CHAPTER FIVE: TRAIN HARD TO HIT HARD

Bruce lee could perform one hand push- ups using only his thumb and index, perform 50 reps of one arm chin- ups, and throw a single grain of rice in the air and catch it with chop sticks. He did not gain this prowess overnight, it resulted from hours of training and dedication.  Even to this day, he still remains a legend in his own rights.

Yes, we made it! Like Brue lee, we had successfully trained hard to hit hard.

Part 1
Monday, 25th July, 2016
Being in a queue can teach you a great deal about patience: be it at the bank, bookshop, market, you name it. Sometimes it is not easy to wait in all circumstances but doing so always seems fruitful. As I sat down waiting for the agenda of the day to commence, I reflected upon the essence of patience.

Most of us were engaged in endless animated chat when we were told to group ourselves and proceed with the cleaning up of the data we had obtained over the two week period. It was quite a brief procedure and we were done in next to no time. Hence, we had lots of  time on our hands to socialise.

For the most part, our counterparts from university of utah were preparing to go out. Apparently,  they had made plans to go to the cultural centre to purchase a few more souvenirs.

There were toffees and marshmallows around for our munching away. But that alone could not satisfy the ravenous appetite of all, some went to the bus to have a hefty lunch.

I must say that Evans Amuzu presence was well celebrated and we were super grateful for his taking time off to give us a quick yet elaborate tutorial on how to use Stata, a data analysis and statistical software for professionals.

The end of the day felt like being on a flight which was soon due for landing. Tomorrow we were going to lake bosomtwe. A lake with such a mystical yet captivating history.
We left the premises of Okubi Hotel at 3: 30pm with overflowing enthusiasm for the next day.
Enthusiasm is the one of the most important things in life.

Part 2
Tuesday,  26th July, 2016
A simple hello can lead to a million things... and yes, in such a short while, we've made priceless memories and lifelong friends.

The one and half drive from the school campus to the lake point resort at lake bosomtwe proved to be absolutely worth every second. Before our eyes was a breath- taking view of the lake, which was in perpetual synchrony with the clear crystal blue sky. The lavish greenery, the ultra thick forest that surround the lake was such a specular view. There's paradise on earth!

 Life is more fun if you play game. There was a perfect display of teamwork as the men and a few women stepped on the field to play football almost immediately as we got down. Each person was giving his all and I watched in admiration as I observed the players wipe trickles of sweat off their faces. The match was very competitive and both players and spectators alike were super exhausted.

At 1pm we had to gather around for lunch which I must say was scrumptious and mouthwatering. After our tummies were filled, we were invigorated, thence headed back to the field to play volleyball.

Much vigour and strength was displayed as each team battled it on in hopes of winning the ultimate. I can still feel the euphoria in air as spectators cheered their favourites on. We could not have a perfect finish as we had to swiftly gather ourselves together for the award ceremony where our certificates were to be presented to us.
One by one, our names were mentioned and we went forward to receive our certificates.

 Following this, it was time for us to head back home... and there was the rare presence of melancholy in this atmosphere. It's definitely not a goodbye.

Through this program, i have come to appreciate more the power of kindness. Indeed, Kindness is a simple way to tell another struggling soul that there's love to be found in this world.

Throw kindness about like confetti!

CHAPTER FOUR: REPLICA

When James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd created the Terminator in 1984, they did not anticipate how huge their franchise was going to be. Nevertheless, after a successful opening, then came an alluring succession of finer versions: judgement day(1991), rise of the machines(2003), salvation( 2009) and Genisys( 2015). This is a typical exemplar of phenomenal replication of success. As humans, in our daily activities,  we seek to model that and for us, the participants of the barekuma collaborative development project, we feel that we've modelled this phenomenal phenomenon of cloning successes to perfection.

Part 1 (Barekese)

Monday, 18th July,  2016
I recently read a story about a woman who posted hilarious photos on social media because she was forced to go to honeymoon alone. We could relate to her story... we did not have our much anticipated honeymon- like weekend, yet we made the most out of it. We were in ecstasy as we embrace a new week with no dint of nostalgia.


