Updates

Last Saturday I went to the hospital for my bites. I wouldn’t have gone except that it was the perfect day to go considering I had no plans and it was raining cats and dogs. In total the hospital ordeal took up about 5 hours, which is not that bad considering some of the horror stories I’ve heard. Corbett and Meagan were awesome enough to accompany me. As I was filling out the new patient form, I was struck by a question that asked my religion. In Ghana, there is no concept of separation between church and state. So for convenience purposes I wrote Christian, because any answer besides Christian, whether written or verbal, sets one up for a lengthy preaching to convert the sinner on the righteous path to God. The hospital set up basically consists of many rooms and the patients are more or less herded like sheep through each room. The first room was blood pressure and temperature room. Taking my temperature was done the old fashion way with a thermometer shoved up my armpit. The next room was a quick visit with the doctor, whom looked much sicker than me. She spent most her time with me either coughing or blowing into her handkerchief. The next room I went to was the payment room where I paid the money to get some blood work done, which leaves me to the 4th room which was surely the most awkward room for me. As the lab doctor was shoving a needle into my arm he had the audacity to try and flit with me. Now after living in Ghana for two months now, I have become accustoms to getting hit on daily, but from a doctor, who was well into his 50s reached a new level. “I like you, next time you come to Ghana, I will pay for the flight and you will stay with me.” Phsss. In the finally room, I saw a new doctor which looked at the lab results and concluded that the infection had not reached my blood and she prescribed me some antibiotics and some ointment. I am happy to say that the bites are much better now.

I’ve started volunteering at an orphanage. The orphanage is quite nice and run by good people, which makes all the difference in the world. The kids are between the ages of 0-16. There about 40 kids in total. The oldest kid, and the one that has been there the longest, is blind and has some sort of mental disability. I volunteer once and sometimes twice a week. One Tuesday, which is the main day I go there, the theme is “sport” so I spend most the morning letting the kids bounce on the trampoline or push them on the swings. The house is big and nice but the yard leaves something to be desired. There is no grass area, and to play a game of kick ball would prove challenging with the lack of space. The kids are all pretty well behaved but some try to take advantage of newbie volunteers, and hell I would too if I was their age watching volunteers come and go as often as they do. As a volunteer we’re basically there to give the kids added attention to alleviate the full time workers for a few hours. If I was a millionaire I’d give all the workers or “mothers” as the kids call them, lavished vacations because if anyone needs a break, I’d say they’d be on the top of the list. Cooking, feeding, cleaning, and caring for so many children 24/7 seems like such a daunting task. While most the kids are well behaved it is clear that some of them have emotional problems. For instance, this one boy has an issue with the swings and concept of sharing. He throws the hugest fits when his turn is over. Another girl constantly wants to be held. Most the children are either HIV positive or have AIDS so as volunteers we are not allowed to do any daiper changes or work that involves any other bodily fluids. A boy about 10 and his sister who is about 7 and their baby sibling are all getting adopted on October 5th by this couple in Ohio. The boy (for liability and security reasons I cannot use their names) always asks me how many days are left. Adoption is a very long process and when I talked to the children it was as if they understood that the date was approaching quickly but were unable to really comprehend exactly how close it really was. “They came to visit me last Monday,” said the boy, which turned out to be a Monday several months ago back in December. The boy asked me what Ohio was like and all I could think of was that they have one of the largest rollercoaster parks, which created a stir of excitement. It is such a message of hope to see all siblings getting adopted together. The adoption process no doubt takes a toll on the some of the children though, another girl that is in the middle stages of the process got so nervous her new parents were coming she peed her pants three time throughout the day.