This week has flown by, and I can’t believe it’s already my second weekend here. Life has settled into a routine: research center work during the day, auntie Esther’s house for dinner, and then some evening relaxation time at home. However, each day has been unique and exciting on its own! On Monday, we went to the University of Ghana School of Public Health for the opening ceremony of the Institute of Infectious Diseases of Poverty Foundation Course. Our preceptor, Dr. Gyapong, was speaking there, discussing the need for more awareness and funding of the health research work being done here in Ghana so that improvements can continue to be made. After some refreshments with an African drumming group providing entertainment, we drove back to the research center for the afternoon to start working on some data entry. G.O. came in to help us start to design a simple data entry form, but we discovered that the program to do so, EpiData, would not run on mine or Erin’s computers, because we have Macs instead of PC’s. Though we had a brief moment of panic that we wouldn’t be able to get any research done during our time here because of our computer situation, Sheila and G.O. assured us that it would not be a problem. That led us to Tuesday, which was spent entering forms on EpiData. On Wednesday we went out into the field with Gloria, who is one of the commRDT supervisors here. The research they are working on involves malaria and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Basically, if people come into a chemical shop or pharmacy with symptoms of malaria, they want to be able to test to make sure they actually have the disease before giving anti-malarial medication to that person, in order to prevent unnecessary drug resistance to anti-malarials from developing. If this system of RDTs is shown to be effective and feasible, it could potentially become policy to require a positive test for malaria before one is able to buy medicine for it, because now anyone could just come in and buy anti-malarials when they feel sick, even if they don’t actually have malaria. We visited about 15-20 chemical sellers around the Dangme West district, and saw and heard about the various situations of the shops. Some sellers reported that people were very receptive to the study, even though it meant having to wait 20 minutes for the test to process; others cited an isolated location as a reason for lack of participation. There were some sellers that hadn’t participated in the training for the study, so it meant that either untrained sellers were administering tests or people had to be turned away if a trained seller wasn’t available. The reason we were out with Gloria was so that she could identify and try to correct these problems, because she doesn’t go to the shops every day, a field worker does. It was really cool to see the entire process at work, especially to be able to conceptualize one of the many research areas we’ve been hearing about. Once we were done in the field, we had some extra time in the afternoon since we didn’t need to go back to the research center. So we decided to head towards Auntie Esther’s early, because we had seen a lady with fabric down past the hospital. On the way there we actually ran into Elvis, Ema, and Lovelyn, who happily came along with us to pick out some fabric for skirts, since we are all running low on suitable clothes already. After a lot of thought (there were so many to choose from!) and with a little help from Ema, I chose a yellow and dark purple batik fabric. Then we just stayed over by Auntie Esther’s until dinner, and were all excited to help Charity cook! We had “helped” pound fufu the night before, but it was very clear that our skills were not up to par! That night, we helped to slice and fry the yams, which is definitely one of my favorite foods so far. It’s probably just because when fried they remind me of French fries! We had the fried yams with egg stew, which is a frequent side dish to the rice or yams we eat. It’s gradually been becoming spicier as time goes on, so we can tell that they are helping us ease into the spiciness of food here! After dinner, we taught Ema the macarena, the YMCA, head-shoulders-knees-and-toes, and red rover. He taught us one of his games, which involves jumping in and out of the “pool” and holding poses without moving until someone moves and then they’re out. Elvis especially loved red rover, and just ran over any time he pleased, after a very serious “vroom, vroom” like he was riding a motorcycle getting ready to go. Every day he does about a million adorable things! Thursday found us back at the research center to talk to different people about the projects going on here so that we can get more ideas for our first papers for school. We are to write about part of the Ghana health system, but can and should use information and resources from our work experiences to help supplement our work. We had a very enjoyable time talking to Jerry, a research assistant, about some of the malaria studies, and ended up spending the whole morning discussing a variety of topics, from the important of education for women to the US election to our future educational plans to travel destinations here in Ghana, and about 50 other topics in between! He seems like he will be a good friend to have whenever I have questions about anything, research-related or otherwise! Over our lunch break we headed into town to drop off the cloth we had bought the previous day to be made into skirts. I can’t wait until next Wednesday when they will be ready! We also found another fabric shop while we were in town, so we all bought a second round of different cloth, this time for dresses. Our afternoon was spent talking to more commRDT people, and then we headed to the Dodowa market to see if they had anything good. The market ended up being just larger quantities of the food we see sold right on the main street, but we did pick up some oranges and a coconut! Once we took our food home it was time for dinner and dancing, as Lovelyn had been promising to show us how to dance all week. The cameras were already out, per Elvis’s request, so of course most of this was captured on video. I think all of us were severely lacking rhythm, especially compared to Lovelyn, so I’m sure these videos are none too flattering. (Internet at the research center has not been working, and since our internet modems that we use at home are not very fast, it is pretty much impossible for me to upload photos/videos right now, but hopefully that will happen soon! I come home with about 50+ pictures every time our cameras come out at dinner, so there are many pictures to supplement these stories!) This weekend we are planning on going to Kokrobite Beach, which is not too far from Accra. It sounds like there are some cool places to go there-they have a drumming school and a really popular resort called Big Milly’s that sounds like a lot of fun. We found a place to stay called Barbara’s Village, so we’ll leave tomorrow morning and come back Sunday afternoon, with a stop at the mall on the way back to get groceries. We’ve had a lot of down time at work today, so we’ve been figuring out many more weekend trips, as well as our where to go for our week-long break in October. We’re excited to have so many awesome (and affordable) options since we are near the coast. Things like canopy walks, Cape Coast castle, and canoe excursions have been popping up in our searches, so we are eager to try it all!

