Wouldn't Trade it for Anything

I have been home for about a week now and I have gone through my hundreds of pictures several times. I love being home but there is a part of me that wants to be back in Ghana. I miss walking down the road and hearing "Abruni!" coming from all the little voices from every house. I miss trying to introduce myself and even after spelling my name being called 'Eraine'. I miss the people who we were able to meet and interact with. I miss the awesome group of girls I was able to REALLY get to know. I miss the yummy fresh fruit we were spoiled to receive from our neighbor. I miss playing soccer, frisbee, jump rope, anything and everything with all the kids in the village. The wonderful memories that were made there will never fade.
I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to go to Ghana and have the experiences I had. When people ask me what my favorite part of the trip was, I can't answer because there were too many wonderful parts that I cannot pick just one. Another question I get is what was the worst part? And honestly, there was not a single thing that I can pick out and say I wish that hadn't happened. (Even spending the night cleaning up a flooded room from a toilet mishap was part of the experience. As we cleaned it up we laughed and had a good time, we grew closer together as a group through all the little- and big- things that happened because, it's Africa.)
The Ghanaian people are some of the most loving and welcoming people I have ever met. They have so little in material possessions but they have so much to give from their hearts and are willing to give all they have. There were a couple of times where we were the "guests of honor". I do not know how we became such guests but they welcomed us with open arms and shared with us all that they had. These people also showed us their gratitude for that which we were able to do for them. They were so appreciative for every little thing we were able to help with. I know that our efforts in Ghana were not put to waste; they will use the clinic, the supplies, and the knowledge to improve their circumstances.
I would not trade these experiences, memories, friendships, knowledge, lessons that I have gained from this trip for anything. What a great opportunity it was to learn from the wonderful people of Ghana. Loved every minute of it!

Pictures

We would get stopped by the school kids every day as we were walking home

Delivery bed in old delivery room

Old delivery room

Old delivery room. The sink is used to wash the newborns and everything else around.

Old postpartum unit

Getting ready to clean the new maternity complex

Cleaning!!

New sink that will be used strictly for washing the newborns

New postpartum unit. Nice mattress coverings and curtains. The midwife was really excited for the curtains so people could not just look in on the laboring/new moms.

The new maternity complex!

Canopy Walk in Cape Coast 

Playing!

Crocodile

My little friend at the children's ward in the hospital

Part of the children's ward

Blown up gloves will make any kid smile

The whole group at the temple

These girls are amazing! Made such great friends with all of them.

Playing with bubbles

Spending some time on the beach in Cape Coast.

Teaching at Zion school

The health clinic that we were working at in Abomosu

The hospital we were at in Accra

A little cave on one of our jungle hikes

Katherine and I on top of the balancing rock.

At the end of the canopy hike (we're suppose to be animals).

Cute kid at the bead market

Eli!!! My favorite kid- so cute :)

Livin Life

We started out this week by going to Cape Coast. There we went on a canopy walk, ate with crocodiles, and visited the St George slave castle. The little hike and canopy walk were amazing. We walked across bridges that were suspended from the trees at about 40 meters high. Our tour guide was great and told us a lot about the plants and how they have been used by the Ghanaian people. There were a lot of treatments that they have come up with throughout the years. After our nice hike we went to a little restaurant that had seating outside and around the area was a crocodile pond. While we waited for our food we went out and “played” with the crocodiles. There were a couple small ones and then we paid a guy to feed a bigger one some chicken so he would come up on shore. After he was fed we were allowed to touch it- at least we were hoping that he was done eating. The slave castle was a really neat experience. It was so sad to hear about the horrific conditions these people were put through. I really liked what our tour guide said at one point in the tour. He said, “it is not enough to feel sad right now and then leave and forget about it. We must go and change ourselves and then help others change. I know that we cannot change the history but we can certainly not let it happen again.” We were also able to go to the Accra temple this week. It is such a beautiful temple! We will be going again tomorrow as a whole group. It is so neat to see that the church is the same no matter where you go.

