Kim Reaves’ Blog

Day 14-15 Fun Adventures

Hi once again,

I hope all is well back home. It is Friday afternoon here at the mission. I thought I would take a moment to update you on the events of the last few days…

Wednesday afternoon: Ashley and I took a cab to Coco beach to the Ramada Beach Resort where we chilled by the pool for a few hours.  We then decided to walk down the beach toward the fishing boats.  We had plenty of company as people on the beach swarmed us to ask where we were from and why we were in Ghana.  We walked to the boats and were able to get a few great pictures.  Teshie is a traditional fishing village and they use boats that look like canoes to fish.  There were more than a hundred boats distributed between the banks and on the water.  As we walked back, one of the guys pointed out something about the driving in Ghana. I hadn’t thought of a good way to describe it until he told me “People drive like they walk in a crowd”. So imagine a huge group of people walking and the ones that want to walk faster go around whenever there is a clearing and roads to not really apply.  He pointed out that “if you can drive in Ghana you can drive anywhere.” I think this is a very true statement.  Back at the hotel we had dinner before heading back to the mission.  I had a chef salad and a chicken sandwich with fries.  It was all very good. We took a taxi back to the mission just as it started to get dark. 

When we arrived back at the house I wanted to take a quick shower before bed and then quickly realized the water was no longer working.  We used the pump to pump water to the tank on top of the house. I waited a few minutes and then had a cold shower…which was better than nothing. I read for a few hours and then darted off to sleep.

Thursday: Dr. Akosua has the day off on Thursday and since we are working with her we took the day off. This means we will be working on Saturday.  We called David for a ride around 9:30 and we were told to go talk to the secretary at the hospital about the car. We walked up to the hospital and the secretary (Tina) told us that the car is for “emergencies and for taking people to the airport”. This was fine with us because it was much easier and more reliable to grab a taxi.  We walked to the front steps of the hospital and negotiated a taxi to take us to downtown Accra to the National Museum…it was 8 cedis.

The cab driver had a bit of trouble finding the museum but after asking directions a couple times was finally able to locate it.  It was 3 cedis for students to go in the museum and both Ashley and I had our insurance cards with us that said “Student”.  Inside the museum was very interesting. It was a small museum by American Standards.  There was lots of information on the slave trade and various cultural aspects of Ghana.  We learned a little about the “Akuaba” dolls which are the dolls you often see with flat heads.  Woman who want to get pregnant wear them on their back.  I can not tell the story of how it originated very well so I will have to update this part later.  I also learned in the museum that 10% of the slaves from Ghana went to the United States and that the trenches that were dug by the ships during the time of the slave trade still are apparent on the ocean floor…I thought this was interesting.  We looked around the gift shop without buying anything and then headed outside.

After the museum, we went to a restuarant right outside.  We both had chicken with rice and vegatables. We split a huge bottle of water which was great because we were both very thirsty secondary to the heat.  We then walked down the road to find an ATM which is when the day started to become more challenging. We passed the Accra Psychiatric hospital and YMCA which we both found interesting.  We came across an ATM at the shell station where Ashley was able to use it successfully. I was not this lucky.  When I put my card in it was “detained”. I called home so my Mom and Dad could call and find out why it wasn’t working.  We then called the bank in Accra and they said that someone would come get it out but it would not be until after 3:00pm so we jumped a taxi for the Accra Mall and planned to go to the bank later that day to recover my card.  Ashley also had an interesting turn of events happen to her at the ATM…she discovered that her SIM card that goes in her phone was gone.  She had to call so it could be shut off so that no one would put it in their phone and use it.  In the cab I was slightly grossed out when I saw a man with rats on a string walking by the road.  The cab driver said they were to demonstrate that his rodent killer worked.  I didn’t think it was neccessary…also I really don’t like rats. The cab driver took us to what appeared to be a market downtown.  This was not where we were trying to go.  After calling his friend and asking directions he finally figure out where we were referring to and then we were off (but charged a little bit more for the ride).

The mall was wonderful.  It was like being back home.  It was clean and there was a food court and a movie theater (cinema). I was very excited when we found the bookstore.  I purchased a few books. I was hoping to find the next book in the Twilight series (Eclipse) but they said it would be two weeks before they would get it in.  I guess I will have to wait to read more about Bella and Edward.  We ate in the food court and we both had chicken pitas and fries with Coke light.  We were happy to find “Frankie’s” which is a local icecream shop.  The icecream was great after my spicy pita (everything is spicy here).  My dad called me back to let me know there was an error at the bank and my card was reported stolen.  I called the bank in Accra back so they could just destroy the card.  It was inactivated anyway. We then decided to see a movie at the Cinema.  We saw Australia which was great.  Being in the movie theater made me feel like I wasn’t so far away from home.  It is a brand new theater and it seems like many people in Ghana don’t even know it is there.  I think we might go back for another movie on Saturday after work.  We were hoping to use the internet cafe at the mall but the computers were down.  We also wanted to grab some groceries at the store at the mall but the movie finished at 8:50 and the store closed at 9.  We walked out the front of the mall to where the taxi stand was located and we started the bargining again.  The man wanted 12 cedis to take us back to Teshie. I said “No” and we settled closer to 10 after some negotiating. It seemed like a lot to pay but it was late and we were both ready to be back at the mission house.  He took us a different way than we were used to going so we both were a little on edge. I spotted a sign that said Teshie and a church in the distance that was familiar so I was more relaxed.  We finally made it back to the mission house and were happy to be safely back.  I read a few more chapters in my book and then fell fast asleep.

Friday: This morning we were both off to a sluggish start.  I think we were both tired from the events of the day before. We saw patients with Dr. Akosua this morning.  It was very hot in the exam room and I couldn’t help but think about how hungry I was. Our lunches at the hospital typically consist of snacks we brought from home.  Ashley and I plan to rest today and catch up on some reading and sleep.  I think that pasta we keep meaning to cook might get put to good use.  Tomorrow we will be working again and are planning to go back to the mall for a movie and food.  Everything seems to be coming together nicely.  We are both more comfortable with the surroundings and feel more confident.  Sunday we are planning to attend church then head to La Palm resort to work on our tans.  More students will be joining us at the mission house on Tueday.  We are planning to go with Dr. Akosua to Kurle-bu teaching hospital on Tuesday to see where she trained.  She is very excited to show us “the nice” hospital.  I think we will also be making a stop at the cultural center on the way back.  It should be a good day.

Hope all is well back home. I am not sure if I will have a chance to blog tomorrow but we shall see.  Have a great evening everyone.

Thanks!

Kim