Chad loses a sock, I make a pun, and a few of us get pooped on

As I sit at home in the US writing this, I find I'm actually thankful that I slacked off on my blogging while in Ghana. There are two reasons for this. I'm thankful that I gave myself the option while overseas not to write every day. It took stress off of the day, and allowed me to be in the present moment with my team and with those we served. Additionally, remembering these experiences now is a way to hold on to them a little bit longer in the forefront of my mind.

As of this moment I've been home for about 24 hours. I have to admit that it's not easy being here. My heart and head are still thousands of miles away, and I ache to be somewhere that I'm not. I know that time will lessen the yearning to some extent, but these first few days back will be a bit trying for me. It's a small kind of comfort to be able to come to this blog where I'm wrapped in my African adventure. Speaking of the adventure, let's pick up on Monday, July 13...

Monday morning was a tad rough for room 65 (Megan, Helen, and I) because, as I mentioned before, we had a late night of talking on Sunday. But nevertheless, we roused ourselves in time to catch breakfast. When John came down that morning he reported that Chad was not feeling very well and didn't know if he'd be coming out with us. I said that I bet he would rally and end up coming (I was hoping so since he was doing vitals with me that day!) and I was correct!

A few of the women washing clothing

When we got out to the village that day we discovered that the shaded area where we would be working was provided with shade by two large trees that had a TON of bats swooping around them. I was personally really surprised to see so many bats flying around during the day. There were a few incidences with bat droppings that day, and I know that at least one of our docs had to move his table out of the line of fire! Chad also had an interesting situation when we got to the village that day. I've debated whether or not to write about it here, but I think I'll leave the details between those of us that he chooses to tell. I'll just say this: if you ever find yourself in a tricky bathroom situation in an African village, remember your socks. If you're wearing sandals, well, may the force be with you. That morning seemed to have quite a few interesting scenarios, as we discovered while setting up that we had left the vitals box back at the hotel. I proceeded to make a hilarious pun about it being vital that we have that box (my pun received no laughter by the way. Not even a sympathy laugh). But we scrounged up some BP cuffs, and we found our thermometers so we made do with what we could get.

So as I mentioned, I was on vitals that day. That was my second day vital-ing. I found that I really enjoyed this job! It could be a little rushed feeling at times when we needed to get patients to the docs quickly, but in slower times it was nice to be able to spend a few moments with each person. And of course being able to hold the babies to weigh them was a joy (that is, when they weren't screaming). Chad actually ended up getting just about every screaming kid in the village that day. Poor guy. A lot of the children in that village were a little wary of us, and the children's ministry folks had a hard time getting the kids to warm up to them at first. The one thing that made vitals tricky for me that day was the fact that women would come up with children and then would announce it wasn't their child; I'd ask who the mother was and they'd call for another lady who would come running up with the rest of her brood. I think that's a really good example of how community driven the people were there. Babies and children aren't only under the care of their birth mother, but of many of the women in the community. Some of this has to do with the fact that many Muslim men have multiple wives. We met a lot of women who were one of two or three wives. In these situations it appeared that the multiple wives would sort of share the child rearing responsibilities, regardless of whose child was whose.

The little girl with the high fever

That day we saw a couple of kids who had epilepsy. Some team members who had been on previous trips had said that epileptic people are looked down upon, and we'd had some encounters with that attitude on our trip to. It was encouraging to me to see these epileptic children being taken care of enough by their parents or guardians that they brought them to see the doctor. There didn't appear to be any public shunning or anything either, which was also encouraging to me. Near the end of the day I was wrapping up vitals when Steve sent a little girl, maybe about ten years old, over to me to have her temperature taken. You could feel the fever on her skin. I've never touched human skin that hot before. It was literally like touching an oven burner. She ended up having about a 105 degree fever. Steve remarked that it's amazing to see how a fever of that severity differently affected her than it would most of us. She was by no means jumping around, but she was walking about on her own, giving no large indication that she was burning up. On the contrary if I had a fever that high, I'd be in bed in a weak state.

