Jessica’s Blog

Friday and Saturday, April 30-May 1, 2010

We checked our bags at the airport at 5am, before returning to the guest house for breakfast.  I took the trunks belonging to the missionaries that I agreed to carry back to the US.  As the bags were searched by Delta security, I was surprised to look up and see an employee holding two moderately large machetes that he found in one of the trunks.  He couldn’t figure out which sheath to place on which machete or how to fit the sheathed machetes back into the trunk.  I attempted to help without giving away that I had no clue they were in my luggage in the first place.  I had added a few pairs of scrubs and some books to the trunk before duct taping it closed at the house, and saw that there were blankets and tennis raquets in the trunk.  Not wanting to rummage through someone else’s things and unconcerned that there was anything unusual in the trunk, I sealed it shut without taking an inventory.  The security guy found the machetes more entertaining than anything and compilmented me on “my” DVD collection as well, for which I thanked him.

We returned to the airport around an hour before boarding.  The small suit case that I had intended for a carry on was too large, but with a little smiling, the guard let me take it to the side of the plane to check instead of having me to go back to the front and pay for it as a third checked bag. 

The flight was long, about 12 hours.  I got a fair amount of “Three Cups of Tea” read and snoozed on and off.  I sat next to an American Ghanaian who had never visited the northern area of Ghana.  It seems to be a common theme with those from Accra.  The flight arrived late at JFK and we missed our connection to Detroit.  Delta put us up in a hotel and scheduled an early flight to Detroit the following moring. 

It was a short night of sleep, but the hotel beds were the most comfortable place I’d slept in for the past month.  A hot shower felt amazing after the ”cold” flight, and I was excited to rinse my toothbrush in tap water from the sink.  The alarm went off far too soon and we headed back to the airport. 

The flight from JFK to Detroit was much shorter, and we worked on our presentation for the residency program during the five hour layover.  It made the time go by faster and we got the presentation about half done.  It will be challenging to work on it together since I’ll be in Des Moines for the next month, and Jill will work nights. 

The flight from Detroit to Cedar Rapids was even shorter.  The beautiful green grass and trees, fresh air, and cool breeze made me instantly feel at home.  It was a stark contrast from the red, dusty fields, mud huts, dirt roads, and blazing sun of northern Ghana.  Jill’s husband, Joe, picked us up at the airport and dropped me off at home.  Curt arrived from his most recent conference a few hours later. 

It was a wonderful month of learning tropical medicine hands on, serving by treating patients as best as I could and allowing the permenant staff a little time off by taking calls, meeting new friends, and learning about a different culture and language.  It is also good to be home.