It's been too long...

Well, since I haven't written in a long time I think it's time to catch you up on my time in Ghana. After leaving Kumasi, I went straight to the Volta region with Save the Nation Sight Clinic outreach staff. We had about a 4 hour drive to the town we were working in, Hohoe. The drive was beautiful and for the the most part a smooth ride( I am referring to the roads). We arrived in the afternoon. The place we stayed was called Pacific Guest House. We got our room assignments and checked out them rooms.  They were quite cute. We had what they called a chalet, so we had a sitting room area with a small box tv and a couple chairs, then a decent sized bathroom, and then our room with a king bed. I shared the room with Kamry, a pre-med student from Tennessee. We hit it off very well.  The other volunteers checked out their rooms then we decided we wanted to see the town we were staying in. So we all went for a walk. There were a lot of cute little shops that lined both sides of the lstreet. Food stands, fabric stores, Internet cafe, all the things we needed were on this main road.  Then after a long walked decided we'd seen enough for the day and headed back.  We were told to be ready for breakfast and outreach by 6 am so we were in bed early that night.  The week of outreach went very fast. The first morning we all met in the lobby of the hotel for a quick meeting before hitting the road. We got assigned our teams and then set off. I am assigned to be with James and Regina. James is 26 and a nurse who went to school at the University of Ghana, and Regina is a 23 year old student. Who knew at this moment in time how much I would come to love these two people. So day one of outreach went well. It was a slow day so I had a chance to talk to my team members a lot. After outreach we got back and ate some lunch/ dinner and then went for a three hour walk around town. I bought mama some fabric to make her a blouse and also some to get a bag made for myself. After we got back, we gathered the staff and all played some spoons( but with dice instead). Once they got the hang of this game, they all absolutely loved it. A couple of the guys held about 10 cards in hand while only supposed to have 4, but we let it slide since they were beginners.  When James would reach in for a dice, he often grabbed more than one on accident and we all really got a kick out of this. He's quite a character. Then after we had enough of cards we all hit our beds for some sleep.  Day two of outreach with James and Regina began with some bread and butter for breakfast. This was the first time since being in Ghana that I have had butter on anything! It was a surprise. We were a little delayed this morning because there was a rain storm that we wanted to wait out before leaving. So we all sat in our breakfast area and talked until it cleared up an hour later. We got dropped off at outreach and Chris joined us today. Chris is another volunteer who is a student at a school in Massachusetts. He is an English major. Today was slow because of the rain so we had a nice time chatting. I talked to Chris and James most of the time while working on visual acuity with Chris. We talked a lot about differences in education and jobs between our countries. After outreach we went back for some dinner. Tonight we had jolloff rice(red spicy rice) with some spaghetti noodles. Then I went back to my room and took a two hour nap. After waking up, I went for a walk into town with the other volunteers and while in town we met some other obronis! This means white people. There were three girls from California working with children in the same town we were in.  We met up with them for a drink at a little "spot" aka bar, and chatted for a while before heading back to our hotel.  A plus about today was the shower this morning cooling off the air! There was a nice temperature drop that felt so good.  Day three of outreach was in a church surrounded by schools. There were small school children running around all day, playing outside and peeking through the windows to see the white girl sitting inside. They kept creeping in closer and closer until James would joke around with them and tell them to leave me alone while working. Then when I had a little break I went out by them and played for a little while. I also took some pictures with them. They are all so adorable, shouting obroni and tugging on my hands and arms. They all want to be smiled at and asked their name so once I ask one their name I just prepare myself for them to all shout their names at me, competing with the others to shout louder so I hear them.  After this I had to use the restroom. There aren't usually any around except people's personal toilets, so I had to walk to a neighbors place and asked to use their toilet, and of course they said no problem. I've gotten pretty good at squatting, it feels normal now. So after I thanked him for allowing me to use his bathroom we began chatting. He asked me if I was hungry and I really was! I hadn't eaten since 6 am and it was now about 2 so he offered to go grab me something. I told him anything would do so he went and came back with a sack of crackers and Malta for myself, Regina and James. Malta is made by Guinness and it is a sweet malt beverage. I was not a fan of it but we thanked him for it because it was such a nice gesture. That is how a lot of people are here. They will just bring you small food items just because they want to show their appreciation. After our snack, a mother with an adorable 2 year old little girl came in and she walked right up to me to be held. She was absolutely precious and I held her while her mother was getting her eyes checked. Then we took a picture together(my current profile picture on Facebook) then she had to leave. But she totally made my day. Outreach was now over for the day so we packed up and headed back. We ate some dinner then called it a night. Thursday June 7: Our outreach today was at a tiny little church tucked back in some beautiful mountains.  