Ama's turn to get sick!

My brain is a bit too mushy right now to do any meaningful work, but I think I can muster up a blog entry. This way at least I only have to tell the story once!

This last week and a was mostly like all the others. We saw Tom off to Tanzania with a big party, including Tom, Muhsin, myself and Ama! Woohoo! To be fair, it had rained a lot just prior, and raining often creates flooding in many parts of the city that make it impossible to get around.

We had some tasty pizza at Afrikiko anyhow, which is a big outdoor restaurant, play area type place that I am sorry I just learned existed! It was great for Ama!

I told her that we were going to a party, which was sort of a lie since we were going to a restaurant, but I needed to get her motivated to leave the house. Once we got there, low and behold, there was a party hat! She was very happy about it. Muhsin drew plenty of pictures on her etch-a-sketch and was a big hit. There were tears at the end of the night because she spotted the "choo choo train" and desperately wanted to ride it. Poor thing.








This week was supposed to be my crunch week. I was supposed to finish my paper for Amend on Monday, and then finish my remaining course work the rest of the week so that I could be a free woman. Ama's epiglotis had other plans...







I got a call Monday at noon from her school saying she was unwell. I got there, she was on fire, and very out of it. She also had a barking cough, mostly when she was worked up, but otherwise had not wonderful sounding breathing. I quickly took her to the Dr at the Phillips clinic nearby.

Of course their lab was closed, but I saw the Dr anyhow. She seemed fairly unconcerned about Ama, who was at that point barely responsive and drooling and seemed to have difficulty breathing. She gave her a lolipop, which perked her up a bit, but it ended up all over the place since she wasn't swallowing anything.

She told me to give her antibiotics, that she just had a cough, and that she should also take some "anti allergic" medication that came in a bottle that was not the original, and not clearly labeled. No thanks.

I decided to take Ama to a different lab to get the ordered tests (CBC and Malaria) but after I got it done learned they wouldn't have the results till the next day. We went home, blasted the AC and gave her Tylenol. She slept for 3 hours, but woke up no better, probably a bit worse.

I was thinking I should go to a hospital, but also thinking that I really didn't want to do that in Ghana! So I called health link, who were surprisingly helpful, and the woman told me that if I were in Canada she would advise me to go, but that she could appreciate the situation of not wanting to go to a hospital here. She said if she got any worse to take her.

I called my colleague Muhsin who advised me on the various private hospitals in Accra, and recommended Nyaho Clinic. I decided not to kid myself any longer and take her.

When I got there, the Dr examined her and told me she needed to be admitted for "epiglotitis" and put on IV antibiotics. I initially thought it was total bogus, and scrambled to try to get a hold of anyone and everyone, who were predictably unavailable. I got a hold of Susan, and we agreed to just do it, since it was probably the best place for her if I was worried about her breathing.

Turns out it's a real, and dangerous, thing. So good thing I did! She was much better by morning, and seemed back to herself the following day.

If you are in Ghana and plan to have an emergency, go to the bank first. I only had about $300 on me, which I gave as a "deposit." This caused a problem because they wanted more. They also chose to ask for payment directly after they put Ama's IV access in, when we were on the way to the room. Good timing. I got a bit angry with the woman as she took her sweet time, and they took the money and sent me on my way.

They were totally unsympathetic to the fact that I was on my own, and didn't magically have 500 GHc on me. I was asking about payment on day 2, and if I could run to the ATM and leave my passports and other valuables, and they said no, somebody had to bring it or I had to leave Ama. And no, they don't take credit card. What? And no, you can't have your bill in advance, even though all the meds have been ordered and we know when you will be discharged. And no, I can't give you an approximate amount so you can arrange for the cash to be brought. What? There were a few tears on Tuesday night, not gonna lie!

In the end it worked out. Peace, the woman who runs the guesthouse, turned out to be my saviour. She visited twice on Saturday, bringing supplies from home, food, and of course cash. I was so grateful!

Well there you have it. Ama is doing fabulous now. She was causing plenty of trouble this afternoon, and was running around like a maniac. Perfect.

Much needed getaway!

Holidaying is tough...


The past couple weeks have been mostly pretty good, with the exception of a few minor meltdowns. My fuse is a bit short, which is a signal I'm ready to be done! I'm very much looking forward to having a real friend here for a while! (Lame, I know-but it's hard to make friends when you have to be inside by 6pm and are always working!)

There was some interesting guests at the guesthouse last week, particularly one lady who had lived here for 30 years and is moving back to England to retire. She was lovely, and made Ama's day (or possibly month) by giving me a tiny bottle/bubble wand combo. I think we've probably spent at least 4 hours blowing bubbles since. I blow, Ama chases. Repeat. She also gave me an assortment of goodies such as insect repellent wipes, a mat for the beach, tea and who knows what else in a big box. Very nice.

It has rained twice in the past week, which is very nice as it cools down slightly. By cool, I mean 28 degrees, but heat is relative I guess! The highlight of last week, next to the bubbles, was the giant frog that came out after the rain to feast on flying ants whose wings had fallen off. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't really do it justice, but it was pretty cool. Ama was VERY impressed!



