There and Back Again

Countdown to Albuquerque! 

I'll be home in three days! I'm wrapping up now -- I've turned in my final project to my adviser, took a trip to Barcelona and Lisbon, and now I'm tying up a couple of loose ends before I depart on Thursday night.

For all intents and purposes, my internship is complete. All the health ed students doing field work this semester needed to put together a poster summarizing their individual projects, and all the posters were presented at a poster session on May 1st. My poster was presented by my adviser at UNM, since I was still in Ghana (thank you Dr. Avila!). 

My research and lesson plans were focused on topics the women here requested: nutrition, breast cancer and menopause. Of those three topics, most of my time was spent on preparing for the breast cancer class. Teaching women here the importance of self breast exams, and the importance of teaching others how to do a self breast exam, helps to meet a huge need in Ghana. Mammograms are available in only two cities, leaving mammograms out of the realm of possibility for most Ghanaian women. (Transportation costs, medical costs and lost wages from taking a couple of days off work for travel lead women to choose not to travel to get a mammogram). Also, 60% of Ghanaian women who present with breast cancer at the doctor's office are already in stage 3 or 4, meaning the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, so their 5-year survival rate is 25%. Compared with the rest of the world, West Africa has a relatively low breast cancer rate, but their mortality rate from it is high. The two top reasons women presented so late are attributed to lack of knowledge, and having gone to the doctor previously. That last reason is worry-some but there hasn't been further research on why that happens and the details around it. When I asked a few women about their experiences at doctors offices, they said that when they went to the doctor (which takes all day because you have to wait in line), the doctor would prescribe you medicine for what s/he thinks you have and then send you on your way. But many times the medicine would have no effect. My general sense was a feeling of hopelessness if you are really sick. "But that's just life," I would hear from the women. 

While mammograms are the preferred method of breast cancer detection, self breast exams are crucial, not only in Ghana but everywhere. I spoke with a visiting nurse here, and she said ALL of her breast cancer clients found their lump on their own. So ladies, don't underestimate the importance of the SBE!!

On May 2nd, with my work in Cape Coast completed and my trip to Barcelona coming up, I said goodbye to my Cape Coast friends and headed to Accra, where I would stay at the volunteer house until I left for the airport that night. Here are pictures of some of the friends I made in Cape Coast:

Me and Mr. Appiah, the volunteer house security guard, as I was leaving the Cape Coast house for the last time. Mr. Appiah is almost 70, very old for a Ghanaian man. The average man in Ghana lives to 63. (For women it's 65).

Me, Sascha and Anna, and cat, at Papa's for a Stone beer on Sascha's last day. Sascha and Anna were two of the first friends I made upon arriving in Cape Coast. We all became big Stone fans!

The Cape Coast Crew at my going-away party. They served bananas and papayas in honor of my nutrition class. :)

With my 60 lb suitcase filled with souvenirs in tow, I got myself to the "fast car" station (a step up from a tro-tro) and went to Accra where I would relax until my flight to Lisbon. 

And now for my Barcelona and Lisbon adventures! When I booked this trip, I coincidentally booked it to start the day after my final project was due (phew!). I wasn't paying attention to dates too much. I've really been flying by the seat of my pants here, and to my amazement it has worked out! So I was able to explore these lovely cities with nothing weighing heavily on my mind.

My original plan was to just go to Barcelona. But I noticed when perusing flight options that you could get a lengthy layover in Lisbon. So on my way to Barcelona, I had a 14-hour layover in Lisbon from 6 AM to 8 PM. From the airport, where I witnessed a gorgeous sunrise, I hopped on the metro and spent the day in two beautiful neighborhoods, Oriente and Baixa. 

In the Oriente neighborhood, I visited the aquarium, one of the top three in Europe according to their signage! 

I apologize for not giving you the information of what kind of crazy looking fish this is, as I couldn't find it at the aquarium, but I had to include a picture of it! It is swimming to the left in case you were wondering. It was about two feet high.

After visiting the aquarium and nearby harbor,  I hopped on the metro and went to the Baixa neighborhood, and got my fill of historical churches and town plazas! Yay!

 

Visiting the Baxia neighborhood is a great workout for your quads and glutes, because you are pretty much either walking uphill or downhill! 