While waiting for patients to come I sat and read some of my book in the sun. I finally got a little color. Then went back inside and did visual acuity for the patients. While doing this, a huge bug crawled past me. It was a centipede the size of an eye glass case. So gross, but I then attempted to pick it up with a stick and then they told me to quit because it was poisonous. Yuck! After seeing more patients a nice lady brought us a plate with mangos and a knife to eat. Oh, and i can't forget to share that I ate red-red for dinner. It is a combination of beans with gerrie(Parmesan cheese like stuff but tastes different) with a bread roll. It was quite yummy but Regina got me too much so I couldn't finish it.  Then James wanted to make a video with my phone so he did and it is quite funny. I will be making a video when I get home of all my clips and it will definitely be a part. So after this day of work, we went back and I took a nap and slept straight through dinner. Oops. I must have been tired because I never skip meals here! Then when I woke up from my nap I walked to town with Kamry and we went to the Internet cafe for about 30 minutes. After that we went back to the hotel and played more cards with the staff. We've got them really loving card games! Then Carly and I taught James some magic card tricks and he just loved them. Carly and I were laughing so hard I was crying all night. Such a good time. Oh yeah, better introduce Carly! She is a student from canada! She came with another volunteer, Zoe who is also from Canada.  June 8: I woke up this morning for another bread and butter breakfast with tea. I swear I will not eat bread ever again once returning home. It's all I have been eating I feel like. Well other than rice and noodles and some fruit here and there. Anyways, we then left for another outreach. This one we set up under a tree next to a small church. James did his consulting inside though. When I was done with doing e visual acuity of patients James asked me to come join him inside to keep him company and to show me some things with patients. We then went outside by Regina and I was going to give James his bracelet Kamry and I made him out of fabric then she snatched it. Her and James played games all day trying to get the bracelet from each other. Apparently Regina wanted one also! We had also given one to Mohammed. they both loved them and told us they would wear them forever. I also have a matching one to theirs. Then we left to go pick up the other teams and it began raining. At the last stop we got out and ate in the church. A woman who lived nearby had brought (ground up corn and fermented) and some baked fish. The kenkey has a very bitter taste and I do not like it at all and the fish is not what you expect either. It a full fish, head and tail attached and they eat it all but the bones. They also brought us some spicy stew with vegetable. And since I didn't like any of this I skipped lunch for the day and had to wait on dinner. I ate a snack of peanut butter when we got back to hold me over.  I think it's time for me to explain some other staff and their personalities.  James: super funny, very chatty and outgoing, he's got that big smile with dimples where his whole face just lights up when he laughs Regina: more shy, super sweet and loves to give James a hard time  Emmanuel: another super outgoing guy, really smiley and sweet. Him and James joke around a lot with each other. Gloria: very giggly lady who is very talkative with me Then there is Yayra, Martha, Nawal, Mohammed, and Eric who are all shy but still very nice people.  Auntie Theresa: awesome lady who cooks all our meals Karim and frank: our awesome drivers! They are both very sweet guys. Alright: so on the way home after eating the meal given to us, Emmanuel, the one always teasing, says that James is single and ready to mingle and that he wants to marry a white woman. So the entire staff starts laughing and thinks it is just hilarious. Basically they all know that James has this little crush on me like a middle school kid. It's quite cute. So we all laugh and laugh til we can't laugh anymore. Then we get home, chill until dinner then get a good night sleep. Before going any further I want to list some things that stand out to me as interesting:  1) it is normal to see men carrying shotguns over their shoulder just walking alongside the road in villages 2) it is normal to see school children in uniforms throwing around machetes cutting grass 3) it is normal for a woman to whip her boob anywhere to feed her baby. And I mean anywhere! While getting her eyes checked my the doctor, boob just hanging free. On a tro tro ride crammed with 15 people, while selling fruit at the market. Anywhere. And no one looks weird at it.  4) it is normal to see charter busses pulled off to the side of the road and the entire bus full of people peeing next to it in the ditch. Women squatting next to the men as they just stand there.  Saturday outreach was a quick one because the staff wanted to get back and watch the Ghana soccer game. So we did our jobs and left around 2 for the hotel. I laid in bed and read my book before falling asleep and sleeping the entire evening and night away. I must have been exhausted after a long week of work. Kamry and I both slept through dinner and woke up around 11 just to find everyone already asleep. So we went back to bed and rested up for our mountain climb and waterfall trip tomorrow. So Sunday was our first day off since being in Hohoe and the staff suggested we climb the tallest mountain in Ghana then go swim at the Wli waterfalls. So that's just what we did. We headed to the mountain first. The staff kept telling us how tough it was and  they were right. It was super hard. So steep we had to use our hands at times to make it up the slope. I don't think my body type is mad for climbing mountains either. It was soo hard going up and the way down was simple for me while the other struggled on the way down. Guess my long legs helped with the steep steps. So after we were all exhausted we drove the waterfall which was close by. W got there, paid, and walked about 20 minutes back to where it was in the mountains. Absolutely beautiful. Being that I have never seen one in real life, I was blown away. Almost literally too. The water crashing down made it super windy once you got close. We were allowed to swim in it so after our hot mountain climb it felt great to jump in and cool off. I took my sweaty clothes off and swam in my swim suit and man did the water feel nice and refreshing. You could only get so close to the waterfall itself because the water would splash into you and