Flash Floods

Ever since I arrived in Ghana I've been asking about "rain season." Each person's response to the timing of rain season is different and as a result, that has become a long-standing joke around CCS. No one here, not even the elders in the village, can name you the month that rain season starts but alas, I need not an answer anymore, as it has come upon me this week. The weather has been touch and go from one minute to another. For example, this morning I had a flashback to the second morning that I awoke in Ghana when I honestly, no word of a lie, thought that my demise would be sweating so badly in my sleep that I dehydrated and expired by the morning. As I walked to clinic, however, this all changed and I was hit with monsoon type rains, thunder and lightening. Of course the rains had to come just after I'd settled down and begun clinic, leaving me to run back 20 minutes in the pouring rain. About half way back I realized that no matter how fast I ran, I would be soaked anyway so I enjoyed the rest of the walk meeting more kids along the way and stopping once for a small dance on the path. Doesn't matter how unhappy a child may be - when the Yevu starts to do "the chicken dance," they can't contain themselves! Although the rain is a nice change to the blistering heat, it brings about flash flooding and destroys crops. All over the Volta Region are flooded roads, crops under 2-4 feet of water and villages of people without a place to live. As I drove back to Woe from Ho the other day I saw maybe between 200 and 300 people walking single file along the highway with bags/tubs filled with home items. The group was obviously displaced and on their way to higher ground to stay with family, friends or quite likely, strangers. It is a part of living in a tropical climate but still devistating nonetheless.

Update on the volunteer with appendicitis: she is doing much much much better and should be discharged this weekend! With all that she has gone through, I'd have to sum her up as "one tough cookie!" I am amazed at her optimism and trust in the other CCS volunteer in Ho and I.
Of course there are still a few things to be worked out and frustrations to deal with (such as getting the appendix to Accra) but those are so trivial in the grand scheme of things. The important thing is that she's feeling better and on the mend!

I returned to Woe Wednesday night to start clinic on Thursday. I am under the gun to finish the two largest communities but hopefully, assuming the rain stays away during the day, will be able to finish and submit my presentation next week. This week the clinic is situated next to the Salvation Army school so during breaks, between 50 and 100 kids will be swarmed around, yelling, shouting and watching what's going on. It truly is like nothing I have ever experienced! There isn't a sense of privacy or individuality. At any given time one of the community members who doesn't feel as though they have too many other pressing matters to do that day will stick around clinic and lecture every person that comes through. No one seems to mind at all - in fact they all rally together to educate each other and provide support when one of them is found to have extremely high blood pressure. They don't support each other the same way we would, though, with hugs and looks that say, "it's going to be okay." Younger people will cheer and sing, elders will nod their head and smile and their peers will joke around and find some light in the situation. At first this perplexed me and I wondered if any of them understood that if their blood pressure was 200/110, they needed to go to the local doctor but as I've been hearing, they are all showing up! It's just a culturally different way of dealing with news that one may be "unhealthy."

This afternoon the last volunteer that was scheduled to leave before Sarah and I left. This sparked a small anxiety when we looked at each other, as the time we have left is very limited! I can't bare the thought of saying "goodbye" or "thank you for all the..." yet, so stay tuned for at least one more update on the projects at CCS and a wrap up. *GULP*

Until then...