Goodbye Ghana

        I can't believe how fast time has flown by! I am still so in shock everyday that I have lived here for a month and a half. It's weird how normal things have become. This is life now. This is what I know.

        It's 100% normal for us to go to the fruit stands and get pineapple and fruit every single day and never get sick of it. It's normal for us all to know each other's health. Whether someone is constipated or has diarrhea, everyone knows. It's normal to be celebrities everywhere we go, especially to little kids who get sooo excited when an Obruni says hi to them. It's normal for people to touch our arms or pinch us when we walk around just because we are white. It's normal to buy things out the window while driving and to walk to the store across the street from where we live anytime we want. It's normal to eat ice-cream everyday, but also to expect to eat a whole lot of rice everyday too. It's normal to wake up sweating, and to return home at night, still sweating. It's normal to never do my hair or makeup. It's normal to take a cold shower with only a few trickles coming out, or even to shower from a bucket. It's normal to hand wash my clothes every night and hang them to dry but it's even more normal to have none of our clothes smell good at all because they don't dry so well. It's normal to come downstairs and find that breakfast is cold toast and hot chocolate...like always, with an occasional oatmeal day. It's normal to not have wifi, power, or running water all the time.

This was one bathroom that was way out in the open that we
Used. You just stand over by the right side corner and
hope nobody watches you.

It's normal to go to the bathroom just about anywhere. I think we have used every toilet or bathroom facility ever invented by now and it's always a group effort to decide how we use it. It's normal to finish every handshake with a snap and it's normal to say medasi instead of thank you. It's normal to get hissed at and to see men and sometimes even women going to the bathroom on the side of the road. The crazy driving, strange smells, and long car rides have become normal as well. Eating things with our hands or out of a bag is normal and it's normal to only drink water from a bag. It's normal to see everyone carrying things on their heads, even very small children. It's normal to spend an average of 2 dollars a day on food and snacks. Sleeping with a bug net and seeing goats and chickens everywhere is normal. I could go on a on, but to some it up, all the things that have become normal, are things I would have never thought would be normal anytime in my life. I love Ghana so much. I love how comfortable I feel here and that I can call the Telecenter home(the Telecenter is the place we live which is like a giant guest house pretty much). It's such an adventure being here and I am grateful for all the good and bad times! We have created so many memories that I know I will never forget. If anyone has the chance to go to Africa for a few weeks, I would strongly recommend it.
        I've really learned that stuff really is just stuff and that it is important to take notice of all the little things we are blessed with. Whether it's air condition, running water, hot water, water pressure, wifi, soap, toilets, washing machines, consistent power, clean houses etc.. The list goes on! I have really felt Gods love for me and His love for all his children while I have been here and I am so grateful for that. During hard days I felt God send me little messages my way telling me He knows me. I know I needed to come to Africa at this time and I feel so externally grateful that I was able to. I am thankful again for all those people who helped me out and donated to my trip so that I can be here learning and serving Gods children. Although the past 6 weeks have been incredible and I know I will miss all the wonderful people and experiences, I can definitely say I am excited to board my flight back to the United States in a few hours. I know it's time to go and that's okay. I can't wait to be back with family and friends and of course my wonderful fiancé who has been so helpful while I have been here as well. Goodbye Ghana. Africa will forever have a place in my heart.

About a week ago I met these cute kids and gave them balls to play with. Today I found them again, still playing with the balls. They were scared of us white people at first but I think we are best friends now :)

Just all using the "washroom" together, aka, urinating on some tile flooring. It's always an adventure when we have to go to the bathroom

This is the last friend I played with before getting in the van for the last time after our last day of outreach.

She wanted to come with us too. 

I may have shared this already but this is literally our breakfast every single day. 

I have never seen so many mango trees in my life. Actually, before this trip I don't know if I have ever really seen a mango tree. 

Helping Samuel with Surgery

        Well I have one day of outreach left I just finished my last day at the clinic!! It has been a pretty fun last few weeks so that is good. I have tried to make the best of everyday, even the long hot rough days, so it has been good!

