Everyone is doing really well and have remained healthy, despite the odd mozzie bite and suspect meal. Our home cooked food is excellent and we have been pretty picky about our eating out experiences so we have been fine, touch wood.
All the placements are going well with everyone experiencing unique, challenging and often confronting situations. Everyone seems to have recovered from the initial culture shock and adjustment to the Ghana method of doing things and have fitted in well. Louise, Laura and Natalie are working well with babies with various developmental problems, amongst other things. They are now very good at keeping babies amused and teaching the staff how to work more effectively with these kids. Justin, Kate and Tara have the same kinds of patients in Begoro although on a much bigger scale, with children who are of a wider age range. They are working with an Aussie Occupational Therapist who has been here for 5 years and is an absolute inspiration. Lernik, Jo and Wendy are seeing more adult patients at Oda and working with a local physio who has very different ways of doing things than we are trained to do. This has been a challenge but again Wendy and Lernik are managing to find a middle ground. Jo has had a very interesting time in the imaging department... now that it another world. Xrays in Ghana leave a bit to be desired but Jo is doing her best to help them improve.
We have had a couple of weekends away, a welcome relief from our lovely but sometimes over attentive host families. Some headed to the Cape Coast last weekend where we did some sight seeing and swimming and just general relaxing. The weekend just gone we all got together and went to the Volta region where we climbed the highest mountain in Ghana, demonstrating how we have been lacking exercise in the last few weeks. It was 1 hour straight up a very rough path, half of us in thongs, and in the middle of the day. Despite most wanting to give up at some point we encouraged each other until we all got there.... great team building exercise. We also went to a monkey sanctuary and saw some locals weaving traditional cloth. It was a great time and everyone is getting on so well and we are a real team. The trip home was a bit of a downer with at few harsh words exchanged with a tro tro driver who was trying his best to rip us off and then proceeded to get lost, adding about 3 hours to the return trip... It will be funny in hind site i am sure.
We are just finishing up this week and head back to the capital Accra on Friday where we have the chance to spend the weekend stocking up on Christmas presents before most of us head back on Monday. It has gone really quickly and we all wish we had a little more time but I am sure that by the end of the week we will have made a least some small but significant changes for the people we are working with to continue with when we leave.
Written by Julia Patrick, Lecturer University of Sydney, UniBreak Groups Ghana 08
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