Then we were able to start clinical work at Ridge Hospital. The first day I was assigned to the children’s ward! I was so excited. I want to be a pediatric nurse when I grow up so I was really glad I was able to spend time in this unit. Let me just say this.. play is definitely universal, I love it. I was there on the unit while there were four Ghanaian student nurses and then two other nurses. I tried following a nurse around but I caught the eye of a little boy who was just staring at me. I went over there and then never left. This little boy was about four years old and he had a broken leg. When I first went over there he was super shy and would not look at me. But he had a little toy car and a stuffed animal and I started to play with him. Little by little he started to come out and by the end of my time I had him smiling, laughing and jumping around his crib. He was adorable. The next day I was able to work in the NICU and it was a different experience than being in an American NICU. It is amazing to see what they can do with the very little resources they have available to them. It was hard to see the very sick babies and think about how much more difficult their lives will be if they survive. I was able to have more hands on experience in this NICU than I would have in a different one. There were three babies who ranged from very preterm (1.4 kg) to babies with severe hydrocephaly and cleft palate. Today I worked in the medical ward and saw the different ways they were able to do procedures that we would do but without all the technology and resources we have. These experiences were very eye opening and I am so glad I was able to be here and working side by side with these people of Ghana.

IT’S AFRICA!!

It's Africa

Last Sunday we went to church at the Abomosu branch and it was an amazing meeting. It was their fast and testimony meeting so we were able to hear the testimonies of many of the members. They have great faith in and great love for our Heavenly Father. A funny thing about this church block was that every closing hymn we sang “Lord we ask thee ere we part”. We got that hymn memorized by the end of the three hours.

The last week in Abomosu we had some electricity problems. It is the beginning of the rainy season for Ghana so whenever it rains the electricity goes out. We usually have a generator for our house but that also was having a hard time working. It was pretty hot inside but we all lived and enjoyed the time we had together. Because we did not have reliable electricity our washer was not working, so we had a fun time cleaning all our clothes by hand. We had two washers, one rinser, and a wringer- we had quite the system down.

There is this organization called World Joy that has done so much to improve the education system and the health clinics here in Ghana. They are a non-profit organization that builds both school houses and health clinics and provides opportunities for these people to improve their lives. We were able to get to know the directors and they invited us to one of the school openings. It was quite the experience. There were a lot of people there and we were part of the “important people”. They loved having us go up and dance with them and we danced a lot. And they would not let us go until they fed us some refreshments. They are a very giving people- even though they have little they give so much.

Then later in the week the group from Accra joined us in Abomosu and we went to Koforidua. We went hiking to Boti falls and then through the jungle. It was so beautiful. We then went to the bead market and there were so many different beads, they were also very beautiful. It was a very long day but we had so much fun together. And a quick funny story- we left early in the morning and did not get back til the early evening. When we walked into the back area of our house we saw all this water. At first we thought that we had some kind of leak from the rain but nope! It was the toilet! To flush the toilet you have to turn on the water to fill up the back portion of the toilet and then you flush.. someone had forgotten to turn off the water so we had water EVERYWHERE!!! Luckily nothing was damaged but it really flooded our room. But I am so grateful for the girls in my group. No one hesitated to start to clean up all the water. We had mops and cups, dust pans, buckets and bowls. It was quite the process but we were able to get it all dried up.

Friday we left to come here to Accra, but before we came we had a little celebration at the Abomosu clinic. We were able to get the maternity complex ready for the opening. The sink was installed, the fans were in place, the curtains were hung, and the mattresses were covered. It was so neat to see the finished product of our hard work. The people of Abomosu are very grateful for this opening of the maternity complex. If we did not help in this area of the clinic this portion would not have opened for another 5 years. Thank you to all those who made donations, the people of Abomosu thank you. (I will post pictures of the before and after when I have better internet connection).

And now we are in the capital of Ghana- Accra. It is so different from the Abomosu village. We are staying in a little hotel that has reliable (well sort of) toilets, air conditioner, wi-fi, and electricity that is pretty reliable. The first night we all froze because it was so hot in Abomosu that we would sleep in the bare minimum and still be hot and then here we have the AC on and it gets quite cold. But it has been fun so far in Accra. We went to a Relief Society activity and taught some health topics and then enjoyed the rest of the time. And boy, do those women know how to have fun. It was the most lively RS activities I have ever been to. Again these people were so gracious to us, they fed us a delicious meal that probably cost them so much. But that is just what they do- they sacrifice what they have because they want to welcome us and show us their gratitude. The Ghanaian people are amazing.

