Whenever people ask me what I want to be when I grow up, I struggle to put it into words because I don't even know what I want to do for sure-- all I know is that I want to help people, and I want to live around the world, is that too much to ask?
There is something, however, about going to a different continent that puts you on a path to self-discovery. I personally think it's all the rain that is washing away my muddy, unclear path into the clearly marked road which I should take.
THANK YOU MY DEAR AFRICA for you have shown me that way to my future.... and it is looking good. (Don't worry my dear Ghana, it looks like my future involves you).
Saturday, June 25, 2011
DYING IN AFRICA
*cue dramatic music*
500am Wake up and the fever has returned. I assume I got chills throughout the night because I was wrapped up in my blanket in the morning. I got up anyways and read my scriptures.
730am Michelle and I arrive at the clinic just in time for the prayer meeting. We sit in the back of the meeting and I am overcome with tiredness. I lean forward, snot running down my nose (TMI I know but hey... it is what it is) and I close my eyes. Michelle leans forward and whispers that there is a place I can go lay down. I follow an older nurse into a room. Behind the partition is a stretcher type of bed. "Medaase" I say and ask "Wodindesen?" The nurse replies, "Alice" and it clicks that this is the famous AUNTIE ALICE that I had heard so much about. I lay down and a couple of seconds later she comes in with a blanket. She then comes in again to take my temperature from my armpit and then my bloodpressure (my pulse was 76... not bad for a dying person). Seriously, my eyes were SOOOO TIRED! There is some commotion and I open my eyes to Auntie Alice, Hannah and Nancy (two nurses) and a man in a white shirt who comes up to me and feels my temperature. He asks some questions and then Auntie Alice tells me she is showing me to a ward. Michelle follows suite.
838am: I am laying in the ward, got the chills again and Timothy walks in. He is carrying a needle, tape, a cottonball and a teal elastic strip. He has come to draw my blood-- he does a remarkable job-- even better than some of the Red Cross people who draw my blood at home (no offense but Timothy didn't even have to draw the lines for where my vein was!)
What my symptoms are right now? Teeth hurt, headache, eyes heavy, cold, stomach hurts like I'm hungry, sneezing, fever
900am Comfort and Gladys, two other nurses, come in to check on me... they are all SO nice. I don't even really know them but they had to come check on the Obruni Sister who is sick!
915am the doctor comes in and asks for my symptoms, I tell him and he writes it all down in a folder entitled "Patient Information"
930am Doctor: *is about halfway in the room walking* "You have malaria"
Corrine: 'You think so?"
Michelle/Deidre: "It's probably what the lab says Corrine"
Doctor: "Yes, you have it"
Corrine: *smile creeping in* "Oh okay"
Doctor leaves. Corrine rejoices. Doctor comes back in a few minutes later.
Corrine: "Oh. You are giving me a shot. Where?"
Doctor: "Your thigh"
I hike up the left leg of my shorts.... He slaps it a couple of times and then BAM! THE WORST PAIN OF MY LIFE GOES RIGHT INTO MY THIGH!!!!!! I just lean over and say "OH, OH, OOOOOHHHHHHH". The male nurse is smiling and the doctor just says "Sorry, I'm sorry" He finishes and rubs my thigh to help it. He is done and the end.
I get my bag of medicine and then by 1000am Michelle and I are heading back to our house to make lunch.
500am Wake up and the fever has returned. I assume I got chills throughout the night because I was wrapped up in my blanket in the morning. I got up anyways and read my scriptures.
730am Michelle and I arrive at the clinic just in time for the prayer meeting. We sit in the back of the meeting and I am overcome with tiredness. I lean forward, snot running down my nose (TMI I know but hey... it is what it is) and I close my eyes. Michelle leans forward and whispers that there is a place I can go lay down. I follow an older nurse into a room. Behind the partition is a stretcher type of bed. "Medaase" I say and ask "Wodindesen?" The nurse replies, "Alice" and it clicks that this is the famous AUNTIE ALICE that I had heard so much about. I lay down and a couple of seconds later she comes in with a blanket. She then comes in again to take my temperature from my armpit and then my bloodpressure (my pulse was 76... not bad for a dying person). Seriously, my eyes were SOOOO TIRED! There is some commotion and I open my eyes to Auntie Alice, Hannah and Nancy (two nurses) and a man in a white shirt who comes up to me and feels my temperature. He asks some questions and then Auntie Alice tells me she is showing me to a ward. Michelle follows suite.
838am: I am laying in the ward, got the chills again and Timothy walks in. He is carrying a needle, tape, a cottonball and a teal elastic strip. He has come to draw my blood-- he does a remarkable job-- even better than some of the Red Cross people who draw my blood at home (no offense but Timothy didn't even have to draw the lines for where my vein was!)