would sting your skin almost like sleet in the winter time. The boys had such a fun time here and their young, playful personalities really showed through while swimming. They would have little races in the shallow part and kept wanting to pick us girls up. They were quite hilarious to watch and swim with here. After we had enough we got out, took some photos then headed back to the van. There were some souvenir shops to look at but I didn't want anything but food. We hadn't eaten since 6 am and the mountain climb killed us all making us hungry. So we got back, ate some dinner, then headed to Obama gardens with the staff. All of them came except a few. We all had a drink or two and had a blast dancing to some African music. They taught us the azonto and told us we were doing great even though I already know how I look when I dance! but they were great teachers and encouragers. We then showed them the American way of dancing, also known as grinding. They thought it was hilarious and already knew of it because they have seen it on tv. Eric and James were entertaining dancers. They make it look so easy and sooo good too. I was blown away at their moves. After having an absolute blast here we headed home for some sleep.  It was Monday again so time for more outreaches. We kept the same teams as last week which I was excited about since I have so much fun with James and Regina.  Today started out just like every other outreach then changed very quickly. I was sitting outside with Regina when huge groups of men started marching through the street. They were all carrying machetes and guns and shouting the whole time they walked. Before they got close to our church, people were scrambling to close the windows and doors of the church. At this very moment I didn't know what was going on and my heart sank quickly. I asked James and Regina what was going on and all they said was people weren't happy because someone died. It didn't make much sense to me until after the outreach and someone else explained. So we stayed a while longer at the church before heading back to the hotel. It was a scary drive back. We had to weave in and out of burning piles of peoples belongings in the middle of the street. People were shouting at us to not go further but we had to get back to our hotel where we were for sure safe. So we finally made it back and we all sat in the lobby area and shared our experiences we just had with one another. Carly and Zoe got the worst of it. After hearing enough of what was happening we all went to our room to chill for a while.  We then were told to pack up because we had to leave in the morning. The town was on lockdown from 6 pm to 6 am so we had to wait til morning. We were all so sad about having to leave early from this clinic because they were all our favorite. So tuesday morning rolls around and we are packed up ready to leave until they tell us that the bus going to Accra is full of patients and there is only room for 2 volunteers to go. Carly and Zoe had to go because they changed their flight to leave a week early. So they said their goodbyes and rode back to Accra. This made Kamry and I super happy because we were the two who really did not want to leave!! So we were excited for more time with the staff. So we go on outreach that day and enjoyed our time with the staff. Then in the evening we got a call from Jerome saying we had to leave and go stay in a hotel in the next town over because they wanted us out of Hohoe. We said super quick goodbyes and Kamry and I cried all the way to the next hotel. We couldn't believe that was our goodbye to them. No hugs, just a small wave and we were off. I think that's what made us so sad, the fact that it was so rushed and we didn't get the chance for a proper goodbye. So Kamry put on her sunglasses to hide her eyes and we both just sobbed the entire 25 minute drive. We got to the hotel and visited with the other volunteers for a bit before Frank told us we could go back in the morning to see everyone one last time, and of course Kamry and I start crying again. We were happy to at least get a nice goodbye from everyone. So we go to sleep so the morning comes faster. We wake up early and hit the road for Hohoe then Accra.  We get back to our guest house and sit down for a small breakfast before taking the crew to their outreach spots. I sit down and as soon as James and Emmanuel walk in I tear up again. I knew this was my last time with them. James comes over and sits down by me and gives me a great big hug and asks me why I'm sad. Then Emmanuel walks in a gives Kamry and I a sweet kiss on the forehead. These guys are just so loving towards us it's ridiculous. Then we all pile in the van for our last ride with them and drop them off at their churches, crying a little as we drop each team off. And lastly we drop of James and Regina.  They both squeeze me in a huge hug, tell me they will miss me, then we were off. That was it. These people came into my life so quickly, I grew to love them, and now they are gone and more than likely I'll never see them again. It was hard. Super hard. I never imagined I'd feel so attached to these people. The drive back to Accra was not fun. I didn't feel like chatting so I listened to my music the whole way. When we arrived we stopped at the clinic to see Dr. Baah and then we went and checked into our new hotel. We chilled for a bit before going to a coffee shop for lunch. It was yummy, I had a chicken and egg sandwich with fries. We then went back to the hotel for a bit before eating at Peter pan for dinner, a fast food like place. Then had ice cream. The good food made me not so sad from leaving, but I still was. Then we went back to the hotel for the night because we had to watch surgery in the morning. June 14: We wake up and head to the clinic and get there about 9. We thought we'd be watching surgery all day but turns out we didn't start til 3:30 so we sat in the clinic for several hours. Good thing it has wi-fi so we could get on the Internet. So we then watched a couple hours of surgery, took some photos and then went back to the hotel before dinner with Dr. Baah and family. He picked us up at seven then took us to an amazing Chinese restaurant. It was delicious. We enjoyed our time with him and got to chat a bit. Then went back and went to sleep.   I will write more soon!!!

