Blogs from Tamale, Northern, Ghana, Africa

This is something for the record books - only a week between blogs! I have just finished talking to Mum, Dad and David on Skype, which was amazing. It’s great to hear that everyone is well and that the UK whether sucks again! Sorry folks! I’m enjoying (well not all the time) nearly 40-degree heat at the moment but sadly have little tan to show for it (as pointed out by my parents on skype - thank you!). So for the past week I have mostly working in the medical centre (I shall spare you the gory stories) and also teaching a few more lessons in the primary school. Thankfully at long last I have had my stitches out and so have been back in theatre operating with the other surgeons. Thursday was particularly exciting as ... read more

Hello all, I'm sorry about the 3 week hiatus (such an American, and apparently Ghanaian term!) since my last blog! I'm not really sure where to begin with the update but, as most of you know, Becka is now safely back in England and so she will no doubt fill you in on anything I miss. Becka and I arrive in the King's Village about 3 weeks ago. For those of you that don't already know, the King's Village is a Christian project founded in the year 2000 by 58i, a Christian charity based at the Christian Centre Church in Nottingham. The King’s Village project includes a primary school, currently with 280 students, a nutritional centre, a water sanitation project and a medical centre/hospital. The King’s Village itself is about 45 minutes north of Tamale, a ... read more

Hey All! Sorry for the long delay, the internet here at times can be such a pain! Anyway... with my batteries recharged, it was time for another high flying adventure. And this time I pulled out all the stops. The destinations? Mole National Park, the largest wildlife refuge in country and The Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary. The team? Loren, Bethany, Melissa, and myself. This trip was so big; I’ll have to spread it out over three entries. Hope you’re in a reading mood, because this might take a little time. In fact, this is another entry where it wouldn’t be a bad idea to grab a snack or something… I mean…I would…but that’s just me…anyway, let’s do this! We departed ISH around five thirty Saturday morning, and caught a tro tro to our first bus…which didn’t ... read more

Thanks for the words of encouragement and prayers. The Man Upstairs heard them and I'm feeling better. Health is back to normal (I think I had malaria - at least I was treated for it - but I didn't want to write that for fear of worrying Mom & Dad and the G-parents). But, not to worry, all is good now. The last two nights, I cooked my own dinner - spaghetti and sauce made out of tomato paste and water. It's not quite the same as Ragu but it was still pretty heavenly compared to some other food I've had to force down. Add some onions, peppers, and tuna and it makes for a pretty good meal. After seeing how happy cooking my own food made me, I realized the two things I've really missed ... read more

...when I said "rejuvenated and ready to go." Been sick the last three days with a slew of different things. Feeling better, but don't have much of an appetite so all I can stomach right now is Ramen-type noodles-- the supermarkets don't have chicken noodle soup :( So just want to ask for some extra prayers that I make it through this last week with a positive attitude and good health. Kind of ready to go home and looking forward to seeing all of you!... read more

so the last blog i said we were leaving and going to be driving for 4 hours...i lied, the professors lied. we were in the car for 21 hours driving to the mole game reserve. i kid you not, 21 hours. it was awful. we were on only 2 or 3 main dirt roads for most of the trip. it felt like we were getting no where. not to mention the headlights went out and we were basically driving by the moonlight. the game reserve was awesome!! it was beautiful. i went on two walking safaris and saw: baboons, wild hogs, elephants, deer, a few other things. the elephants were the best part. we were about 30 feet from them. we visited a mosque & the mystery stone of larabanga. after that we drove to bolgatanga. ... read more

Greetings from Tamale, which unfortunately lacks any Mexican food, despite it's name. Have I mentioned how much I am missing a nice big bean burrito these days? We are heading over to Larabanga this afternoon and then on to Mole National Park for a few days of animal watching--elephants, baboons, hyenas, etc. It is nice to get out of Accra once again. Speaking of Accra... Quick anecdote: Quite frequently the traffic lights will go out in Accra, leaving busy intersections without any sense of order or procedure. Almost as often you will soon see a few teenage boys, with broken off sprigs of leaves from a nearby bush held high in their hands, walk out into the middle of the intersection and start directing traffic. When I asked my cab driver the other day if the ... read more

This week, I worked with Shekinah’s food program where they make different food every day and then drive around Tamale for about 3 hours delivering the food to the 2 Shekinah clinics, the homeless, blind people, and the poorest of the poor. It’s a great program that follows the tenets of the Shekinah clinic (read blog entry about CRS) and the women who make the food are extremely dedicated, working several hours every morning cooking food. (They don’t get paid, so I’m not sure if they have other jobs or how they sustain their families). I was a little frustrated because I thought I would be helping out with making the food and distributing it but all I really did was sit and watch. When I asked if there was anything I could to do help, ... read more