Our First Day in Tepa

I know I've been slow in updating my blog, so I'll try to get caught up on the Africa trip this week! Once we took our long drive from Accra to Ghana, and got a good nights sleep, we had a full day to get acclimated before meeting with Chief Nana the following day. In our particular area of Ghana, we had to meet with the local tribal (Ashanti) chief before we would be allowed to work. Since we had a free day, we were able to get a ride in the local ambulance to go in to town and check out the hospital we would be working in, as well as the local town and market.

For such a small village they had their own sign right on the "highway".


We had time to sit on the hotel grounds and visit and get acquainted with our fellow team members. In this photo Bruce, Cynthia (a retired OB-GYN), Anya and Amanda (awsome Lab Tech) visit while a couple of local guys talk with a friend.

The children in Tepa were pretty fascinated with us. This picture is in the center of town, these are the shops in the market. Most trade takes place out in the streets. The children loved having us take their pictures and then show them what they looked like.

I couldn't believe how much people could carry on their heads and how far they walk, often without shoes. Being industrious and creative are a means of survival for these people.

This lady is roasting plantains in the market area. The plantains were much more appetizing to look at than the fish!!

Bruce, Mary and Anya in the back of our transportation, the local ambulance!

We had taken over 6 bags of medical supplies with us. We spent a good part of the day sorting through what we had and dividing it up into the areas we would be working. The meds (2 bags) all went to the pharmacy. In this picture Anya, Trish, Amanda and Mary and trying to make some order out of chaos!

The picture below is the one of the buildings of the hospital. There were 5 small concrete block buildings. This building, the laboratory, had a small area that was air-conditioned. The rest of the hospital had screened windows and screened main doors, no a.c. and it was hot and humid!!! The staff at the hospital welcomed us with open arms, and we learned more from them than we taught. They use what little they have and still manage to do the best job possible.

At the end of a full day of getting acclimated we were hot, tired, intimidated by a whole new culture, and truly eager to get to work.

Next time: We meet with the Chief......