Catching you up...

Wow, sorry it has been so long since I have posted but I will catch you up quickly on everything I have been doing.  Last week, Monday and Thursday I watched cataract surgeries and pterygium surgery also.  It is awesome to watch these and also see where all of your donated money is going! The people are so happy after surgery. It is an amazing thing to experience.  The other days of the week I spent doing outreaches with the staff.  I love the staff here! There is Dr. Kate, Osay ( the driver), Eric( the guy who calls me his girlfriend), Irene(a nurse) and also Everest (the big helper).  They are all great people and alot of fun to work with.  The outreaches this week were all way far away up in the mountainous jungle areas.  Absolutely beautiful drives! I have taken sooo many  photos and will be uploading them soon.  Then after our long week of work, Matt and I went with Dr. Kate to Mole National Park.  We took a charter bus 6 hours up to Tamale, then had a 5 hour van ride to the park.  The roads here need some serious work! You can only go about 20 mph in order to not rattle your brain out.  They are BUMPY!! So, in Tamale we met up with other volunteers and stayed at their house.  We then left in the morning for Mole.  We finally made it there and checked into the hotel.  Then it was time to go on our safari! It was just like you see on tv. We rode on top of a Jeep and drove around for a good 2 hours looking at animals.  We saw alot of antelop, monkeys, baboons, birds, water bucks, and elephants! There are lions and other big cats at the park but they are not often seen so we were not lucky enough to see them.  But the elephants were enough! We got off the Jeep and followed them on foot for about 30 minutes just watching them.  I got alot of cool pictures of the safari also.  Then, after the safari, we went back to the hotel and ordered dinner.  I  had spaghetti and it was wonderful!! I needed a homey meal.  Then we went to our rooms for the night.  Our room had no AC and minimal electricity.  I ended up taking a bucket shower in the dark. It was definitely an experience.  But it worked. Then the next morning we woke up and headed back to Kumasi.  The safari was so fun!!

