Electric Lib

I Went To Ghana and All I Got Was Strep Throat

It's like the t-shirts, "I Went to Florida and All I Got Was This Stupid T-Shirt." And yes, I know it's a little early to start making claims about all the diseases I didn't get (knock on wood.... again... now pray that I haven't jinxed myself.... pray harder). Anyways, that probably really offensive line just popped into my head and it made me laugh, so I had to share it. It's true though, there are a lot of diseases in Ghana that my body isn't used to. Malaria, anyone?

But in other news, I really do have Strep Throat, and a heinous cough to go with it. This was the diagnosis I received yesterday after two weeks of my body crumbling to pieces with no explanation (pains in lower back, heachaches, neckaches, heartaches--haha, oh I'm only joking, I don't miss you that much--fatigue (yep, double quotations... falling asleep on tro-tro's? in taxi's? whenever an adult started speaking to me in a classroom setting.. I swear, that's a symptom. Anyways, yes all of the above), loss of appetite, sore throat, etc., etc.). (Clearly I hate starting new sentences and I can only speak in long, tangent-filled phrases). So I finally decided to test out the Ghanaian health services, and I have nothing too exciting to report. I went to a nice and pricey place and it was pretty standard. I walked in, filled out a little form, sat and waited. Then they called my name and I went to a different waiting room, with more people in it. Then they called people in to talk to the doctor. The wait was nothing horrendous, but apparently it was just tteerrrrriiibbbllleeee for this one white guy, because he walked in, asked everyone if they were waiting to see the doctor (duh) and then asked the nurse also. She told him there were all these people before him and wouldn't let him skip the line. I couldn't believe it, there was an 11 year old girl who clearly had a bad case of malaria lying on the couch with her dad fanning her, and a woman nearly passed out because she was so exhausted from something and this guy thinks he should get to skip ahead of everyone. Oh those crazy foreigners. So finally I went in to see the doctor (who was a Ghanaian man) and he asked me to sit down and then just stared at me blank faced. So I just started telling him my symptoms and he did a few things, listened to my breathing, wrote some things down and sent me for some tests. I knew I had a bladder infection (the concepts of privacy and confidentiality don't exist to me anymore), and I was worried because of my horrible back pain that I had a kidney infection. So I got a urine test and a blood test. I went and paid for the lab tests, and then sat in the waiting room to get the blood test. I hear, from behind the closed door "MIIIISSSSS ELIZABETH" and the lab doctor (also Ghanaian) called me in and took my blood. Pretty uneventful. They told me to come back in an hour for the first test, the next day for the second test and three days later for the third. I decided to just come back the next day and it was a new doctor (also Ghanaian, muuuccchhhh more engaging and responsive). Then I told him I had a sore throat, he looked at it and gave me a bunch of prescriptions. So it seems that I have a bladder infection and strep throat.

THE SHORT VERSION: I paid $37 to see the doctor, $51 for lab tests, $45 for three prescriptions (antibiotics for bladder infection and strep throat, and special throat lozenges).

For Ghanaians though, there is government health care, which most people have and I believe it's about 10 GH cedis a year ($10 USD). Although sadly, some people can't even afford that. Also, from people we have talked to, sometimes the hospitals don't really follow the healthcare rules and will charge them for things that should be free. For example, all maternal/pregnancy care is supposed to be free, but people have reported being charged for it. That's why about 60% of Ghanaians use traditional herbal medicine, which is great for some things, but pretty ineffective for others. When you talk to Ghanaians though, it seems they have all been taught that self-medicating is really dangerous, which is great in some cases, but in other cases it just leads to unnecessary crowding in hospitals because people will go in just for a headache or something. Although, I would say most Ghanaians go straight to the pharmacy when they start getting sick and you can get anything here without a prescription. Also, they'll usually assume that any headache is Malaria, and treat it right away so it isn't much of an issue for them (unless, obviously, they can't afford to treat it, or they don't realize what it is). So there's my brief and inconclusive run-down of healthcare in Ghana.

