Deciding on topics to blog about is always difficult for me, not being a writer. Today I decided that it is not important that I write on a serious topic, something earth shattering, or depressing, or way of life that, by our standards, needs to be fixed. A more routine day here in Ghana is just as important as there are lessons to be learned,.
At the end of each day I make a list of things I would like to get done the next day. Sometimes those goals are met, sometimes not, but it is a map of the day's plans. Today's goals were to go to the University, to visit the pharmacy schools and nursing schools. If possible to speak with the Deans of both colleges about lecturing on a guest lecture basis thinking that some extra CD's ($$$) never hurt. Having some affiliation with one or the other college would also be good as a source for students for the clinic. Nest, to Barclay's Bank to set up an account, Opoku Trading (my favorite and only grocery store in Kumasi), then home.
I started out for the University this morning. It is along way to there from here and actually one needs a camera to take film of the traffic, and how the drive goes. For you all in St. Louis,Highway 40 in the rain or snow during rush hour is a walk in the park, believe me. I arrived about 40 minutes later and found the pharmacy school. Nice buildings, students around, all dressed up and wearing white coats, very professional and impressive for an outsider. After asking directions about 15 times, I found the Dean's office. Thank goodness it was air conditioned because it felt wonderful. The Dean was at a meeting somewhere about a PharmD program. I made arrangements to call and make an appointment for later. Another twenty questions later, I found the nursing school. A v ery nice lady gave me insructions as to where to get an application, fill it out, fifteen copies made of that plus my resume, and whe would give it to the Dean who was ill that day. So, back to the Administration which was about 2 miles away to see Charles on the 4th floor who has the applications. Now, the humor here, Charles has a nice office. Not like a Western office, but a nice office. No file cabinets though. He files (and most everyone I have seen in Ghana) in the horizontal method. As I was waiting for Charles to find an application, I studied the horizontal method. There were groups of papers, composition books and like items ( I assume) bound together with string. Then those bundles stacked on top of each other. Truly, I could not even begin to make heads or tails of the filing system.
Back to the nursing school, with my filled out application, resume, business card and Irene was kind enough to offer water and a chair in another air conditioned office….YES!!!!!! I explained that I have no way to make copies (darn Office Max is closed…right…WHAT Office Max???) and would she be able to guide me to a place that could make the copies. Of course, no problem, for X number of CD's SHE will do it. That beats running around campus and a city of a million looking for the same thing, so I left papers with her, got both her number and the Dean's number and will call next week, hopefully for an appointment.
Whew…all that was 2 to 2 and a half hours. Lunch time…my nice fresh grown banana and some cookies on the run, along with the water. Now back to Adum (downtown) to Barclay's. April 2009 I was there finding out about a bank account. Got sick, did nothing, but before I left this time I did have Emmanuel sign the papers and got the documents from the US I would need copied and brought along. The bank was packed and fortunately I go to the corporate banking. I found the corporate section, got past the guard and found my way to where I remember speaking to the man in 2009. Of course the man from 2009 is not there anymore but I was directed to a very nice man who took the time to help me recreate the application steps. Yea….but….NOW I will have to get my status papers from Accra (that means the government office) on an NGO. The government experience will be many blog posts!
Fortunately Opoku Trading, right across the street from the Bank. My MOST FAVORITE PLACE. They have foods from all over the world. Tomorrow night I cook dinner and Cindy's choice was home made pizza. When I was at Opoku Trading yesterday I forgot the Mozzarella… s0 that is my main reason for being here today. Please, do not think of this store having a whole section of cheeses…the whole store is about the size of the cheese section! Off to the back near the registers…there are two rows of freezers and four upright commercial refrigerators. I find the refrigerator with some cheese and at this point begin to pray they have mozzarella. Edem, Enthemaler, yellow chedder, white chedder, then Wa Laa…a HUGE and I mean HUGE package of Mozzarella! Yes, Ask and ye shall receive…in a huge quanity! But not to fear, I reach way in the back behind the large packages of Mozzarella, and there are some smaller ones, just right for the Pizza.