The bright morning sunshine welcomed us to the community of Barekese as we landed on its soil at 10: 30am. The gayful cheers and greeting from the school kids kindled in us the desire to give more than our best.There was an appreciable turnover of people and we were more like busy bees as we went about our activities. Our station was based in a a beautifully decorated church with a divine atmosphere. Setting up was easy due to the neat arrangements of the pews and chairs. We were all pretty much based at one place except for those in the essential drug research group went into the community to attain first- hand information.

The process of data collection through survey was quite demanding and tiring despite the fact that more people easily made head and tail of the questions. We intermittently took snacks as we weren't going to have lunch early.


There is an anonymous saying that reads, "silence is golden... unless you have kids, then silence is just suspicious." I couldn't agree more to this saying, the kids in the school nearby where threatening to budge in and possibly disrupt the smooth sail of events but for the timely intervention of the teachers.


Truthfully, we were exhausted from all the work and it was just right when we prepared to leave the community at 2: 45pm.With a great deal of expectation, we look forward to the next days motivated by the words of Dalai Lama, "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion".

Part 2 (Adankwame)

Tuesday,  19th July,  2016
In our freshman year, there was a girl among us who suffered from Bulimia nervosa, commonly called bulimia. She had acquired this condition in her late teens due to low self- esteem that mainly stemed from cruel words used to descibe her as she was growing up. As I dwelled upon the happenings of the previous day and pondered over her story, a wave of gratitude flushed through my body. I am always grateful that as a doctor- to- be, i can use my words to positively transform the lives of others. Indeed words are powerful, they can be used to break someone, but they can also put them back together.


After patiently waiting for what seems like forever,  the bus finally came to take us to the Okubi  hotel. We joined our counterparts from University of utah then headed to the community of Adankwame. The bus ride reminded me of the beauty of nature; the lavish greenery,  the deep blue sky and the compact red soil were a sight to behold.


Upon arrival at 10am,  we set up our station with the prowess of a master designer in the ravishing church of Adankwame, which was a hop from a school close- by. Within seconds,  the church was flooded with people from near, far and wide (Apparently,  it was not a farming day). We went on with our activities with professionalism, expertise and dexterity.

As medical students we are trained to recognise the irrecognisable; one of the highs of being a medical student happens when you spot a rare medical condition. Among the near thousands of people was a woman with rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that is uncommon in our part of the world.
We wished we could stay longer to attend to all the amazing people who kept pouring in, but we had to leave at 3: 30pm as our exhausting, aching and food-deprived bodies would not give way. We were a bit doleful at this reality. However it was a great day, we run the day!

Part 3 (Maban)

Wednesday,  20th July,  2016
Silence is not empty, it is full of answers. Was gazing in silence at eternity of beauty as I looked through the windows, continually reminded of how breathtaking the Ashanti region is, no wonder it is referred to as the Garden City!


Our coaster bus pulled to a stop on the soil of Maban at 10: 45am and we were met by a sweet morning breeze as we stepped out of the bus.
The spots and bars are generally associated with music, drinking and dancing till its late, but we magically turned this stereotype around, the Nayas Spot served as our station where we had our health fair. Honestly, the place looked quite deserted and we had to carry benches, chairs and tables from a nearby church to set the place up.

Like actors on stage, we put on our game face and got to work at 11am. All sectors were poised for action, we swiftly recorded the anthropometric measurements, tested the blood cholesterol levels,  measured blood pressure and carried out the surveys.
It was quite distressing to know that we recorded so many hypertensive cases in this particular community. To top it all we run out of strips to do the test of cholesterol with. The paper to be used for the name tags caught finished, hence we had to improvise. Eventually, we had to put to halt the survey for the non- communicable research group.A bad attitude is like a flat tire, thus we faced the challenges with positivity.


I met my last patient with a smile like that of a super emphatic doctor. I must say that the number of people that came was quite impressive. As we were packing to leave at 2: 30pm, a sea of school children who were on their way home came to gather themselves almost like bees around the bar.

