Before leaving for Ghana, I had certain expectations for what would play out during my time there, some of it based on what we were told by people who had been before. I expected to encounter heartbreaking situations in the hospitals and have a greater appreciation for health care and life in Canada. I expected to be challenged emotionally and to experience the phrase "the highs are high and the lows are lows". I expected to be challenged by normal things in daily life like the food, uncomfortable living arrangements, and the intense heat. I expected to love the children I met. I expected to feel sadness about the sickness and health conditions I would see. I expected to get home from work with the question "God, why?!" running through my mind. I expected to be speechless at times. I expected to want in my life, some of what I experienced in Ghana and detest some aspects of my Canadian lifestyle. I expected to immerse myself in the culture and enjoy fellowship with the Ghanaians. I expected to experience some sort of insight regarding whether or not relief work/development work is something I'd like to do long term.
I didn't expect to experience all those things in the way that I experienced them. I am so much stronger because of what went on during my 7 weeks in Ghana. I learned so much about myself, both good and bad. My patience was challenged most moments of every day, my acceptance and tolerance of others was challenged. My view towards the nurses and hospitals was challenged - trying to maintain a positive attitude towards their work as I observed what they did and cringed, was very difficult. I enjoyed making friends with the Ghanaians and miss the nurses who played football (soccer) with us everyday after work. I loved the pace of life, the no-rush mentality, and the many opportunities I had to just sit, and be.
I gained a greater understanding of the different factors that impact the health care system such as culture, resources, and education level.
I witnessed first hand the statistics that we hear about and they hit me so much harder. I always knew they weren't just numbers, but when you spend those last moments with a beautiful babe just before she slips away....nothing can prepare you for the emotions that come along with it. I always knew the illiteracy rate would impact so many things in any given country, but while in the rural town of Gushegu, I witnessed this and it impacted me in a greater way. I worked with pregnant women who were asked their age and had no idea how old they were, the nurses were handing out prenatal education pamphlets that were covered in pictures, instead of words. Sometimes I would just sit there and think about how it would feel to be illiterate - the feeling of exclusion and being removed from the rest of the world.
To be honest, after being so welcomed by the Ghanaians, I was not expecting the hospital staff to treat their patients in negative ways. Watching nurses disrespect patients and walk away from them when they needed someone to help them, was not something I was expecting. I longed to just *be* with the patient, sit there, hold their hand, be present, but I needed to recognize the ethical side of things which meant that I couldn't always do just that.
In a way, I thought the hospital staff would be more receptive of us and what we had to bring to the table. I think it was ignorant of me to think that. These people were used to doing things their own way, and who am I to waltz into their hospital and expect them to want to hear what I had to say? It was easier to share my knowledge with the younger staff and they reciprocated their ideas to me, but with the senior staff it didn't happen. I also experienced the importance of creating relationship and positive rapport with the staff in order to create a channel for me to share my knowledge with them, and for them to share their knowledge with me.
I have a better understanding of how to make change in a health care system similar to the one I worked with in Ghana. I so badly wanted to be able to help with the needs of the patients in the moment, and I thought we might be able to do this more; I thought we might be able to create change in the ward and change the prognosis for the patients. In reality, the change is incredibly long term and it starts with all the behind-the-scenes work; I always knew this was the case, but being there made it more clear to me. We had an opportunity to make presentations to the nursing students, and the change that this might create would be more sustainable than anything else we did.
I walk away from this experience with a greater confidence and security in my nursing practice here in Canada. As a new grad, I can be encouraged in that there are so many specialized staff members in the hospital that I can ask for help - this is not the case in the Ghanaian hospitals I worked in. I am also more aware of the knowledge that I do have; when as a new grad I might feel like I don't know very much, I probably know more than I think I do. I also have a greater confidence in our health care system and the fact that you can confidently go to the hospital here, and know that you will most likely be treated well, and will be able to receive the necessary treatment - this is not usually the case in Ghana.
I've been called to re-evaluate my life and the way I choose to spend my time. This includes the time and effort I put into relationships, and meeting face-to-face. Many Ghanaians greet every family member every single morning, and we were included in this! Sometimes we would get phone calls from our Ghanaian friends because they wanted to make sure we were okay and said they "wanted to know where you are in the country" and would then ask us to phone them again later to check in. This wasn't in any sort of controlling way - it was just because they cared about us. The value they place on relationships, and family, seems to exceed the way that most of us value these things in Canada. Genuine contact, genuine 'how are you's', and the desire to be in relationship with everyone they meet and greet everyone they pass on the streets. Even amidst all the hurt and despair, there is so much joy. I can definitely learn a lesson from the Ghanaians! I have a desire to slow down my pace of life here after being on Ghanaian time for seven weeks. Not packing every minute of my day full of 'stuff', but taking time to 'just be'. I hope I can remind myself of this frequently enough because it is so easy to get back into such a busy lifestyle.
