Malaria

So, it is my first day back from my whirlwind tour of Ghana. Litterally we attemtped to see practically the entire contry in five days. Now, as my tittle may forshadow, many "interesting" things happened to me on this journey. So, listen up, because here comes the good, the bad, and the malaria.
We departed at 6am, so Ghana time 7am, on Thurday morning. Our destination was Kumasi, the cultural capital of the Asante nation. Kumasi is a hub for African art and tradition, or so my guide book told me (thanks again Melissa, the book has been a lifesaver, litterally). However, an two hours after departer, our nice chartered bus broke down. Our poor little bus driver had to venture out into the scourching heat probably a dozen times, to fix the engine, the would break down five miles latter. So, they had another bus come and pick us up, tacking on another three hours to the trip, and this bus was less than half the size. But hey, this is Africa, we were happy to have a bus and have this amazing opprotunity, so no one cared, or at least no one admitted they did. Because such delays, we did not get to see much of Kumasi, especially because the game between Ghana and Camaroon was on, which Ghana unfotuanatly lost. I have never seen a whole nation at once be so sad! However, on that never ending journey, we saw some of the most beautiful landscape. Ghana in the southern region is very tropical, however, in Accra you don't get to see that because it is such a crowded city. But on the drive, about an hour outside Accra, there was just tree after tree after tree. In the distance there was mountains that you could just see covered in rainforest. It was gorgous! Also, the further we got away from Kumasi, the more rural it got, transforming from large city, to small suburbs, to villages, complete with mud huts and thatched roofs. I am not saying any of this to reienforce any stereotypes of Africa, because let me tell you, over 85% of what you (and I) may think of Africa or Ghana, just isn't so. Rather I mention them because it was so interesting how stark in contrast rural Africa is to city Africa, it feels almost like two different worlds. I have to address this again later, when I have better words to decribe, and I'm not tripping off my Malaria drugs.

The next day we departed for Tamale, which is about another 6 hours north of Kumasi. Tamale has been by far my favorite region of Ghana. It is completely different than the south. First of all, the humidity is completely gone, and then it is just plain Las Vegas, 106 degrees of hotness. Also, Tamale is about 80% muslim. As your driving along the streets in Tamale, if you time it at the right point during the day, the streets are ligned with people praying to Mecca. The fabrics here are also beautiful, and a couple friends and I ventured out to find some, unsuccessfully. Instead we found ourselves greeted by all kinds of people, one of which, Mustaph we talked to forever as if we are old friends. He allowed me to ask a lot of questions that I thought may be difficult for him to talk about, especially about the Muslim culture. In Tamale, those who are not Muslim are Catholic (we stayed in a Catholic hotel), and there is absolutely no tension or anomosity between the two faiths. I found this so strange, because I feel in the US we are made to believe that such forms of coexistence or not natural. I found this suprisingly refreshing and fell in love with Tamale, something I would have to remind myself for the next few days...
The following day I woke up and my sore throat and cough had gotton worse from the day before. I thought nothing of it, assuming I was still adjusting to the weather, boy was I wrong. Still, I put it aside and new I had to power through, because today we were going to Bolgatonga, where relics of a slave market remains. The tour there was intense, the slaves were brought there from all over WEst Africa, and were bought and traded like cattle. I'll never forget the image of this ten year old boy demonstrating for me how the slaves were tortured. It makes you wonder how a human could do this to another human. As Sam, a Professor from Legon would say, the only possible answer is that they would just simply have to be less than human.
After Bolgatonga, we headed to Paga, which is litterally at the boarder of Burkina Faso, meaning we had litterally now traveled the entire length of Ghana. And if this sounds exhausting, let me tell you, it definetly was! BUT it was all worth it because waiting for us in Paga was a crocidile lake. I will consider this section of my blog as an ode to Steve Irwin, because as much as I may secretly dream to, I could never do what he did. I ventured down to the edge of the lake in disbelief, because yet there were full on huge, man chomping crocidiles. The men that work at this lake were holding live chickens in their hands, enticing the crocs out of the water. Then they proceded to ensure us that they are harmless, and look you can pet them. The next thing I know I am sitting on the back of a croc, with no one holding him down, just the pure desire for chicken keeping him distacted. I have the picture to prove it for those who doubt me! So, basically, I can cross that of my list of things to do before I die.
On the road back from Paga, I my cold started getting worse, and I began to feel feverish. However, I was thinking, who gets a cold in Africa when it is over 106 degrees outside. However, by the time we arrived in Kumasi, it was apparrent, I was really sick. I could not pull myself out of bed, I was shivering and sweating buckets at the same time. Of course dumb me tells myself and everyone concerned, let me just wait one more day, this will pass. Of course the next day, I spent in the Kumasi "hospital," where after spending less than a minute with a doctor, I was informed I had malaria. The drugs I got there did not do much, so after another five hours on the bus, I went to the hospital in Accra, one of the nicest in Accra thanks to the diligent research of my Malaria buddy Theo's parents (he had Malaria before we even left for the trip and the drugs had not helped.) There we found out that the drugs the other "hospitals" had given us would have done nothing for us and he was shocked they were given to us! So I got blood test and the cadillac of Malaria drugs, and then was sent the bill and the exact moment I realized I did not have any money, and credit cards are not an option in Ghana. So thus bus driver lent me 50 dollars so that I could live.....It appears I am dragging this on, but I just cannot believe I got malaria in the second week in Ghana. Before I left it was totally a joke, like hey don't get malaria when your in Africa, hahaha. No, not so funny now. One things throughout the whole expierience was that I furthur realized how luck we all are in the US. Malaria is the biggest killer in Ghana, not because it is not treatable, but because those who cannot afford to go to the hospital, or the hospitals that are not well equiped, just have no options. Being here makes me sooooo much more apprechiative of all I have, all my family has provided me, all the opprotunities people have in the US, even though it may be increably flawed. I could go on and on about my emotions surrounding this ordeal, but let me spare you. The first part of my trip was wonderful, and the last part will one day be memorable, but hey, at least I don't ever have to donate blood again!

Love ali

(Once again I forgot to bring my address and tele number with me to the computer lab, so, email my dad (mernst1@san.rr.com) if you need either soon, but otherwise, let's see if I can get it up tomorrow, malaria permitting.)