What my symptoms are right now? Teeth hurt, headache, eyes heavy, cold, stomach hurts like I'm hungry, sneezing, fever
900am Comfort and Gladys, two other nurses, come in to check on me... they are all SO nice. I don't even really know them but they had to come check on the Obruni Sister who is sick!
915am the doctor comes in and asks for my symptoms, I tell him and he writes it all down in a folder entitled "Patient Information"
930am Doctor: *is about halfway in the room walking* "You have malaria"
Corrine: 'You think so?"
Michelle/Deidre: "It's probably what the lab says Corrine"
Doctor: "Yes, you have it"
Corrine: *smile creeping in* "Oh okay"
Doctor leaves. Corrine rejoices. Doctor comes back in a few minutes later.
Corrine: "Oh. You are giving me a shot. Where?"
Doctor: "Your thigh"
I hike up the left leg of my shorts.... He slaps it a couple of times and then BAM! THE WORST PAIN OF MY LIFE GOES RIGHT INTO MY THIGH!!!!!! I just lean over and say "OH, OH, OOOOOHHHHHHH". The male nurse is smiling and the doctor just says "Sorry, I'm sorry" He finishes and rubs my thigh to help it. He is done and the end.
I get my bag of medicine and then by 1000am Michelle and I are heading back to our house to make lunch.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Across the Atlantic they talk different
Announcement #1: I have done it! I have become black! Okay, so it is more lke red... from a sunburn.... but hopefully when the red fades my skin will be one shade closer to the beautiful brown of Ghanaians. :)
Now, their skin isn't the only thing I love about Ghanaians, I also love the way they say things. You know, each culture has its own diction, and I find it fascinating (linguistic anthropology is something I've thought about but I don't think I'll do). So this blog post is dedicated to...
GHANAIAN DICTION.... and the translations of course!
"TAKING food" = eating food.
example. "you have had fu-fu?"
"yes, we have"
"how do you take it?"
"we normally take it with groundnut soup"
"GOOD LUCK" = god bless you
example. "AH-CHOO!"
"good luck"
"the rain was HEAVY" = it rained very hard
example. "Madame, that storm last night was really bad no?"
"Yes, the rain was very heavy"
"WHY" comes at the end of the question
example. Scene: Deidre, Michelle and I dancing in the rain. Matilda walks in.
"You are dancing in the rain. Why?"
Some common words and their meanings:
twi english word= american word
trousers= long pants
pants= underwear
knickers= shorts
biscuits= crackers
..... in other words, think BRITISH english. In fact, they sometimes don't even understand what I'm saying simply because of my American accent (and they say things more with a British accent).
Example. "What are you studying?"
"Oh, I'm studying dance (daaance)"
"What?"
"Dance" (again spoken with the harsh, more nasaly 'a')
"Write it for me...... *I write it down*..... Oh! Dawhnce" (spoken with the soft sophisticated British 'a')
Some things you don't say because they don't translate:
"when I was FLYING here....." = I don't remember what it means but it doesn't mean flying.
"I have a BOYFRIEND....." = It's a bit more scandolous than the American term, if you catch my drift
Announcement #2: We are almost HALF WAY DONE! Why doesn't someone just rip my heart out! This is all going WAY too fast but oh well. My project has taken a turn for the political side of things (maybe I really should have just been a Political Science Major). As I was having a discussion/informal interview with Michael and his cousin Ernest:
Michael: Michael is 23, well, he says he is but his birthday is in October :) He is going to a college in Kumasi to become a teacher. He knew RACHEL (shoutout to my girl) from last year so I guess he heard about me or something becaues he came knocking on Madame's door. His favorite country is Sweden and he loves kung-fu movies.
Ernest: Michael's 19 yr old cousin who.... actually, I'm not sure what he does. I think he stays here in Wiamoase, since he only recently graduated from school. He's kind of quite, with a gap between his two front teeth but he loves talking politics it seems.
Anyhoo, I was talking with these two gentlemen about Ghanaian politics and it seems a very interesting topic-- with a lot of meat there to dig around (especially since elections for President are next year)
Ghanaian Politics: It is very similar to American politics in a lot of ways actually. They elect their President every four years; they have four poilitcal parties but two are the main ones (NPP and NDC) which are always butting heads; they have a woman entering the race this year-- the wife of former President JJ Rawlings (sound familiar?).... Pretty cool no?
So my project is taking a turn towards that arena, instead of the dancing arena but DO NO WORRY MY FRIENDS, I'll still be learning the dance and it seems to be a great bonding tool to use... when there is music, start dancing and people love it!
