busy busy busy....

well, there is so much that has happened in the past 2 days, but i am not so sure that i can get it all into a blog before i pass out!

so yesterday, nick and i went with Robert (an ophthalmic nurse from Liberia) to a school to do School Health. we basically taught one class about their eyes: how they see, eye anatomy, eye diseases, things they can do to take care of their eyes. it was so much fun. at first i was a bit nervous because 1st of all it was my first real "job" with unite for sight and 2nd of all, i get nervous when talking in front of ppl. these kids were so great though!! it was a blast, and i actually get to do it again tomorrow with Erica. after the class (which was like junior high kids--age 15 or so) we screened the teachers. then we left and went to another school where we just screened more teachers. it was all a lot of fun.

we then headed off to the crystal eye clinic to observe Dr. Clarke performing surgery. we arrived around 2 pm. nick and i sat around for a while (which happens every now and again) and then someone brought us lunch- chicken and fried rice for me (i've had that like 3 times since i have been in ghana! haha) after lunch we digested a bit and finally went into surgery. we had to put on a robe thing, surgical mask, and a little surgical cap. the weirdest thing to me tho was that they make everyone who goes into surgery wear flip-flops, even the patients. oh and the OR is called the theatre. so we went into surgery, and i got dizzy watching the 1st one... i didn't feel sick really, just dizzy. i stuck it out for a bit tho, and sat down in a chair. then robert took me out of the room to have a drink and sit for a while. when we finally returned to the "theatre" about 30 mins later i was totally fine, and was able to watch all the surgeries. nick and i were so tired though. we stayed there til about 7ish, then the driver brought us back to the telecentre. me erica and nick then walked to this chinese restaurant that was actually really good.

oh and one more thing about surgery. it is so crazy to watch how he does it. first he makes his incision, then he goes in with a needle and detaches the lens. then he injects so much vitreous fluid that is forces the lens with the cataract out of the incision. it just pops right out!!! it is nuttttttttts to watch, but soooo cool.

so today we went to a village called kpone-bawaleshie. weird name, i know. it was a new village for unite for sight. there was a very good response. we saw 102 patients. i did visual acuity for a while, then switched to registering patients. all in all a good day. the ppl were so nice.

when we got back from outreach tonight, me and erica and nick got ready to go to dinner. we decided to go to Osu, which is in Accra. it's downtown and is very busy and has tons of restaurants/bars/etc. we ate at a place called frankie's that was very americanized and is also a hotel. it was so great tho. they had a huge selection. i had a margherita pizza. YUM. it was the best meal i've had so far, hands down!!! it was kind of pricey though. not too bad, just not what i would've expected here. i mean, my pizza was like 9.60 cedis, or 9.60 dollars. it was a nicer restaurant tho. and it was delicious!!!

so i am about to crash b/c i am exhausted... hopefully tomorrow i can write in more detail!!

peace :)))