Here I am at the end of my African journey. Holing up in Accra for my final days and still analyzing and examining everything around me. This has been an interesting journey for me, but one filled with lessons as well.
Opportunities: Everyone is looking for one in this country, but in my case, people look at my skin and see that as an opportunity for themselves. "Give me money." "Take me to the US." "I want to be your friend." Yeah, right, EVERYONE wants to be my new best friend here. Dissappointingly, even the people who came along with my reggae friend family looked at me as an opportunity. Unfortunately for them, I already spent 4 years of my life being the inspiration for someone else and frankly, I'm done with that. I also don't do sponsorship. From what I've seen here, few people are willing to look within themselves and find their own inspiration, instead they're going along waiting for this magical person to come into their lives to sponsor thier business, get them out of the country, pay for their lifestyle within this county...anything and eveything. Maybe no one ever told them that they could do anything they want to do for themselves, but that's been my background and upbrining. In a country where most eveyone is poor, it's hard to not be generous and want to help, but in the end my money was overspent, my kindness was taken for weakness, and I'm going home with some mixed feelings about my experience here. At this point I'm definitely ready to head back to Cali and regroup myself. I'm still inspired to continue my humanitarian mission of creating my own non-profit and doing what I can to help, but this trip has reminded me to be careful who I enlist help from and that too many people TALK the TALK but don't follow through. I'm a do-er.....and I expect people in my life to DO things too!!!
I think a lot of the problem here has to do with perception. When you grow up and see your mother selling oranges on the roadside all day every day...and maybe you don't attend school yourself....and maybe you have to help raise your siblings....and no one every gives you positive reinforcement or feedback or encouragement....then you're going to think that's all your life can amount to. Your mentality doesn't include the possiblity that life can be different. I think the key to changing this country is going to be with the children. They're sill young and impressionable and open to inspiration. From what I see from the adult population, most of them are waiting for someone to come along and drop opporunity in their lap instead of making it for themselves. And that just won't work....if we just keep giving people fish instead of teaching them how to catch it, they're never get ahead for themselves. Modeling and Role Modeling people - you have to build up their own self-esteem, give them the tools to help themselves.
I'll leave it at that for now. I've loved my trip and experience and take full responsibility for letting myself be taken advantage of within this trip although it was disappointing nonetheless. Live and learn....live and learn.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The Good and The Bad
So, after my last post I realized that most of what I've written about Ghana has been sunny and shiny and pretty. While this country really is beautiful and sunny, there is definitely a huge amount of despair and poverty running throughout. And of course I have to comment....
Spending this past weekend in Akosombo(oops....spelled it wrong in my last post) was incredible. The River Volta is spectacular and having the opportunity to go out on multiple boats was excellent. On Sunday we DID take the ferry ride to Dodi Island complete with a live band on the ferry and catered food, but of course....the destination Island houses its own community of people who show up when the boat comes in and send in their army of children to make friends (and hopefully money) from the obruni(white people). In the 20 minutes we spent on the island we did a little walk and from my healthcare standpoint I saw two girls that definitely needed medical attention - one's eyes were so swollen she couldn't open them and the other had an unidentified rash covering most of her head....as is typical for here, there were no parental figures to be found and both girls were participating in some music making in hopes of garnering a few cedis from us tourists. Really sad in my opinion....and strange to spend some time with other tourists because I've been so removed from the culture while I've been here. I thank my family and my life experience for seasoning me to experience the culture from within rather than observing it from the outside.
Hmm.....oh wait....but there's more. On our way back from Akosombo we encountered a couple towns that had flooded due to heavy rains. Whole crops of corn buried under meters of water, vending stands overturned, people dislocated from their homes. And then what? They rebuild and wait for the next flood. According to the fellow bus-goers the government does little until there's already been a disaster (hmmm....sound familiar?)
Here on the coast the poverty seems much more apparent than it did up in the Volta region. Children are often half clothed (or not clothed)....no diapers, open sewers, animals everywhere, clothes washed in water from stagnant tanks, kids and adults sleeping on the streets....on and on it goes. This is the life here. Public bath-houses, shared shower areas....everything is so public - which has also been interesting for my only child American standpoint. You have to pay to take a crap....
I'm told that the schools are public, but I only see a small percentage of kids who actually attend. The obstacles of school uniforms, books, papers, pencils and the like are often more than a family can handle so the kids just don't attend. And when they DO attend, the educational techniques are often beyond the means of the students they're teaching. Queen's English and big words for the wee ones which leaves most people functionally illiterate in the end. While in Akosombo we took a canoe ride in the morning from this young boy named Kwame (Saturday born -- everyone has a "day" name here - mine is Esi since I was born on a Sunday (correct me if that's wrong Mom!). As we glided along the beautiful river Kwame quietly sang songs of praise from the back of the boat and midway through the ride he turned to us and said "I want education from you." Just the way he said it surprised myself and Kenya - most people have just come out and asked for money, but this boy asked for education. He's 15, attends high school and (just like every Ghanaian) wants to be a footballer. Not only does he want to continue his education, he wants to attend the football academy in Accra. He plays keeper. And something about him really struck both Kenya and I -- in the end I sponsored him a new pair of football boots and gloves and shin guards for his goal-keeping. May not have been the most logical form of sponsorship in a country full of disparity, but like I said, something about this boy struck us both and helping him out seemed to be the right thing to do. The boots are yellow :) I'll load a picture up eventually.
But on a grander scale, my friend Nana is creating a new political party here in Ghana (The New Jerusalem Party) to hopefully bring about some change to this country. Apparently there's money coming in, but the government has a problem with correct appropriation...no big surprise there. It's time for the people to lead the people and I look forward to creating benefit concerts in America to sponsor school kids in Ghana, sending containers worth of donated clothes and toys, helping create solar energy projects here, better farming equipment for the farmers, and on and on and on.....
Ok....so, I'll leave it at that. This is a beautiful and friendly country, but poverty and despair are parts of daily life that people here accept as their reality. Worldwide this is the case....let's change it!
