Medaci, Ghana

I apologize for the extreme delay in posts! We’ve been very busy finishing up our research. There hasn’t been much to tell from the hospital. We’ve been conducting and overseeing interviews with women in the maternity ward. Our research is trying to gain perspective on what women know about newborn care and the education that is given by the nurses and midwives. With this, we may be able to identify the gaps in education, and implement more effective education for the future.

Most of my recent stories are about the traveling we’ve done on the weekends. Over the fourth of July, we went to the north to check out some wildlife and national parks. Just like the north in Michigan, the north in Ghana is gorgeous. It was a long 14-hour bus ride, but the scenery and the experience were well worth it. The north is mostly Islamic, so it was really interesting to see the God-loving signs and tributes displayed everywhere in the south change to the Allah-loving signs and tributes displayed everywhere in the north. The north is also decorated with small villages and mud/thatch huts. So the view from the bus window was awesome. But with time and internet limitations, the stories and pictures of the wildlife we encountered will have to wait until I return home. Which speaking of…

We’ve decided to bump up our departure date. We were scheduled to fly home on the 27^th-28^th. Instead, Ajab will leave for Senegal and Katie for the US on the 21^st, and I’ll head home the next evening. We’re working frantically to complete all of our data and data entry this week, which leaves us little to no time for data analysis. Plus, the additional hurdles of trying to access the software and commute back and forth from the University of Ghana are just too much. Ajab will still be in Africa for the next couple of weeks. But Katie and I feel that departing for the US early to give us the chance to start up data analysis in Michigan is the right decision. I’m also excited to be heading back early because I get to see Krystyna and Chris get married on Saturday and Maryum and Omar get married on Sunday! It will be a crazy busy weekend adjusting back to the US, but I think all of this is worth the earlier departure from Ghana.

One More Short Story, for the Road

Along this journey, I have experienced so many stories; some sad, some disappointing, some adventurous, some uplifting. I think this blog should appropriately end with the uplifting. And so I share this with you:

Patient 29 – the abandoned HIV+ baby in pediatrics (from the Children’s Ward entry) has found a happy home. We are unsure about what happened with Patient 15, and with ignorance-is-bliss in mind, I’m not really sure I want to know. I’d rather believe that he is safe, or that his last days were comfortable. But yes, I did say this would be an uplifting story.

One day we were finishing up in the public health office and we saw one of the social welfare counselors walk by with a baby in his arms; it was Patient 29, his name is Maxwell. The social worker shared with us that Maxwell would be going to the Missionaries of Charity supported by the Sisters of Mother Teresa. We had actually passed the convent earlier that day, and for some reason I had paid special attention to it. We’re told it’s one of the best orphanages and homes of care because of the nuns. Ah, the nuns, they sure know how it’s done! I’ll be thinking of Sister Regina, my godmothers and family (and of course my godmothers and godfathers from the Holy Cross/camping gang who maaaay have taught me different versions of pious appreciation but played a role in my Catholic upbringing nonetheless) when we go this Saturday to visit. We plan on donating our clothes and shoes that we don’t need and spending some quality time with Maxwell and the others at the convent.

Medaci, Ghana

Somewhere along the way, I came to understand the meaning of coming to Ghana. I’m sure I’ll have much to reflect on when I return to the States. But mostly, I came here to learn and I came to share stories. I think because of missionary and volunteer work and Western foreign aid, we have this idea that we are the heroes or that we’re going to make things better. But that’s not the case. We haven’t done anything out of the ordinary. We haven’t saved any lives. And we definitely haven’t had to make any critical decisions while our hands are tied with limited resources. Of course, we’ve contributed to small research projects that have potential to open the door to more valuable research. But overall, personally I’ve gained far more than I could ever give back. I have experienced the privilege of watching others do amazing work. And I’ve learned that even small changes can go a long way. When that small change is supported even by a small few, greater forward motion is possible, and many Ghanaians are doing just that. It’s not as if people here don’t appreciate help or people from abroad, there’s still much work to do, and constructive suggestions that are needed. But the people here want to build their own country. People always want to know what we think of the country and time and time again Ghanaians have told us that Ghana is the gateway to Africa- the place that represents the best of Africa.