On Friday we skipped work and headed back to KoSa, or paradise as I prefer to call it. I accidentally told Ama on Thursday morning that we were going to the beach the next day, and the resulting fit will remind me to never do that again. She did not want to go to school, and began packing her beach toys and looking for her bathing suit. It was a bit sad...

The trip there was fantastic. We took the STC bus to Cape Coast, and then took a 20 minute taxi to KoSa. The bus was air conditioned and comfortable, and the trip went smoothly. My expectations were totally surpassed, a rare occurrence in Ghana...
The only drawback was the very loud music. At first, we had loud talk radio, which might just be the most annoying thing ever, then it was what sounded like church hymns, and then out of the blue was very twangy country music. It was very bizarre. I was like "where am I?" Did I get teleported back to Alberta? Oh well, better than talk radio or church music...

This time we stayed in the cheap accommodation, which was basic and simple, but good enough for us! It's also significantly cheaper. The downside is that you have to share a bathroom/shower. But check out the view!




At KoSa we had lots of fun and relaxed. Ama played bubbles with a little girl her age, and even ordered her around a bit. It was pretty cute. The little girl was more than a bit excited about the bubbles, I'm pretty sure they might have been the greatest thing she had ever seen.





We had lots of fun at the beach, but one day we had to go a bit earlier than planned because we got mobbed by kids! They just surrounded us, with total disregard for personal space! They meant well I'm sure, but it became a bit much. At one point they were all wanting to touch Ama, who had a freak out, which just encouraged the not so gentle grabbing! Leaving was ok, since it was nearly lunch time and probably a good idea to get out of the sun! Below are some pictures of pre-freak out.





The next couple week and a half will be filled with lots and lots of work. I hope to finish everything so that I can pack up all my stuff, put it in storage, and spend 6 nights at KoSa again and unwind. Then I'll head back to stinky Accra to get Pam! I have a lot of work to do, but I'm highly motivated by the prospect of getting out of town again.

I know it probably seems boring that I'm going to the same place over and over again, but it's so perfect for Ama! The surf here can be pretty big, and there can be some pretty strong currents/under-tow's. This beach is just great for Ama, minus the very interested children! Pam and I will hopefully visit one other place, but I'll keep you posted on that later.

Encouraging emails or funny stories welcome...haha. Hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the nice weather!

Ama becomes a Twinkle Tot

Unfortunately the Nanny did not work out. There is too big of a cultural gap, and our expectations were too different. This is not to say that a wonderful and competent nanny cannot be found in Ghana, but time is ticking, so the nursery school it is!

We made the decision last night to send her to "Twinkle Tots International Preschool," just a short walk from our apartment. One of the highlights on our walk is the many goats and chickens that Ama must "find." Very fun.




Although this is unfortunate for my bank account, I think it is going to be the best for Ama. The daycare (or international preschool as they call it) is absolutely wonderful. As mentioned earlier, it is well outfitted with all sorts of toys, an outdoor (fenced in) courtyard with playground, giant sandbox and toy cars. The outside also has a canopy covering most parts to protect Ama's Obruni skin! The ladies are all lovely, and there are a whole bunch of them (5 kids to 1 adult).

Although Ama cried a bit today, when we arrived she was happily drawing with her caregivers, and it was clear that she had instructed them to "draw fishies." Those darn ladies outdid my artistic ability...










We dropped Ama off this morning, and the next step was to get the money from the bank to pay them. Simple task right? WRONG!!!

We went to the nearest Barclay's bank branch, where they told us to go to Osu cause they couldn't help us there. Mildly annoying, but doable. We get to Osu, and they tell us go to high street. What? 3 Banks? Ok...

Once at high street, we give the man behind the glass our passport and bank card. He replies "No madame, we only accept Visa or Mastercar." Ok...here you go. He then instructs us to wait, and puts my passport at the bottom of a pile of passports. And we wait, and wait, and wait...

Meanwhile, a man is becoming increasingly upset for who knows why, and begins to yell. This escalates and goes on for quite some time. The man leaves, but then drives it right up to the bank doors. At one point I was sure he was going to attempt to drive the car through the bank doors, but he didn't (thankfully). He seemed to be upset because the bank lady had his passport, I can totally understand where he was comming from!

I am not sure why this man was permitted to cause such a scene for so long, especially since there were at least 4 security guards in the building, who seemed to be doing little to calm him down or remove him. In the end the man left, and we got our money, after about an hour and a half.

How long does it take a person to drop their kid off at daycare and get the money to pay for it in Accra you ask? 4 hours. Yep, 4 hours.

Anyway, it was all worth it and I think Ama is going to love her new, temporary school!

Later this evening I went to a patio bar in the area to do a bit of work, since I clearly got nothing done today. As I was finishing up I met an Engineer from Halifax and his co-worker, a Ghanaian-Canadian man from Calgary. When I asked the Calgary man if he knew of a place to get a cheap car rental (self drive) he informed me he would find me a car and I would just pay fuel. What? A little while later another man joined, and when I asked if he also worked with the other two men, they replied "no, he is the Chief of Defense for Ghana." Wow. Random. Needless to say I was caught up a bit longer than expected (you don't get up and go as soon as you meet the chief of defense for a country) and poor mom was probably worried. After looking up this man's picture on google, I'm pretty sure they weren't lying to me! Who knows if I will get a free car to drive around? Haha, I doubt it...