so instead of going out with friends she likes to stay in and study. (she doesn't like pictures so i don't have one of her)

Now time for the little rascal, Petra. Petra is our brother’s (who I’ve only met twice) little girl who is raised by my family because he has a far away job and his wife is in the army. Our family isn’t too good as discipline so she isn’t well behaved and yells right back at anyone that tells her to stop what she’s doing. She loved to follow Skyler and I around and would copy any facial expression we made. Petra is probably the sassiest two year old I know but she’s so adorable it makes it okay.

(we came home to find Petra in one of Sister Bebe's wigs)

Last but definitely not least is the infamous Sister Bebe. She was our caretaker, tour guide, mom, and best friend. I ‘ve never met someone so happy and well liked by her ENTIRE community. She’s the big shot accountant at the hospital and treats absolutely everyone like they’re best person she’s ever met. I learned so much from her throughout these two months and she has no idea. Her positive outlook on life is inspiring and I’m going to miss her every single day. However, she has promised to let us know when she gets engaged so I can plan on coming back for the big day.

There are no words to describe the difference this family has made in my life. They showed me that things I once considered necessary really aren’t necessary at all and “big problems” are usually quite small.  They’re at a cultural disadvantage being a household full of women in a male dominated society but the respect the community gives them says a lot about the type of people they are. Every single one of them has a strong personality and enough determination to last them a lifetime. The house was always in a constant state of laughter and it made the entire experience that much more enjoyable.

Here’s a passage from my personal journal that I wrote last weekend and perfectly describes my homestay experience:

“Today I feel absolutely at home in Ghana and it’s the best feeling in the world. This morning when I got up and went into the kitchen to get coffee I felt like I was in my home and not even a little bit like I was a guest. I honestly look at this family as my own and I’m so thankful for them taking me in and treating me like a real daughter. The thought of leaving makes me sick to my stomach, which was the exact feeling I had before leaving the US to come here. That just shows me that I really have come to love it here and am truly happy. Today was a wonderful feeling of contentment and I couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off my face for a single second because I was just so happy. Ghana is a perfect place and this trip/homestay are the best thing that could ever have happened to me at this time.”

Today (Sunday) is the day we head to Accra where our family will meet Skyler and I. We’re going to hangout with them and sleep over Sister Bebe’s boyfriend’s house before saying goodbye at the airport on Monday evening. I’ll no longer have internet in Ghana so the next time you hear from me I’ll be on American soil and will probably have some interesting culture-shock stories. Thanks for reading!

all angles of the hospital

Well it’s official…. my summer internship at Our Lady of Grace Hospital is over and it was absolutely the best experience I’ve ever had. I cried like a baby saying goodbye to all of the people who have taken me under their wing and shared all their knowledge; however, I promised each and every one of them that I would return once I’m an actual doctor. The last couple days at the hospital flew by as we were faced with constant praise and contact information from all the staff we befriended. Since I don’t really have many stories to tell about the last couple day I’m going to take this opportunity to do one of my reflection blogs with the subject being: the hospital.

(The hospital's head administrator) 

As I think back to the moment I applied for this trip I try to remember what made me chose Ghana in the first place. There were so many places all over the world I could have gone but I chose one where I would clearly face a lot of challenge and adversity and I now realize that’s exactly the reason I came here. If I was going to step outside my comfort zone and do something that would change my life it was going to be something extreme and well worth it. I secretly liked when family or friends would get uncomfortable at the thought of me spending my summer in a developing nation because I was just as nervous and worried; but it was balanced out by the adrenaline that filled me when I thought about the trip. I came here expecting a challenge and one confronted me the minute I stepped in the hospital for the first time.

I left Our Lady of Grace Hospital both enlightened and frustrated every single day. There are so many aspects of the hospital that are truly amazing such as the knowledge of the doctors. The two months that I’ve been here there have only been 4 full-time medical officers, a med school intern and a surgeon to treat the 10,000 patients the hospital sees each month. The doctors here heavily rely on their five senses and the information that comes out of their patient’s mouth. They’re so well educated and experienced that they can diagnose a patient and write a treatment plan within five minutes of meeting them. There’s not a single task a doctor at OLGH will turn down during the day. They don’t consider any task too minor for their abilities and happily take on jobs such as taking a patient’s temperature or putting in a cannula. It’s both refreshing and inspiring to watch these men who are so passionate about medicine and healing others that they don’t even have time to think about passing on a task to a nurse, they just do what needs to be done. Their willingness to slow down their rounds and teach me as we went along is yet another example of the selflessness they constantly display and I’m proud to have worked with such talented individuals.

(Dr Boateng aka my partner in crime)

I would love to sit here and rave about the nursing staff at OLGH as well but I’ll have to admit, they were a major cause of my frustration at work every day. Don’t get me wrong, there’s at least two nurses in every ward that are brilliant, hard-working and everything a nurse should be but the rest need some serious help. I would say 90% of the time you can find nurses sitting down, napping or leaving work to buy food. They only check on the patients at 6am, noon and 6pm unless the family member notifies them that additional attention is needed. Often times they’ll hit crying patients in an attempt to quiet them or yell at those who don’t understand what they’re saying. During rounds the doctors will ask them about simple nursing practices and they’ll just stare at them like they have four heads. A perfect example is when Dr. Boateng asked seven different nurses how to care for a semi-conscious patient and they couldn’t even tell him what recovery position was…. scary thought considering a little girl’s life was at stake. What’s even more maddening to realize is the nurses behave this way because it’s culturally engrained and not something that can easily be changed. We learned that until a couple years ago those who didn’t get into college went to nursing school….terrifying. Thankfully, that’s been taken care of and you now need above average grades to become a nurse in Ghana but it definitely explains some of the lack of knowledge I saw. As for the laziness, it’s just their way of life here. No one is ever in a rush, there are no start times, life is just lived and sleeping on the job can be seen anywhere you look.