Spending this past weekend in Akosombo(oops....spelled it wrong in my last post) was incredible. The River Volta is spectacular and having the opportunity to go out on multiple boats was excellent. On Sunday we DID take the ferry ride to Dodi Island complete with a live band on the ferry and catered food, but of course....the destination Island houses its own community of people who show up when the boat comes in and send in their army of children to make friends (and hopefully money) from the obruni(white people). In the 20 minutes we spent on the island we did a little walk and from my healthcare standpoint I saw two girls that definitely needed medical attention - one's eyes were so swollen she couldn't open them and the other had an unidentified rash covering most of her head....as is typical for here, there were no parental figures to be found and both girls were participating in some music making in hopes of garnering a few cedis from us tourists. Really sad in my opinion....and strange to spend some time with other tourists because I've been so removed from the culture while I've been here. I thank my family and my life experience for seasoning me to experience the culture from within rather than observing it from the outside.
Hmm.....oh wait....but there's more. On our way back from Akosombo we encountered a couple towns that had flooded due to heavy rains. Whole crops of corn buried under meters of water, vending stands overturned, people dislocated from their homes. And then what? They rebuild and wait for the next flood. According to the fellow bus-goers the government does little until there's already been a disaster (hmmm....sound familiar?)
Here on the coast the poverty seems much more apparent than it did up in the Volta region. Children are often half clothed (or not clothed)....no diapers, open sewers, animals everywhere, clothes washed in water from stagnant tanks, kids and adults sleeping on the streets....on and on it goes. This is the life here. Public bath-houses, shared shower areas....everything is so public - which has also been interesting for my only child American standpoint. You have to pay to take a crap....
I'm told that the schools are public, but I only see a small percentage of kids who actually attend. The obstacles of school uniforms, books, papers, pencils and the like are often more than a family can handle so the kids just don't attend. And when they DO attend, the educational techniques are often beyond the means of the students they're teaching. Queen's English and big words for the wee ones which leaves most people functionally illiterate in the end. While in Akosombo we took a canoe ride in the morning from this young boy named Kwame (Saturday born -- everyone has a "day" name here - mine is Esi since I was born on a Sunday (correct me if that's wrong Mom!). As we glided along the beautiful river Kwame quietly sang songs of praise from the back of the boat and midway through the ride he turned to us and said "I want education from you." Just the way he said it surprised myself and Kenya - most people have just come out and asked for money, but this boy asked for education. He's 15, attends high school and (just like every Ghanaian) wants to be a footballer. Not only does he want to continue his education, he wants to attend the football academy in Accra. He plays keeper. And something about him really struck both Kenya and I -- in the end I sponsored him a new pair of football boots and gloves and shin guards for his goal-keeping. May not have been the most logical form of sponsorship in a country full of disparity, but like I said, something about this boy struck us both and helping him out seemed to be the right thing to do. The boots are yellow :) I'll load a picture up eventually.
But on a grander scale, my friend Nana is creating a new political party here in Ghana (The New Jerusalem Party) to hopefully bring about some change to this country. Apparently there's money coming in, but the government has a problem with correct appropriation...no big surprise there. It's time for the people to lead the people and I look forward to creating benefit concerts in America to sponsor school kids in Ghana, sending containers worth of donated clothes and toys, helping create solar energy projects here, better farming equipment for the farmers, and on and on and on.....
Ok....so, I'll leave it at that. This is a beautiful and friendly country, but poverty and despair are parts of daily life that people here accept as their reality. Worldwide this is the case....let's change it!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
From Elmina to Akusombo
2010 FIFA World Cup fever has stricken the country of Ghana. Beginning last week, the World Cup is being held in South Africa and it is Football MaDDNESS over here! Representing from Africa are Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, GHANA, South Africa, Coute de Ivoir....and maybe another team too, but I think that's it. So far Ghana is the only African team to win their first match and today they play their second match against Austrailia (who already got their assess KICKED by Germany 3-0) So, yeah, I've been paying attention. If Ghana wins today they'll be the first team in the entire competition to qualify for the second round of matches right away....it's a big deal. Everywhere you go there are Ghanaian flags, banners, horns, whistles, team jerseys, you name it....red, green, and gold everything. On TV people have composed and recorded songs to cheer on their Black Star team and when it comes to game time.....people are holing up everywhere to watch the matches. Four per day for this past week and you can see people huddled around TVs inside and outside to watch. Makeshift theaters are set up throughout the towns and if it's not on TV you can hear the matches on the radio.
This past weekend I traveld to Accra and stayed right on the beachside with the sounds of the ocean wafting through the windows. On Friday night there were reggae DJs playing outdoors until the wee hours of the morning. Around 1am or so they brought on about 7 different live acts who rotated through the mic and over various riddims. Pure hotness....it's a shame that it's difficult to bring people over because about 5 of the 7 acts were infinitely better than many of the people we end up seeing over and over again back home....and they were pretty much freestyling! Nice vibes. Even had a couple women up there with them. Ghanaian dancehall I would probably liken to the Jamaican dancehall rather than what we have in the US. Good vibes, nice flow, quality mic-man talkin' up the place. It was great.
Accra the city was a little intense. We did marketing where you can get EVERYTHING. (and here we have the live chiken section....oh, and around this cornere you can buy clothes....and here's the plastic container street....and fish, and fabric, and more clothes, and shoes, and big silver bowles for the head, and soap, and vegetables.....on and on and on) I guess the market in Kumasi is even bigger! We flowed around and met family and cooked in lunch in the military compound (yeah, strange at first to me, but just another place that people live). Visited people in the shanty sections of Accra...cooked more food...watched some close-up fufu preparations....and more reggae music.
One of the mornings in Accra we sat on the beachside and wathced the intricate dance of fishermen and net as they pulled in their morning catch. 4-10 men working for over an hour to pull in their net from the ocean. It was beautiful.
Crap....running out of time here.... :)
This past week I linked up with the public health nurses and helped them with their H1N1 vaccination clinic. Pregnant women, healthcare workers, security people, and other high risk populations (but mostly those three). The public health nurses are a pretty funny and entertaining bunch. They seem to like me a lot and at this point I'm doing all the injections and helping them with their paperwork too. Of course, I'm much too efficient for Ghana so I'm learning how to slow down my pace of work to match their stride. Mid way through the day we usually retire to thier "office" and watch the World Cup match of the moment....hahahah!!! Nursing Ghana style.
