An amazing experience

Volunteering in Ghana has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to bike to nearby villages and provide wound care to our patients at their homes. This experience encouraged me to exercise critical thinking and problem solving skills, because it was our goal to determine what treatments would be most conducive for the patient's health, and their available resources. The kindness, welcoming hearts, and appreciation that each of our patients offered each volunteer, can not be described in words.

In the evenings, I spent my time either working with the drama club assisting local teens in creating drama programs for community outreach on various health topics, or working with the children and program directors of the orphanage. The youth of this community amazed me with their desire for life, and willingness to help others.

Walking into this experience, I heeded to the advice of volunteer alumni, and avoided any expectations. This was the best advice I could have received. Although I was very apprehensive prior to, and upon arrival, the nature of the Ghanian culture was to accept and treat visitors as family, which is how I felt my entire journey.

I expected that my biggest struggle would be the drastically different living accommodations than those of what we are accustomed to in America, however it wasn't. I chose to approach this experience respecting the cultural differences, and in a very short time I grew to appreciate them. I have taken more from this experience than I could have ever imagined, and pray that others will have the courage to do the same.