COUNTRY: Ghana
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Health
WRITTEN BY: Shannon Briscoe
Maaha Family and Friends,
This is our third week in Ghana and we have really settled into our new 'homes away from home'. Some of us, Grace and Sara in particular, have adapted amazingly well to the local cuisine, while others have had a wee bit more difficulty (Shannon and Laura really miss their vegetables!)
Life at the hospital has been trying at times with all of us witnessing illnesses and practice unlike anything we've seen before. We (nurse volunteers) were lucky enough to have the opportunity to share some of our knowledge and training with a group of Ghanaian nursing students on placement. For example, taking vital signs and the (rarely, if ever, witnessed) concept of gaining patient consent for nursing interventions. Some of the students were very eager to learn which was quite rewarding for us.
The nurses have visited the orphanage twice now for games, photography, and well... a little bit of kiddy chaos really. The children were so excited to see the 'obrunis' (white people) they came running with big white smiles and arms outstretched for cuddles. Shonae and Imogen work very long, hard days with very little guidance from staff at times. They are to be commended for still taking so much time to share and play with the children in the afternoons after all that hard work!
We had an absolutely fantastic weekend getaway to Busua Beach. The beach is rated in the top 5 in Ghana and regarded by many as the most beautiful stretch of coastline in the country. It is uniquely located within a bay, meaning calmer seas, less currant, and a stunning long flat stretch of sand lined with palms.
We spent time there enjoying lovely salads, burritos, and chicken sandwiches at the local surf club. We listened to music, chatted with locals and other obruni visitors and sipped refreshing drinks while playing cards and watching the waves gently rush up against the deck near our feet. It was such a lovely and peaceful place to visit.
Saturday morning we had a really fun surf lesson from local Ghanaian surf shred-dog and total babe, Peter (shout out to BlackStar surf club for such an epic day). Shonae took some great shots from the beach of our lesson. The conditions were perfect and all of us managed to get up on our boards several times.
Later that night, Frank 'The Juice Guy' arranged to get us some fresh lobsters from local fishermen which he took to a lovely local cook, Florence, who prepared us (as prearranged) a delectable and utterly delicious lobster meal with curry rice and fresh salad for only $4 USD each!
All in all, Busua was a blissful paradise and a much needed break for all of us. We HIGHLY recommend it to future Antips groups and travellers alike. We recommend the Busua Inn or Alaska Beach Club. Book accommodation early as they do fill quickly, especially for larger groups.
After a long hard week, we are off to Cape Coast this weekend to explore some historic sites and visit Kakum National Forest – so exciting!
Can't believe next week is our last week! More to come but in the meantime, take care!
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