This past Thursay (after a DELICIOUS meal of groundnut soup and ken-key) Kenya and I headed back to Accra to link with our resident King Nana. We hit up yet another wonderful outdoor music spot and had a GREAT time dancing to live high-life and reggae music till the wee hours. I loved it! And of course everyone thinks it's the greatest that I get out there and dance, and of course...me being me....I put in my 20 cents (peswas here) and had the band play what we wanted to hear. So much fun!!!
Yesterday we traveled from Accra up to the River Volta to the town of Akusombo where it is just BEAUTIFULLLLLL here. Totally tropical and lush. We're staying right pon the riverside and even got to got out in one of the wodden canoes the local peeps use to travel the river. That one was for my Dad....canoeing in Ghana! So blessed. We tried to take this amazing ferry ride today further up the river, but becasue of Ghana's World Cup match today the ferry's not going!! Hahaha.....we wanted to watch the match anyways....Ghana's gonna KICK Austrailia and qualify for round 2!!!
Love you and miss you all.....Ghana is amazing....we should all come back here together! Bless.
This past weekend I traveld to Accra and stayed right on the beachside with the sounds of the ocean wafting through the windows. On Friday night there were reggae DJs playing outdoors until the wee hours of the morning. Around 1am or so they brought on about 7 different live acts who rotated through the mic and over various riddims. Pure hotness....it's a shame that it's difficult to bring people over because about 5 of the 7 acts were infinitely better than many of the people we end up seeing over and over again back home....and they were pretty much freestyling! Nice vibes. Even had a couple women up there with them. Ghanaian dancehall I would probably liken to the Jamaican dancehall rather than what we have in the US. Good vibes, nice flow, quality mic-man talkin' up the place. It was great.
Accra the city was a little intense. We did marketing where you can get EVERYTHING. (and here we have the live chiken section....oh, and around this cornere you can buy clothes....and here's the plastic container street....and fish, and fabric, and more clothes, and shoes, and big silver bowles for the head, and soap, and vegetables.....on and on and on) I guess the market in Kumasi is even bigger! We flowed around and met family and cooked in lunch in the military compound (yeah, strange at first to me, but just another place that people live). Visited people in the shanty sections of Accra...cooked more food...watched some close-up fufu preparations....and more reggae music.
One of the mornings in Accra we sat on the beachside and wathced the intricate dance of fishermen and net as they pulled in their morning catch. 4-10 men working for over an hour to pull in their net from the ocean. It was beautiful.
Crap....running out of time here.... :)
This past week I linked up with the public health nurses and helped them with their H1N1 vaccination clinic. Pregnant women, healthcare workers, security people, and other high risk populations (but mostly those three). The public health nurses are a pretty funny and entertaining bunch. They seem to like me a lot and at this point I'm doing all the injections and helping them with their paperwork too. Of course, I'm much too efficient for Ghana so I'm learning how to slow down my pace of work to match their stride. Mid way through the day we usually retire to thier "office" and watch the World Cup match of the moment....hahahah!!! Nursing Ghana style.
This past Thursay (after a DELICIOUS meal of groundnut soup and ken-key) Kenya and I headed back to Accra to link with our resident King Nana. We hit up yet another wonderful outdoor music spot and had a GREAT time dancing to live high-life and reggae music till the wee hours. I loved it! And of course everyone thinks it's the greatest that I get out there and dance, and of course...me being me....I put in my 20 cents (peswas here) and had the band play what we wanted to hear. So much fun!!!
Yesterday we traveled from Accra up to the River Volta to the town of Akusombo where it is just BEAUTIFULLLLLL here. Totally tropical and lush. We're staying right pon the riverside and even got to got out in one of the wodden canoes the local peeps use to travel the river. That one was for my Dad....canoeing in Ghana! So blessed. We tried to take this amazing ferry ride today further up the river, but becasue of Ghana's World Cup match today the ferry's not going!! Hahaha.....we wanted to watch the match anyways....Ghana's gonna KICK Austrailia and qualify for round 2!!!
Love you and miss you all.....Ghana is amazing....we should all come back here together! Bless.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Mama Africa
Ok folks.....two weeks in and this is my first time I'm jumping on a computer for an extended amount of time. Where to begin? Um, yeah....I'm LOVING it here!!! Slow paced life, beautiful scenery, beautiful people....nice vibes.
I arrived here on Tuesday the 3rd and (as my intuitive self told myself) there wasn't actually anyone there to meet me at the airport. In all the hubbub of my visa fiasco before I left there was a breakdown of communication between myself and the organization. No worries though...one of the airport security people helped me out and I was retrieved by the organization's secretary and put straight on a bus to the town of Cape Coast where I was then met by our fabulous house hostess, Lucy, and taken to Elmina. Elmina is a colonial fishing town that boasts one of largest slave castles right on the waterfront. The town itself is pretty rough around the edges and the residents are surprisingly fascinated by us walking through town even though this is one of the major tourist destinations in Ghana. So, that being said, Elmina so far isn't my favorite spot to cruise around in and instead I've been spending more time in the neighboring town of Cape Coast. For some reason the energy over here in Cape Coast seems a little more friendly and I don't feel quite as much as a source of facination as in Elmina.
Ghana is definitely a poor country, but the people are overwhelmingly friendly and seemingly happy. Common sights when walking around include goats, pigs, chickens, sheep, and children roaming the streets freely (true "free-range"). Women carrying their babies on their ba ck strapped tight with intricately patterned cloth. Women and children carrying immense loads in silver tubs on top of their heads.