On a completely unrelated topic, I've been meaning to write about some of the funny signs I've seen here that I wish I had pictures of (I could just carry my camera more...). Here we go (as a preface: most cars have writing on the back in these large yellow sqwiggly sticker letters.. Also, most stores have some random religious thing included in the title):

Advertisement: for sweet and condensed milk--"FINALLY... milk just got creamier"

Advertisement: for an at home treadmill--"Get in shape with this Home Jim" (Jim? Gym? Same thing)

Written on the back of a Tro-tro: "No Condition is Permanent" with an American flag below.... Ouch.

Store Name: "Jesus Finger Furniture Ent."

Store Name: "Black Man Fast Food" right next to "Black Man Hair Cut"

Advertisement for this Product: "E-Zwich" (it just pisses me off, do they want you to say "E-Z switch?" because that doesn't work, but the other options are "E Zwich" or "E-Z Wich," which both sound stupid)

Written on the Back of tro-tro: "Ghana Burger" (why???)

Written on the back of a tro-tro: "They Act As Lovers" (just to demonstrate the randomness)

So there's a little sampling. Seeing all the writing on the back of the tro-tros is something I'll miss, and being able to buy things out of the car window during traffic. (Have I mentioned that before?) People walk around through the traffic selling things (food and also the most random things ever like paintbrushes, mirrors, pieces of foam, mini flags, sandals, etc). It's genius really. I think they should start something like it in the states. They could have little stands set up near bad traffic areas and then walk out when all the cars are stopped and sell ice cream or chips or something. It would be great!

M is for Milk

Today is a beautiful day. For the first time in almost three months, I'm eating cereal--and not just any cereal... Frosted Flakes and Cocoa Pepples (or Frosties and Coco Pops). The one major downfall however, is that I couldn't find any real milk (that's mainly restricted to the major, western grocery stores, although the lady at the little shop suggested sweetened, condensed milk... mmm.. vomit). Alas, I was left with no other option but soymilk... I know, the worst. So while I sit here, trying to enjoy my cereal with as little liquid as possible, I am overcome with one feeling... One phrase. Perhaps it is my lack of real, 2% Vermont milk that is rendering me unable to hold back my emotions, but I have to say it, just once... To all you people who actually prefer soymilk to real milk.... you're LAAAMMEEE!

Ok, I'm sorry, please forgive my outburst of emotion. But really, after that cow works that hard to deliver a precious liquid, you want to drink beans. Beans?!? And fake beans at that. Why, my friend, why? If you really can't drink milk, then you're excused, and I applaud you for trying to find a substitute. But if you're blessed to be jam-packed with lactase, then get yourself a brownie and a tall glass of milk and enjoy!

This message brought to you from the milk deprived land of West Africa. I'm Lib and I approve this message.

...not all soy products are bad (she said sheepishly)... I like tofu.

Los Fotos

I finally have pictures for you! They are from Accra, Kumasi and Tamale. I forgot to bring my own camera, so I should really give photographic credit to Liz, my roommate (although I did take a few!). I've been terrible I know, and haven't updated in so long. So here's a brief update.

The biggest event that has occurred since we returned from the North was our trip to Togo and Benin (the two neighboring countries to the East of Ghana). Emma and Carly left a day early, and then I met them with Liz, her friend Alex, and our friend Nana. It was about a four hour tro-tro (small bus thing) ride to the Togo border and it only took an hour to get across Togo into Benin. I was useless once we arrived in Togo, because, like most of West Africa, it's entirely French speaking. The benefit of that, however, was that baguettes were everywhere! Heaven. We spent the night in Ouidah, a small town in Benin that is known for its voodoo and as being a critical point in the slave trade. We took a tour of the slave trade sites and it was fascinating because it was so different from the slave trade in Ghana. Whereas in Ghana there are large forts that were controlled by the Portuguese and then English, in Benin, there were no large structures, just a path that the slaves were forced to follow.

The captives began by walking around this one tree seven times, which was supposed to make them forget all about their past, present and future, so as to make them like animals. Next, they walked to a place which was like an underground room, or I'm assuming just a giant hole in the ground. They were all piled in there and kept there for a while. It was meant to "train" them for the middle passage on the slave ships. Those who did not survive were buried in a mass grave and the rest moved on. They then walked around the "Tree of Return" (which is still there today) and it was supposed to make their spirits return to Africa if they died en route or upon arrival in the Americas. There was also a site where people go now a days to repent and ask for forgiveness for selling the slaves. Finally, we went to the beachside where a monument had been built for the "point of no return," where the slaves entered the ships. It was such a contrast to the Ghanaian slave trade because it seemed much more steeped with Beninese culture than the very European process in Ghana.