Morris Chang is the CEO of  TSMC and he wisely said that “Without strategy, execution is aimless. Without execution, strategy is useless.” Accordingly, as we retire to our homes, we bear in mind his wise words and carefully formulate ways of making the next day the best.

Part 4 (Wurapong)

Thursday, 21st July,  2016
The last few metres of a race are almost always the hardest and the most demanding; and today being our last field day,  we felt like an Olympic runners ready to give it their all as they near the finishing line. Ethusiatically, we journeyed to the Wurapong at 9:30am as we had been informed the day before that the trip was going to be two hours long. We nurtured our minds and souls with the poetry of nature as we looked marvelled at the beauty of nature before our eyes during the road trip.

We were all in a state of shock and utter bewilderment when we realised that the road had been blocked by a pond of water. Some of us stepped out of the bus to access whether we could walk around it as it would be too risky to try crossing it with the bus. One by one with a little trembling and visible carefulness we crossed the pond to the other side and made the rest of the journey by foot. We caught glimpse of some ancient old mud houses with solar panels and our nose was met by a wide array of smells as we went on. Some children were caught playing truant.

The people of Wurapong had been waiting with great anticipation when we got there. As a courtesy demands,  we payed a visit to the chief of Wurapong in his magnificent palace. In that short visit, the chief had his blood pressure measured and it was on the low side.


The pros we had become was mainly due to persistence. Even with literally no resources, we blazed and sailed perfectly. We attended to the people in record time and came up with some unique improvisation.
When we had to finally pack and leave at 2: 30pm, we were extremely excited when it was announced that a pick up truck was going to take us in batches to Adagya where the coaster busses had been packed. The ride to Adagya was super exhilarating as we had spontaneous bust of adrenaline rushing through our bodies; it felt like being on a roller coaster and for a second we thought that we were going to fall off the truck.

 As we brought sunshine into the lives of the residents of Barekese, Adankwame, Maban and Wurapong, we evidently open our gate of happiness. As James M. Barrie said, "Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves ."

CHAPTER THREE: PLAYING PRETEND

My mum always used to scream out our names when it was late and we weren't inside the house. Childhood was always characterised by role playing games; we would use tins of milk and milo as utensils to cook and pretend to be mummy. The boys take up knives and act like they've been in the farm for ages, they would then stretch themselves out onto the bamboo chairs and pretend to be hungry dads fumming with rage because their food hadn't been served. With the invention of the barbie dolls and the like, we hardly went out and that gave relief to the much agitated nerves of our parents. Over the years,  our role playing games evolved, we mostly took up the role of some kind of profession, playing doctor, teacher, engineer,  you name it. Little did we know that our game was a reflection of future possibilities.

Part 1 (Barekuma)
Wednesday,  13th July, 2016.

Venturing in to the town of Barekuma, jogged my memory of those childhood days. We set up the church as our station where we were going to undertake all of our activities. Our arrival in to the town, caused a flood of people to come to the church; the people of Barekuma are indeed health- conscious. We divided ourselves based on our various research topics we were engaged in. Cholesterol levels and blood pressure were measured and anthropometric measurements were also taken. Lastly, the people were asked a number of questions primarily relating to their health and lifestyle. At the end of the day,  we had a review which was aimed at identifying areas of difficulty, strateging and planning effectively how to go about the subsequent days.

Part 2 (Abira)
Thursday, 14th July, 2016.
The next day we went to the town of Abira. It was generally a slow day as the indigenes did not troop in in their numbers.  The activities flowed on like the previous day but with more adept presentation. Our station this time round was on a school compound.  The fun part about the day was the fact that we sung nursery rhymes with some of the kids when we were done. Memories.... In fact,  I was tempted to step in to the centre to dance to those familiar tumes.

After two days of successful delivery, I am proud to say we did it, we overcame our fears and reflected our hopes. It always seems impossible until it's done~ Nelson Mandela.

 Adiós readers!

CHAPTER TWO: LOOKING BEYOND WHAT YOU SEE

Augustus Hare taught us that "thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel." And yes, we are all sacred vessels capable of making an impact.

