Bojo Beach Resort

Today was the most relaxing day yet. The other volunteers and I ventured to a nice beach resort outside the city. We soaked up the sun, went swimming, and played beach volleyball. The beach wasn't crowded, and it was a great place to unwind.

I'll check in next week with some more stories.

Peace,

Adam

Nima

Welcome again,

The outreach team visited a village within the greater Accra area today. Although Nima was within the city limits, it took upwards of three hours to drive there. Road construction is rampant in the city, and traffic just crawls along.

Not many people spoke English in the village, so it made for an interesting afternoon. My task was to take visual acuity. I had to rely on bilingual community members to translate the instructions to the patients.

Nima was not a particularly developed community. The people were warm but the conditions were uncomfortable.

Pictured below is the dispensing table:

The other volunteers and I are venturing into the city tonight. We are meeting up with some Canadians we met the other night. Should be a good time!

I'll write again soon,

Adam

Another Day in the OR

Hi everyone,

One particular thing I appreciate about Ghana is the concept of elastic time. Coming from someone who's chronically late for most things, it's nice to know that Ghanaians don't put a high emphasis on promptness. The driver said he'd be here for 9:30am, but he didn't arrive until 11:00am. Then we drove to the eye clinic and waited around for another hour.

We observed fifteen surgeries at a different eye clinic to last week, however the environment was less pleasant. Instead of the upbeat African music accompanying the doctor while he worked, the only thing we heard today was the shrill hum of the electric tweezers. The surgeries went at a slower pace, but I had more involvement this week. My task was to drop anesthesia into the patients' eyes, and patch them up after surgery.

I apologize for not taking pictures today, but I'll be sure to take more soon.

Have a good night!

Adam

Rainy Day

Hi everybody,

I left the hotel at 8:00am and returned at 4:00pm only to see 17 patients. We drove to the Central Region, and although there weren't many people there, they certainly were grateful. One man couldn't get me out of the van fast enough to thank us for our services. He was practically dancing when he explained that he had eye surgery last month, which restored his ability to walk and enjoy life again.

It's difficult for people in the villages far from the city to obtain medical care, so it's important Unite For Sight travels around to see them; even if there's only 17 people in attendance.

The rain made it significantly less dusty today, and my head cold is starting to go away.

Pictured below is my hotel in all its glory:

I think we're gonna cab it to the city again for supper tonight. I'm finally getting used to this place!

Stay classy,

AD

Tuesday's Gone

Hi everyone,

I took the day off yesterday because I wasn't feeling well. I guess the smog and dusty air finally got to me! I went on outreach today, and I was feeling a bit better. We saw 100 patients, and I shadowed the optometrist.

I escaped the developing world and went to see a movie tonight. It was a good break.

Just thought I'd write a quick note to update the blog.

Adam

Time Off

Good day,

I'm not sure if any of you ever got frightened by the meal you were eating, but it happened to me last night. I ordered some local cuisine, and the waiter became upset with me when I began eating with my knife and fork. He encouraged me to dig in with my hands, like a true African. So there I was, foraging through my stew, when all of a sudden I discovered something odd at the bottom of the bowl. I pulled it up to the top, and jumped back in my seat when I saw it was a crab. The other volunteers laughed at me, and we kept on eating.

I witnessed a world of difference this week, so it was good to kick back and relax this weekend. Seeing the living conditions in the villages took a lot out of me, and I experienced a small culture shock. I didn't think volunteering in Africa would be this challenging, nor this rewarding. What you lose in comfort and familiarity, you gain in perspective and experience.

Pictured below are me and the other volunteers: Kevin, Lian, myself, and Jacie. We were a pretty solid team this past week, but Jacie left yesterday.

I hope you all had a good weekend. I'll be sure to give more updates in the coming days.

Peace,

Adam

It's Friday

Hi everybody,

When I said the villages were "run down and depressing" yesterday, I may have been over-exaggerating. My reaction to the refugee camp on Tuesday wasn't the greatest. The village we visited today was quite nice. It took two hours to drive there from the hotel, and it was the bumpiest road I drove on in my life!!

We screened 140 people today, and were served rice before we left.

Tonight, the other volunteers and I are taking it easy. This week was quite busy, and it's time to relax!

If you have me on facebook, I'm going to try and upload photos tomorrow.

Peace,

Adam