Teaching Hospital Tour

7/4/17

Another seemingly simple day still felt full. We all woke up just before 7:00 am to start the day with a little African cardio dance. Many of the students were disappointed it wasn’t a more traditional dance class— it was a fairly basic but fun cardio class set to pumped up Afro-pop with a positive up beat instructor. We shimmied our way around the grassy common area and for about 20 minutes got our hearts beating and then got mini-massages before breakfast. 

There are so many of us that the breakfast cooks are having trouble keeping up with our desire for eggs! They are quiet tasty and the passionfruit juice was a nice zesty way to start the day. However, many students were left wanting more— luckily for them lunch was another overloaded meal. I ended up having jalof again because I couldn’t quiet here what the waitress said when she listed the menu. Throughout the meal we had a few little companions watching— flies and a little boy with a bright smile who loved posing just outside the fence that surrounded the patio where we were sitting. I kept dinner simple with some sort of spicy fish soup— the broth was a thick red stock with giant chunks of white fish— after pulling out the bones it was fresh, tender and sweet providing a nice counter to the spicy base.

We had two lectures in the morning on Health Care Systems and Health Sector Objectives that gave the students an overview of health care in Ghana. It sounds like they’ve done a good job of integrating traditional homeopathic medicine with western medicine— this has led to a strong community centered healthcare. Ghana has national health insurance and—46% of the ovulation is enrolled in the national plan and as a result  97% of the population has access to primary care. However, there are various reports and it was hard to verify the actual numbers. Regardless, Ghana is a leader in healthcare in Africa.  

In the afternoon we had a nice walking tour of the teaching hospital— it was great to get out of the bus and move around. I’m feeling a bit antsy with all the driving around the city. When we returned to the guest houses we had our small group meetings— it was fun to sit down and chat— to hear about the students purpose for coming on the trip and hear about what they are excited about. Everyone has enjoyed getting to know the locals and hope to spend more time getting to know some of the small children. 

I also spent a fair amount of time getting ready for my presentation on Occupational, Physical and Environmental Wellbeing. Fingers crossed it’ll go smoothly tomorrow. (Signing off for the evening but I will try to upload photos from today tomorrow).

Danny

A Day of Introductions

7/3/2017

Today was a day of introductions— an orientation to the local university from our hosts, and a more formal introduction to the food, history (always one of my personal highlights) and the market. It was the first time in my life I remember being referred to as an international student. Most of the day is blurred by dragging eye lids and smiling faces. Luckily, there were several key moments marked by food; Breakfast with sweet mango juice and tangy jam on round white rolls, fresh iced espresso and frozen yogurt for lunch and jalof and friend fish for dinner. I will need to monitor my intake of fried foods— two days in a row of fried fish is more than I usually have in a month! The jalof is a rice dish cooked in tomato and chile sauce— it has a round earthy flavor marked by a salty sharp spice. 

The air has been moist and warm— we feel consistently sticky but thus far not hot. 

Our first foray into the marketplace was full of smiles, handshakes and swarming vendors hawking their wears. We were told they love to haggle— and it is clear they strive to swindle and sell with a smile. They are all surrounded with genuinely pretty items. Their are bargains to be had. Some stalls were brimming with hand carvings, drums and paintings while others were filled by bright bursts of colorful cloth. Many of the students found items— paintings, small drums and skirts that they happily purchased— Moses showed me hand carved bowls and taught me to drum. I was happy to sit and learn— and walked away rich in spirit without buying a thing! 

Seeking a moment of freedom from the shouting vendors I meandered out of the back of the market and onto a short street marked by tires sunk into the sand, a little girl in a red and white dress hopped from tire to tire in her own world as motorcycles putt putted by and seagulls cried. 

I continued along the path a short ways and stumbled upon a hazy blue skyline— the sea frothing and white edged by the red earth as it runs into the gray-white sand. A man walks along the cliff that overlooks the beach, neatly stacked on his head are nearly two dozen hats.

Despite an itinerary seemingly somewhat empty— it felt packed and we are all drifting in and out of sleep on the short bus ride home. There will be many more days of exploration, shopping, tomorrow will be filled with lectures— and food. Until then, I will sleep.

(I tried to post this yesterday but our internet was unable to upload any of the photos-- I will update as often as I can.)

Ghana Bound

Boston, viewed from Thompson Island on July 14, 2016.