This past weekend I linked with Paapa Wasik's crew (my reggae family in Ghana) and I spent time butted up against the Kakum national forest. Totally beautiful and lush out there. Felt like a rain forest. We hiked some of the trail behind Paapa's Mommi's house (where we stayed), ate fresh picked sugarcane and amazingly yummy ital food prepared by my personal chef and escort Kenya, visited the water treatment facility that happened to be close, and generally enjoyed the scenery. I'm definitely blessed to have some friendly connection here because I'm being treated to some "off the beaten path" types of locations and vibes. Definitely not getting harrassed as a white woman roaming around with two rasta escorts. :)
And now onto clinic work -- right now there are three of us volunteers visiting, but I will be staying the longest. One volunteer is an MD completing his residency in Manhattan and the other is a first year medical student who is Ghanaian born, but raised in the US (and very shy to his own country and to life in general it seems - he's young, but still.....gotta get out and experience life!) So...of course my intention was all about the pregnancy and babies, but so far that's actually not been the most exciting work there at the clinic. I've been sitting in on a bunch of antenatal (prenatal) exams, but since I don't speak Fante or Twi there's only so much that I'm getting out of it. Interestingly enough woking with this visiting MD has been great and I've already learned a lot from him since he is currently the only licensed MD that the clinic has right now (and he's leaving in a week!). We've seen LOTS of cases of malaria in childeren, some typhois, dehydration, upper respiratory infections...pretty much anything you can think of. On Monday we did "home visits" into the town of Elmina and spotted some kids that were in a really bad way...we had them come into the clinic and despite my personal thoughts on paying for treatment in a country where people just can't afford it, the MD and the medical assistant actually paid for the entire course of treatment to save the child's life. I personally was skeptical that the child would actually make it, but in the end we pumped him full of fluids, shipped him off to the Cape Coast Hospital and went to visit him the next day after he had received some blood, quinine, more fluids....and he acutally made it. So, I learned some lessons there about what people are able to recover from given treatment, but I'm still torn about the circumstance of this MD and medical student paying for the treatment. We definitely have big differences in opinon and in being sensitive to what people are acutally capable of as far as paying for treatments in this country (yep...Modeling and Role Modeling in Africa), but these guys are only here for a few weeks and it was their choice to proceed as they did. Of course...as I predicted...more kids came in today that needed treatement beyond the means of the parents and of course...the parents left without receiving the treatment the MD wanted to give them. He can't understand it and even put a lot of blame on these parents as being bad parents, but I just cannot accept that view - every parent wants what's best for their child, but in this country you have to pay up front or you're not getting crap from medical land.
Ok....a little more on the clinic work. On Wed. I went with the public health nurses and did community outreach. It consisted of weighing and immunizing kids and I was impressed and pleased to see that they have this program in place and that so many mothers were so on top of bringing thier kids in to be checked. I'm definitely planning to head back out with them again this coming week.
So, that's the first update I can give. I'm really enjoying myself. All apprehension went out the window and I'm feeling full and welcome and loved by Ghana. More love, more stregth, more positivity! Bless.
I arrived here on Tuesday the 3rd and (as my intuitive self told myself) there wasn't actually anyone there to meet me at the airport. In all the hubbub of my visa fiasco before I left there was a breakdown of communication between myself and the organization. No worries though...one of the airport security people helped me out and I was retrieved by the organization's secretary and put straight on a bus to the town of Cape Coast where I was then met by our fabulous house hostess, Lucy, and taken to Elmina. Elmina is a colonial fishing town that boasts one of largest slave castles right on the waterfront. The town itself is pretty rough around the edges and the residents are surprisingly fascinated by us walking through town even though this is one of the major tourist destinations in Ghana. So, that being said, Elmina so far isn't my favorite spot to cruise around in and instead I've been spending more time in the neighboring town of Cape Coast. For some reason the energy over here in Cape Coast seems a little more friendly and I don't feel quite as much as a source of facination as in Elmina.
Ghana is definitely a poor country, but the people are overwhelmingly friendly and seemingly happy. Common sights when walking around include goats, pigs, chickens, sheep, and children roaming the streets freely (true "free-range"). Women carrying their babies on their ba ck strapped tight with intricately patterned cloth. Women and children carrying immense loads in silver tubs on top of their heads.
This past weekend I linked with Paapa Wasik's crew (my reggae family in Ghana) and I spent time butted up against the Kakum national forest. Totally beautiful and lush out there. Felt like a rain forest. We hiked some of the trail behind Paapa's Mommi's house (where we stayed), ate fresh picked sugarcane and amazingly yummy ital food prepared by my personal chef and escort Kenya, visited the water treatment facility that happened to be close, and generally enjoyed the scenery. I'm definitely blessed to have some friendly connection here because I'm being treated to some "off the beaten path" types of locations and vibes. Definitely not getting harrassed as a white woman roaming around with two rasta escorts. :)
And now onto clinic work -- right now there are three of us volunteers visiting, but I will be staying the longest. One volunteer is an MD completing his residency in Manhattan and the other is a first year medical student who is Ghanaian born, but raised in the US (and very shy to his own country and to life in general it seems - he's young, but still.....gotta get out and experience life!) So...of course my intention was all about the pregnancy and babies, but so far that's actually not been the most exciting work there at the clinic. I've been sitting in on a bunch of antenatal (prenatal) exams, but since I don't speak Fante or Twi there's only so much that I'm getting out of it. Interestingly enough woking with this visiting MD has been great and I've already learned a lot from him since he is currently the only licensed MD that the clinic has right now (and he's leaving in a week!). We've seen LOTS of cases of malaria in childeren, some typhois, dehydration, upper respiratory infections...pretty much anything you can think of. On Monday we did "home visits" into the town of Elmina and spotted some kids that were in a really bad way...we had them come into the clinic and despite my personal thoughts on paying for treatment in a country where people just can't afford it, the MD and the medical assistant actually paid for the entire course of treatment to save the child's life. I personally was skeptical that the child would actually make it, but in the end we pumped him full of fluids, shipped him off to the Cape Coast Hospital and went to visit him the next day after he had received some blood, quinine, more fluids....and he acutally made it. So, I learned some lessons there about what people are able to recover from given treatment, but I'm still torn about the circumstance of this MD and medical student paying for the treatment. We definitely have big differences in opinon and in being sensitive to what people are acutally capable of as far as paying for treatments in this country (yep...Modeling and Role Modeling in Africa), but these guys are only here for a few weeks and it was their choice to proceed as they did. Of course...as I predicted...more kids came in today that needed treatement beyond the means of the parents and of course...the parents left without receiving the treatment the MD wanted to give them. He can't understand it and even put a lot of blame on these parents as being bad parents, but I just cannot accept that view - every parent wants what's best for their child, but in this country you have to pay up front or you're not getting crap from medical land.
Ok....a little more on the clinic work. On Wed. I went with the public health nurses and did community outreach. It consisted of weighing and immunizing kids and I was impressed and pleased to see that they have this program in place and that so many mothers were so on top of bringing thier kids in to be checked. I'm definitely planning to head back out with them again this coming week.
