Monday, October 17

Happy 15th Birthday Hugh!!

Today seemed very busy and it highlighted the varied nature of the work that
we do. We went to the printing press in the morning to discuss the newspaper
(and put some pressure on the manager to give us some cost figures), then
spent the afternoon at the office working on the natural medicine school and
the water project. I think my next major project will be putting together a
video/slide-show to be used essentially as a marketing tool to fundraise.

After leaving the office, we stopped to pick up a battery for Dr. Addae�s
car. We have a driver, but he had to come with us and we left the car
sitting, within view, in a no parking zone, although it wasn�t really
marked. About one minute later, the traffic cops put a wheel clamp on the
van. Dr. Addae sent me to plead with them, knowing that if he went, they�d
ask for a bribe. The driver, Appiah, and I made our case and after what
seemed like forever, they took the boot off and left. Another interesting
experience!

We stopped by the hospital to see if we could find a friend of Dr. Addae�s.
We didn�t but we did talk to someone he knows who was recovering from a
gunshot wound. He�d been mistaken for a thief by one of other guards at the
place he worked. Fortunately, it was only his arm.

Being in the hospital was another real eye-opener. Canadian hospitals are
over-crowded, but not to the extent that they are here. There is also no
real ambulance service, and even if there were, the roads are terrible. The
lack of infrastructure here is unbelievable. It is overwhelming to think how
much work needs to be done and it can make you feel somewhat useless. I
think that the key is to simply do what you can with the resources that are
available. It can be frustrating to realize that Ghana is decades away from
having things that other parts of the world take for granted, but you have
to start somewhere. The developed world didn�t develop overnight and neither
will Ghana. Bonsoir. Let�s hope the Habs can get back on track against
Boston Tuesday night.