Pictures!

My apologies for the lack of pictures so far-while I am surprised at how often I am able to access the internet here, either through the wireless at work or through a modem at home, it still goes very slow when trying to upload things like photos.  So, here is a jumble of pictures from my first four days here, including lots of animals, lots of kids, the wonderful guest house, and a VERY cozy cab ride.

 Ema enjoying a lunch of yams with us

 ELVIS

 Lovelyn and the girls

 spending quality time with calvin in Accra

 our living room at the guest house!

 hallway from the living room-my bedroom is down at the end on the left

 kitchen

 my room! 

 guest house from outside

 there are baby goats EVERYWHERE outside our house

 Welcome!

 our own little forest, including plantain and avocado trees!

Church Fashion

Yesterday, we went with Solomon, who works at the research center, to his church service-there are many Christian denominations here, and this one was called the International Family Church.  I wish I had some pictures to show for it, but of course I assumed it would be quite disrespectful to pull out my camera in the middle of the service.  We drove up to a big circus tent set up just off the same red dirt road that the research center is located on, and Solomon set us up with a young man named Emmanuel to be our translator because Solomon had a leading role in the bible study, which was the first aspect of the worship service.  Since it was conducted in the regional dialect, it was helpful to have Emmanuel lean over frequently and explain what was just said.  We looked at about three different Bible verses, all relating to building strong foundations as Christians, and even tried our hand at answering some of the questions posed to the group by Solomon, even though I think that when Emmanuel repeated our answers in the regional dialect he made them sound a lot better than they actually were!  We were not expecting to be asked to participate in that part, but we were happy to feel included!  After bible study, the main service began, and it there is no other word to describe it but FUN.  Everyone sang the songs loudly and with passion, and each one had a different clapping pattern to go along with it.  Eventually people started to dance around in the aisles and in the front, some dancing solo and some forming circles and groups.  I wish I had known the songs, because they were all very catchy and I would have loved to sing along.  It was interesting to hear the sermon as well, since each line said in English by the main speaker was repeated in the regional dialect by a translator standing to the side.  Between the songs and prayers and sermons and announcements, this part of the service took us all the way up until about 11:30, and we had started bible study at 8:30-much longer than any mass I have been to at home!  However, I barely noticed the long amount of time passing, as everything that was happening in the service was so fascinating and different from home.  They even had a point at the end of the service when they asked anyone worshiping with them for the first time, so of course we stood up and got a round of applause and many kind smiles and a few welcoming handshakes.  I can’t stress enough how kind everyone here has been to us; it has made me feel so welcome and comfortable.  I especially love when I suddenly catch young kids peering at us on the street or in the mall or at church, because they stare in such a curious and apprehensive way, but will eagerly wave and smile as soon as you offer them the same.  It always brightens my day to see the kids eagerly jump up and down with excitement as soon as we wave or smile at them.  Even stopping at the roadside stands to buy water or food reminds me that a smile is a universal language, and kind words exchanged are always appreciated. 

Last night, we watched a show on TV called “Ghana’s Most Beautiful”, which is like Ghana’s version of America’s Next Top Model, with a few key exceptions.  For one thing, these women look like real women you could see walking down the street, not the stick-thin girls on ANTM.  The tone of this show also seems much more positive, focusing on the women and the things they believe in, not the drama and conflict between them.  I could definitely get used to this show, and will root for the woman on it who is from Dodowa!