So, that's the first update I can give. I'm really enjoying myself. All apprehension went out the window and I'm feeling full and welcome and loved by Ghana. More love, more stregth, more positivity! Bless.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Dubai-erific
After 15 hours in the air I made it safely to Dubai (which for those who don't know is just north of Saudi Arabia in the United Arab Emirates). At first it seemed really odd to overshoot my destination and come here, but the route they took went up and over Greenland and then descended south towards Dubai. What can I say? The flight was fairly uneventful. Years of traveling to Israel has seasoned me to long flights so 15 hours seemed to go by pretty quickly. I watched The Informant (it was ok) and The Blind Side (tear-jerker good), ate some, slept some, admired all the women's head scarves, slept some more....and here I am. Emirates Air scored pointed by putting me up in a hotel for my 12 hr layover AND feeding me too. Definitely helps to break up the trip and now I have another 8 hour flight tomorrow before I hit Accra!
I'm definitely feeling apprehensive about the nursing side of this trip. Everyone keeps telling me the I'll be fine, but in reality I'm super nervous!!!! Three semesters deep in to nursing school and I'm still questioning my skills. I guess that's why I'm going to Ghana though....
Love you all and will update more when I can!
I'm definitely feeling apprehensive about the nursing side of this trip. Everyone keeps telling me the I'll be fine, but in reality I'm super nervous!!!! Three semesters deep in to nursing school and I'm still questioning my skills. I guess that's why I'm going to Ghana though....
Love you all and will update more when I can!
Monday, May 31, 2010
On my way.....
Well folks. The time is really here. I was driven down to SF by the fabulous Ms. Faith in the fabulous Infinity. Hit up REI for last minute things like a mosquito net and quick drying towels (and cool socks too!) , did some Indian food, and spent a mellow evening in Oakland. Breakfast this morning and I shuttled it to the airport!
Luckily there wasn't any hassle with my bags on this end. Could be another story on the receiving end, but we'll see how it goes. Currently I'm sitting at my gate waiting to get on the plane!!
I can still barely believe that I'm embarking on this journey alone, but something greater than myself seems to be propelling me forward. I feel incredibly blessed by the love and support my community has bestowed on me and I'm looking forward to linking with a new community on the other side of the world! Crazy!!!!!!! (wait, that's me....I'm the crazy one!)
I'll miss you all until July!!! MWAH!
Luckily there wasn't any hassle with my bags on this end. Could be another story on the receiving end, but we'll see how it goes. Currently I'm sitting at my gate waiting to get on the plane!!
I can still barely believe that I'm embarking on this journey alone, but something greater than myself seems to be propelling me forward. I feel incredibly blessed by the love and support my community has bestowed on me and I'm looking forward to linking with a new community on the other side of the world! Crazy!!!!!!! (wait, that's me....I'm the crazy one!)
I'll miss you all until July!!! MWAH!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Two days left!!!!! I can't believe that I'm actually about to be traveling to Africa!! Alone. Yeah, I must be crazy.
As I get myself ready I'm met with feelings of excitement, fear, anticipation, vulnerability....you name it. I don't know what to expect and I have minimal expectations. I am going with an open heart and mind and I'm sure it will be just one of my many amazing life adventures.
I managed to collect over 80 pounds of medical supplies (thank you Eureka Home Infusion) and I have stickers, bouncy balls, balloons, crayons, etc. for the kiddos. I know I will be overwhelmed upon arrival, but I am trying to prepare myself as best I can.
Last night I hosted a going away party/45 shoot out at my house. What's a 45 shoot out you say? Well, it's a DJ battle....on turntables...with vinyl. And the theory is that these sounds (groups of DJs) come to "kill" each other with their records. Musical murder....and all for fun. I pit One Wise Sound vs. TCH sound for Humboldt's 1st 45 shoot out and TCH won!!!! They definitely had crowd bias working in their favor, but it was a great time had by all. :) More clash mi seh!!!! and hopefully if I bring more in the future crowd bias will dissipate.
As I get myself ready I'm met with feelings of excitement, fear, anticipation, vulnerability....you name it. I don't know what to expect and I have minimal expectations. I am going with an open heart and mind and I'm sure it will be just one of my many amazing life adventures.
I managed to collect over 80 pounds of medical supplies (thank you Eureka Home Infusion) and I have stickers, bouncy balls, balloons, crayons, etc. for the kiddos. I know I will be overwhelmed upon arrival, but I am trying to prepare myself as best I can.
Last night I hosted a going away party/45 shoot out at my house. What's a 45 shoot out you say? Well, it's a DJ battle....on turntables...with vinyl. And the theory is that these sounds (groups of DJs) come to "kill" each other with their records. Musical murder....and all for fun. I pit One Wise Sound vs. TCH sound for Humboldt's 1st 45 shoot out and TCH won!!!! They definitely had crowd bias working in their favor, but it was a great time had by all. :) More clash mi seh!!!! and hopefully if I bring more in the future crowd bias will dissipate.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Hip-Hop for Haiti was a total success!!!!! Humbrews was rockin' and about 300 people showed up to support the cause. Music started round 10 with J the Sarge representing the One Wise Sound on the turntables...segued into VJ Itchy Fingaz playing some of the finest old school hip-hop jams (thanks for Mos Def Ms. Fat Booty!!)Honest Truth with Area Sound came on around 10:45 and surprised the crowd with a special guest and a special spoken word poem written about Haiti specifically for this event. It was great and set the mood for a magical night for sure. Honest Truth rocked the stage for about 45 minutes ranging from 3 mc vocalists, to a saxophonist, to Lauren playing melodica and even some hip-hop dance moves.
Following their set, the dancefloor made room for the Beat Vixens Hip-Hop Dance Crew to heat up the place (even more). Five hot women, beats the like of "Push It", and dance moves to make you sweat..... :) Yowza!! But wait there's more! Humboldt Rockers came out with a group of 10 (or
so) and stepped it up!!! Flips, jumps, spins, coordinated routines....the works!!!B. Swizzlo's Hip-Hop Lounge took the stage around midnight and sweetened the crowd with their live renditions of hip-hop's greatest hits. J the Sarge did something different with his solo live set....and flowed into Medusa KILLIN' it with her slick rhymes and powerful energy.
In addition to the amazing line-up, Forget-Me-Not Photo Booth came and set up, and we also facilitated a fabulous drawing for wonderful local prizes!
