1 week down and still alive friends! Africa has already given me an experience I never knew existed. I have seen a way of living 100x different than how we live in America. People here don't stop working. When it gets dark, they light candles by their food stand and continue selling. They're up and going so early. It's consistently 90 degrees with 90% humidity, yet they continue on. I was talking with an 18 year old boy this week at an out reach (more on these later). I asked him, "Doesn't it hurt people's necks when they carry such heavy things on their heads every day, all day?!" He simply said, "Yes it does hurt. But they carry food on their heads to get money, to have food in their stomachs". After his answer I felt stupid for asking. People here don't buy in bulk ever. (That's why we run out of toilet paper and never have it at our hotel!) They live day to day. They buy food and pay bills. It is amazing how hard they work ft so little. I am continuously amazed.
This week we started our out reaches! I'm here with a non-profit company, Unite for Sight. We travel to surrounding cities every day at about 7 am and set up our clinc. It's usually in the middle of a school or church yard. We give eye acquity tests, then they see the doctor, and then they get prescribed medications and glasses. We have 1 Doctor which makes for looongg waiting lines for him. We can get through visual acquity pretty quickly, but 90 people waiting to see the doctor is what usually keeps us there until about 5 or 6 pm. Makes for a long day! But...I've realized how amazing it is, despite the heat, to be able to help so many people. I never realized how many people truly need help.
We went to Cape Coast, Akotolanta, Ashimma and Kpone. It's amazing because we get to see so much of Ghana through our travels. Everyday I get to meet new friends! All the Ghanaians call us Obruni! Especially the children. It means "white person". In America, you'd get beat up for that but here people are so cool. They don't worry so much about what people say. I love it. When they call us Obruni, we must wave and they smile so so big! It melts my heart! We went to the eye surgery clinic on Thursday and I almost passed out. I took anatomy at BYU and never had any problems but these surgeries are so so bloody! And it's a quick process, while the patient is awake. They have local anesthesia, but it's hard for me to watch. Hopefully this week watching them will be better because it's really actually amazing.
Random thoughts/stories:
-I miss American food more than anything. Food here is...very interesting. Very fishy. I ordered white rice and chicken the other day and the lady looked at me like I was an alien! I thought I missed Momma's cooking while I was at college...
-The whole no make up and pony tails everyday? Yeah I love it!
-The group of BYU students I'm here with are some of the most awesome people ever.
-I love watching the people here smile when they put on their glasses and can see.
-Ghanaian babies are ridiculously scared of us. It all makes sense now hahaha
-It's really hard traveling somewhere different everyday because they kids in the out reach cities ask us if we'll be back tomorrow and we have to say no...really hard. Two little girls have asked to come to my house in America when I leave. One boy told me he loved my skin. My "fair skin".
-People here drive so so crazy! There's seriously like no rules. I feel like I'm going to die driving in cars here.
-We got smoothies here, expecting them to be super good. They tasted fine, but we realized how dangerous they were. Who knows where the fruit was cut, and there were ice cubes in them which is very dangerous (dirty tap water).
-I get sunburned so badly here. I'm gonna come home as dark as the Ghanaians!
Although everything is very, very different, I love being here so much. Being in Africa for even just 1 week has made me feel so much love for the people here and the service they need, that I get to give to them. I can't wait to continue serving the people here!
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