I have had some horrendous bath room experiences but you all probably do not want to hear about them.  But last week was a good week! Work about 50 hours total and got a lot done.  I am in Kumasi for another week before I head back to Accra.  Oh, I am getting a traditional Ghanaian skirt and top made this week.  I picked out fabric last week and went to see the tailor.  It should be ready in a couple of days so I am very excited to get it! I love all the colorful dresses and skirts the women wear!

That is all for now, I have been having the time of my life (except I miss toilets sooo much). But other than that, everything is wonderful! No bug bites yet! I will post again this week and put up pictures on facebook as well. Miss you all!!

Hello, I am now writing from Kumasi!! Matt and I arrived here last night after a long bumpy ride from Accra in the middle of a big rainstorm! It was quite an adventure in itself! I added this little map so you all can now see where I am.  Kumasi it still city like, but not so fast paced as Accra.  Our hotel if located about 25 minutes out of town so its kind of in the country and it reminds me more of home.  Our hotel is cute, located in a little village.  There is achurch right next door and they were awfully loud this morning! All the churches I have done work in with the outreaches have a drumset or an African drumset, so you can only imagine how loud it was.  They are very enthusiastic! Matt and I are the only ones in Kumasi right now but more people fly in today and will be arriving in Kumasi tomorrow sometime.  I am scheduled to observe surgery tomorrow so I am very ecited for that! Should be very interesting to see.  

Its crazy that my first week has already gone by.  I was working with Northwestern Eye Center all last week.  I loved all of the staff! There was Seth, who was the driver and also helped at the outreaches by distrubuting the medications and glasses.  He is a young guy, about 27 and very shy!. It took him a little while to open up to me but once I got him to all it look was me grinning at him to make him laugh! He was very fun! Then there was Derek who usually helped with the visual acuity and distribution.  Derek is also a young guy, 24, who was super chatty and outgoing! Always laughed alot with him, he called me ''happy girl''! Another very nice guy and fun to work with.  Then there was Dr. Che who did all the exams.  I was in the room watching him a couple times.  He is very quite and doesnt chat a whole lot.  I didnt get to know him as well as the other two.  

On Thursday, after the outreach I had a chance to go to Corle-Bu Teaching Hospital.  It is the largest hospital in Ghana.  I went there with Seth and Derek.  It was not what I exprected at all.  It was all open air, with lots of patients lined up in rows in beds with no privacy at all.  It was very interesting to see but also gave me the willies a little.  After we left there we went back to the Telecenter and I crashed early that night from a long day! Friday was my last outreach day with the NW team and I was sad! I really enjoyed working with them! 

Oh! And I cannot forget to tell you all about Sherry! Sherry is a woman who I met on Monday at the outreach.  She is a volunteer community coordinator.  She was very welcoming to us and let us use her toilet in her house which was very nice.  Then she wanted my phone number to keep in touch! She calls me about 4 times a day just to say hi and to see how I am doing.  She says she misses me while I am in Kumasi.  On Wednesday, my feet were a little swolled from the heat and being on them so much and she was kind enough to rub my feet down! lol I felt like I was getting a pedicure in the US! It was very funny. She also told me that she would give me her daughter because I am a caring person and would be a good mother! Shes just so sweet! Then there is Kingsley, he is a coordinator for NW Clinic.  He is very nice as well but I did not get to work much with him.  But he calls me a few times a day to see how I am doing and to check up on me! Like I said, all the people here are so loving and love to help in any way! Sherry even offered to do my laundry! But, my time here at the internet cafe is running low, Matt and I are going to find some lunch and grocery store for some water.  

Love, Laura 

First few days..

Hey all, sorry for the slow posting.  The internet in my hotel does not work so well.  So I found an internet cafe today! I took a tro tro, which is like a large van, to a  stop called the Circle where there are lots of markets and a hige internet cafe.  It is quite nice, air conditioning and all!

