(I will add pictures tomorrow if the hostel internet decided to work, its a pain to do over my cellular data)
Salsa night was a blast!!
Mobola, my Nigerian friend from my hostel, and I grabbed a cab to Afrikiko. Pablo was already there with a few when we arrived. The place was a big open seating area with a few buildings around it that were little restaurants and a bar. There was a dance floor full of people salsa dancing. There were some really, really good dancers out there. At first it made me not even want to try but then I reconsidered and thought, F-it, no one knows me here and how hard can it be to shake your hips a bit….have you met me? I came out shaking my hips at birth.
We found Pablo and shortly after the gang of Americans arrived as well. We ordered drinks (they were not good, my mojito looked really promising but I felt like I was drinking water) and food (of course fried plantains). There were a lot of synchronized line dances going on. Mobola and I went to dance to a few. I thank Betty Hayes Dance School and years of cheer leading for my quick routine picking up skills. It was so much fun. When it switched to partner dancing, it did not take long to find a partner. I was always hoping my partner was really good and he could lead me. I had some fantastic dance partners that got me spinning, twirling and dipping all over the place. It was great. Every so often I had to take a break because I was drenched in sweat. Around the end of our visit, they even played "The Wobble"!. The Macarena was played and they added some cool African twists to it that I will totally be doing from now on. They just know how to move their hips and be really rhythmic compared to the stiff Caucasian way of dancing sometimes. We stayed until about midnight.
This morning, I wanted nothing more than a good filter coffee with some real milk. I was exhausted! (I found out during the day that the rest of the gang was absolutely tired as well). I headed to the labor ward in a very comfortable temperature. I had to stop and get some phone credit for my phone so that I could get another 2.5 GB of data. It took me 3 weeks to use it up last time and was constantly on my phone so this time I will have to FaceTime a lot to use it up! The corner I bought it at had multiple people selling things. One lady asked me what my name is. I introduced myself and then she asked me what day I was born. I could have told her the day of the month but I knew she wanted to know the day of the week. I looked it up on my phone. I was born on a Monday, so one of my African names would be Adjoa. From that point on, they said I had to introduce myself as Adjoa.
I got to the labor ward and got changed. Shortly after it started to rain and be really windy outside. I still really wanted a coffee. I was so unmotivated. I went to the second labor ward to see if I could finally see a spontaneous birth. Today was the day. I walked into one lady giving birth and saw the baby be born and then while walking around looking in the rooms to get an overview of who all was there, I walked into another birth. The other women were not even close to delivering so I headed back downstairs. I was mad at myself that I was so unmotivated but honestly, I have seen enough C Sections and now two spontaneous births that unless I am actively doing something….I am bored. Luckily Katie had her rotation on the labor ward today. We hung out a bit and while she chatted with her consultant, I walked around looking for something to do. The doctor from yesterday that I had not assisted with, asked if I wanted to scrub in on the next case…..Uh, yes!
I found myself some rain boots (since these are their labor ward shoes) and was waiting to be told to scrub in. Scrubbing in here consists of using hand soap and cleaning up. I tried being as thorough as one can be with hand soup in an OR setting.
The C Section was rather standard. The time went by a lot quicker since I was actually doing something.
Afterwards, Katie, Erica and I headed to MedDiner for some lunch. Greg joined us as well. We headed to their place afterwards so that they could change into normal clothes. We were all so extremely tired and still had to wait for Beth, so we took a quick nap. I was so out of it.
When we did eventually leave, we grabbed a taxi to the Makola Market. None of us had been there but it was recommended for fabric shopping. The traffic got so crowded the closer we got that about 850m before the market, we decided to hop out and walk the rest of the way. There were so many street vendors but our destination was the actual mall. This mall was more of a really run down building with little stores. I couldn't resist and bought some more fabric for family…..they are just so pretty….I can't stop. I am only allowing myself to buy for my family however because I won't have time for it when I get back to Germany.
The others got some fabrics too and then we headed to the Osu area via two taxis. Our friend Aaron, whom we had met last night, told us to come eat ice-cream with him. It took us a bit until we found the place but so worth it! I had coconut and Accra (chocolate with chocolate chips). It was delicious. The place is called Pinnochio on 11th Street off of Oxford Street for anyone interested.
After the dessert before the dinner, we walked back to Shoprite to go to the fish restaurant behind it. It is the same place that we went with a huge group two weeks ago. I had really hyped the place up to the gang so I was really hoping they liked it! We ordered and within the next two hours we were joined by Felix, Amilia, Pablo, Michael, Nana and Nika. Most ordered the fish and some the chicken. I got an order of fried plantains (go figure) and couscous and a side of tomatoes with onions. It took about an hour before the food came but we had good conversations to keep us occupied. When the washing bowls for our hands came, we thought our food would be up next. It took a while (Africa) but it finally came and was soooooo yummy. The gang loved it too, so it really is worth the hype. Go there if you are in Accra.
Aaron drove the gang and me home. He might join us on our weekend trip. It would really make me happy since he drives a comfy truck and likes playing his music and singing along. We sang some JT, Miley and old school songs on the drive home.
I might take a personal day tomorrow and get some laundry, paperwork and packing done to be fully prepared for the travels coming up. We shall see.
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