When we arrived back at the hotel that afternoon a few of us were discussing the prospect of getting our hands on some FanIce. We asked the reception if there was a place nearby where we could buy some. They said that there was, so our next objective was to get Dr. Joe (who was sitting in reception) to walk with us. He really didn't want to. We saw one of our translators, Richard, walking by, and in an attempt to prove to Joe how quick of a walk it would be we asked Richard how far down the road the FanIce place was. He said not far, and we continued to plead with Joe but Richard said that he would drive us. So the few of us that were in the lobby piled in the van to go up the street. At the very last second Dr. Joe came running out of the lobby to join us. Which just goes to show that you can't resist a cold FanIce on a hot day in Africa.

Megan has a birthday, Chad falls asleep, and we all dance

Sunday in Tamale (July 12) began with sleeping in! Sleeping in for us was about 7:30 a.m. At breakfast that morning we all sang Happy Birthday to Megan, and we practiced our church songs so that we were fresh for the service. The church we attended was the one affiliated with our partner we worked with up north. It was actually in the same compound as the hotel that our partner runs and which we stayed at, so we didn’t have far to walk to church. When we got there we joined in on one of the Bible study meetings, which was discussing angels and demons (somewhat fitting considering the conversations we had as a group on the spiritual world earlier that week). Some of us interns had befriended one of the hotel staff (well, more than one). But one guy in particular we had talked to quite a bit, and we had told him the night before that we were singing at church. He had told us he was excited to hear us, but what he failed to mention was that he was the praise team leader for the church. We were shocked! The music was great—the joy and fervor with which the churches here praise the Lord is really infectious. We (the interns) actually ventured out of our seats that Sunday to join the dancing up front. It was really special to be a part of that.

All dressed up for church!

After church that day we had lunch and then were planning to head to the pool for a while in the afternoon. Before we left for the pool Laura and Andrew arrived! It was awesome to see them. John ended up staying at the hotel instead of going to the pool since he had left his swimsuit in Accra. We were all sad that he didn’t go, but we managed to have some fun anyway! We met up at the pool with the “Great White Chief of the North” (David) and his wife and children. The weather was pretty cloudy and looked like rain so we didn’t know how much time we’d have to swim. After a few hours of splashing around and tossing a beach ball back and forth we noticed some lightning and decided it might be a good idea to head out soon. As we were going to change it started raining a LOT. By the time we were ready to go it was pouring so we ran to the van as fast as we could to avoid getting drenched.

 
That evening we were meeting David and his family at a restaurant called Swad. The menu had so many different choices of food on it and we all had a really hard time making decisions on what to get. They had a lot of Indian cuisine, but also traditional Ghanaian, as well as pizza. And we had heard that all of it was good. So naturally we ended up ordering way too much food. And while we each had a ton of our own food, people who had already had their fill would pass down their leftovers for people to try. It was like a never ending food line! It was really good though.

We had team time that night to talk about some things and spend a little time as a whole group. Andrew and Laura had brought a cake that Eva cooked all the way from Accra for Megan’s birthday! It was super delish, and extra special since it had traveled all the way on a plane. It was heavenly to get a little bit of Eva’s cooking—we all sorely missed it at that point. The interns rounded out the evening by hanging out in Jules and Rachel’s room, where Chad promptly fell asleep. We had another long week of clinic work coming up, so we all went to our own rooms fairly early. Instead of going to sleep early like we should have, Helen, Megan and I stayed up really late talking. It was totally worth getting less sleep, though. When your days with people are numbered you grab onto every opportunity for conversation, regardless of how exhausted you know you’ll feel the next morning.

A few of us meet the chief, I test some urine, and we all eat FanIce

Saturday (July 11) was our final work day of our first week up north. We went through our usual morning routine of breakfast, loading up the truck with meds, team devotions, and driving out to the village. The community that we went to that day was very large. It was nicely spaced out, however, so it didn't feel cramped at all. When we first drove in we saw a fenced in square that was titled a "Sani-Mart". It had examples of different latrine options that presumably could be purchased and installed in someone's home. Some large water tanks (or some other official name) and a well were nearby to where we were working. The space we had was a very nice open area with lots of trees, right in front of the school building.

The doctor area of our clinic!

