Health care, Classes, and Football

So this was my first week of real classes, and I think I have finally figured out which classes I will be taking. They are: Population and Development, Issues in International Relations in Africa, Economic and Political Reform and Democracy in Africa, and African Drumming. As far as I can tell, they will be decent classes. I have one class per day Monday-Thursday (only 2 hour classes) and then no classes on Friday. One of the more frustrating things is that many of the books required for readings are not really available, or there is only one copy in all of Accra, which means I have to go to the library and read it all there, or make copies. Among other things, I found out where I will be interning, Hope Orphanage. I am going there for the first time tomorrow morning, but I have been told that I will be tutoring the kids in English and Math, and also working on a project to get all of the children under a health care plan.

I also got sick this week. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but I figured that when I did get sick it would be a stomach issue. Not the case, it seems that I have a chest cold of sorts. A few people in my building had similar symptoms as me, and they went to the hospital and got prescribed medicine, so I figured I would go and get myself checked out in case it was something more serious. Well, I got to the University hospital across the street, only to be turned away and sent to the on-campus clinic. I got to the clinic and preceded to wait in line for two hours in order to be seen by a doctor. When I finally got to see the doctor, I described what was wrong with me. This doctor (if she even was a real doctor) did not even touch me. She didn't look down my throat, take my temperature, or listen to my breathing. She simply prescribed me pain killers, allergy medicine, and Vitamin C pills. I have yet to take any of the medicine she gave me, and I will not be returning to that clinic if I get sick again. Needless to say, there is definitely a shortage of qualified doctors in this country.

Finally, the African Cup of Nations is going on right now, which is a continent wide football (soccer) tournament being played in Angola. And, exciting news, Ghana made it to the finals! I just watched the end of the Ghana v. Nigeria game, and Ghana won 1-0. No matter where you are, whether or not you are near a TV, you always know when Ghana scores a goal because EVERYONE starts screaming. When Ghana won, the city pretty much exploded. People were running around with their flags, cars were honking their horns, and one car (trying to make noise) crashed into the gutter. I don't know when the final game is, but we are playing either Egypt or Algeria- and I can't wait!