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Published: September 16th 2013
I'm writing my first entry from my bunk bed under the cover of some mosquito netting. I don't even know where to start...
Ghana is incredible. The country and people are beautiful but both suffer a great deal due to lack of resources. the regions of Ghana that I have seen are very dry with dusty red dirt, short trees and tall grass covering anything that's not man made. Our village, senya, is about a ten minute walk from a beautiful beach. If I took a picture of it and told you it was a photo of Hawaii you wouldn't think twice. Unfortunately; there is no sewage system or garbage/waste management In the entire country. Some places have toilets, but they drain into an open sewage system of gutters in the ground about 2 to 4 feet deep that run right through town and drain into the beautiful ocean. It's extremely hot here so the smell can be pretty bad in certain areas. Luckily for me my housing is a good 50 feet away from the closest gutter.
Th people here are amazing. They have next to nothing, but everyone is always helping each other.
it's viewed as extremely impolite not to take time out of your walk to greet someone across the street. They value relationships and conversation probably more than anything else. the poverty these people live with makes you want to cry. Our housing is extremely luxurious and I have to wash myself with A bucket of water that is carried from the nearest well.
The kids at the orphanage are so wonderful to each other... I plan on writing a separate post on just that in the future. They are absolutely adorable but their stories are heartbreaking.
Some things have been kind of difficult... yesterday there was a two inch long cockroach sitting on the roll of toilet paper In the bathroom... lets just say deciding what to do in that situation was like the BIGGEST dilemma. Ever.
I live with four other girls In one room in bunk beds. Three of them are volunteering at the orphanage next door. The other is a medical resident from china who works at the clinic with me. We get up together at 530, wash the 30 kids in th orphanage by 7, eat breakfast and make it to
work at the clinic by 8. We get a 90 MINUTE, yeah I repeat 90 MINUTE lunch break, (be jealous spaulding coworkers haha) then go back to clinic until patient census runs low... Which they say is usually between 3 and 6 but Ghanaians don't really care about time.... So well see. I'm exhausted and would like to write more now but I need to get some rest before tomorrow. the roosters/wild hogs/bleating goats wake us up at 430am so were all wicked tired. Missing everyone at home!!!
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Jim Barton
non-member comment
Your blog update
Th pictures of the children are precious. They seem happy. The water looks great. Looks like you're having fun andenjoying yourself! What a great experience. love, Dad