A word that I've heard countless times throughout the hospital. To indicate that the nurse is done taking a patient's blood pressure, to sooth a crying child by reassuring them the shot is over with, to discharge a patient when their stay is completed. "Avo" means "finished" in Ewe, and yesterday afternoon when I packed my bags into the big white CCS van for the airport, that word had gained another use - to indicate that my time in Ghana has come to a close. I am finished with my 4 weeks of volunteering. Finished working with patients at the hospital, finished washing my clothes by hand, finished going on those amazing tourist sites that Ghana has to offer. After months and months of planning and preparing, my adventure of a lifetime has ended, as I sadly knew that it had to at some point.
Completing a trip like this had me full of such contrasting emotions: sadness at having to leave such a remarkable country after such a short time, excitement to see my friends and family that I had missed so much, regret that I hadn't stayed here longer, reassurance that I had stayed the perfect amount of time. It was just too strange that all of sudden I was done, and had to leave the place that had been my home-away-from-home for the past month. But I believe that most pronounced emotion of all was an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I was, and will always be, so unbelievably grateful for the wonderful sense of welcoming I always received in this country, for being a witness to such a beautiful region and group of people, and so grateful for the amount of knowledge I gained from this trip - both from the volunteering aspect as well as the cultural immersion aspect. I could never put into words how significant this trip has been for me. I have gained more of a true cultural experience then I could have ever expected. Even in just a month's time I felt that I had become completely immersed in a culture so different from my own. The kindness of the people and the intense feeling of community that encased the town was such a refreshing change from the independent lives led back in the States. Even though these people have so much less then the average American, I truly believe that they are a thousand times happier because they value the really important things in life and understand how precious they are. I was able to gain such a solid understanding of how deep the Ghanian culture runs and how things like family, religion, and camaraderie are the most valuable things in their life. These people taught me so much about the simplicity and joy in life that I feel like what I gave to them through my volunteering could never compare.
Of course I know that my volunteering had more of an impact than I expected it to. Carl confirmed this on my last day in the Diabetics Ward when he shared just how appreciate the entire staff was for my work and commitment to volunteering in the hospital.
From bottom left: Head Nurse Vida Quist and Nurse Caroline
But I think the most incredible part of the entire CCS program is how they combine worthwhile volunteering with incredible cultural exposure, giving the volunteers such a well rounded program experience. I would not trade this trip for anything in the entire world. It was everything I expected it to be and more. I can definitely say that I've caught the travel bug :) All I want to do is plan my next incredible adventure to continue to enhance my exposure to the world while giving back what I can in return. Thank you again to all who have been so supportive of this trip and to those of you that stuck with me through my blog posts. I appreciate everyone's excitement over my trip more then I could voice! Hopefully this isn't the last you'll read of me. Until next time :)
~ Sarah
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