An International Experience

The only time that I did feel like a real outsider was when Ghana played the US during the World Cup. Being in Ghana during the World Cup was truly incredible and reminded me how much it means to truly feel a part of something. In fact, despite getting called "the enemy" numerous times during the day of the Ghana-US match, I found myself secretly rooting for Ghana to win because I could feel how much it meant to the entire country. Advancing in the World Cup would mean being in the public eye for something positive which is not something that many developing countries experience.

For the rest of my time, despite not knowing much about the local culture or how to speak the local dialect, I felt completely accepted. While all of these things terrified me at first, I ended up learning so much more because of it. First and foremost, Ghanaians as a whole are eager to learn about the world. Most of them have never been given the opportunity to travel out of their region in Ghana, let alone to the Western world. However, instead of fearing those who come into their lives from the West, they cherish every opportunity to learn. I do not know if it was there shear love of Obama that made them so accepting (see picture to the left) or their own genuine interest, but either way I felt completely welcome in a country that was so foreign to me.

There were times where I felt somewhat taken advantage of because people assume that the color of my skin meant I had endless resources. However, after talking to my host family and other locals, I learned the reason that this happens and that most Ghanaians do not mean it in a threatening manner. The Ghanaians saw the opportunities that I had and couldn't help but try. Yes, I was hassled and asked to buy everything from crackers to bootlegged DVDs to second hand clothing, but in a way, it is all they know. You see children as young as three or four walking the streets alone selling products on their heads. After living lives of adversity, most Ghanaians have learned to run after every opportunity that comes their way. So yes, I was followed around and yelled at from across the street, but what Ghana needs is to be taught to chase after their true dreams instead of trying to adapt to "Obama-land." 

As sad as it is to admit it, I originally naively thought that Ghana was an underdeveloped country that had no hope without the Western world. However, after two months, I learned that it did not matter how present the Western world is in Ghana. The only way that Ghana is going to move forward in development is to feel empowered to do so. No matter what the source of empowerment, Ghana has hope for the future. They do not need constant outside support. Instead, they need the motivation to educate their people in order to prevent the downfalls that can occur as a country attempts to develop. Ghana has already made huge strides as far as developing countries go. However, the country's recent history has been highlighted by a plateau of development. The next step is to move past the excuses and gain the knowledge necessary to create the world they want to live in.

What that all means for my future education...

Before going to Ghana, I planned on applying to nursing school, completing nursing school, and working in a clinic for the rest of my life. Nursing school is still in the stars, but now it means much more to me. While I am not sure exactly where it will take me, I have accepted that and have learned that as I learn more and more from life and from school, I need to be open to modifying my plans. I learned that I want my future to have a global aspect. I learned that preventative care is crucial to how I want to treat patients and make change. I learned that I need to take every experience and obstacle for what it is.

What I learned about myself

Over the course of my time in Ghana, I wrote in my journal almost every day. I knew that ample reflection would greatly enhance my experience as a whole. Most importantly, I learned that I cannot put away my passions for anything or anyone. In my last journal entry I wrote: "I don't have to have my entire life mapped out as long as I am enjoying myself in what I am doing." I have spent so much of my academic career doing what I thought was right and aiming only for that. However, when I saw how happy I was being in a foreign place and going into a new adventure with no expectations, I realized that I need excitement in my life. At the end of the day, I am still only twenty and I still have so much ahead of me. I now know that what matters most to me is experiencing the world. I used to be afraid to ask questions and risk looking anything short of intelligent. Ghana taught me that I, believe it or not, do not know everything. Even more so, I accepted that that is okay. And the only way I will get anywhere close to knowing everything is to ask questions and to seize opportunities as they come instead of doing everything by the book. A Ghanaian said it to me better than I could ever explain it, "Westerners have knowledge, but the only way to gain wisdom is by traveling away from what you know."