One last thing: going to church also gave us the perfect opportunity to scope out all of the different styles and patterns of women’s clothes, since we are starting to think about what types of clothes we want to have made here.  I can’t wait to have some new outfits!    

Tears and Tro-Tros

After a bit of a lazy morning today (we just stayed at home for breakfast and hung out in the living room), we headed to our host family’s house for lunch.  Yesterday we had been joking with Lovelyn and Charity about how we couldn’t finish the huge pot of rice they cooked for dinner the night before.  We returned for lunch today with the promise to try harder to finish, but it’s difficult when we are only three girls and none of us are especially voracious eaters!  Today, a lunch of yams and spicy vegetables on the side was waiting for us, and we vowed to make more of a dent in the still massive amount of food than the previous meal.  Safe to say that we definitely ate more but still didn’t finish.  Elvis and Ema were eating with us, and I teased them because they hadn’t finish everything on their plates either.  Which brings me to the first part of this post’s title: the tears.  Elvis and Ema were both happily playing and eating with us, so I told them that I had my camera and suggested we take some pictures.  That went over very well, to say the least.  Soon we had five kids running around with all three of our cameras, snapping picture after picture.  Elvis was especially entranced by seeing someone through the camera lens on the screen and taking a picture.   Trouble came when Elvis was reminded that he should put away the cameras and finish his lunch, which made him a little bit unhappy.  He alternated between pouts and giggles for the rest of the time we were there, but when we actually left (as in, the CAMERAS left), he lost it and started to sob.  I’d like to think he was sad we were leaving, but I think that the cameras are much more interesting than we are at this point.  We made many promises to bring them back on Monday for dinner, and I have a feeling I will come home not with many pictures of Elvis, but with many lopsided pictures of me taken by Elvis! 

After lunch, we had made plans with Oti to learn how to take the tro-tros into Accra.  A tro-tro is basically a large van into which many many seats have been crammed.  At Georgetown we ride in 12-person vans to tutor with DC Reads, and I used to think those were crowded when full-not anymore!  The first tro-tro that we got on in Dodowa had four rows of four small seats in the back, with three people riding up front.  A “mate” sits by the door to tell people where it is going and to take money for riding.  None of our rides today cost more than 50 cents in US terms, so it’s clear why they are such a popular form of transportation.  We first rode to a town called Madina, then switched to a new tro-tro, this time with five rows of four seats, and had a short ride to Accra from there.  Once you get used to being crammed into a vehicle that back home would probably hold half as many people, the tro-tros aren’t too bad.  They usually can’t go very fast because of 1) numerous speed bumps around Dodowa, 2) traffic in Accra, and 3) their frequent stops to drop off and pick up people.  We got off the tro-tro in Accra right by the mall, where we had made plans to meet up with Calvin and two of the girls going to a site in Navrongo, which is in northern Ghana.  Natasha and Libby had both flown in earlier that afternoon, and we were excited to see them before they headed north to start their semester.  A trip to the mall was also welcome so that we could pick up some supplies we had realized we needed and to just get a dose of home.  Well, mission accomplished.  On one hand, I could have been at a mall back in Pittsburgh-bright stores, a food court, movie theater, and many people enjoying a carefree day shopping.  On the other hand, it still looked so different, because most of the stores (besides the Apple store!) were completely unfamiliar, we obviously still stuck out as abnormal in the crowd, and a completely different variety of goods being sold.  We did happen to pass by a gift shop where we got postcards, something we were all eager to send home.  Other than that, we went to Game, which was basically like a Target or Walmart-like store.  There is also more of a grocery store there called Shop-Rite, which we didn’t go into but should probably be useful in the future.  Then, since we had some time to kill before meeting Oti to go back home, we all piled into a cab and drove to the Best Western where Calvin and the Navrongo girls are spending the weekend before flying north on Monday.  Don’t let the name fool you, because this was nicer than any Best Western I’ve seen in the states.  Natasha and Libby also graciously offered to let us shower in their rooms, since we have been out of running water at the house since yesterday afternoon.  A cool shower felt so good, and suddenly being in such a nice clean white bathroom (with a mirror-something we do not have at our house, save for a small compact mirror I use to put my contacts in) made me realize how dirty I was just from a day of walking around Dodowa.  I’ve given up hope of keeping my feet clean of the red dust that always seems to be on them, but the massive supply of assorted face/body/hand wipes that came along in my suitcase (thanks Mom!) have been doing their job.  Anyway, once we said good-bye to Libby and Natasha at their hotel, we headed back to mall to meet Oti for dinner.  I was very excited to get a personal pepperoni pizza that, apart from the slightly thicker and differently tasting pepperoni, could have come from La Cappella (my favorite place for pizza at home).  That, with a Coke to drink, made for a nice little taste of home.  And even though we had to take three different tro-tro rides home in the dark (an endeavor that I will not be repeating without Oti with us), I’m going to bed tonight quite content.  Now if only our running water would come back on, I’d be one happy girl in Africa J        

Update: I wrote this post yesterday before we lost power at work-we just got power back this morning, so here it is!