And where does this leave us? Starting with a list of things to do, the back up contingent plans just in case there are problems, and looking for Mozzarella for dinner. Get your list together, be persistent, patient and kind….and the mozzarella is in the back!
At the end of each day I make a list of things I would like to get done the next day. Sometimes those goals are met, sometimes not, but it is a map of the day's plans. Today's goals were to go to the University, to visit the pharmacy schools and nursing schools. If possible to speak with the Deans of both colleges about lecturing on a guest lecture basis thinking that some extra CD's ($$$) never hurt. Having some affiliation with one or the other college would also be good as a source for students for the clinic. Nest, to Barclay's Bank to set up an account, Opoku Trading (my favorite and only grocery store in Kumasi), then home.
I started out for the University this morning. It is along way to there from here and actually one needs a camera to take film of the traffic, and how the drive goes. For you all in St. Louis,Highway 40 in the rain or snow during rush hour is a walk in the park, believe me. I arrived about 40 minutes later and found the pharmacy school. Nice buildings, students around, all dressed up and wearing white coats, very professional and impressive for an outsider. After asking directions about 15 times, I found the Dean's office. Thank goodness it was air conditioned because it felt wonderful. The Dean was at a meeting somewhere about a PharmD program. I made arrangements to call and make an appointment for later. Another twenty questions later, I found the nursing school. A v ery nice lady gave me insructions as to where to get an application, fill it out, fifteen copies made of that plus my resume, and whe would give it to the Dean who was ill that day. So, back to the Administration which was about 2 miles away to see Charles on the 4th floor who has the applications. Now, the humor here, Charles has a nice office. Not like a Western office, but a nice office. No file cabinets though. He files (and most everyone I have seen in Ghana) in the horizontal method. As I was waiting for Charles to find an application, I studied the horizontal method. There were groups of papers, composition books and like items ( I assume) bound together with string. Then those bundles stacked on top of each other. Truly, I could not even begin to make heads or tails of the filing system.
Back to the nursing school, with my filled out application, resume, business card and Irene was kind enough to offer water and a chair in another air conditioned office….YES!!!!!! I explained that I have no way to make copies (darn Office Max is closed…right…WHAT Office Max???) and would she be able to guide me to a place that could make the copies. Of course, no problem, for X number of CD's SHE will do it. That beats running around campus and a city of a million looking for the same thing, so I left papers with her, got both her number and the Dean's number and will call next week, hopefully for an appointment.
Whew…all that was 2 to 2 and a half hours. Lunch time…my nice fresh grown banana and some cookies on the run, along with the water. Now back to Adum (downtown) to Barclay's. April 2009 I was there finding out about a bank account. Got sick, did nothing, but before I left this time I did have Emmanuel sign the papers and got the documents from the US I would need copied and brought along. The bank was packed and fortunately I go to the corporate banking. I found the corporate section, got past the guard and found my way to where I remember speaking to the man in 2009. Of course the man from 2009 is not there anymore but I was directed to a very nice man who took the time to help me recreate the application steps. Yea….but….NOW I will have to get my status papers from Accra (that means the government office) on an NGO. The government experience will be many blog posts!
Fortunately Opoku Trading, right across the street from the Bank. My MOST FAVORITE PLACE. They have foods from all over the world. Tomorrow night I cook dinner and Cindy's choice was home made pizza. When I was at Opoku Trading yesterday I forgot the Mozzarella… s0 that is my main reason for being here today. Please, do not think of this store having a whole section of cheeses…the whole store is about the size of the cheese section! Off to the back near the registers…there are two rows of freezers and four upright commercial refrigerators. I find the refrigerator with some cheese and at this point begin to pray they have mozzarella. Edem, Enthemaler, yellow chedder, white chedder, then Wa Laa…a HUGE and I mean HUGE package of Mozzarella! Yes, Ask and ye shall receive…in a huge quanity! But not to fear, I reach way in the back behind the large packages of Mozzarella, and there are some smaller ones, just right for the Pizza.
And where does this leave us? Starting with a list of things to do, the back up contingent plans just in case there are problems, and looking for Mozzarella for dinner. Get your list together, be persistent, patient and kind….and the mozzarella is in the back!
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