Time to update my blog! I haven’t been on the computer for a
while, sometimes I feel it is really refreshing to be away from internet,
phone, and electronics (except my ipod-I need music!). Of course, when I go on
I love having letters to read so I feel in touch so thank you! It is an extremely humid afternoon, and all I can do is type and hope the rain
doesn’t fall until my clothes have dried on the line. There are women who do
laundry for us, but then we have it hanging in our “porch” to dry. “Porch”
refers to the room that is enclosed in the house, but is kind of a veranda type
location with cement floor, brick wall, and a clothesline for laundry. There
are no chairs, because it is either too hot, or there is the threat of malaria
at night. The laundry is done by hand, and the only thing I have washed by hand
is a dish towel. Apparently you rub the clothe against your wrist, but I am not
sure on this because I pretty much rubbed my wrist raw trying. If I had to
choose between a dishwasher and a washing machine the decision wouldn’t take me
a second. Washing machines are an amazing invention, and among nations where
the women are working many hours, I don’t think life would be enjoyable
without.
One thing I wanted to share about was Sundays in Kasei.
Sunday morning I overslept (side fact) because I failed to set my alarm for
3:00 AM. You see, my alarm is my ipod, which is stuck on Iowa time, and when I
am tired, I forget that I can’t set my alarm clock for 8:00 AM, and expect it
to go off until it is actually 1 PM. Don’t worry though, the chickens always
make sure I wake up. We attend the Church of Pentecost here, and Miriam told us
that this church is known for “speaking in tongues.” Apparently if they believe
in all three parts of the trinity, they are able to speak in tongues in prayer
to God. I guess the reason Gretchen and I have never realized this before is we
never know what they are saying in the first place, so to us it is all the
same. I have never heard of this before, and Theresa tried to make me do it, but
I think if I did it would fail just because I still don’t think I can. If
anyone wants to let me know more about this church please let me know! I am
open to learning about it since I have to go to the church for the next two
months. J
After some delicious jell-of-rice (that is not the correct spelling) and
plantains, I spent some time reading. I am reading the book Who I am in Christ
my Neil Andersen, and I highly recommend it! When I speak at morning devotions
at the hospital, I am pretty much going to retell his introduction to the
people, and of course give him credit. Then I went to the school for
volleyball! There were only men playing when I came, and I just stood watching
because none of them were speaking English. They were playing teachers vs. students
but honestly I don’t know which side was which. The best part was when they
disagreed on a play because both sides would start yelling at each other and
pointing and lines and indents in the dirt. I asked someone if they wanted a
referee, and for the next five minutes all of the guys who talking to eachother
and laughing. I am pretty sure they were laughing at me. Oh well, after they
went to play football, the high schooler guys asked if I would play with them
(I played with them last week.) Funny thing, throughout the past week I noticed
a few kids would come up to me, and try to look at my elbow or knee. I was kind
of confused by this, but I realized they were looking for my battle wounds.
Last week I left with a bloody knee and elbow. This week, I succeeded in
cutting open my knee. It kept bleeding, but I just kept playing. By the time I
left, blood was down to my ankle, and everyone I walked past would stare at my
knee. As of now one cut is healing, and the other one is infected despite my
constant ointment application. To all the medical worrisome people out there do
not worry. I am working at a hospital so if it gets worse I will have no
problem finding a bandaid. :) After a dinner I talked to my
family on the phone for the first time! It was definitely nice to hear their
voices, and the wonderful static our home phones possess whenever they go outside.
Monday I started consultation!! I am watching a man whom I call Professor. He
is the head of the nursing department, and he has some sort of masters in nursing.
Most of the cases are malaria. Don’t worry, I am fully capable of diagnosing
malaria: fever, chills, loss of appetite, diarrhea, stomach pain, and headache.
Primary malaria is treated with an artesnate/amodiaqin combination pill, but
secondary/severe malaria is treated with quinine.
John taught me all of the
right words to say: Bra. Tenase. Den na eye wo? Wo fe? Wo bo wa?.
Consultation
is set up differently here. The patients wait outside with their own
folder and insurance, they get vitals in the waiting room with everyone else,
then they wait for their turn in consultation. They sit in a chair and see
Professor, his two insurance, surgery consent, and diagnosis form fillers, and
me. Then they leave and go to either Lab, Pharmacy, Theatre, or home. Besides
malaria, hernias are very common. Men here do a lot of physical labor and they
can get different types of hernias such as chronic and acute cases. It
definitely looks painful, but many come in and have the surgery done the same
day. What is the most interesting part of consultation to me? First, I love
diagnosis. I love going through the signs and symptoms, and figuring out what
is wrong. Second, the people intrigue me. If you took out the malaria and
hernias (which are preventable) and pregnancies (Muslims are very reproductive)
there are not a lot of issues. Spend a day in an American consultation room and
you will see countless colds, earaches, flu, etc. That to me is fascinating.
What are the things that make America so sickly? Ask Ghanaians and they will
say, “All Americans do is eat salt and sugar which makes them get sick all of
the time.” Other reasons? They get physical activity walking around for
transportation, doing laundry, washing dishes, running after their children,
cooking, and going to the market. The food they eat is fish, rice, beans, and
lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. They aren’t eating packaged foods and
processed foods with added sugar and salt, and their meat comes from animals
who have been running around the village and road all their life. I am not
saying this is the answer to all our problems, but I think it is definitely
interesting. :)
Anyways, I will close with the end of my journal entry last
night:
PS There are trails of ants crawling on my walls, a lizard, and a spider
in my room. Thank you for making Raid, Lord. May it be your will that the
lizard leaves by himself back outside without touching me, and my room does not
give me cancer.
My camera is locked in Dr. John's home, so expect a picture later tonight. (Probably just my bloody knee.)
God is Love,
Affia Boatema