Then I got on the plane to Barcelona. Wow, another gorgeous city! In Barcelona, the highlights were the Sagrada Família cathedral that Gaudi is famous for, the Picasso Museum and the Fundació Miró. 
 

Segrada Familia. This is only one part of the amazing cathedral Gaudi designed. If you have never checked this place out, I highly recommend you do! Nature was his inspiration in designing it.

Gaudi used animal figures all over the church.

Joan Miró (1893-1983) is one of my favorite Surrealist painters, and I've long been a fan. I can't explain his work, but I love it! This is one of my favorites:

Dog Barking at the Moon, 1926. Joan Miró.

This painting is housed at the Philadelphia museum, so I didn't see it live. But the paintings and sculptures at the Fundacio Miró in Barcelona were just as marvelous, and the museum was special since Miró had a hand in creating it.

I was in Barcelona for 4 days, and I stayed in a cute little room in an apartment I found on airb&b. If you have never checked this website out, you need to if you are planning any travels! I got this room for $43 dollars a night. It was clean, located in the oldest (best) part of Barcelona, and the host, Carmen, was a gem. 

I also did a TON of walking on this trip. It didn't get dark until 10 PM so I let myself get lost in all those lovely boulevards!

On my way back to Accra, I had another lengthy layover in Lisbon, this time from 5 PM-5 PM, 24 blissful hours. So prior to my trip I researched a nice place to stay. Coincidentally (again! I can't make this stuff up!) it was in the Baxia neighborhood, which I was now a pro at getting around. It was a nice little hotel located on the grounds of the St. George Castle. I had a view of the ocean from my room, and a complementary bottle of port on my arrival (I only had 2 small glasses!) 

The discrete front of the hotel I stayed in in Lisbon, Solar do Castelo, on the grounds of the St. George Castle.

 

The view from the hotel room...kinda sweet!

Since I was only going to be in Lisbon for one night, I decided I needed to see a Fado performance. I didn't even know Fado existed until my first layover. I kept seeing signs for it so did a little research. If you didn't know, Fado is a very emotional type of music, typically performed with one guitar and one singer, and it is very Portuguese. The word Fado is derived from a Latin word that means destiny. The songs are usually very sad. I asked the hotel receptionist where I could catch a performance, and she sent me to PARREIRINHA DE ALFAMA, a cozy, well-known restaurant where I heard three Fado performances and had a yummy, although lengthy, meal. I tried to leave twice because I was finished eating and so pooped, but the manager would not have it! So first he enticed me to stay by bringing me a shot of a cherry liquor that Lisbon is known for. Two hours and two performances later, I tried to leave again, so this time he brought me a card signed by himself and all the performers! I stayed through the grand finale, and upon my departure, he graciously bid me adieu, hoping I would visit again.

Left: guitarist for Fado performers. Right: Persistent manager and guitarist.

Cozy Parreirinha de Alfama. The lights were dimmed as the Fado artists walked throughout the restaurant during their performances.

The next morning, I sadly checked out of my lovely hotel after a buffet breakfast, and visited the castle before my flight. I visited a couple of castles on this trip, and strangely none of the rooms had any time-relevant furniture. Mostly they were administrative offices. But the grounds were pretty, and it was a nice last destination before I headed back to the airport.

At the St. George Castle in Lisbon

The little road I walked down to get from the hotel to the castle.

And so, here I am back in Accra, almost at the end of my stay in Ghana, writing my last entry for this blog.  Lord of the Rings fans will know I stole the title of this post from Bilbo Baggins. While my time in Ghana was no where near as scary as his quest, in my own realm I had to work through fear of the unknown, doubts about my abilities, and being away from my loved ones, just to get on a plane! After that, to my surprise and relief, it all kind of fell into place. My internship experience has been phenomenal, and Global Mamas has been an amazing host. But the biggest gifts from this trip are these:  I truly believe we are all braver and stronger than we know, we just need to have a dream, make a plan, and then show up for it. That a change in perspective and learning about cultures unknown to us is necessary for growth, and the more we open ourselves up to other parts this world, the better humans we are. And that there are many things to see on a journey...beautiful, ugly, heartbreaking, mind-blowing things. We need to look at all of it.

So that's my "Ghana Project" in a nutshell.

In Ghana, when someone knows you are going on a trip, they always say "Safe Journey." Well, this life is a trip. :)  And I wish everyone a safe journey!

Love,
Adrienne