Hello to everyone from Ghana!  It has been a crazy 48 hours for me that started when I left home in Pittsburgh to drive to New York with my parents.  Then it was good-bye to them and hello to Hannah and Erin as we all boarded our flight to Accra, Ghana.  The flight was about 11 hours long, and when we landed, it was about 12 noon local time (8 AM back home).  By the time we made it through immigration, baggage claim, and customs, I think we were all relieved to see a familiar face.  Calvin, our internship coordinator at Georgetown, had come with Emmanuel, a driver from the research center, to pick us up.  We loaded into his truck and made a few stops in Accra to exchange money, buy prepaid phones, and buy internet modems, before heading out the main road to Dodowa, where we will be living until December.  As we drove from Accra to Dodowa, I almost couldn't believe that this was really happening, because I had looked forward to this moment for almost four years.  In fact, this might be a good time to explain exactly why I am here.  For those of you who don't know, I am an international health major at Georgetown.  A major part of our curriculum, the focal point of it really, it a semester of practical experience abroad, when everyone in the major goes to a developing country and lives and works on a research project for the semester.  Basically, this major and its accompanying experience abroad were the main reason that I chose to attend Georgetown.  I'll be working at the Dodowa Health Research Center, but we haven't definitely figured out what research we'll be doing yet.  I'll keep you posted :)

Anyway, we arrived in Dodowa yesterday, and our first stop was the research center to meet Margaret Gyapong, our preceptor.  We also met some other staff members who all greeted us warmly (everyone says "you are welcome" when they meet you, which made me feel very...welcome!)  We then headed over to the research center guest house where we will be living.  We all have our own bedroom, and share a kitchen, bathroom, and living room.  We will have two other roommates living with us as well and we met one of them, Oti, yesterday.  He is a graduate student here collecting data for research, and so far he has been a huge help, showing us around town, helping us figure out what to eat, etc.  It's good to have someone around willing to answer our silly American questions!  Auntie Esther then came over to tell us that she was preparing dinner so we should come over.  Auntie Esther is part of our host family-she works as a midwife at the hospital, which is right by her house.  Her sister Charity was also there last night, as well as some of the kids- Lovelyn and Elvis.  Elvis is three years old and I already love him.  He kept hiding from us last night, but would peek around the corner to see us and if we looked over at him he would jump back and dissolve into laughter.  We ate rice and chicken and vegetables, and it was really good.  She hasn't been making our food too spicy yet, because Ghanaian food is usually much spicier than anything we're used to back home.  

This morning we came to the research center around nine, and Sheila took us around to meet everyone else who works here-I am trying my best to remember names and faces, but meeting so many people so quickly is a challenge!  People seem to be having the most trouble remembering and saying my name, compared to Hannah and Erin, which I think is really interesting-I guess Allyson sounds exotic here?  After we met everyone, a man named Christian took us on a tour of Dodowa.  He was really nice and showed us around everywhere, explaining history and what different buildings were.  For example, we went to the Dodowa Proverbial and Historical Forest, which is called that because a war between European colonizers and the Ashanti tribe here was fought throughout all of Ghana ended right in that spot in the forest.  We saw a lot more of the town besides just the main road that our house is on, and my favorite of the many little stands and shops was the “Why Not Jesus? Hair Salon”.  Many of them are named with references to faith or religion, but that one stuck in my mind.  After about an hour driving around for the tour we returned to the research center to read about some of the past research projects done here, as well as ongoing programs.  We just have a delicious lunch of fried sweet potatoes (not sweet potatoes like we know them in America-literally white potatoes that taste sweet) dipped in a spicy salsa-like sauce.  VERY spicy.  That’s about it for now!  Our weekend plans include a trip to the mall in Accra where we can hopefully meet up with Calvin and the girls going to Navrongo before they fly out Monday to go north, as well as going to church on Sunday with Solomon, who works at the research center.  He said that the service is usually three hours long-I’m excited to see what it’s like!