Why I chose Ghana

Generally speaking, when I make up my mind about something I do everything in my power to make it happen. More frequently not, I have no idea how I reached the conclusion I have come to. It is the same thing with why I decided to go to Vanderbilt. No matter how many times people ask me why I came all the way from California to Nashville, I still do not really know the answer. When something feels right, I can just tell and go off of that gut feeling. After becoming an ENGAGE scholar and learning I had $5,000 dollars for a summer project, I had that same gut feeling. I knew I wanted to go to Africa. I talked to a few people and came across Projects Abroad's program in Ghana. The fact that it included an internship directed specifically at nursing students sold me. As quick as that, I had made up my mind that I would go to Ghana. I still had no idea what I was really getting myself into except that I was embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

My Own Little Princess

While working at the Mount Zion school, I met a three-year-old girl named Princess. Aside from being a beautiful child, there was something else about her serenity that had me captivated from the moment I saw her. Princess was not in my class, yet I developed a strong relationship with her despite the language barrier. During my second week at the school, Princess developed a case of malaria. I came to school in the morning and found her lying on a mat in one of the classrooms. When I went to ask her sister, Christiana what was wrong, I learned that she was very sick but that her mother had forced her to go to school. I immediately told Christiana that we needed to take her home. We walked the twenty minutes to their home and were greeted warmly by their mother. However, it quickly became clear that something was not right: Christiana and Princess both had sores all over their legs which their mother claimed was from bugs and I got three different stories about where their father was. After saying she would not be able to pay for or take Princess to the hospital. My program director and I took it into our own hands and took Princess to a nearby clinic. Princess had a fever of 102.4 degrees. We bought her the appropriate medications, but could only hope that her mother would give them to her properly. Additionally, when we took her back home, we learned that for the past two years of her life, Princess has been sick at least twice a month. Princess has clearly not had an easy life yet, despite her hardships, has managed to mature far beyond her three years of age. She lights up any room that she walks into and has a contagious smile. Princess was the only child who never once asked me for anything and showed genuine appreciation for everything that she does has. She deserves so much and I only hope that I can one day return to Ghana to help her. She reminded me to never take anything for granted.

Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital

For the first month of my stay, I volunteered at the maternity ward of Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital in Mampong - Akuapem, Ghana. While I have never shadowed at a maternity ward in a Western country, I can only imagine that things are done somewhat differently. The sanitation is mostly non-existent: all the nurses wear flip flops, the scrubs are hang dried outside, bleaching floors and surfaces every so often is the only method of cleaning, and hands are not washed frequently. According to an article, the hospital has not been touched since 1998 and it definitely shows. However, despite the poor conditions, the maternity ward was filled with nurses and doctors who were doing their best to make a difference in the lives of their locals. Dr. Asare is the head doctor. He is Ghanaian, but was raised in various African countries and attended medical school as well as public health school in Europe. He is one of the few Ghanaians I ever heard of who left Ghana to get a fantastic education, but came back to make a difference in his home country. During my time at TQMH, I saw first hand how important it is to listen to your patients and show them you care, no matter how bad the circumstances may be. Making an effort truly does count for something. After four weeks, it became clear that patients could tell when the doctor and nurses were truly trying and were much more willing to be compliant despite the conditions.

Living with Comfort

During the drive up into the Akuapem Hills on my first day in Ghana, I stared out the window and it started to sink in that I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. However, by the time I made it to my new home, my eyes went from barely staying open to being wide with excitement. My host mother, Comfort, greeted me with a warm smile that made me feel instantly welcome. I spent the course of my two months living with Comfort and her family, which I soon realized was going to be one of the most rewarding parts of my Ghanaian experience. At any given time there were about eight members of Comfort’s extended family living in the house with me. However, the members cycled through constantly and I do not think there were any two weeks where the exact same family members were present. At first I was overwhelmed. There were no other volunteers living there at the time of my arrival; using a bucket to shower and figuring out how to navigate the neighborhood were still a mystery to me. I was terrified that I would never figure it out, until I realized how willing my new family was to help me. They showed me the ropes on how to wash my clothes, which tro-tro (Ghana’s minibus public transportation vehicles) to take to work, and how to eat Ghanaian food (which mostly consists of form of starch and an oily stew with some protein if you are lucky – the picture to the left is fufu which is a mashed up gooey ball of plantain and cassava that they take terms pounding).  My host family taught me more than I could have ever imagined. And not just about the basics, but they also helped me to grow as a person and showed me how to enjoy life and not take things for granted.