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.