I got to meet the chief that day! John, Chad, Helen, Jules, and I went with Pastor Paul and Dr. Joe to greet him. I was really excited, even though Sheila had said it was fantastically unexciting. The chiefs always have a linguist that talks for them so that they don't speak directly to people. The chiefs that we've seen, however, have actually talked directly to us or Pastor Paul. I don't know if we've just met more chill chiefs or if more modern chiefs are more relaxed on that rule. They all have had their linguist with them, however. He's the one who led us to the chief's house. We entered into the stooped doorway with our heads bent and squatted down once we were inside the room (your head is never supposed to be above the chief's). The chief was an elderly man who was seated on an old armchair that was placed on top of a concrete dais that was built into the floor. Paul and the chief/linguist exchanged greetings and we left. Sheila was right about it, but it was still kind of cool to experience!

I was shadowing Dr. Joe that day. We saw a lot of the usual (waist pain, malaria, headaches). We did get a few kids who had somewhat high fevers. It's likely they had malaria, and that's what they were treated for. We also administered a urine test for a guy who told us that his urine was orange. It was the darkest urine I have ever seen. It was like a burnt orange color. The test showed that he did have some blood in it. Staci got a very interesting case that day. A little girl (ten years old) that she saw had a huge heart murmur. You could hear it if you put your ear up to her chest, and it was visible to the eye as well. Steve said it was a grade five or six murmur (basically meaning it was really loud).

As we were packing up the cars that day someone decided we should all try out balancing something on our heads. It is unreal the things that the Ghanaian people will carry on their heads. HUGE bowls filled with corn, square boxes filled with breads, packs stuffed with soaps, etc. They maneuver and run and walk with these perched on their heads as if they are simply an extension of their own body. It really is incredible. Sadly the obronis don't seem to have the gift of balancing heavy loads (or any loads, for that matter) on their heads. A few of us could keep it balanced for a few seconds, but the box we were balancing would quickly begin to slide off. The village children who were watching us (and laughing at us) would ask their turn, and these small children would balance and walk with the box, no problem at all. Crazy!

Just chillin with this giant mango

On our way home from the village we stopped for our very first FanIce! It's the most delicious ice cream that traditionally comes in a sachet (basically ice cream in a bag) that you just rip the corner off and eat. Fan Ice is basically the best thing ever, especially when you're hot and sweaty after a long day out in the sun. I still can't figure out if it's actually that much better than regular ice cream or if it's the novelty of it that makes it so good. I think it really is that good. Yum! John and I were in the truck with Adeline on our way back and we stopped to buy mangos for the group. The mangos in Ghana are unreal, ya'll. They are like the size of my head (okay, a bit smaller) and the most delicious things I've tasted in my life. I really wasn't a huge mango fan before this trip, but I could eat it on the daily now. And I have been! Mmmm. The pineapple is amazing here as well. John and I thought it was pretty funny that the fruit stand was labeled "Fruit Sellar". The titles on a lot of places are misspelled and/or really hilarious. I have to consult John's master list for all of them, but here are a few to give a taste: "Living Bread Bread", "God is Perfect Microfinance Ltd.", "Exalted and Purified Tiles", "God is Good All the Time Book Shop". It's a fun car ride pastime trying to see what funny new shop names you can spot to add to the list.

Saturday night was a fun night with the team. We played a whole group game of Mafia. It didn't go quite as well as we thought it would..probably since a lot of the leaders hadn't played before and weren't super sure of what was happening. It was still fun though! The interns had been told earlier in the week that we were expected to sing in church on Sunday morning. So, naturally, we waited until Saturday night to get ourselves together. We spent a solid 30 minutes or more trying to figure out what to do. There was a lot of laughing and distractedness happening though, and we were not focused. It got bad enough that we had a prayer time in order to refocus ourselves. Even so we struggled. Finally we came up with three songs that we could do. "Our God is an Awesome God", "Lord I Lift Your Name on High", and our trusty favorite: "When Peace Like a River (It is Well)". We were having a hard time making things sound right without an audience, so we all charged down the hall and interrupted the leaders meeting time to perform for them. They assured us that we would fine; in previous years they've been pulled up to sing on the spot with nothing prepared. We felt a lot better after that. Singing with the team is always really fun. Sometimes it's really silly, like when we're blasting Taylor Swift in the car; other times it's moments of worship, like when we gather for Sunday evening worship time. There's something about singing that is uniting (even if you're not a superstar at it like John, Megan, and Helen are!), especially when singing hymns and songs of praise. Hearing all of our voices blend together for the glory of Christ is truly special, and it's something I'm going to miss profusely. I'm just so grateful that God gave me the people He did to join my voice with in song here in Ghana. I couldn't have asked for better partners in crime. Even though we've been together a short time, I love them all inexplicably.