But let me catch you up...The flights here went smoothly and once we arrived we got picked up by Unite for Sight and they brought us to the hotel.  I then met the other volunteers, got my room assignment, then crashed quickly because I was exhausted.  The next morning I was up and ready to go around 6:30.  And come to find out, my clock was set wrong so it wsa really 4:30 and I had 2 more hours to sleep. haha oopsies.  There have been several things like this happen.  Its fun getting acquainted to everything.  So, I went back to sleep and awoke to a rooster a couple hours later.  Keep in mind that this rooster wakes me up every morning! Nicole and I are wanting to kill this thing.  We swear it is right outside OUR window.  No one elses. But then we ate some breakfast.  Ate a piece of toast with peanut butter on it, drank a pouch of water, then headed out to the first outreach.  We went to a village about 3 hours away from Accra.  It was a nice drive though, interesting to see everything since it was dark when we arrived.  Once we made it to the village, we were introduced to the people and they all cheered for us.  We then set up the stations and got to work.  I was assigned to distributing this day.  So I sat and waiting for the patients to see the doctor then they brought their sheet to me which told me what medication to give them or which eye glasses.  This was a fun job because the people would get huge grins on their face when the glasses helped them see.  They thanked me left and right and it felt good seeing them so happy.  They were sooo appreciative.  They refer to me as obroni, which means white girl.  They all love the fact that someone from the United States came to their country.  Everyone is so welcoming and helpful, sometimes too helpful.  But, one thing that stood out that day was after the outreach we all had to use the bathroom real bad. So, the doctor asked a lady if we could use hers.  So we walk into her house and she points us in a direction.  I go into this room and see a canal in the middle of the room so I figured this was where I was supposed to go, so I did.  Then, the rest of the volunteers go and after the last guy came out he told us all that we peed in the wrong spot and that there was an outhouse in the back.  We all we laughing so hard after he told us we peed in this persons house in the wrong place.  Oopies! Guess we learned quickly to ask for a toilet not just a bathroom.  Then a lady cooked us banku and tilapia.  Banku is like a dough made of cassava and plantains mashed together.  I gave it a try and did not like it at all.  The texture of it was different.  And it was very spicy! They love spicy food here.  Wish I did more but thats okay, looks like Ill be getting used to it.

Saturday we had the day off and so we decided to hit up the huge central market in Accra. We took a taxi here and once we arrived we were quite overwhelmed.  There were people EVERYWHERE! I cant wait to upload pictures so you guys can get an idea of what I mean.  We walked around for a good 2 hours and I bought candy and rolls there.  It was quite an experience.  The people were very friendly and many stopped us to say welcome to Ghana.  They are are such nice happy people.  Another thing I love about here is no one is n any hurry, time is very relaxed and there is never any rush. Its very nice! So after the market we hit up a chop bar for some lunch.  We got chicken and rice, seems like its one of the only things places serve here.  It is my goal to find a supermarket within the next few days so I can buy some basic things.  I really miss American food and its only been 4 days! haha But anyways, then on Sunday we went to Cape Coast and did the canopy walk in the rainforest. This was awesome! I took so many pictures! Then we went to ate  lunch then went to a slave castle.  This was very interesting.  The tour guide explained everything to us and for not liking history much, I really enjoyed learning about the castle.  Then we took the 3 hour ride home from Cape Coast and I had shotgun riding back.  It was nice because I could see so much more! I love the long drives because I can see so much of Ghana.

And holy cow, let me mention how hot it is here! Very hot and very humid! Feels great at night thought when the temperature cools down a little and there is a nice breeze.

Today we went on another outreach and this one was alot closer.  It was only 20 minutes from our hotel so this was a nice change.  We got there and got right to work.  We say 150ish people today.  Another great day.  We were working with a different clinic today so this means new doctors and nurses.  The doctor I worked with most was 24 and soo funny!! He kept saying how they needed me to mix up their gene pool here and that I need to marry someone in Ghana.  Very interesting. Then towards the end of the day several school kids came by us and were teaching us a dance and they loved us.  I gave out my phone number so I know they will be calling soon! haha I think the kids are the best part so far.  They love that we are here in their country.  They are all so friendly and I seem to be getting soo much attention from these youngins! They are quite fun! We got some pictures with them today and I will put them all up ASAP.  I just paid 2 cedis for the internet for an hour, which is like 1 dollar. Very cheap.  But my time is about to run out so I will write again when I get the chance.  Sorry its so brief but I have done so much and have so little time to type is all, and sorry for all the typos too. I know there are alot! But I will post again very soon hopefully.  I love this place and I feel very safe here.  I chose the best place to come visit for my first time abroad! :)

Much love,
Laura

Is this real life?!

