Das letzte Wochenende bin ich mal zu hause geblieben, weil ich mal ein ruhiges Wochenende machen wollte, lesen, schlafen und nichts anstrengendes machen :) Tja natuerlich laeuft das hier anders als geplant!Samstag war ich mit anderen verabredet eine Fahrradtour zu machen...ich weiss was ihr jetzt denkt "hat sie denn das Desaster mit der Wasserfalltour vergessen?" nein hatte ich nicht und ich war auch ein bisschen nervoes, aber geplant war urspruenglich eine 2 Stuendige Tour, eine Stunde zu einem Wasserfall, da ein bisschen schwimmen und eine Stunde wieder zurueck! Klang super und auch fuer mich machbar...aber dann  meinte der Fahrradverleihtyp es gaebe da auch eine andere Tour 4 Stunden hin zu einem Wasserfall und dann wird man dort abgeholt...Meine Freunde hier meinten dann alle, da wir ja den ganzen TAg haben koennten wir doch die 4 stuendige Tour machen....Ok, da ich ueberstimmt war und wir wirklich den ganzen Tag hatten hab ich zugestimmt! Unser Tourguide hiess Spiderman...ich mein, was soll mit einem Superheld schon passieren.Also nachdem wir mit Fahrrad und Helm ausgestattet waren gings los....naja nicht fuer mich, weil meine Kette direkt mal rausgesprungen ist...also stand ich mitten auf der Strasse und musste nach Spiderman rufen:) Gut, nachdem das dann wieder ganz war gings los. Am Anfang haben sie uns eine Karte mit den Hoehenangaben gezeigt....am Anfang sollte es einen hohen Berg hochgehen, aber dann nur noch kleinere und flacher....Oh mann nach dem Berg hab ich gedacht, dass wird easy, aber die folgenden waren nicht wirklich klein...das gute war, dass wir eine 12 jaehrige dabei hatten, die auch oefters Pausen gebraucht hat:) Naja irgendwann bei der Haelfte hab ich echt gedacht ich pack das nicht...es war auch einfach soo heiss, da wir eben nicht ...

The past couple days have been chaos to say the least. I have said a lot of things that I never thought would come out of my mouth in preparation for this trip. Just yesterday I had to ask my mom why my Typhoid vaccine was no longer with the butter in my refrigerator. The fact that this will be my last post on this continent is also included. Even telling people that I am going to Africa still sounds strange to me. The magnitude of this trip has finally set in, and I could not be more excited.

Mr. Parchment gave me some of the best advice at Church yesterday. "You are going to see things that you are going to want to fix in your own way. You have to accept that you can do what you can do, and it may not turn out the way that you want. You have to have confidence in your ability, even if things do not turn out the way you expect." He then cited an example from my fourth trip to Haiti; I was spending the day with an optometrist and a little girl came in with severe congenital cataracts. She was almost completely blind. In the states this is treated at birth and avoided through genetic counseling as her older sister had the same problem and was also almost completely blind. If the girl had been born into the United States' healthcare system she would most likely have perfect vision.

Injustices like this make my heart ache, but Mr. Parchment is right that I have to have confidence in what I am doing and know that things may not always be taken care of in the ways that I would expect. Advice like this, and the kind words of so many people, has given me the confidence to go to Africa believing I can help. I am so blessed with so many great people in my life who have supported me throughout this whole process. My church family has been calling me, posting, and a priest even ...

Uhh, der er saa meget at fortaelle denne gang!

Elefanter I sidste uge tog vi (Emil, Julie, Line, Nete, Ayleen og jeg) fra torsdag til mandag morgen til Mole National Park. Mole NP ligger i Northen Region, for at komme der op, skal man med bus eller tro-tro, og det er en tur paa omkring 18 timer.. Men det var hele turen vaerd, det var saa hyggelig og sjov tur, + VI SAA ELEFANTER!! Mole Motel ligger inde midt i Mole National Park, hvilket betyder at mange af dyrene, gaar rundt inde paa hotellets omraade, bavianer stjaeler tasker, ting og mad og vordesvin (Astrid!!) gaar rundt, som om det var det mest normale i verden. Vi var paa Jeepsafari og paa gaasafari – det var ret sejt at gaa rundt mellem dyrene! Loerdag morgen regnede der selvfoelgelig helt vildt! Typisk, vi har intet vand i Cape Coast og haaber virkelig paa regn – men intet! Saa tager vi paa tur, og saa regner der, naar vi ikke vil have regn – men stadig ingen regn i Cape..

Loerdag eftermiddag, da vi var paa vej mod vores vaerelse, snakkede vi om, hvor sjovt det kunne vaere at moede en abe. Da vi aabnede doeren til vores rum, stod der en bavian og kiggede paa os, fra den anden side af huset, altsaa ind gennem vinduet – men gud saadan en er stor!!

Skole igen Tirsdag begyndte skolen igen. Onsdag, torsdag og fredag blev brug til at rydde op i skolegaarden og goere rent i skolens lokaler. Her den foerste uge efter en maanedes ferie, moedte der utrolig faa elever op, de eneste der moedte op var boernene fra New Life boernehjemmet, ogsaa kun fordi de bliver tvunget til det. Torsdag, da jeg var paa vej hjem fra arbejde og gik gennem Ensapatu moedte jeg nogle af eleverne fra skolen, som ikke var moedt op. Vi hilse og snakkede lidt, de forklarede at de foerst kom i naeste uge, fordi de gad da ...

Hi then it is 34 day's to i leaves norway and Ghana her i come. I have send't in the visum form's. And i am waiting to Get it back from denmark .The police certificate, I finally got. Vaksin's i have taken some and i am going to take the rest next weeke . I finely got my placment and host family fun its gone be so fin to meet them

Finishing up my last week at St. Michael's Hospital...

After Radiology/Ultrasound, I moved onto the Maternity Ward... you know, pregnant women...giving birth n stuff.... HOLY MOLY, nothing coulda prepared me for this one.  I'm talking like... butt-naked women, bloody vaginas left and right, shit everywhere, crying babies, mothers screaming in pain..

Ok, that was only the initial shock... 

Given the limited space and resources, the labor room consists of 3 beds separated by drapes.  At times, all 3 beds may be occupied and midwives would be in charge of attending to all of them at once.  You can be waiting for hours and hours for the cervix to dilate to 10cm...then, the rest can happen in an instant.  Screaming, pushing, and all of a sudden you see the baby's head crowning, then the midwife pulls the baby out, clamps and cuts the umbilical cord, hands the baby off, and wait for the placenta... quick and simple... most of the time.  

I've seen women anywhere between 15 and 36 years old, some delivering their first baby, others second, and some third.  A lot of them seem to have been pregnant before, but had a miscarriage/abortion at some point. (Also saw a couple abortion procedures as well, but I won't get into the details of that).  Anyways, they don't give anything to help the pain.. they say mothers in the past have done the whole giving birth process naturally before, and mothers can still handle it now... But several times I saw cases that seriously made me cringe in agony.  Usually the younger mothers are in labor for a much longer time.  Their cervix isn't dilated quite enough, but the baby starts descending down the birth canal.  Then, the woman wont/cant push... but if the baby is stuck in the ...