I get peed on, John serves as a human mattress, and we all learn some English

On Friday (July 10) we went out to a very beautiful community that had a lot of open space. Upon exiting the car I spotted a woman holding an adorable baby girl. A few of us were saying hello to the mother and the baby, and then the mom just gave the little girl to me. She was one of the happiest babies I'd seen thus far on the trip. She would small and laugh and gurgle at you. So I'm standing there with her and talking to her when all of a sudden I felt something very warm and suspiciously wet on my side. I looked down only to realize that I was being peed on. And let me tell you, that baby girl had a LOT of pee in her little body. She continued to smile at me as her urine went dripping all the way down my leg to soak my sandal as well. Good morning to me!

That was the first time that our team went to greet the chief of the village. Paul, the doctors, Megan , and Rachel went to do that while the rest of us set up and got organized. I was on pharmacy with Rachel and Sheila that day, which was really fun but very busy. The village we were in didn't have many chairs of benches, so the vitals people (John and Jules) mostly stood to do their work. In pharmacy we were mostly standing, so we didn't notice as much. The kids crew (Helen, Chad, and Michelle) decided to do some bracelet making because they had a smaller group of children that morning. Or so they thought. About twenty minutes into their crafting we all saw a giant stampede of uniformed children running at high speed down the road towards us. They made a bee line right to where the other children were. I actually don't know how well that all played out, but no riots ensued so I assume there were no serious problems.

The lovely lady who gave me a golden shower

A while into the morning we noticed that both Doctors Steve and Joe were missing from their tables. A few minutes later we saw them walking back from a house, where they had lanced an abscess on the backside of a little baby. Sheila did some wound care on a man who I believe had burned his leg that day. Other than snippets of what was happening in the actual clinic I missed out on most cases because the pharmacy pretty consistently had a stack of prescriptions to fill and hand out. We gave out a lot of malaria medication that day. In fact we almost ran out of our main adult malaria medication that we had with us! Because we only had one translator on pharmacy we pulled over the teacher (who taught at the nearby school where the mass of children came from) to help translate for us also so we could get caught up. We originally had asked the pastor the translate for us, but his English was a little rocky and as its important for people to understand how to take their medications, he went off to help out Helen and Chad by translating their lessons to the kids instead. Helen told me that when he first came over he asked if they were going to start the story and she said "No, we're waiting for the pastor", to which he replied "I am the pastor!".

In the afternoon we got the opportunity to see a lot of Fulani people (a lot of women with their children). I've written about them before (check out my post "I write about the villages"). It was really cool to be able to administer care to these nomadic people who may not often receive healthcare. They are such beautiful and strong people. Their faces tend to have a longer, thinner shape than the Ghanaians do; they are often marked by faint tattoos on their faces or arms, and the women are always wearing bright colors.

As the day was winding down John found a little friend named Peter. He had actually seen the doctor and was being treated for malaria, and he really wasn't feeling well. He was sitting on John's lap and after a little while he fell right to sleep, his little head drooping to the side. As John resituated him he kept his arms around John. One of the other boys tried to wake him up but he just snuggled closer to John when he touched him. It was one of the sweetest things I've seen! It really is amazing how comfortable some of these children are with us.