When Timon (in lion king 3) sought to find his place in the world, he was advised by Rafiki to look beyond what he saw. His daydreaming had gotten him nowhere but when took the first step upon harkening to Rafiki's advice, he eventually found his "Hakuna matata".


As the bus headed to Okubi hotel, I was caught daydreaming of about an idealistically perfect world. Thus, I have been contemplating on the words of Rafiki and I've firmly decided to embrace his mantra and to look beyond what I see.


I totally conquer with the decision for us to have an extra day of practice; like they say, the more you sweat in practice,  the less you bleed in battle. But before that we were given our name tags for easy identification.  Work was set to motion; we had our discussions and practised in groups and teams. Literally,  all people were now in the spotlight of perfection; we could perfectly measure blood pressure, take blood samples,  you name it. The questionnaires were translated into the local dialect "twi" and the micmic of the d- day was top- notch. Some groups- such as those dealing with essential drugs and pain management- stepped out into nearby community to practice with the questionnaires. Based on that they had insight as to how to better run things tomorrow.


Finger licking, yummy, lip Smacking, appetizing... could all be used to describe our hefty lunch of jollof rice and chicken. The second phase of activities involved socialisation. We chit chat with one another about everything and nothing. All too soon, we had to head back home... but the University of Utah students headed to the Cultural centre to purchase souvenirs, among others.

We make our venture in to this adventure in the towm of Barekuma tomorrow with unwavering faith. Like Martin Luther king proffessed, "faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the wholesale staircase."

 Adiós readers!


Love always,
Elizabeth.

CHAPTER ONE: EVERY DROP COUNTS

As doctors and medical professionals,  we get to sit in the front row seat as we watch our patients recover; we are confided to with secrets that our patients would dare not dare their love ones and the hardest part happens when we have to break a bad news. The different phases of the job!

Through it all, I have come to realize that health is wealth and it is my greatest desire to see all men healthy, flourishing and thriving. Still remember vividly the love, joy and hope sculpted on the young mother's face upon seeing her baby; on the day I did my first c- section and that's what I want to spread.


I have been thinking a lot recently about hope, love, ethics and about a message that William Osler once preached that "good doctor treats the disease, but a great doctor treats the patient". Thus when I heard about the Barekuma Collaborative Community Development Project(BCCDP), I was excited as it placed me in a position of higher grounds to make a difference in the lives of others.


Abraham Lincoln once said that "if he were given six hours to chop down a tree, he would use the first four hours to sharpen His axe". This underscores the essence of preparation. Accordingly,  Day one of the Students' Learning Abroad Program featured loads of orientation which was mainly led by Prof. Daniel Ansong and Prof. Ty Dickerson. We were enlightened on the inception and aim of the program, which I must say was pretty interesting.


After that section,  we were given our T- shirts which came in various sizes,  but all in one cherry red colour. They were indeed eye- catching and we looked royalty in them. We then lined up to take a couple of photos. 

Afterwards,  we were grouped based on the research topic we were doing, then schooled on the procedure,  ethics,  outlines and guidelines for the work.


When you hear the tummies of your students rumbling, then you certain of the fact that they're ravenous. For lunch, we had fried rice and chicken which came in packs. We had to take our meal in the bus due to a certain policy of the Okubi hotel. Some groups took what seemed like eternity to report,  but at the end of the day everyone was served. There were a number of complaints about the quantity of the food. Like the saying goes “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper”.


Re- energized and revitalized,  we were ready for the second part of the orientation.  It was more practical as we practiced with our questionnaires and instruments such as the sphygmomanometer for the work on the D- day.  This part was a bit exhausting but worthwhile. 

At 3: 15pm, we set off to go back to our residence. The day was indeed well- spent and I must add that excitement has very much captured our being and we all can't wait for tomorrow.

Sometimes,  we doubt the power of our efforts and the possibility of eradicating certain diseases. But I want to remind us all that our efforts matter and that it is possible to have a hundred percent of the population healthy which in the long run, would increase longevity and reduce mortality and morbidity.

Every drop counts...

The ocean is made out of little drops, every drop counts. This should be a part of our being and a motivation to keep on helping others despite how little our efforts may seem in our eyes.

Adiós readers