Today we went to church and it was another great meeting. The saints here are so strong and want to always do what the Lord has asked of us. It was neat, for one of the announcements the bishop got up and read a mission call for one of the young men in the ward. It was so neat to see the young man’s face as the bishop read the whole letter. I am so grateful for the gospel and the blessings it brings into the lives of all our Heavenly Father’s children. I know that He loves each one of us and that He all wants us to return to Him. We need to be like the saints here in Ghana and always have gratitude in our hearts for all that we have. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to be among these people, they have taught me so many valuable lessons.

Still Alive

We are still all alive and having a good time (haven't been on because our internet hasn't been working). I do not have much time right now to tell about our adventures from the past couple days, but just know that we are having a blast. The other half of the group joined us last night so all 16 of us are here in the house. We are going to hike to some falls today and go to a bead market. Then tomorrow I will be off to the capital city, Accra. I will write about what has been going on when I have more time. Medo wo (I love you).

You are Perspiring.

We were cleaning up the clinic today and Brother Abu comes up to us and says "You are perspiring, are you hot?" Yes, it is HOT here in Africa. Yesterday I was working in a (more) rural clinic with my friend Katherine in the village Asumafu. This clininc is VERY tiny, with no air ventilation. I was doing some history taking and writing down a perscription and one of the nurses looks at me and says, "you are warm, I will fan you." And she was very kind to fan me so I wouldn't melt just sitting there.

Yesterday was a good day out in the rural clinic. I was able to do a malaria test and clean a small wound. I also did some insurance forms and helped with the history taking and perscription writing. There was also a small girl who came in with a 3rd degree burn on her wrist and I watched the nurses do the cleaning and dressing of this wound. And let me tell you, the same procedure is done a little bit differently back home- but they do what they can.
Last night we were living the African way. Our electricity went out and our generator wasn't working for a couple hours, and man was it hot! But no worries, we were able to entertain oursleves sitting in our living room in the pitch black. The group of girls I am with are all so awesome and we have a good time all together.

We went and played with the kids around the village again, but this time we brought a soccer ball, nerf football, bubbles, and silly bands. They loved it all. I had to teach some of the kids how to throuw the football but once they got it down they had a great time. I love playing with these kids because they enjoy any kind of play.

Flora, Desta, Me, Amina- At the Abomosu clinic working on insurance and billing

Joanna, Me, and Grace- My day at the rural clinic in Asumafu

Me and Katherine- At a gold mining site

Playing with the kids (they LOVE pictures)

Clinic and Soccer

RAIN!!! Last night it poured down. It was pretty loud and woke us all up. The rain was hitting really hard on the roof and windows and the doors in the house were slamming shut from all the wind. It made for a cool night but brought lots of bugs out in the morning. We walked to the clinic trying not to swallow any of the swarms of termites. Today was a good day. We went to the clinic and worked for the first time. Today I helped with the insurance forms and then insurance billing. They had a couple coders that I used to find the diagnosis code and then the medication chart to decipher the medical assistant’s prescriptions. The girl I was working with, Amina, was very patient with me. It is really hard to completely understand everything that they are saying. And then I helped with the vital signs and taking the history of the patient’s complaints, with Loreta. One of the complaints is called “torn prick”. Any guesses of what that means? I had no idea either. I asked Loreta what it meant and she took my pin and pushed it on my skin and said “it’s like this, but blood comes out. It’s any cut that the skin breaks and blood comes”. That’s a new sign/symptom that I haven’t heard of before. Loreta also taught me a couple words/phrases in Twi.

After the clinic we came home and cooled off and then went out to play some soccer with the kids. When we first got there a couple of kids were just standing there watching us play but they did not want to play with us. Then a little later, two teenage aged boys came and played with us. They were pretty good (I could tell that they weren’t pulling out all their tricks out on us Abruni girls). Then we took a quick break and the 2 boys left and then all these little kids came to play. Me and Chantal (a girl in my group) played with 8 little kids from the village. These kids were really good, it was fun to play with them. I got this a lot.. “Abruni! Pass! Pass!”

This is a conversation I had with one of the little boys on the other team:

                Boy: “Abruni!” (Motioning with his hand to come over)

                Me: “Yes?”

                Boy: “I have a question for you. Why do you always stop me when I shoot?”

                Me: “Because you are not on my team and I don’t want you to score.”

                Boy: (Waving his hand like, No, that’s not the rules)

It was a lot of fun to play with them. And then we were walking home and we had a train of followers. They followed us ALL the way home. We have a gate around our house, so when we got home we told them that they needed to go home. But we get inside and start to cook dinner and when they could see us through the windows they would call out, “Abruni! Come! Play!”. That’s all they wanted to do, play. I wish we could have but the bugs started to come out and we would have been eaten alive.