How outreach works:
        Each day we go to a different place. In each place we go to, there is a coordinator who advertises and then gathers the people and gets everything all organized and set up before we get there. The coordinator checks in the patients by writing their name, age, basic symptoms and what not down on these little papers we provide. Afterwards they go to the first station which is visual acuity. At visual acuity we use the E chart to check their eyesight from 6 meters away. We write down the results on their paper and hand it back to them. Next they go see the doctor. The doctor talks to the patient about what is wrong, other symptoms they face and any needed background information (whether there was trauma to the eye or something). The doctor checks for glaucoma, pterygium, conjunctivitis, general eye conditions, cataracts, presbyopia, and a few other things. If they need reading glasses or glasses for sight, he checks what prescription they need. Then he writes the medication for us to prescribe to them. Then they go to the data person where we enter all their information into the computer.

Data and dispensing station. When someone gets reading
Glasses, we hand them a same bible to see if it clear.

Finally, they go to the dispensing table which we work at. We look at their papers and then give them the medicine (anywhere from 2-25 Cedis) and glasses they need (3-7 Cedis) and teach them how to use it. We make sure they understand when to take it and how often to take it and all that good stuff. And then they leave. But if they need surgery then they set it up with the coordinator before they leave so that they can get in the van that goes to the clinic on Thursdays full of patients from the areas we are in that week. And that is an outreach day! In the downtime, we play with the kids of course. Visual acuity is always my favorite job because you finish early and it's easiest and it gives the most time to talk to people and play with kids. But we switch off everyday. Anyway, it's really fun! I love it!

How Clinic Works:
        Clinic is once a week and it is where we observe surgeries. We get picked up and brought to clinic. Before we get there, patients get checked in, they get a piece of tape on their forehead on the side that will be worked on. They get these packet things with all their info and they get their blood pressure and sugar level checked. They also get local anesthesia to numb their eye so that they don't feel the surgery. Right before surgery they get a little ball taped to their eye for pressure to make the eye soft. Around noon we start watching surgeries two at a time and we watch for a couple hours. We write the time finished and sign for each surgery we observe. Then after surgery they get taped up and then sleep at the clinic for one night so they can get checked in the morning and then they go home!

Best day with Samuel:
        The last day of clinic was so much fun! So before I went into surgery I went downstairs and talked to the patients for a while and I met a man who was so cute. His name is Samuel and he is 70 years old. Samuel was a little nervous and he asked me to pray for him. Before I left to go into surgery, I asked to take a picture with him and he happily agreed. He said "wait let me put my glasses on and my hat on so that I look good!" It was so cute haha. Then I headed into surgery and watched for a few hours. When I came out he still hasn't started so I went and ate dinner. When I went down to check how many people were left, I didn't see my friend so I check right inside the theater room and saw Samuel going into surgery next. He asked me if I would go with him, so I put my face mask back on and lead him into surgery. He looked at me and said "I remember you. It will be okay. God is with us."

        I was able to watch his whole cataract surgery through the microscope which was truly incredible then I put the iodine drops in his eye, taped him up and lead him back out. Then I talked to him for a little while longer and he told me about how he was in the military and how he went to Egypt a few times. He told me he has met other people from the US when he was in the military and he laughed and joked with them and that it was so cool. Then I asked to take another picture with him and he said "no way, not with one eye. I feel like I'm in the military again and have to close one eye to shoot a gun" and he used his cane as a pretend gun haha. Well before I left he said "now when you go back on Saturday, don't you forget me, okay? Always remember me. Maybe you can pray for me sometimes" and then he told me he wanted to bring me something on Saturday before I leave but of course it's not possible so that was sad. I love that cute old man though. I will forever remember him.

Meet John! 

Crystal staff:
        Well I didn't get to spend too much time with the crystal staff which I'm pretty sad about but whatever. They are so awesome. They are all pretty young and energetic. There are three doctors but one took off for school for two months. Earnest and Jarome are the main doctors and they are really good at what they do. John and Bismark are the other staff members that are drivers and they help with dispensing and visual acuity. Some of them are kinda flirty but it's funny. They taught us how to check eyes so that was cool. I enjoyed the two weeks I got with them!

Ward party:
        The YSA ward threw us a ward party this week and so that was fun and cute! They fed us jollof and chicken with a little bit of vegetables! It was yummy. Then we had a dance party, and one of the guys sang and played his guitar for us and we all just hung out. It was so cute of them to do for us :)
        I am planning to have one last blog post to sum up my experience here but words cannot even describe the amazing experience it has been to be here. Ghana is crazy! But I sure do love Ghana.

Patients waiting to go into surgery with their tennis balls on their eyes. 

Watching surgery though the microscope thing 

Taping up Samuel after his surgery! 