Now, their skin isn't the only thing I love about Ghanaians, I also love the way they say things. You know, each culture has its own diction, and I find it fascinating (linguistic anthropology is something I've thought about but I don't think I'll do). So this blog post is dedicated to...
GHANAIAN DICTION.... and the translations of course!
"TAKING food" = eating food.
example. "you have had fu-fu?"
"yes, we have"
"how do you take it?"
"we normally take it with groundnut soup"
"GOOD LUCK" = god bless you
example. "AH-CHOO!"
"good luck"
"the rain was HEAVY" = it rained very hard
example. "Madame, that storm last night was really bad no?"
"Yes, the rain was very heavy"
"WHY" comes at the end of the question
example. Scene: Deidre, Michelle and I dancing in the rain. Matilda walks in.
"You are dancing in the rain. Why?"
Some common words and their meanings:
twi english word= american word
trousers= long pants
pants= underwear
knickers= shorts
biscuits= crackers
..... in other words, think BRITISH english. In fact, they sometimes don't even understand what I'm saying simply because of my American accent (and they say things more with a British accent).
Example. "What are you studying?"
"Oh, I'm studying dance (daaance)"
"What?"
"Dance" (again spoken with the harsh, more nasaly 'a')
"Write it for me...... *I write it down*..... Oh! Dawhnce" (spoken with the soft sophisticated British 'a')
Some things you don't say because they don't translate:
"when I was FLYING here....." = I don't remember what it means but it doesn't mean flying.
"I have a BOYFRIEND....." = It's a bit more scandolous than the American term, if you catch my drift
Announcement #2: We are almost HALF WAY DONE! Why doesn't someone just rip my heart out! This is all going WAY too fast but oh well. My project has taken a turn for the political side of things (maybe I really should have just been a Political Science Major). As I was having a discussion/informal interview with Michael and his cousin Ernest:
Michael: Michael is 23, well, he says he is but his birthday is in October :) He is going to a college in Kumasi to become a teacher. He knew RACHEL (shoutout to my girl) from last year so I guess he heard about me or something becaues he came knocking on Madame's door. His favorite country is Sweden and he loves kung-fu movies.
Ernest: Michael's 19 yr old cousin who.... actually, I'm not sure what he does. I think he stays here in Wiamoase, since he only recently graduated from school. He's kind of quite, with a gap between his two front teeth but he loves talking politics it seems.
Anyhoo, I was talking with these two gentlemen about Ghanaian politics and it seems a very interesting topic-- with a lot of meat there to dig around (especially since elections for President are next year)
Ghanaian Politics: It is very similar to American politics in a lot of ways actually. They elect their President every four years; they have four poilitcal parties but two are the main ones (NPP and NDC) which are always butting heads; they have a woman entering the race this year-- the wife of former President JJ Rawlings (sound familiar?).... Pretty cool no?
So my project is taking a turn towards that arena, instead of the dancing arena but DO NO WORRY MY FRIENDS, I'll still be learning the dance and it seems to be a great bonding tool to use... when there is music, start dancing and people love it!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
PICTURE TIME!!!
June 3rd was a day for scientific history! We, the three 'obruni sisters' in Ghana realized why ants are sooooo ruthless-- they have the "small man syndrome" aka "the napolean complex". See Exhibit A: these tiny ants started attacking this huge flying bug... while it was still alive... yeah.... ruthless.
Passing a Primary School on my way home from the Secondary School. I couldn't pass up the chance to take a picture of all the kids lining up shouting at me!
Main street, Wiamaose. This is the road we take to get into the main part of town, to walk home from the school I'm at, to really do anything.... isn't is beautiful?!
We attended a funeral just this Thursday. As we were sitting down with the other church members, a woman came around (to shake hands, which is customary). She pointed to us in the back and said something. A member turned around and said "she wants you to dance with her!" WHAT?!? The music soon started up again and sure enough, we got up to dance... as requested and she came over to dance with us... she is the one with her back turned to the camera.
Michelle, Madame Esther, Deidre
from left to right: Michelle, Deidre, me. special guest: Deidre's braids starring as our mustaches. :)
:: Me soaked in water from attempting to carry that huge bucket (I promise you it was A TON of water!) on my head. I did it...... but it think it might be best to start smaller and work my way up dontcha think?
Hope you enjoyed those pictures!! I promise I'm working hard on my project--> I'll be heading to the Cultural Center here in Kumasi right after posting this blog so I can learn more about the traditional dances and make some headway on that! Someone even told me they could teach me the dances there... oh joy!!!
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