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Published: August 10th 2006
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cooler weather in Africa!
Adwoa was cold and so she was having fun with my jacket, which could fit 5 of her! Greetings!! Hope you are all well! There is always so much to say about Ghana...it's difficult to fully express it over blogs, but I will try to capture some of my experiences as of late!
Recently my experiences have reminded me of the cruel juxtaposition of poverty and wealth in this country (as in many places). Two weekends ago, I went to Mole National Park (more details below) and stayed in the hotel in the park. Almost everyone who stays there are tourists and I must say that it was nice to relax and meet people from all over the world. There was one experience, however, that definitely caused me to reflect....as I sat outside the nice swimming pool, it was surreal being surrounded by white people and by such luxury. At one point, I looked up to see four African village women and one young girl (who were obviously quite poor) watching all of the tourists swimming....they could not take their eyes off of the tourists buying plentiful amounts of drinks and food, swimming and laughing, seemingly totally carefree. To me, it was a striking scene---poverty in the midst of great wealth (not that i am wealthy, but in
taking a break at the clinic
Two amazing long-term nursing volunteers at the clinic (and my bestest buds there)...Maloise from Holland and Carma from the U.S.
Carma recently let us stay at her home here for a night...it was like a resort!!! We had our first hot showers in a long-time and even had air-conditioning (we are not used to it though so it was a bit chilly--ha:)! She even let us watch an American movie on her DVD player...talk about living in luxury!:) It actually was a very nice and peaceful time to rejuvenate a bit! And it was fun having some girl time together at our slumber party:) their eyes, i am....obviously, traveling and volunteering is a luxury that most of them do not have). I watched them as they gawked at us and it was as though two different worlds were colliding. They were standing apart from us...and even though there was a small concrete wall dividing us, we seemed to be divided by so much more. There was (and is) an economic, class, and educational barrier that stands between us, and threatens to divide us even further. It bothered me that these women were standing there while it seemed all of us pretended not to see them...it was as though we all wanted to forget for one weekend that such poverty exists. However, it was impossible for me not to notice their presence, and so after a bit, I made my way over to them. I waved, introduced myself, shook their hands, and invited them to sit. Even though they knew little english, we were able to connect...I can't say we had deep conversations...for instance, I would ask the young girl's age and then they would all chat to realize they do not know the girl's age, or I would jokingly say they should jump in
travelling bud
This is Maureen, who I met on the plane here! She is a fellow Iowa girl (woohoo:) who is doing a Masters of Public Health and then planning to go to medical school. the pool. Even though we could barely communicate, simply sitting there with them and watching their surprised faces as they watched the tourists do flips in the water (they never learned to swim so they couldn't believe it...they would laugh and laugh each time someone would flip!😊, made me realize how much I have grown to love the Ghanaian people. And despite all of the luxuries of this hotel, I realized that these interactions bring me more peace than swimming pools, flowing drinks and resort areas ever could. For a brief moment, i truly felt that the gap between rich and poor, educated and uneducated was bridged as we connected simply as human beings. For that, I am thankful! It is interactions such as this that I will forever remember about Ghana!
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Other experiences that I might highlight include the following:
Today the clinic director and myself met with the Minister of Health of Togo, Chief Justice of Togo, and the Minister of Health from Ghana...the clinic at which I'm working is hoping to set up a similar AIDS clinics all over West Africa!! The clinic director has offered to hire me to help with this process....no
clinic buds
Some of my favoritest folks at the clinic....they are drivers and they constantly babysit the Dr's baby:) worries, mom and dad, I plan on coming home😊 (but he did say he'd pay for my plane ticket--haha😊 No matter what, it was a neat experience meeting some key leaders of Ghana and Togo. Once again at this meeting today, I was faced with immense wealth....they had a huge array of expensive foods and drinks of every variety available. I couldn't help but think that all of those big bottles of whiskey would be enough to pay for someone's antiretroviral medication for an entire year. However, knowing these individuals are doing amazing things for HIV/AIDS patients, i tried to keep my humble opinion to myself.