When we return to the hotel in the afternoons our routine is generally to sleep, shower, or just relax until dinner at 6:00 and then to hang out either in someone's room or in the hotel restaurant. Sometimes we'll play Mafia, but lately we've been pretty tired so we just share stories or we'll ask a question and everyone will answer it. That night I had put off showering until after dinner so I missed out on a bit of the hang out session. When I showed up to the room where the rest of the interns were I found out I missed out on two Chad stories! The Chad stories thing started on the way up north when we tried to force Chad to tell us about his first kiss; he wouldn't tell us that, but he did tell us another story that was hilarious! Ever since then we'll ask him for a Chad story, and when he delivers it is never a disappointment. So imagine my chagrin when I missed TWO of them! Luckily he recounted them for me, but it was still a bummer. I'd also missed the confusion of my US teammates when the UK folks started talking about wearing a vest under a shirt. (In the UK a vest is what a tank top is in the US). This sort of thing actually happens quite often. The number of differences in US vs. UK English is higher than most people probably realize.

I succeed a goat snatch, Chad gets interrogated, and we all see a birth

On Thursday (July 9) we had a teammate down! Megan woke feeling really awful and so she stayed back at the hotel with Michelle. We set off a few short and were on our way out to the village by 7:30. On the way there I saw a sheep with something weird hanging from its..err, bum. It was sort of pinkish looking. Then I realized there were two newborn lambs on the ground nearby, and that it was probably giving birth to triplets! I was actually really bummed that we didn’t get to see it, I think that would be pretty Dench (a reference for my British pals).

When we first got to the village Sheila and I had to scope out the bathroom situation. It’s actually become our routine to do that. We both have tiny bladders and since we’re all trying to stay hydrated it equals multiple wee trips in a day. Anyway that day we got lucky and easily found some nice bushes and trees a short walk away from the village to serve as our latrine. Score! While I was busy with that and helping set up a couple of things, Jules, Helen, and Rachel had pulled out bubbles to blow for the kids. They absolutely loved it. Every time a new rush of bubbles was released they would jump up and grab them, screaming and laughing. I was on kids that day with Jules, so she and I took over with the kiddos after Helen and Rachel had left.

There was a group of kids that were excited to play with us, but across the road from where we were was a small group who was apparently pretty scared of us. Every time we would look over and wave they would run inside their house and not reappear for a while. The kids who weren’t scared got going with some football, which was really fun. We kicked the ball around for a while and then did story time (that day Jules told the story of the nobleman’s son being healed) and had a coloring session with the kids. They always love getting their papers and crayons, and for some of them it’s a first time experience! I noticed one boy that day who was just sitting there holding his paper and crayon, looking a little lost. After I showed him what to do, though, he really enjoyed it. Anytime we color with the kids they always bring their papers to us after they’ve finished to show us their work. It’s really amazing that a few kind words from a strange white girl can fill a little child’s face with so much joy. I’m so thankful that these kids (well, most of them) invite us so easily and willingly into their lives for the short time that we’re able to be there.

When lunch rolled around I went over to where the van was parked and spotted the tiniest goat I’ve seen on the trip. It was so little! There were two other small ones (but not as small) nearby; as I walked near them the two larger ones ran off, but the little one faltered long enough for me to get him. It took about five seconds for that little cutie to steal my heart. I spent most of my lunch break freaking out about how cute and tiny he was. The goat obsession is real, people. Thank you to my goat obsession partner, Helen, for supporting and encouraging me at all times.

Thursday night dinner turned into an interrogation session for poor Chad. The other interns were still salty that we’d never gotten to hear his first kiss story when we’d heard everyone else’s. In an attempt to right this, Jules, Helen, and I grilled him with a series of yes-or-no questions about the experience until we were satisfied that we could say we knew the story of his first kiss. We also managed to weasel a second kiss story out of him! He (and John too!) do a good job of putting up with all of the girl crazy that goes on.

 

Lindsay saves the day, I attempt a goat snatch, and we all eat fishy joloff

Wednesday (July 8) was our first day out in the villages up north. We generally aim to get into a village, get set up, and start working by about 8:30 a.m. To make this happen breakfast is available from 6:00 until 7:00, with an ETD between 7:00 and 7:30. Wednesday's breakfast was a little different. I came down to the dining hall intending to enjoy a coffee, some toast, maybe an egg. In an unfortunate turn of events, the toast turned out to be fish sandwiches. Not my most favorite way to start the day! But at least hot coffee (albeit instant Nescafe) was plentiful.

