Soul search in Ghana

Today was Awesome ER! LOL So today was my first day at needed life, and all I can say is wow.  At first hearing about what we would do made me sad.  We will be testing pregnant women, as well as the rest of the community for HIV.  It will be done with First response rapid blood test.  Its just gonna be a hard thing to deal with when I have a patient that is positive.  Luckily Fati, the director and creator of Needed Life is amazing.  She said that we work a little and we play a little too.  She made our first day fantastic.  We visited the clinic outside of Elmina, where we will be working sometimes, and then we actually went to Elmina.  We walked through the markets, then got to see where they make big fishing boats (amazing!) and she took us down to Elmina castle which was known for being one of the most notorious slave castles during the slave trade.  I can’t wait til I get to actually tour Elmina castle and Cape coast castle.  Fati says I should expect to get emotional.  I can’t imagine that I wont.  Everyone knows I love history, especially black history.  Fati calls me her sister.  She says I have Ghanaian features.  Wouldn’t that be cool if I traced my ancestry back and found out I really am Ghanaian?  It doesn’t really matter because I decided I would be Ghanaian at the Ms. Africa pageant (Big ups to my Nigerian friend Chiamaka lol).  I feel so comfortable here.  There is somethings that many Obuni (foreigners) can do to help Ghana.  But honestly when you get here you cant help but just enjoy everything it has to offer.  It is truly a beautiful country.  Its rich, the people are amazing, and I must say they are some hustlers lol, they are soo persistent in their approach to sell to you.  I absolutely love being here, and I definitely want to come back and visit someday.  I wish I could just take a full year to travel Africa, learn the cultures, learn the history and the languages.  I feel like how can you truly understand yourself when you don’t know why certain things are custom to you.  This is a great place.  Man I wish you guys could truly be here because words do not do it justice, nor can any picture.  It is the essence of Ghana that makes it great.

 

Peace and Love,

 

Imani