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