Wednesday was my first day on vitals. I worked with Helen and Lindsay. The first patient through the line was the chief; Helen and I had a minor moment of panic, each trying to make the other take his vitals. Lindsay saved the day though and did a stellar vital-taking job! It didn't take too long to get the hang of taking down vitals, but it was a little overwhelming when a mom would show up with four or five children. On adults we take BP and pulse, and on kids we take temperature, weight, and pulse.

I had another first also on Wednesday: using a village latrine. These little rooms have no roof, so they tend to be somewhat aired out, and they do get rinsed every now and then. I made Helen go with me in order to guard the entryway. As I was doin my thang, my phone fell out of my pocket onto the ground, which was not only covered with my own urine, but that of previous users. I quickly snatched it up, but then my camera fell out of my other pocket! I had two hands full of electronics, which Helen graciously held for me so I could finish up (truest form of friendship). If I ever meet someone who can use one of these latrines without splashing urine up onto themselves and all over their feet, I probably won't believe it. Another tidbit about latrine usage (which I've mentioned before) is to do your number two business elsewhere. One of our teammates (who shall remain nameless) learned this the hard way. The teammate had a bowel movement in the latrine, and had the unpleasant experience of having to rinse it out the small drainage hole in the wall. That doesn't sound all that terrible, you might be thinking. Ah, but if the latrine were to end up getting a bit flooded and you were standing in a mixture of your own poo, urine, and the urine of others while it slowly drained, you might find it a fairly nasty experience.

 

Moving on from the latrine. All of us are quite taken by the baby goats that we see out in the villages. We've been informed that catching one and getting your photo with it is quite the rite of passage here. Helen and I in particular have taken a liking to the baby goats (and by liking I mean we squeal like fan girls each and every time we spot a baby goat). On Wednesday I had scoped out the goat situation upon reaching the village. I had a very small tan goat in mind to chase down when I had some free time. We had a lull in the vital parade and the little thing was right nearby. I tried, unsuccessfully, to chase it down for a few moments. One of the village women took pity on me and came over to show me how to catch them. The poor thing was terrified and crying for its mother, so I didn't get my photo op then. If you've never heard a kid bleating for its mama goat, let me just tell you that it is a terrible sound. It's LOUD. And grating. And will cause the entire crowd of people waiting at the clinic to look at you and laugh at your sad attempts to catch a baby goat on your own. (For the record, Helen and I caught it later and it was chilled out enough to take pictures with. Okay, okay, the village women caught it for us...).

After a lunch of chicken, joloff rice (with tidbits of fish reminiscent of our breakfast), and soda I was hopping around taking pictures of my fellow interns and teammates doing their work. I came across a ring of our doctors and translators surrounding a girl who was writhing on the ground. Our translator Pastor Paul was speaking in their language, so I had no idea what he was saying. John was nearby and I asked him what was happening. He told me that the girl in the ring was demon possessed and that Paul, who had experience with this, was praying and commanding the demon to leave her. I learned later that the girl had entered the clinic area and Paul called over some of the team to lay their hands on her and pray for her. When they touched her, she began to writhe, her head was rolling, and she dropped to the ground and rolled down this slope, where she began writhing and flipping about in the dirt. This was when I appeared on the scene. After a while Paul and one of the other translators got the girl up the hill and into a chair. We remade the ring around her, and Paul stood near her and continued to speak. There are moments in life when things don't make sense and the only clarity I can conceive is in prayer. This was definitely one of those moments. So as I listened to Paul's commanding voice, and to our teammate Joseph say over and over "Jesus. Jesus Christ. Jesus", I prayed. After a while the girl's head began to roll quite violently. She fell out of her chair and rolled on the ground some more. I could hear Paul asking her what her name was (one of the few phrases I know in their language). Eventually she was able to stand, and walk haltingly away from the crowd. Paul told us later that he followed she and her mother to their house, and when he left her she was laughing and much better. He also told us that as he was asking her for her name she had replied with a man's name, the name of the demon, but that eventually she did respond with her own name.