Final report for the night was that everyone had a great time -- musicians and patrons alike.....AND......we raised over $1700 for Partners In Health!!! I'm so stoked on what we (I) was able to accomplish within my local community.
BIG THANKS goes out to everyone who donated time, energy, or physical donations to help make this event a reality -- J the Sarge, Students for Global Health, all the local businesses who contributed to the drawing, HUMBREWS for being so easy to work with, all the amazing musicians and artists who came out to perform, and of course....the crowd!!!
Medusa and I post show and Money Shots!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
New Car!
After rocking the ghetto rides for years, today I graduated to something bigger and better. Meet ___________. Hmmmm.....what will I name her?! She's a beast. :)
And for those inquiring minds....it's a '99 Oldsmobile Bravada.....yeah, you heard me Olds-mo-bile ya'll. 'Cause that's how I'm about to roll. Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Yeah, even I'm laughing at myself over this one. :) Here's to the next couple of years!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Farm Pictures
Ina May Gaskin and Myself
The road leading up to the house I stayed at
Signs of spring!
Erica my roommate for the week with our dollies...Sarah's was amazingly life-like and weighted
Ina May's Safe Motherhood Quilt project honoring women who died of causes related to childbirth.Here's a square that I created after coming home:
The Farm
Ok folks....I'm already proving to be a bad blogger, but here's an update anyways. AND....since I had to write something up for one of my classes about the experience...that's all I'm doing. Here's a copy of what I had to write for the class. If you REALLY have more specific questions about my Farm experience, hit me up and I'll see what I can do.
3.7-13.10 The Farm, TN c Ina May Gaskin, CPM, Pamela Hunt, CPM, Stacie Hunt, CPM,
Carol Nelson, CPM, Joanne Santana, CPM
Ok, now on to The Farm. I flew from Arcata to Nashville and was picked up and driven the final hour ½ to The Farm. I was housed in one of the grand mansions of The Farm which used to house up to 50 people back in its hay day. In brief, The Farm is a community created in the 70’s by a group of people following the teachings of Steven Gaskin – a former professor at San Francisco State. In 1966 he started holding “Monday Night Class” which grew to crowds of over 1500 people each class. He decided to go on a speaking tour around the country and many people purchased busses and vans to follow Steven as he spoke. Naturally, with so many people following, babies were born on this caravan. Since Steven had served in Korea and knew a little medicine, he was considered the highest authority on medicine in their group and subsequently his wife Ina May began attending births as well. With her friends, Ina May and a few other women became midwives out of necessity, but then studied on to become some of the world’s most knowledgeable women about childbirth. When they settled down to create a permanent community in Tennessee, it just so happened that they were also situated near a large Amish community – with a long history of homebirth. They befriended a few doctors in the area and for the most part were able to deliver nearly all the babies at home on The Farm. People even traveled from far away to birth their babies on The Farm – in fact, people are STILL traveling from across the world to be in the hands of these midwives. They have multiple birthing houses set up to accommodate the mother, her family, or whoever needs to be there to make their birth a smooth, peaceful process. And since these midwives are still out there, people like me get to go utilize them as resources as well!
I attended a six day intensive Midwife Assistant Workshop. Basically it was an overview of all things relating to childbirth in a short amount of time. Most women in attendance were currently practicing as doulas, but there were other women who were simply getting their feet wet with the midwifery practice. I fell somewhere in the middle – coming from a nursing school background added extra information to the group and I had a few moments where I thought “aha! I really AM learning things in nursing school!” Hahaha (that’s a joke of course). Overall it was a great experience and simply being in the presence of Ina May and her colleagues was special and inspirational to my future nursing practice.
I will now attempt to answer the questions associated with this clinical rotation while also giving over what I feel that I learned from my experience on The Farm.
Classes I attended included:
• History of The Farm
• What is expected of a midwife assistant
• Sterile technique, packing instruments
• Introduction to midwifery assistant skills; BP, P, FHT
• Introduction to anatomy and physiology of female reproduction, labor, birth and postpartum
• Helping the breast-feeding mother; latch on problems and solutions for engorgement sore nipple
• Bloodborne pathogens
• Charting, record keeping, medical terminology
• Baby’s position, station, engagement, dilation checks
• Oxygen set up and use
• The midwife assistant’s role in postpartum care of the mother
• Midwife assistant’s postpartum care and assessment of the newborn
• Prenatal testing of iron and urine
1. How did you incorporate the five aims of intervention?
During this workshop I did not deal directly with any clients. We had one pregnant volunteer allow us to measure her fundus and palpate the position of her baby, but that was the only direct client contact. During our course on what is expected of a midwife assistant and throughout many other classes we discussed the importance of working with the laboring mother and her family to make the birth as easy as possible. Things like respecting the mother’s space, desired lighting, sounds, foods, beverages, and smells during labor mirrored many of Modeling and Role Modeling’s core philosophies regarding promoting client control and strengths, promoting positive orientation, and building trust between the client and care provider. In these circumstances setting mutual goals would most likely focus on what’s best for the health of the mother and child and whether or not transporting to a hospital was necessary.
2. What impact did you have on the client(s)/family?
Since I did not deal directly with clients during this workshop I can’t say that I had any impact on them or their families. We did lots of role playing in our classes which included breast feeding tip, post natal and cord care directly following deliver, and dilation and station checks (on models).
3. Interventions performed:
The only interventions performed directly on a client was to measure fundal height during pregnancy (our mother was about 32 weeks along), and to check the position of her fetus (baby’s head was down, but not engaged). During our classes we used models to simulate cleaning the mother prior to birth, checking dilation and station, baby’s position and engagement, different breastfeeding techniques, postpartum cord care, and postpartum assessment of the newborn. We also learned multiple techniques on how to sterilize instruments, how to set up and use oxygen for different circumstances, and how to do prenatal testing of iron and urine.
4. Discuss what you learned about yourself as a communicator and care provider as well as your role and functions in the agency.
Looking at this trip from a communication standpoint, I learned (or continued to learn) that I have a strong voice and I have the ability to affect change in whatever direction I set my work to. No matter the situation I tend to slip into a role of leadership and I’m learning that embracing this can be a good thing if my intentions are set right and on positive goals. The desire to advocate for womens issues feels inherent within me and meeting Ina May and hearing about her Safe Motherhood Quilt was completely inspiring. She has been speaking up about underreported maternal mortality cases in the US for years and recently there has been more attention shown on this subject than ever before. To me it’s inspiring to see one woman’s voice be heard at such a large level and, though I haven’t found my passion project, I feel that someday I too will help affect change at the level that Ina May has been able to.
