Thursday, June 4, 2009

Trip to Ghana- the Dickens & Baptist Medical Centre


Our purpose in going to Ghana was the visit Hollie and Joel Dickens and their children Colt and Abigail. Hollie is expecting their 3rd baby in August. We promised the Dickens we would come and see them when they left San Angelo, so Georgia (our 21 year old daugther) and Brittany (our 21 year old daughter-in-law) ventured across the ocean for the first time. . .it was definately an experience. .Joel works with 2 other full time doctors at the Baptist Medical Centre, which is a compound of about 500 acres with 20+ buildings and a large staff of local nurses, business office workers, pharmacy workers and grounds workers. . . Doctors and medical school students come from all over the world to gain experience in medicine that is so radically different that anything they might experience at home. . .We met doctors from Holland and Belgium, as well as med students from the US who were doing 10-12 week rotations as a part of their schooling.


While Joel is busy at the hospital, Hollie is homeschooling Colt at the school house each day with children from another missionary family and caring for Abigail. . .It was a joy to be with them. . .even if it was for just one short week. . . We made a boat load of memories!


Colt had made a welcome sign for us in our cabin when we arrived!



Georgia with Hollie, Joel and Abigail and one of the local nurses who also serves as an interpreter.






This is a clinic day -- Patients begin lining up before dawn and wait to see a doctor. . Brittany helped check in patients on clinic days. . .


Georgia was able to follow Joel around the entire week and she helped with surgeries as well . She was able to see more and do more in one week there than in an entire semester in the US. .

Trip to Ghana- FuFu and Ground Nut Soup

One of the local menu items that we enjoyed was FuFu, which is raw yams ( looked similiar to large potatoes) that have been pounded into a soft elastic paste and shaped into a ball, served in a bowl with ground nut soup poured over it. . .delicious! It was a work of art to watch the locals make it. . .they always worked in rhythm. . .Because yams are plentiful in this area, the locals said they have FuFu at least twice a week. . .

These three ladies making FuFu at a small outdoor restaurant in the village.

Here is Esa and his helper making FuFu for us for dinner one night at the Medical Centre. .Watch her hands. . . .yikes! She said she has never had her hands smashed. . .