Blogs from Ho, Volta, Ghana, Africa

For our adventure this weekend, we chose to go to Wli Falls. Wli is the highest waterfall in Ghana (about 70 meters drop!) and is a part of the Agumatsa River. Wli Falls are located about 15 kilometers south east from the city of Hohoe (in the Volta Region). But first some quick definitions: Tro-Tro: Get as many people as possible into a van with a broken speedometer and charge them some change to go anywhere around Ghana. Taxis: Taxis in Ghana are more like buses, you go to a station, you get into the car which probably shouldn't be on the road and you share it with other people (sometimes animals), and you hold on for dear life. Obruni: What Ghana-ens call white people. So to start our journey which should of taken five hours, ... read more

Austin was intrumental in arranging transport at the break of dawn with a driver known as paddy K. We headed north on a five hour journey that took us through Ho and then through Hahoe. The school had forbid us from going to that area due to a previous conflict but I don't think they realized who they were dealing with. Finally we arrived in his village to view one of the most impressive waterfalls this country had to offer. Upon our arrival we were met by Austin's father who escorted us to meet village chief and his entourage. We entered the home first and were seated and then they entered and greeted all of us. We were asked what our mission was and we explained that we were nursing students working at a hospital in ... read more

I arrived in Ho last night and went to a bar around the corner from the house with 2 of the other volunteers. I went to the town centre this morning and might be going back tonight. It's a surreal experience as I've seen scenes like it on television and in films but it is almost exactly the same. The accommodation is good and the other volunteers are great! I think that on friday I'm going to the cured lepers village to do a clinic, but that's all that I know. The weather is very very warm but I'm enjoying it. If the trip continues in this way, I'll be happy.... read more

So summer is almost over, well its actually over. But we had to do something new to crown it so originally I thought we could go parasailing in the Kwahu mountains but apparently that only happens in April. So my dad suggested we go see Wli falls and after some research we decided to do that and climb Mountain Afajato, the highest in Ghana! It was hard to find time that suited both my bestfriend, Roselyn and myself but we decided on this weekend as a last minute thing so we were a little ill prepared. But its still been great so far. So the actual journey........ We met up at Kwame Nkrumah Circle to board a bus straight to Hohoe but we couldn't find any buses that take that route so we had to go ... read more

So this is a quick update about our time at the hospital! Cuban doctor number one: Dr. Ramirez (or however you spell his crazy name.) is from Cuba in case you wondered..... He is the gynecologist so a lot of the patients he sees are women! Mainly in his office we have seen pregnant women who have anemia, couples seeking fertility treatment, women with fibroids or cysts in their ovaries and pregnant women with malaria. He out of all the doctors is the least professional. I know that is very rude but he is. Generally there was very little for us to actually do at the Hospital. We were taught how to identify how far along a pregnancy was according to the position of the baby in the mother's stomach. We were also able to witness ... read more