As we were leaving Benin on our motorbike taxis (most of the taxi's are motorbikes that they pack full), we saw two Voodoo spirits! Basically you couldn't see any human form, but it was like men under these colorful patterned cloths that were stooped over with people surrounding them. You couldn't see arms or legs or anything (look up a picture on Google, you might find something similar at least). It was really cool. The motorbike had to be careful to get through there quickly because if you are not initiated into Voodoo, you're not allowed to get close because there are people around that will beat you if you get close. The Voodoo is very intense there! A lot of people in West Africa, even very educated people, are wary of it.

Basically Benin was really neat, minus the initial stress of not understanding the language or conversion rate. I ended up loving the motorbike taxis. I have never rode a motorbike of any kind before then and the first night, they stuffed me on a motorbike with a driver and two of my friends... FOUR PEOPLE on a motorbike driving on sandy roads at night. Almost as scary as riding a horse. Anyways, the trip has left me with horrible, incurable cravings for baguettes.

In other news, I have been a little under the weather lately. No fever or vomiting or digestive issues, just random, assorted discomfort. The kind of discomfort you experience when you're in a tropical climate at the hottest time of year, going through a dirty, huge city, struggling to keep hydrated and finally missing the food from home (Thanksgiving will do that to you...). I really do love it here though, I'm starting to learn the city a lot better. Here's my basic breakdown of Accra for you:

I live in Lartbiokorshie, which is about as far as I could possibly live from School, in Legon, so it's forced me to get to know the city pretty well. Osu is where a lot of ex-pats live, and is therefore a good place to satisfy your western food needs. It's also just a fun place to hang out. In the city, all the roads are paved, but once you get into most residential areas, it's mostly dirt roads. Or, I should say, dust roads. My lungs are probably 50% dust. The open sewers are fine, I haven't fallen in one yet (knock on wood), but there are certain areas that really smell because of them. Sometimes you don't notice and other times, it's impossible not to. There's one section of the city that taxi drivers just looove to take us through that absolutely (excuse the language), smells like shit. There are some pretty smelly areas, but this one is bad enough that I have to plug my nose and cover my mouth to block the rank stench. The sad part is.... it's RIGHT on the ocean. In a lot of areas, this one in particular, people don't have adequate toilet facilities in their homes (poor infrastructure, lack of money, lack of government attention, poor sanitation), so they have to do all that business in the ocean. It goes without saying that no one swims in those areas. Thank god the ocean isn't like a giant connected body of water or anything, I'm sure we're completely safe from it a couple miles down the beach. City life can be hard with respect to those kinds of issues. It's easier being sanitary in the village for some people than it is in the city. From the houses I've been to here, in the city, and a lot of the bars and clubs, the bathrooms are just cement floors with a hole or a gutter running through them. Water and sanitation are constant topics of discussion here.

Speaking of sanitation, there are very few trash cans here and often times where there are, they are tiny and have a giant hole in the bottom anyways. So there is a company here called Zoomlion that picks up trash on the streets, which is great, but watching the process isn't quite as great. They send men around with these large wicked baskets on wheels (probably three feet wide an four feet high?) and they sweep the trash up with these brooms (a lot of straw tied together with no handle, it's what they use in almost all the houses here) and use their bare hands to pick up the trash. As someone who spent her whole summer picking up trash in Burlington parks, it really puts things in perspective. Sure they don't have to have juicy trash bags dripping on them (I hate my job), but at least I didn't have to touch the trash with my bare hands. Something is better than nothing, but what it comes down to is that the government needs to build better infrastructure to improve sanitation, which would obviously have far-reaching benefits. Anyways, there's a little random sampling of Accra for you. It's an interesting city, because it's a very peaceful and pretty developed country (comparatively), so there's always a huge contrast between the wealth that's present here and the extreme poverty (men walking around with tatters of their pants left, women bathing in the gutters, children begging aggressively, etc.). Anyways, I'm being attacked by mosquitoes, so I can't really think straight. (Don't worry, I took my anti-malarials!). I'll update again soon with a slightly better composed piece. My brain has turned to mush. Thanks a lot study abroad classes.