As a care provider I learned that there are many routes to becoming a midwife. When these women started practicing none of them had licenses…and no one really seemed to care as long as the care they provided was high level. Eventually they became instrumental in creating the Certified Professional Midwife certificate – which has multiple routes to receiving it. People can attend an accredited program through a Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) school, apply through a Portfolio Evaluation Practice (PEP) program, or become a Certified Nurse Midwife/Certified Midwife before applying for the CPM. Oh course, in addition to a skills exam and extensive clinical expectation prior to application, accreditation is different depending on which state you plan to practice in. Some states allow CPMs to practice, some states don’t allow homebirth at all, and some states allow CPMs and CNMs to practice. So it gave me a lot to think about as far as my future practice goes. In the end I think that I’m going to continue on the route to becoming a CNM since New York is one of the states that doesn’t allow CPMs to practice and that’s where I intend to go after here. I also feel that although it might be harder to start up a homebirth practice as a CNM, I am myself, and I will make it happen if that’s what I want to do. Additionally, if I end up practicing in a hospital as a midwife I feel that those women need good caring midwives too!
5. Describe the positive and challenging aspects of this experience. Upon reflection how might you have approached a treatment or client differently?
Positive aspects of this experience included being able to interact with world renowned yet down to earth midwives, having hands-on examples to work with, and the intimacy of the course (there were only 15 students). I was hoping to increase my knowledge base by attending this workshop and I certainly did. I brought home many handouts and other resources compiled by the midwives there that I feel I will use in the future as well.
Challenging aspects of this experience included the physical travel required to attend the workshop, but once there the experience was pleasant and it was relaxing to be in rural Tennessee. Since I did not provide much treatment while at The Farm it’s hard to reflect upon how I would do it differently, but in general I was happy to have made the journey and to have tried something different.
6. How has your worldview been affected by this experience?
Well, again, meeting and interacting with Ina May and Pamela Hunt and Stacie Hunt was a really special experience unto itself. They’re all still actively practicing midwifery and I was definitely inspired to continue on my chosen path into this profession as well. I always find it interesting to meet new people and hear them say that they can see me doing big things in my life, or that I seem very familiar, or that I remind them of someone very specific – which all happened there on The Farm. Maybe I am familiar to everyone and that’s how I will affect change on the world for the betterment of women’s health.
I feel inspired after attending this workshop and I know that I need to continue to speak up and become a stronger advocate for many of the things these women are advocating for because they won’t be around forever. I agree with them that birth has become too medicalized and that women have an inherent ability to birth their children because that’s what we’re biologically made for. Of course I understand that there is a place and a time for medical intervention, but I feel even more strongly the need to enter into this profession for the sake of the women who don’t want and don’t need medical interventions.
My goal of adding to my knowledge base was met and I look forward to applying this experience to my nursing practice and to my upcoming trip to Ghana this summer.
3.7-13.10 The Farm, TN c Ina May Gaskin, CPM, Pamela Hunt, CPM, Stacie Hunt, CPM,
Carol Nelson, CPM, Joanne Santana, CPM
Ok, now on to The Farm. I flew from Arcata to Nashville and was picked up and driven the final hour ½ to The Farm. I was housed in one of the grand mansions of The Farm which used to house up to 50 people back in its hay day. In brief, The Farm is a community created in the 70’s by a group of people following the teachings of Steven Gaskin – a former professor at San Francisco State. In 1966 he started holding “Monday Night Class” which grew to crowds of over 1500 people each class. He decided to go on a speaking tour around the country and many people purchased busses and vans to follow Steven as he spoke. Naturally, with so many people following, babies were born on this caravan. Since Steven had served in Korea and knew a little medicine, he was considered the highest authority on medicine in their group and subsequently his wife Ina May began attending births as well. With her friends, Ina May and a few other women became midwives out of necessity, but then studied on to become some of the world’s most knowledgeable women about childbirth. When they settled down to create a permanent community in Tennessee, it just so happened that they were also situated near a large Amish community – with a long history of homebirth. They befriended a few doctors in the area and for the most part were able to deliver nearly all the babies at home on The Farm. People even traveled from far away to birth their babies on The Farm – in fact, people are STILL traveling from across the world to be in the hands of these midwives. They have multiple birthing houses set up to accommodate the mother, her family, or whoever needs to be there to make their birth a smooth, peaceful process. And since these midwives are still out there, people like me get to go utilize them as resources as well!
I attended a six day intensive Midwife Assistant Workshop. Basically it was an overview of all things relating to childbirth in a short amount of time. Most women in attendance were currently practicing as doulas, but there were other women who were simply getting their feet wet with the midwifery practice. I fell somewhere in the middle – coming from a nursing school background added extra information to the group and I had a few moments where I thought “aha! I really AM learning things in nursing school!” Hahaha (that’s a joke of course). Overall it was a great experience and simply being in the presence of Ina May and her colleagues was special and inspirational to my future nursing practice.
I will now attempt to answer the questions associated with this clinical rotation while also giving over what I feel that I learned from my experience on The Farm.
Classes I attended included:
• History of The Farm
• What is expected of a midwife assistant
• Sterile technique, packing instruments
• Introduction to midwifery assistant skills; BP, P, FHT
• Introduction to anatomy and physiology of female reproduction, labor, birth and postpartum
• Helping the breast-feeding mother; latch on problems and solutions for engorgement sore nipple
• Bloodborne pathogens
• Charting, record keeping, medical terminology
• Baby’s position, station, engagement, dilation checks
• Oxygen set up and use
• The midwife assistant’s role in postpartum care of the mother
• Midwife assistant’s postpartum care and assessment of the newborn
• Prenatal testing of iron and urine
1. How did you incorporate the five aims of intervention?
During this workshop I did not deal directly with any clients. We had one pregnant volunteer allow us to measure her fundus and palpate the position of her baby, but that was the only direct client contact. During our course on what is expected of a midwife assistant and throughout many other classes we discussed the importance of working with the laboring mother and her family to make the birth as easy as possible. Things like respecting the mother’s space, desired lighting, sounds, foods, beverages, and smells during labor mirrored many of Modeling and Role Modeling’s core philosophies regarding promoting client control and strengths, promoting positive orientation, and building trust between the client and care provider. In these circumstances setting mutual goals would most likely focus on what’s best for the health of the mother and child and whether or not transporting to a hospital was necessary.