The whole experience was really mind blowing for me. I feel like I'm still processing it in some ways. Our team actually had a discussion that night at Bible study about the whole situation. We talked about how Western culture wants to ascribe a logical, scientific explanation to any and all ailments that befall people. Controversially, in African culture the spiritual realm plays a larger role. People are more likely to ascribe events to a supernatural cause than those in Western cultures are. We had a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of both cultures.

I write a post about the villages

Before I do any writing about our work out in the villages here in northern Ghana, I want to write a

general overview of what these villages are like. The villages that we are currently serving are all of the same tribe, therefore they speak the same language. Driving out to the villages takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on which village we are visiting. We leave our hotel, driving for a while through the city. Along the sides of the road are many little wooden and tin shanties where people are selling different goods. Some sell clothing, purses, baskets, shoes, fruit. Food stands are also found quite frequently. They may serve a whole chicken that's been cooked up, or some sort of Ghanaian food like banku and fish soup.

Soon we'll turn off onto a less developed road and the landscape shifts dramatically. Instead of the green, blue, yellow, pink, orange of the shacks in the city there is a vast expanse of greens and brown. We drive by many, many agricultural fields. The produce planted here is mainly maize, yams, cassava, and rice. The landscape is dotted by many trees, of which many are shea trees. The fruit produced by these trees is eaten, and the seeds are used for their oil to produce products such as shea butter. Some of these trees have termite hills next to them that can tower over seven feet! There are also a lot of sheep and goats, along with their offspring, that are seen everywhere. We see quite a few in town as well, but the number drastically increases as we leave the city behind. Cow herds are also very common, and occasionally we'll be stopped by a herd crossing the road.

A yam field

Speaking of cows, they are herded by the Fulani people. This is a nomadic group that herds cows throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. At times they will settle in or near a village, resulting in a mutualistic partnership between the Fulani and the villagers. The village benefits from having cows' milk available to them, and the Fulani benefit by having a secure place to settle for a while.

After a while of driving we'll begin to see the mud huts that a village consists of. As you can see from the picture below, they are very simple. Most of them are round structures with a slightly sloped roof. These huts are made out of mud mixed with some cement. If they are made well they can last up to ten years. One family will have a collection of huts that are arranged around a central area which contains a large fire and common area. As far as I've observed so far these circles of huts also contain a little room off to the side with a drain to the outside of the center. This is the latrine, but it is strictly for number one (at least that's what we've been told). Anything other than that, well...go find some privacy and dig and bury.

Many of the villages we've visited also contain a mosque, as this is a very Muslim area of Ghana. Another thing that we commonly see is huge patches of the ground covered in either rice or shea nuts being dried after boiling. There are always a number of large metal bowls that are used for carrying water or food lying around as well. Some villages will have a well for drawing water, or there is one nearby.



Shea nuts drying in the hot sun

The people in the villages are strong, beautiful, and very kind. They are always excited to greet us, although at times the smaller children take some time to warm up to us. The women generally wear a brightly colored and patterned piece of fabric wrapped around their waist as a skirt. They also often have a hair covering (such as a scarf). Most of the women carry a baby or small child on their back, tied to them with a scarf. We also see a decent number of elderly men, and often some younger men as well. Each village has a chief, though some village's chiefs are chief over multiple villages and may not actually reside in the village we are in. If the chief is present and wanting to be seen by us, he is given priority over everyone else. Everywhere we look in the villages we see so many children. It's the custom for women to have many children, and it's evident.

Being in the villages is humbling and eye opening. There are things that we as westerners deem "necessities" that these people have no notion of. Their focus is not on the material, but on the necessary. Family, food, water, shelter. Before I came to Africa I had a mental image of what an African village and the people that lived in them were like (as I assume most who haven't seen them do). Before, I felt a sense of superiority, that I had so much in the way of material goods to offer. I could give clothes, money, food, time. I had an image of people who were unable to care for themselves or provide for their children sufficiently (why else would Africa be in so much need, I would wonder?). Boy, was I wrong. Yes, there is poverty and less healthcare. Yes, there are some who can't, or don't know how, to care for themselves. But God and Ghana are showing me that these people are my family, they are my brothers and sisters. I am not above them. In fact, in many ways, they are much wiser than I am. I'm learning, in the most tangible way, that life is more than things, or money, or success.