Week 1 - Get settled and get to work

After a good 14 hour ‘nap’ I was met by the driver and we made our way to the hospital. The trip was a few miles and it took 20 minutes (ants again).

I arrived at the old pathology building and found the facility different but strangely familiar. Everyone in the department is extremely friendly and helpful. They showed me around and I soon found myself settled in behind my microscope with my cases. The first office on the left is for the department head (Dr. Quason). The pathology overseas volunteers share the middle office and the end of the hall is an office for the administrative staff. The two doors across the hall are the morgue and the bathroom.

A small sign is taped to the wall directly ahead of the volunteer office. . .

Ghana is far from the US, but it’s not Arrakis. . . (read Dune)

The gross room and tissue processing are downstairs, but there are no stairs. A short walk outside and back in does the trick.

After all the travel and the unusual surroundings I found myself comfortable. Dr. Frus and I, each at our microscopes with a stack of books, asking each other’s opinion on the day’s cases.

I am glad I decided to come to Ghana.

Day 1 - Hello welcome to Ghana!

After asking Dr. Green many questions and getting the go ahead from my wife I have finally arrived in Ghana. The trip over from St. Louis was long, but it wasn’t too bad. On the flight over I sat next to a Canadian(French) who has worked in Accra for three years and she helped me out with a few tips. You have to understand that I am a novice traveler. I have only been out of the United States once, and that was to Germany. I made good time thanks to a tailwind and we were going to get into Accra an hour early. When asked what I would do for an hour while waiting for the driver I naively suggested I would get a coffee at the airport and have a seat. My brief Canadian(still French) guide turned to me and said with a blank stare, ‘you have never been to Kotoka Airport.’

Hmmmm, maybe this will be more different than I thought . . .

After landing and a short walk accros the tarmac I proceded through customs and bid farewell to my Canadian friend. Soon after, I met the very nice driver sent by the Hospital and we began our journey north.


















It’s a short 250km to Kumassi, but it takes four hours. Some of the roads in Ghana are fantastic, most . . . .not so much. The driving customs in Ghana are different than the US. The best description. . . Think of thousands of friendly ants that communicate by honking. It sounds, looks, and feels like chaos, but nobody hits eachother or gets aggitated. The drive from Accra was pleasant enough and we stopped half way at a nice roadside café for the driver to get some delicious grass cutter (google it). I had a coke and a smile instead. We continued on and the second half of the trip was generally good roads, small towns, and fantastic landscape.


That afternoon, I had a plate of red-red and was deposited at the Marigold hotel in Kumasi. Clean room, nice people, and a COLD AC.

After 23 hours of travel. . . Sleep.