At the end of our long flight. Ready to get off the plane!

Going through the Ghana airport

Interesting sign as you walk into the airport

Katherine and I in front of the Accra, Ghana temple.

Crazy traffic!

Our house we are staying at

With the group of school girls :)

I like his shirt. He was just staring at us while we were sitting in the truck waiting for our instructor.

Raining in the marketplace. Right after the rain they set up shop again

Abruni, How are you?

Today was a really good day out here in Abomosu. We all slept in pretty late but the sleep was much needed. We woke up and started to get ready for the day. Brother Abu (one of the first members here and the man who has helped us plan a lot of this trip) brought over fresh pineapple and avocados. We had some of the pineapple for breakfast and it was delicious. After breakfast/lunch we went out to the clinic where we will be working at. The clinic is very small (has about 4 beds for general medicine and then 4 beds in the maternity ward. Today and Firdays are the busy days for the clinic because they are the days that the markets are open and the women and children are not in the fields- so there were a lot of people there today. We just took a quick tour of the clinic and then we will start work there tomorrow. After the orientation we walked back to our house. It is about a 20-30 minute walk if you were to walk straight home- but of course we took our time (it was our first time in the village while it was light out). As we were walking we got many head turns and lots of waving and smiling. The people here are sooooo friendly! All the little kids would say to us "Abruni (white person), how are you?" as we walked by. As we passed by one of the schools (I think it was lunch time) and we had a little group of girls following us. We talked with them for a little bit and then we kept walking and they kept following. Once we got back to our house the senior missionary couple came over and invited us to go to the river with them and cross it in a canoe, so we loaded up into the truck and started to go and then the rains came. And it poured really hard for a little bit, so we just ended up going back onto the main raod to get a few things done. The rain stopped and then we were able to walk around some more. We are now back in our house and we made some good dinner and now about to have some dessert. Today was a lot of fun- being able to see the clinic that we are going to work at, walking around the village, and meeting some of the people here. I am looking forward to tomorrow and the opportunities I will be able to have at the clinic!

Akwaaba

We made it! The flight went well and we did not loose any of our luggage, so we started out our day well. We flew "through" the night) going ahead 6 hours during it all. So we landed in Accra, Ghana this morning at 7- Ghana time (and Akwaaba means welcome) and then we had a full day of busy work that had to get done for us to be ready for the rest of our time her in Africa. We Went and did our money exchanges, checked into the hostel that we will be staying in when we are in Accra, did some grocery shopping, and then my group made our way to the village of Abomosu, which is 3 hours from Accra. The traffic is crazy here! The traffic rules are more like suggestions and everybody just goes their own way, how ever they like to. I will post some pictures later beacuse it is almost midnight here and we are dead tired! But we made here to Abomosu safely and I will be staying here for about a week and a half and then my group will switch with the other group and I will be in Accra. I am excited to see the village more tomorrow!

Ready for Adventures

[Disclaimer: I am not a blogger, so please excuse my lack of blogging knowledge. Tips are welcomed :)]
I have just completed my 3rd year here at Brigham Young University. Choosing to come to BYU was not very easy for me. I knew I wanted to get into a nursing program where ever I went but the problem was I did not know where I should go. I could tell that my parents (especially my Mom) wanted me to go to BYU, but they wanted me to make the choice for myself. They did not push BYU on me, they would just randomly say something about how many opportunities I could have there. I remember my Mom coming up to me with a BYU Alumni magazine that had an article about the opportunities given to the students in the nursing program. I read it, and I still was not convinced on going (maybe I was just being my stubborn self). But as time went on and I had to make the decision, I was impressed that I should go to BYU. I came and have not regretted the decision once. I worked really hard my freshman year and was accepted into the College of Nursing. It has been a challenging program, but all worth it.
One of the classes in the program is a global diversity course. There are many sites in the US and internationally where nursing students and faculty go and learn about the many different medical practices of the different cultures. I have the opportunity to go to Ghana, Africa through this program. I am really excited that I have this great opportunity to go and learn about and from the Ghanaian people. We will be able to help a clinic in any way we can, teach (basic hygiene, dental care, first aid, etc.) at the schools, teach at church activities, and observe in the hospitals. This will be my first experience outside the US; I do not know what exactly to expect, but I am excited for anything.