I felt the same way the other night when one of my coworkers took another volunteer and myself to his house....it's a mansion and I have never seen a place so massive or gorgeous---with fountains, flowers, exercise floor, security guards, monkeys (as pets!!), etc. I think he was trying to impress us by showing us his 3 Hummers and everything else, but quite honestly, I found myself becoming increasingly annoyed. (In fact, at one point I went to talk to his house servant (who he was extremely rude to and bossed around) because
sunset
Once again, I absolutely love the sunsets by my house...the view makes me want to break out the oil paints!:) I felt like I connected more with him than the owner of the house....needless to say, the guy was shocked to see me chatting with his servant and actually asking about his life--nothing like a subtle hint😊 Anyways, I realize that life is to be enjoyed...and yet, it seems that balance is important. Of course, I may be at the other extreme---in that it's a constant struggle for me to enjoy the many riches in life without feeling guilty or as though I am ignoring the plight of those who desperately need the basic necessities. I realize that no matter what i do, I can't change my background or the fact that I have had amazing opportunities...and surely the majority of people here do not ask for pity but rather acknowledgment and respect. And so, once again, it's the juxtaposition that can be challenging!
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Random:
As I mentioned, two weeks ago, I went to Mole National Park in the northern part of Ghana....the trip was totally worth it to see all of the wildlife and the animals up-close...it's amazing to wake up and walk your door to see 12 elephants standing nearby! But boy-oh-boy, it was a LONG
a dramatic flair
This volunteer on the right is a student from UCLA (who grew up in Iowa) and who is a playwright...he utilizes theater as means of support for those living with HIV/AIDS...he is truly amazing to watch, as his positive energy really gets the group going! He is hoping to write a play incorporating the life stories of those in the group and to have them share their own stories through acting...very cool! trek there (the bus broke down several times) and the ride back was even longer.....let's just say the day started at 4:00 AM and we did not leave buses/trotros until 11:30 PM. We should have known it'd be a crazy day when we stumbled out of our hotel at 4:00 AM to take a bus and Maureen (my traveling buddy) who was carrying a huge bag on her back and another on her front fell in a huge pile of mud and could not get up (we can laugh about it now--ha😊, but at the time, she was covered in mud from head-to-toe and had to suffer with this the entire trip back to Accra) Then due to the bus situation, we had to take a trotro from Tamale to Kumasi, which would be fine-and-dandy but the driver insisted on playing prayer music sooo loud for the entire 10 hour trip...it was louder than any concert (even Green Day) that I have ever been to, and since it was literally aching our eardrums, several people asked him to turn down the music....with no luck however. So needless to say, people were stuffing anything and everything into their ears to muffle
elephants!
I will post more pictures of Mole National Park soon, but here is a preview:) On the walking tour, we were surrounded by elephants, bamboons, warthogs, and many other wild animals! It was beautiful! the noise a bit (thankfully i had some ear plugs), and after 10 hours of merely sitting there with terrible headaches (we couldn't chat due to the noise), we labeled it the trotro from hell...hehe😊 Now we can definitely laugh about it! Don't get me wrong though, Mole Park was a great experience and I recommend it to anyone who can go!
Okay, I've rambled enough....sorry for the length---I'm just trying to process some of the experiences here! Peace to you!! ~Katie
PS. It was great to see some of my fellow social work students here who are in Ghana for two weeks...they came through the clinic yesterday and they are here for a bit so I hope to connect with them soon!
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Linda
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Wonderful experiences Katie
Oh, Katie, again reading your blog brought me right back to Ghana! Your insights are so right on. These people, though they be very poor, are the salt of the earth. You can connect with them, even if you don't speak the language because they are kind and wonderful people and enjoy interacting with everyone. The divide between rich and poor is so huge in Ghana and felt so sharply by the poor. I laughed so hard when you were talking about the trotro that goes to Mole, it must have been the same one I took! I also dubbed it the trotro from hell. The one I rode on broke down several times and required the men to get out and push it. Mole was breathtakingly beautiful, the first morning I counted 22 elephants coming to the watering hole below the park. As a matter of fact one of my best photo's from mole was that one. As your trip winds down, I know you are going to face some hard emtions at facing leaving people that you have grown to love so dearly. It was so difficult for me to say goodbye to those I grew to love, but I thought that I would return in two years, however, due to my husband's cancer and my auto accident I had to delay another year. I now am just waiting approval from work to take time off, and I am really wishing for a miracle when I put in my request because I am asking for a month off. Enjoy the next days there and enjoy those wonderful Ghanaians you have met and enjoyed. I think with your kind heart and good old midwest upbringing, you touched a lot of hearts in Ghana! Take care--I hope we can meet someday and share experiences!