Hitting the Pavement Running

Today was my first full day in Ghana. I woke up this morning and went to work at the St. Gregory Catholic Hospital in the Liberian Refugee Camp. Dr. Boadum was very friendly and kindly showed me around. I followed him on rounds and he asked me questions about diagnosing. He was a very good teacher today and the rest of the staff, particularly the nurses, were very patient with me as I attempted to get the hang of things. The most interesting parts of the day were a wound and a C-section. A young boy was carried into the Emergency Room with a wound he got from a nail. It was about 9 inches long and was very deep. It took a while to get everything started for the stitching of his leg, but the entire time he was not crying. Once the doctor started stitching his leg, he was screaming and moving so much that they had to  put him under. The room was hot and filled with people for so a moment, I needed to step outside and get some air. Later, I watched Dr. Boadum perform a C-section. This C-section was particularly interesting because it was done on a HIV/AIDS patient. Majority of the other patients seen today had gastroenteritis or malaria.

Outside of work, we have been adjusting to life in Ghana with the help of Eric and Douglas thus far. The past two meals I have had were plain rice and chicken. The food so far has been very good, just a bit more spicy than I am used to. Tonight, we are having ripe plantain and beans. Dr. Boadum said I have to try fufu, but that I should wait a week before trying it. Jen, the other intern, said she tried fufu today and said it was interesting.

Thus far, everything is going well. I have not had any issues, but if something comes up, "no shaking" or don't worry about it.

Eric's House

The View of Town from the Road

A Goat in Kasoa

A Scary Herd of Goats