Unfortunately we are already approaching the home stretch, although I am not ready to go home yet... Luckily I will still have 3 more weeks to travel after my practicums are through.
It hit me the first time this week that I will soon have to say good-bye to all the wonderful people I met at work, as well as during my travels. As expected, I am going to be quite sad to go. Remember how I said at the beginning: "beginnings are always difficult", well, saying good-bye can be even harder... However, I am slowly preparing myself and others for my departure, and I think that way I will manage to get a handle on things.
This week at the vocational centre I had a dentist come in to speak about dental hygene, as this was much needed. Sadly, even though they may be willing to take good care of their teeth, some of them don't have enough money to buy toothpaste... However, by demonstrating to them how to properly use a toothbrush, and removing some of the myths (for e.g. that cavities are bugs that eat their way into their teeth), they will hopefully be able to prevent damage to their teeth and other related problems. Apparently, this was the first time since years that someone came in to give education about dental hygene, so the matron was very pleased. I advised her to arrange the same dentist, who works in a clinic on the hospital grounds, to come in once a year when new students have started their programs. It sounded like he agreed to doing so, and I hope it works out..
At Uganda Cares I am still doing pre- and post-result counselling, and this week I also spoke with a couple, which was a first. They advise people to follow the "a, b, c model", which stands for abstain if single, be faithful when in a relationship, or otherwise use a condom...as you can imagine, it's not that simple. However, a lot of clients or young Ugandans I have met, do claim they abstain until marriage, as did the couple I counselled. They came in to get tested prior to getting married, and fortunately they tested negative. To be safe, I advised them to get re-tested within 3 months, as they could have contracted HIV during the window period. It is still not easy giving someone their positive results, and unless I become a doctor in Canada, this is probably something I won't be doing again back home. So, in a sense it is a priviledge, whereby I have learned how to be straight forward with information, while at the same time assessing how they may react and being prepared for their reaction.
Alright, you'll here from me once more next week!
Bye for now,
Seraina
1 comment:
"you just can't have it all - you don't need it either, so it's great!"
This was a comment that Seraina made at the beginning of the blog. It is a sentiment that I would encourage all to consider. I recently returned to Canada for a visit from Ghana, where I live. I have been overwhelmed by the sense that members of North American society have an expection that they are entitled to "everything, all at once". Perhaps if we all learned to live with a little less in this society, then there just may be a bit more for those in other parts of the world. Perhaps if we were willing to share the world's resources in a more equitable fashion, we all as mankind would be better off.
Congratulations to those students who returned from Uganda - may your experience benefit you and those you met while in Africa.
Best wishes,
Nana Akwasi Amoako Agyeman
Edubiase Nkosuohene
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