(The absolute best nurse in the hospital and our personal professor, Evans)

The lack of resources the hospital has was another source of frustration but doubled as the most inspiring aspect as well. The fact that OLGH is the second best facility in the Central Region proves that it really is possible to function with minimum supplies as long as the expertise and diligence is there. The hospital maintains a death rate of under 1% month after month and prides itself in the ability to treat each and every patient that walks through the door. At times there are injuries and conditions too severe for the facility but the patient is stabilized and transferred to Accra where the proper medical attention can be given.

(Alfred, our favorite lab tech) 

Above all else, my time in the hospital has solidified my dreams of becoming a pediatric doctor. Of course, I now have five different specializations I’m interested in but overall I’m completely in love with every aspect of a medical career. I have a long road of school ahead of me and I now have an even greater sense of motivation and excitement to continue my educational journey. I have every intention of returning to Our Lady of Grace Hospital once I’m a practicing physician in an attempt to give back just as much as they’ve given me throughout this summer.

Sorry this post was a little more serious and longer but I’m just trying to wrap my head around everything I’ve been through this summer! My next reflection will most likely focus on my homestay family with pictures of my favorite people in the wooooorld. Thanks for reading!

"in cuba... BIG parties. you will come."

I’m so happy we decided to spend our last full weekend here in Asikuma because it ended up being the absolute best weekend we’ve had all summer.

It started off on Friday with a going away party our families threw for us. We thought it was just going to be a naming party for the baby but they surprised us with our very own party. Every event they have here in Ghana comes with a schedule of events so of course, ours did too. It was complete with speeches, prayers and even musical interludes. After work and before the party we helped prepare the meal which was huge and made up of: three types of rice (jollof, fried and plain), popcorn, watermelon, vegetable stew, fried plantains, plantain chips, fresh pineapple juice, orange juice and meat for the Ghanaian guests. The whole evening was so much fun and full of loud music and dancing. I’m so appreciative of these amazing families that have taken us in and treated us like their own. I feel 100% comfortable in my home and in Ghana and it’s all thanks to them and their hospitality. I’ve already promised Sister Bebe I would return to Ghana for her wedding and have every intention of keeping in touch with my family once I return to the U.S. 

The weekend got even better on Saturday when we went over to Dr. Pablo’s house for lunch. Dr. Pablo is a retired Cuban surgeon who moved here with his wife after meeting an administrator of Our Lady of Grace Hospital. Him and Mary have been here on and off for 8 years already and are planning on moving back to Cuba and their family next year. They asked us to arrive at 11 am and upon getting there they had Cuban coffee waiting for us. Maybe it’s because I’ve been drinking instant coffee for the past two months but I’m pretty sure it was the best coffee I’ve ever had. Once we were finished they told us it was time for their famous (and very strong) drink that was made of freshly squeezed pineapple and orange juice with vodka. For the next couple hours they kept refilling our glasses while Dr. Paublo enjoyed about 5 gin and tonics and his wife threw back 4 beers. Needless to say, before we even ate our lunch they were showing us how to salsa and telling us stories about how they met. In the middle of our time visiting they remembered that there were three medical school students from Spain staying at the hospital and decided to invite them over as well. After more funny stories and music we finally ate their amazing Cuban meal. Along with dinner they insisted we drink Spanish wine and assured us that when we come visit them in Cuba we’ll always have alcohol in our systems because “mosquitoes don’t like alcohol”. After dessert (candied papaya) we convinced Dr. Pablo to break out his guitar and sing for us. In his early surgeon years he was a semi-famous Cuban singer who would perform surgery during the day and play venues at night. Ashley, Christina and I felt like we were living in paradise all afternoon and never wanted to leave. They are the absolute sweetest couple and I’m so glad we got to spend the day with them before we head home.

Sunday continued our weekend of adventures when we accompanied our family to church. When we first got to Ghana Sister Bebe bought us all custom made dresses so we surprised her and wore them to the service. Our family practically runs the church and we didn’t even know it. Sister Bebe is the youth program assistant, Auntie Maggie is both a choir leader and a reader, Gloria is an alter server, and Shalda is in the junior choir. The mass was a little over 2 hours long but the music made it totally worth it. They have two collections instead of one and the second one provided the church with a lot of entertainment. They call each community one by one and those in the community line up at the back of the church. Then, the members dance their way down the entire isle until arriving at the collection basket. Of course, all eyes were on us when our community was called and the laughter as we made our way down the isle was even louder than the choir. The second main difference is that they only let single or married people receive communion. As a community they believe that if you have a boyfriend/girlfriend then you’re having premarital sex. Therefore, you’re a sinner of the church and shouldn’t receive communion. After church Ashley and Christina came over and we spent the day relaxing with the family.

It’s now after work on Monday and tomorrow is technically our last day of work. Tomorrow we will work the morning shift, go home and sleep and then come back for a night shift in the emergency room. Wednesday morning will just be saying our goodbyes and taking pictures before heading back to Cape Coast to end the trip. It’s unreal that two months have already gone by and I’ll be so sad when it’s time to leave everyone on Wednesday. This upcoming week I’m going to try to post some reflection blogs in between my normal ones in an attempt to wrap my head around this incredible experience….. but I can’t make any promises!