I am sad to say goodbye. I have so much to be grateful for from this tremendous experience. I have many thanks to give.

I have to say special thanks to Dr. Deganus. Without her, none of this would have been possible at all. She has shared her work, her home, and her own personal journey with us. This woman is the word strength. If the purpose of me coming to Ghana had only been to meet her, then that would have been enough. She’s an amazing lady. She’s been our mentor and “mommy” here and I can’t wait to share with all of you more about her when I return.

I have encountered so many meaningful relationships, and it’s great to know I will always have friends in Ghana. We have felt so welcome. Here in Ghana, “Medaci” means “thank you”. And so I say medaci to Ghana!

World Cup in Africa, through an American’s Eyes

It came down to a shoot-out, and with much disappointment, we watched Ghana bow out of the World Cup. We were dually bummed. Not only were we in full support of the Black Starts at this point, but we were also looking for a win, so at least we could say that Team USA lost to the victors of the quarterfinals. We all gathered around a big screen tv at a bar & grill in Kumasi to watch the deadlock between Uruguay and the Black Stars. The heart-wrenching end to the second overtime was almost too much for the Ghanaians to handle. Uruguay player uses his hands to defend the ball while in the net?!? Red card!! Then a missed chance for a Ghana goal! Gyan doesn’t miss penalties! Sadly, the Black Stars just couldn’t get the lifts on the ball and shots on goal that were needed. Gyan redeemed himself, but with two misses and only one miss on the other side, Uruguay advanced. Ghana was broken hearted, but still proud of their Black Stars.

I’ve always had a love of soccer. Growing up, my Italian neighbors lived and breathed for soccer and the World Cup. I remember hearing the tirade of screams erupt from next door when Italy lost to Brazil in 1994. It was ultimately Andrea and Joey’s passion for the game that led me to start playing. That entire summer, we played pick-up games every night in our adjoining backyards with all the other neighborhood kids. Being in Ghana, I haven’t gone a day without seeing several pick-up games going on. Everybody here has passion for the game.

We were thrilled to be in Africa for the World Cup. When Ghana emerged as the only African team to make it to Round of 16, I bragged that clearly Ghana must be the best country in all of Africa. From the get-go, we hoped for a US-Ghana match. When we realized it could be a possibility after the US pulled forward to the number one spot of Group C with a goal by Donavan in the last minute of the match, we secretly hoped Ghana would lose to Germany to land the number two spot in Group D so they would play. Sure enough, the football gods allowed for the match-up.

So there we were at Basilissa, one of our favorite restaurants, bantering with the waitresses and other customers. They made us stand up and sing the national anthem. They attempted to sing their anthem, but didn’t know the words. Instead they adopted the phrase “Ghana, yes we can!” We heckled back “that’s OUR phrase, you can’t take that from USA!” I’ve mentioned Obama love in Ghana before, but honestly, so many people here think he belongs to them since his father is from Africa. I’ve seen Obama paintings, Obama t-shirts, Obama fabric and even Obama biscuits. I digress, though.

When Ghana scored the first goal, everyone jumped up, cheered and danced. One lady came and wrapped Katie and I in a Ghana flag. Although we reminded Ajab over and over that she was actually born in the US and should therefore be supporting team USA, she’s never felt the US was home and found herself celebrating for the team representing Africa. In the end, the US speed just wasn’t enough to get past the Black Stars. Prince Boateng and Gyan scored the two goals to advance them to the quarterfinals. Even though Katie and I wore our red, white and blue and supported our country, we were pretty excited for the Black Stars!

I’m glad I was in Ghana the whole time to experience the football craziness. Ghana, after all, did represent Africa well! And not sure if the Shakira “Waka Waka” song played every two seconds like it did here, but all the African teams were joined together to support Africa. It’s a shame Ghana had to go out the way they did, but I’m so glad I was here to meet the essence of football in Africa.