2. What impact did you have on the client(s)/family?
Since I did not deal directly with clients during this workshop I can’t say that I had any impact on them or their families. We did lots of role playing in our classes which included breast feeding tip, post natal and cord care directly following deliver, and dilation and station checks (on models).
3. Interventions performed:
The only interventions performed directly on a client was to measure fundal height during pregnancy (our mother was about 32 weeks along), and to check the position of her fetus (baby’s head was down, but not engaged). During our classes we used models to simulate cleaning the mother prior to birth, checking dilation and station, baby’s position and engagement, different breastfeeding techniques, postpartum cord care, and postpartum assessment of the newborn. We also learned multiple techniques on how to sterilize instruments, how to set up and use oxygen for different circumstances, and how to do prenatal testing of iron and urine.
4. Discuss what you learned about yourself as a communicator and care provider as well as your role and functions in the agency.
Looking at this trip from a communication standpoint, I learned (or continued to learn) that I have a strong voice and I have the ability to affect change in whatever direction I set my work to. No matter the situation I tend to slip into a role of leadership and I’m learning that embracing this can be a good thing if my intentions are set right and on positive goals. The desire to advocate for womens issues feels inherent within me and meeting Ina May and hearing about her Safe Motherhood Quilt was completely inspiring. She has been speaking up about underreported maternal mortality cases in the US for years and recently there has been more attention shown on this subject than ever before. To me it’s inspiring to see one woman’s voice be heard at such a large level and, though I haven’t found my passion project, I feel that someday I too will help affect change at the level that Ina May has been able to.
As a care provider I learned that there are many routes to becoming a midwife. When these women started practicing none of them had licenses…and no one really seemed to care as long as the care they provided was high level. Eventually they became instrumental in creating the Certified Professional Midwife certificate – which has multiple routes to receiving it. People can attend an accredited program through a Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) school, apply through a Portfolio Evaluation Practice (PEP) program, or become a Certified Nurse Midwife/Certified Midwife before applying for the CPM. Oh course, in addition to a skills exam and extensive clinical expectation prior to application, accreditation is different depending on which state you plan to practice in. Some states allow CPMs to practice, some states don’t allow homebirth at all, and some states allow CPMs and CNMs to practice. So it gave me a lot to think about as far as my future practice goes. In the end I think that I’m going to continue on the route to becoming a CNM since New York is one of the states that doesn’t allow CPMs to practice and that’s where I intend to go after here. I also feel that although it might be harder to start up a homebirth practice as a CNM, I am myself, and I will make it happen if that’s what I want to do. Additionally, if I end up practicing in a hospital as a midwife I feel that those women need good caring midwives too!
5. Describe the positive and challenging aspects of this experience. Upon reflection how might you have approached a treatment or client differently?
Positive aspects of this experience included being able to interact with world renowned yet down to earth midwives, having hands-on examples to work with, and the intimacy of the course (there were only 15 students). I was hoping to increase my knowledge base by attending this workshop and I certainly did. I brought home many handouts and other resources compiled by the midwives there that I feel I will use in the future as well.
Challenging aspects of this experience included the physical travel required to attend the workshop, but once there the experience was pleasant and it was relaxing to be in rural Tennessee. Since I did not provide much treatment while at The Farm it’s hard to reflect upon how I would do it differently, but in general I was happy to have made the journey and to have tried something different.
6. How has your worldview been affected by this experience?
Well, again, meeting and interacting with Ina May and Pamela Hunt and Stacie Hunt was a really special experience unto itself. They’re all still actively practicing midwifery and I was definitely inspired to continue on my chosen path into this profession as well. I always find it interesting to meet new people and hear them say that they can see me doing big things in my life, or that I seem very familiar, or that I remind them of someone very specific – which all happened there on The Farm. Maybe I am familiar to everyone and that’s how I will affect change on the world for the betterment of women’s health.
I feel inspired after attending this workshop and I know that I need to continue to speak up and become a stronger advocate for many of the things these women are advocating for because they won’t be around forever. I agree with them that birth has become too medicalized and that women have an inherent ability to birth their children because that’s what we’re biologically made for. Of course I understand that there is a place and a time for medical intervention, but I feel even more strongly the need to enter into this profession for the sake of the women who don’t want and don’t need medical interventions.
My goal of adding to my knowledge base was met and I look forward to applying this experience to my nursing practice and to my upcoming trip to Ghana this summer.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
And thus I enter the blogosphere...
Hi people. As I move through my life and get ready to embark on some crucial experiences, I felt like it was time to start a blog. To keep you all informed and updated as I make my journey through nursing school and beyond.
To begin with, I leave for Tennessee on Saturday to attend a 6-day midwife assistant workshop on The Farm. For those not in the know, The Farm is a commune created in the 70s that just so happens to have some of the world's most amazing midwives still practicing and teaching there. On suggestion of my step-mom I decided that it was in my best interest to skip a week of HSU's nursing program -- which is good, but ahem - sorely lacking this semester in my option -- and head out to The Farm for this other experience.
As Saturday comes closer I have some feelings of apprehension about attending this workshop. I intend to make the most of the experience and hope that my desire to hone my skills before my upcoming volunteer trip to Ghana is well rewarded by my choice of missing HSU classes for this other workshop. I'll keep you posted.
To begin with, I leave for Tennessee on Saturday to attend a 6-day midwife assistant workshop on The Farm. For those not in the know, The Farm is a commune created in the 70s that just so happens to have some of the world's most amazing midwives still practicing and teaching there. On suggestion of my step-mom I decided that it was in my best interest to skip a week of HSU's nursing program -- which is good, but ahem - sorely lacking this semester in my option -- and head out to The Farm for this other experience.
As Saturday comes closer I have some feelings of apprehension about attending this workshop. I intend to make the most of the experience and hope that my desire to hone my skills before my upcoming volunteer trip to Ghana is well rewarded by my choice of missing HSU classes for this other workshop. I'll keep you posted.
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