First Excursion Outside of Accra

Tuesday June 19, 2012  Africa:  Day 8

            The first thing we did this morning was find a place to do our laundry.  There is a building near us where you just drop off your laundry in the morning, pay by the kilo, and then it is cleaned, folded, and waiting for you later that afternoon.  This will be much nicer than trying to wash all of my clothes in the bathroom sink.

            We were asked to meet at the NGO main office today in order to talk to some high school girls from the Ghana International School who are exploring future career opportunities.  We then left to visit Pantang Psychiatric Hospital where we met with a few staff members and toured the rehab center where we will be working once a week.  I think all of our responsibilities are liable to change, but it sounds like we will mostly be observing different counseling groups from anger management to grief and bereavement groups.  This hospital has a completely different feeling from the other hospital we will be at during the week.  It just felt so peaceful and organized. 

            The evening ended with a trip to the Night Market for fruit and Tickles for kabobs.  We watched the sunset on Liyam’s patio while planning our trip to Cape Coast this weekend.  It will be so nice to get out of the chaos of the city.  Even the drive out to Pantang was a very nice change.  From that town you can see the jungle-green hills in the background.  I think my lungs will also feel happier once they get a break from the city smog.

                                    (Outside the Pantang hospital)

                                       (A view from the patio)