So as you all know, I go to EIU.  My study abroad coordinator had mentioned to me that there is a girl in grad school at EIU who is from Ghana, and the exact city I will be spending most of my time in.  She suggested to me that her and I get in contact and meet up to talk a little before I leave.  So that's exactly what happened...


Tonight, we met for dinner and began to talk.  The conversation was easy, she spoke English very well.  We began talking about what I will be doing while over there and I mentioned one of the eye clinics I will be at, Crystal Eye Clinic.  She told me this sounded very familiar and then went on saying that she had been there before.  I started thinking to myself, ok..no big deal, she went for an eye exam when she was younger...  Then she asked me if Dr. Clarke was still running it.  I told her that his name sounded familiar and I looked it up on my phone to clarify...Sure enough he is the main doctor in the area.  She then goes, "That's my uncle.  Dr. Clarke is my mom's oldest brother."  We then take a photo together, and she sends it to her cousin who is also from Ghana but is studying in NY.  She told her cousin that she is at dinner with a girl(me) who will be working along side her father back in Ghana. Her cousin sends her father the photo of us and explains whats going on.  I cannot wait to meet Dr. Clarke.  


At that very moment, I was thinking, this cannot be real.  What are the chances that of the 24 million people in Ghana, and the select doctors I will be with, I know one of their nieces, and just had dinner with her on our school's campus.  I will be working with her uncle in Ghana in less than a week.  How crazy.  Once we found out this connection, I felt as though we were destined to meet.  We talked and talked for a good 3 hours after.  Any worries, doubts, and questions I had, she answered them and reassured me.  She told me the things I HAVE to do while there, and she also told me what I need to stay clear of.  Having this happen to me tonight made me feel like this is what I am meant to do.  I am meant to spend my summer in Ghana helping those who need it.  Such a small world. This really makes me realize that the people God puts in my life are all there for a reason.  An absolutely amazing feeling. 


With this story shared, it's time to go get some more packing done since I leave so soon! I am getting very anxious. Beyond ready for the experience :)

Preparing to leave...

As I sign the official papers with my intern coordinator and Unite for Sight stating that I will be traveling and interning abroad this summer my heart starts to race and questions start running through my mind.  Since this is my first time, I, of course have no clue what to expect.  I had a lot of required training to complete but even that will not prepare me for the experience I am about to have.  As the days go by and my departure date nears, I become more excited, nervous, and anxious.  This is an opportunity most people will never even have the chance to take, an opportunity to share my knowledge and talents with underprivileged around the world.  I happen to be one of those "lucky ones", at least that's what I consider myself.  I am blessed to have this opportunity to teach, learn, and grow.

As I sit here thinking about how I will be away from my close-knit family and supportive friends for two months it seems like such a long time, when in reality, it's not at all.  When I first got accepted into the program back in January, May seemed so far away.  But looking back, these past few months have flown by.  That's how it always works.  My two months in Ghana will be up before I know it.  


At this point in time, I am very excited to start packing and getting all my things organized and ready for a 23 hour travel period.  I am excited that I will be traveling with a buddy, excited to explore Amsterdam during my 8 hour lay-over, and excited that May 9th is approaching so quickly.  I'm sure that as these next couple weeks go by, my feelings will change and I will have tons more to write about.  Stay tuned! :)

A Special Thanks

I wanted to take this time to thank each and every one of you that have made this opportunity possible.  Without your support and generous donations I would not even be able to be a part of this wonderful program.  So in return, I am going to keep this blog for those of you interested in following me throughout this journey.  I will be writing posts as often as possible to keep you all up to date on where I am and what I am doing/ feeling.  I will also try to post as many pictures as possible for you all to enjoy.  Feel free to comment back on anything, I would love to hear from you all as I am abroad.  Thanks again!

Love, 

Laura