sickness and the sea side.

Well after our trip north i managed to catch some horrible bug and was violently ill Tuesday morning. After not a hugely productive day at the school on the Monday i went home feeling rather run down. Having an early night i woke up Tuesday morning shaking and being sick. After calling Gabriel i met one of the charity reps at Abrepo junction and we traveled for five minuets to the nearest Hospital. I must say a Ghanaian Clinic was not the experience i was hoping for while i was in Ghana but life is full of surprise.

We arrived at the clinic just before 8 o'clock and it was already swarming with people. We walked through several wards which were all concrete and on one level. The place was full with every available piece space taken by someone. The rep Anthony walked me straight through and into one of the doctors Secretary's rooms which was surprisingly comfortable but very dark with an air conditioning unit that seemed to break every 30min. After an hour i saw the doctor, who had trained in Liverpool. He gave me the fastest examination i have ever had and then sent me to the lab for a blood test. The Lab was another dark concrete room with lime green paint on the walls. The technician sat me in a chair and started searching for a Syringe. I quickly gave him one of the sterile needles that i had brought with me and wiped my arm down with one of my alcoholic wipes. After he toock a blood sample i had to wait another hour for the result, and was pleasently surprised to find out it wasn't malaria. which the nurse had said she was sure it was.

The doctor gave me some antibiotics and told me to come back on thursday. I left feeling no better and nothing seemed to change even with the drugs. At the Wednesday volunteer meeting i met up with Pete and mieker both nurses and they said the antibiotics i had been given where mainly for ears, eyes ans throat. Li then gave me some ciprofloxacin (diffrent antibiotics) and these seemed to help. waking up Thursday i was again being sick and made a return trip to the hospital where i found my way back to the same nurse. She wanted to test me for more viruses so i was given crude instructions to a private lab which i found above a cafe. after another blood sample was taken and another one of my needles used i waited three hours for my results which again showed nothing.

Deciding i had nothing to lose i joined the rest of the volunteers heading south to the coast. We met at the STC bus station at 4am and made the 5hour trip to the coast. Which was probably not the best decision had made as i seemed to spend 4hours trying to convince myself not to be sick. After arriving at the coast and feeling slightly better with some fresh air and exercise we made our way to the hotel, which was just as interesting as the one in the north. Me and Luke (also English, care volunteer) decided to share a room and were not surprised when we found one bed this time slightly smaller than a double and a bathroom which was so small you could go to the loo, brush your teeth and shower at the same time.

We then headed to Kakum National park and into the rain forest where we did the highest canopy walk in the world which is about 350meters long and made up of 7 different bridges. After that we did a guided walk through the rain forest and with humidity at near 90% we decided to head for a rest stop. We found the driver we had hired for the day and went to Hun cottage which is suppose to have a family of crocodiles living there. we ordered our food and because it can take a couple of hours in Ghana, we walked round the crocodile lake but failed to see anything.

We then headed to the beach and Oasis hotel. The tide and current was unbelievable. getting in was easy but as you swam you were swept down the coast and to get out you had to catch a wave which would through you up onto the beach. After another interesting night sleep we went to the cape castle which was the main slave trading post in Africa for the British. After a guided tour with about 50 locals. I felt as if they were going to chase me into the see for all the horrific thing that the British did to their ancestors. That night we went out for dinner and after waiting over an hour for our starters and even longer for the main, which was wrong (as i ordered a shrimp dish and received chicken), we headed back to the hotel enjoyed the night life.

After a weekend of fresh air and western'ish food i felt much better. I headed to the school this morning where we manged to fix 6 computers so that now all 15 are working. My lessons went well as i asked them to open paint and just to draw. So that there mouse skills would improve. however the short time span is still a huge problem as although the majority got the hang of it there were a few who really struggled and which i could have helped with another 15minutes.

we are planning on heading east this weekend to lake volta but that all depends on the plan as it may involve missing the Monday of school. so unless i can move my class to the Tuesday i will not go.