I am so thankful and feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go to Ghana. I want to thank all of you for your support and prayers for our team while we worked there.
We had our very last meal in Ghana in a restaurant that had painted on their wall, "The End Is Just The Beginning". I thought that was so fitting. I don't know where I will go from here, but I can say that the end of my time in Ghana is just the beginning of so much in my life. Finishing school, finding a new job, most likely re-locating, and longing to make relief work/development work part of my future in one way or another.
I'm eager and anxious to find out what the future holds. While I plan to be situated in Canada for a while, I left a piece of my heart in Africa and hope to return there one day.
I gained a greater understanding of the different factors that impact the health care system such as culture, resources, and education level.
I witnessed first hand the statistics that we hear about and they hit me so much harder. I always knew they weren't just numbers, but when you spend those last moments with a beautiful babe just before she slips away....nothing can prepare you for the emotions that come along with it. I always knew the illiteracy rate would impact so many things in any given country, but while in the rural town of Gushegu, I witnessed this and it impacted me in a greater way. I worked with pregnant women who were asked their age and had no idea how old they were, the nurses were handing out prenatal education pamphlets that were covered in pictures, instead of words. Sometimes I would just sit there and think about how it would feel to be illiterate - the feeling of exclusion and being removed from the rest of the world.
To be honest, after being so welcomed by the Ghanaians, I was not expecting the hospital staff to treat their patients in negative ways. Watching nurses disrespect patients and walk away from them when they needed someone to help them, was not something I was expecting. I longed to just *be* with the patient, sit there, hold their hand, be present, but I needed to recognize the ethical side of things which meant that I couldn't always do just that.
In a way, I thought the hospital staff would be more receptive of us and what we had to bring to the table. I think it was ignorant of me to think that. These people were used to doing things their own way, and who am I to waltz into their hospital and expect them to want to hear what I had to say? It was easier to share my knowledge with the younger staff and they reciprocated their ideas to me, but with the senior staff it didn't happen. I also experienced the importance of creating relationship and positive rapport with the staff in order to create a channel for me to share my knowledge with them, and for them to share their knowledge with me.
I have a better understanding of how to make change in a health care system similar to the one I worked with in Ghana. I so badly wanted to be able to help with the needs of the patients in the moment, and I thought we might be able to do this more; I thought we might be able to create change in the ward and change the prognosis for the patients. In reality, the change is incredibly long term and it starts with all the behind-the-scenes work; I always knew this was the case, but being there made it more clear to me. We had an opportunity to make presentations to the nursing students, and the change that this might create would be more sustainable than anything else we did.
I walk away from this experience with a greater confidence and security in my nursing practice here in Canada. As a new grad, I can be encouraged in that there are so many specialized staff members in the hospital that I can ask for help - this is not the case in the Ghanaian hospitals I worked in. I am also more aware of the knowledge that I do have; when as a new grad I might feel like I don't know very much, I probably know more than I think I do. I also have a greater confidence in our health care system and the fact that you can confidently go to the hospital here, and know that you will most likely be treated well, and will be able to receive the necessary treatment - this is not usually the case in Ghana.
I've been called to re-evaluate my life and the way I choose to spend my time. This includes the time and effort I put into relationships, and meeting face-to-face. Many Ghanaians greet every family member every single morning, and we were included in this! Sometimes we would get phone calls from our Ghanaian friends because they wanted to make sure we were okay and said they "wanted to know where you are in the country" and would then ask us to phone them again later to check in. This wasn't in any sort of controlling way - it was just because they cared about us. The value they place on relationships, and family, seems to exceed the way that most of us value these things in Canada. Genuine contact, genuine 'how are you's', and the desire to be in relationship with everyone they meet and greet everyone they pass on the streets. Even amidst all the hurt and despair, there is so much joy. I can definitely learn a lesson from the Ghanaians! I have a desire to slow down my pace of life here after being on Ghanaian time for seven weeks. Not packing every minute of my day full of 'stuff', but taking time to 'just be'. I hope I can remind myself of this frequently enough because it is so easy to get back into such a busy lifestyle.
I am so thankful and feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go to Ghana. I want to thank all of you for your support and prayers for our team while we worked there.
We had our very last meal in Ghana in a restaurant that had painted on their wall, "The End Is Just The Beginning". I thought that was so fitting. I don't know where I will go from here, but I can say that the end of my time in Ghana is just the beginning of so much in my life. Finishing school, finding a new job, most likely re-locating, and longing to make relief work/development work part of my future in one way or another.
I'm eager and anxious to find out what the future holds. While I plan to be situated in Canada for a while, I left a piece of my heart in Africa and hope to return there one day.
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