On the road again! This evening, Saturday July 1st, at approximately 6:20 pm I will depart this city on a hill and start the next, short, adventure. We are heading to Ghana. I am helping lead a short term study abroad trip. The undergraduates will explore various health services in Ghana and will gain knowledge of health policy, prevention, care and remedial health education. We will visit various schools, medical facilities and work on several service learning projects. I will also be taking a couple of graduate level courses, while getting to know another corner of the world.

Wifi will be sparing so I will not update regularly. However, I will have a least a photo per day and a few short lines to keep you up to speed the our day to day.

An elevator full of bags with supplies and donations for our adventures!

See you in Ghana!

The final days

As sit here, listening to the gentle drops of summer rain on the cool crisp green leaves on the Maine trees, waiting for the words to write what may be my last essay of this particular journey, the old clichés bounce about my brain—it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. It’s an odd thought after having so many different destinations over the past six months. Of course it’s not the destination, yet on this adventure the various destinations have been the strands of string that bound the journey together.

Memories are a funny thing, fresh and sharp, colorful when new. Yet as they fade into the silent stillness of black and white drifting further away from the present, they gain a golden hue rimmed with whatever emotion accompanied the images that float through our minds. So many wonderful faces, light in their eyes, laughter dancing in their cheeks.

I’ve failed you in some regards my dear friends. It has been to long since I’ve written down the rich experiences of the past two months. So full of events and experiences I’ve lost the words to capture them. Of course, here I am attempting to relive them and share them with you. For, I’d have never made it there and back without the love left behind and held dearly along the way.

Mexico was full of children’s laughter, peals of golden bells and silver smiles. The warmth and love of the people for life, worn carefree on their faces and in their food. Learning how to say, I’m full, nearly impossible.

Mexico was a blur. Arrival was a mixture of excitement, anticipate and fatigue—we arrived at 2 am after nearly 30 hours of travel to sleep on a gym floor. Sleep swiftly followed our travel weary limbs embraced by the stiff floorboards and blankets provided by host families.

Our first morning was crisp, a cloudy cool—so unusual for Northern Mexico—strange and foreign to us still, the idea of heat and a desert wind that we would soon discover could be stifling and liberating. We spent the morning getting acquainted with our Mexican tour manager, Armando, a small, energetic and colorful fellow with reticular white-rimmed glasses, impeccable yet exotically dressed and jet-black hair. He informed us of the various security measures we’d be following in a few of the cities where the “drug conflict” was in full swing.

We’ve been pulled over several times over the course of our tour here—men with weary worn eyes and faded black polished rifles—checking our bags for weapons and bombs—although they quickly pass us along after a brief glance. Later that morning we’re introduced to the Mexican love of music and their beautiful giggling children so enthusiastic and energetic in their acceptance of our love.

We also learned that the Mexico as seen in the media or as portrayed in Cancoon “SPRING BREAK!” is far removed from the beauty and love that continually surrounded us.

Our weeks were full, painting murals of hope and peace, refurbishing playgrounds, and teaching workshops about identity and peace in classrooms. Our travel days were filled with hot busses, random stops on the highway, broken wheels, walks to corner stores along dusty broken sidewalks with cat calls for the blond Belgian and Dutch girls I’m walking with and so many other random wonderful adventures-- primarily shared sitting next to friends exchanging stories and ideas, watching movies and dreaming.

The landscape is massive, the skies drifting for ages while wire like trees reach for the sun, strangled by their blacken leaves… orange dust and gray rock dominate the skyline broken by jagged boxed mountain tops… keep in mind of course, this is northern México vastly different from the tropical south.

We set up in massive arenas and tiny theatres, performed on islands and in dreary heat… Sheets of sweat, the droplets doubling up on one another dribbling down our foreheads, stinging eyes, drenching shirts—115 degree heat, dancing on steaming tiles, new calluses on toes and heat blisters on heels... We zip lined over gorges and walked over suspension bridges…

That, in a vague sense, was Mexico.

As I’ve said, perhaps one or two too many times… there are no words, to describe the last days I shared with my cast. These people, once strangers, now brothers and sisters—some of whom I may never see again, have been engrained in my life for the past six months. And time in Up with People is a funny thing—a day is a week, a week a month and a month a year—this shared experience binds you together unlike anything I’ve ever known.

While I miss them all dearly. Its good to remember, those who have been in our lives are interwoven in every action, every project and event we engage in. We can never be alone or separated from those we love.

 

A video, in spanish, that shows a few things we did in our first week in mexico...

http://youtu.be/auRU9PdqtBk

A Week in Mexico...

Weinfelden!

Photo's from Prague annnd some more from Weinfelden coming soon as well!!