Today was a nice, mellow day. We were assigned a village called Piase. Last year, the static clinic that they set up in this area was very busy. Sure enough, our morning was busy as well, but again, in a very feast-or-famine manner. We’d sit for 20 minutes with absolutely nothing to do, and then three people would appear, one…
Tuesday has always been the most nondescript day of the week, and this applies to Ghana as well, apparently, because today really bordered on being “routine”. I guess I’ve really grown accustomed to things here, because objectively it was amazing as usual. I had an egg sandwich for breakfast, and then went to base camp as usual to load up…
Alas, the lovely weekend has ended, and it’s back to work again. We had breakfast, and then drove to our base camp as usual to restock our bags with supplies. I started the day with my second post-exposure rabies vaccine, due to that dog bite I received last Thursday. Ironically, the dog bite I received saved me a little money…
After a busy (but fun) week of vaccinating dogs, we were rewarded with a bit of free time. Originally we were going to do some horseback riding on Saturday and then drive into Kumasi to see the huge market, but we were told that Sunday was probably not the best day to see the market, as this is a very…
Today marked the end of the first week. I woke up this morning with my bite wound looking great. There was no oozing overnight, no swelling, no pain, nothing. I shaved and showered, and put on a band-aid, and that was that. Tomorrow I don’t think I’ll even need a bandage on it. This morning at our base, we stocked…
One of the things I had to get used to when I retired was not having a regular routine. My workday used to be pretty structured. When I retired, it took me a while to formulate a new routine. The fact that Mark had to still wake up every morning at 5:20 a.m. dictated the start of my day. I…
Like everybody else, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around our crazy new world. Every day brings more dire news, increased fears, and new adjustments into our lives. I’m trying to avoid the television except for an hour in the morning (Today on NBC), and a half hour in the evening (NBC news with Lester Holt). The rest…
After meeting at the base camp, we packed our bags and headed out fully stocked. Again we detoured at the little market, and I got to see Avocado Lady again. It’s my morning ritual. Today was a strange day. I was initially told that our group would be heading back to the static point clinic that we operated on Tuesday,…
Amongst the many news stories about the Coronavirus and how it has changed and affected everyone’s lives, there is no shortage of financial news. The economy is effectively shut down. Most white collar workers have comfortably shifted to working from home. Blue collar workers and gig workers, however, are feeling the financial strain. They’re waiting for their government checks while…
Everyone is affected by this pandemic in one way or another. As I mentioned in my last post, I am fortunate that the impact on my life has so far been minimal. As a retiree, I was already used to being home most of the time. I have been the author of the veterinary advice column for Catster magazine for…
Today we went out to a very remote area today, a village called Adagya, and set up a static point clinic at another community maternity center. Our team was me and Adusei, Charlotte, and a new Community Health Officer (CHO) named Naomi. And our driver, Moses, of course. We all met up at the base, loaded our bags, and headed…
A well-written and detailed account of the intertwined lives of four prominent, larger-than-life fixtures of the folk music scene of the early 60s. The book very effectively transports you back to those heady, exciting days of the Greenwich Village music clubs and cafes. I really knew nothing about Joan Baez’s sister Mimi, nor anything about her enigmatic, fascinating husband, Richard…
Day 2 started out well; excellent breakfast, then, off we went to the Mission Rabies Ghana Health Center, to load up our bags, meet with our teams, and hit the road. I saw Jo there testing out one of the megaphones, and I asked her if she could do her very realistic impression of how a dog with rabies barks.…
Today was our last day in Africa, and it was a long one. It started out with a very interesting tour. This tour was called Nai Nami: Nairobi Storytelling Tour with Street Children. It’s a tour conducted by five residents of Nairobi who have had very difficult lives as street kids. They share their story of their former lives, and…