Week 2: Slow Weeks with Fast Weekends
The second week of my stay in Ghana is officially done, and I am excited to give an update on my amazing experience so far. But first, I would just like to thank Brooke and Sahil, my partners in crime while I am here. I have had the privilege of working, living, and exploring this amazing country with them over the past two weeks, and they have continued to blow me out of the water with their work, stories, and perseverance. We have supported each other like a small family when all of our real ones are so far away. And, I know that I will always cherish the laughs as much as the fights. I am very excited to see where the next month takes us.
So, now let me start with the update!
That Monday, we met back up with Louis to take a taxi to the office. Upon reaching the office, we helped him move a bunch of the bamboo bikes outside of the office. It was cool to see some of the products that the company produces so soon into our stay. Soon after, Solomon, Bernice’s second in command, met us to debrief the projects that we would be working on. My job was to research childhood malnutrition in Ghana and characterize the disparity in childhood malnutrition within the regions in Ghana. Also, Solomon spoke to me about the potential of working in a hospital during my stay. It sounded like it was going to be tough to arrange, which I was prepared for. But, he was going to help me as much as he could. So, we then all got to work on our specific projects. More than the living arrangements or the food, the work itself held the biggest culture shock for us. Everything moved much, much, much slower than we were used to, and it is something that we continue to struggle with. This was especially exacerbated by the fact that Bernice was not there that week, so people in the office either did not show up or only came for a short period of time. And, correspondence via email was almost impossible. The fact that Solomon as well only showed up on our first day that week very frustrating. It meant delays for decisions on our projects and my hospital rotation. However, after a slow end to the week, it was time for the weekend.
Louis took us to Kejetia market after work on that Friday, and it was a surreal experience. This is the largest open-air market in West Africa with almost 50,000 stalls inside of it. I cannot put into words how incredibly overwhelming and breathtaking the entire market is. It is organized into discrete sections that only locals know how to maneuver, so I am grateful that Louis showed us around the massive space.
The next day we woke up and left the house to embark on our first independent adventure- a trip to a local town called Bonwire. This village is known to be the original place to make Kente- a beautiful, locally produced, handwoven cloth. We were able to spend time with some of the villagers there, and Sahil was even able to try his hand on a hand-powered loom that villagers use to produce the cloth. Afterward, the man who owned the shop that we bought Kente from showed us around the town and even found some local cocoa fruit for us to try. Everyone was so kind, and it eased our fears of leaving Kumasi thereafter.