Samuel after surgery! 

Just another eye surgery picture. This week I saw some eyes get stitched up too (not this picture). 

Peter! He wanted to take a picture with us haha 

Visual acuity  

 Seeing the doctor 

"Jarome will you watch while I check her eye so that I don't get too close and poke her eye out."

"Ya sure, of course!"

*i start looking into her eye and he gets on his phone.* thanks for watching Jarome hahaha 

The crew :) Bismark, Jarome, and earnest 

This is a terrible picture but this cute kid kept inching his way closer to me until he was sitting right next to me. He started about 10 feet away and by the end he was handing me papers haha His name is Jessey

This is Earnest and Bismark! 

This lady was so funny. We met her before her surgery as well and then watched hers! 

This girl was so cute and fun to play with 

Doing what we do best, getting lost in heaps of children that attack you. I love it :) 

Two more weeks gone

        Well we haven't really had good enough wifi to post In a while, so here are some things that have happened over the past couple weeks.

-we help the cutest people everyday and I love them all so much.

This is my friend named Precious. She just wanted to be held
ALL day long. 

-Last week one of the guys in our group had to go home. He was sick and it got to the point where he couldn't even drink water without feeling nauseous. Since there is only a week and a half left, he decided going to the doctor in America would be a lot better than dealing with that here. He was super frustrated and bummed to go home but it would be better for him not to get worse. Since then he hasn't said what he got but I'm pretty sure he is doing much better.
-it has rained a lot, and by rain, I mean it dumps buckets and floods everything
-one of the girls had a brother get his mission call last week and he was called to serve here in Ghana! So that's pretty cool
-my email got hacked, sorry to all of you who got an email from me. I guess it's common in places like this. My password has since been changed so that's good.
-we are still celebrities everywhere we go, and we continue to make people die laughing when we speak to them in the little Twi we know.
-I have tried almost all the foods they have to offer. Let's just say, I am so excited for some veggies and regular food. I don't think I ever want to eat snacks again.

The garden place we went to was so pretty!

-we went to this garden place and it was actually really cool. It was very hands on and beautiful. Afterwards some people went to the beach (nobody from California cared to swim so we didn't stay long haha the water was filled with trash and it was just smelling so nasty and we can all easily go to the beach so we went to the Accra market for a bit which is said to be the biggest in the world? I don't know if I believe it but it sounds cool to believe.
-we had some more volunteers come. We have now brought 8 people to church, and two are locals that have been having FHE with us every week too and love it.
-there is a mom and her 12 year old daughter here for a week. They are so lucky they are with BYU college students rather than some party school group of college students. We are a good, safe time.
-I feel 100% comfortable walking around, going to get dinner at night or to the store or to get fruit. Even if I'm just with one other person. Don't worry, I'm being safe.
-we all got invited over for dinner on Sunday! It was so fun! We all went to their house and they fed us a super delicious meal and then we all went around and told a little about our families and what not and then had a prayer and left. It was so nice to be in a home for Sunday dinner
-this lady who was selling little bracelets saw I had gum and so she asked to trade me my gum for two bracelets...a little while later she realized the pack of gum only had two pieces left, so I gave her a little bag gold fish as well haha

They loved knowing we were all members too!

-we had a big LDS family come through and they were so cute. They all got their eyes checked and got glasses and what not so that was fun to talk to them.
-I went to the temple with my friend Emily and we finally delivered that see's candy from aunt Colette! (Sorry it took 5 weeks of being in Africa. Hopefully it was still good)
-we tried watermelon oranges! They were crazy but actually good!
-there are 50 billion more things that happened but that is all I have time for right now.

I love you all and I love Ghana. But I definitely love the people here in Ghana!

This is a lady I helped who loved me haha. We have the same Ghana name (Abana) and so she wanted to be best friends. I asked to take a picture with her and she said "can I wear my new specks you got me?"  

This was one of the trees at the garden we went to that was all carved out and symbolic 

This tree at the garden we went to was all carved out because the original tree died so you could climb up inside of it.

Best thing in the world. The doughnut things we eat, with Nutella inside and fanice on top. So glad we tried it 

Watermelon oranges!! So crazy! 

We stopped at one of the most famous bridges in Ghana on the way home and it was beautiful. 

My cute friends helping me count down the days until I get married :) 

I'm just obsessed with the flat palm tree things that the temple grounds has. They are so cool!