Hello, this is post is a little late.... *cough* In my defence since coming back I thought life would slow down, but I was horrifically wrong. On the bright side I was able to type this from the comfort of my own bed. 

The healthcare

One significant takeaway from this experience has been the stark cultural differences in healthcare. Week by week, as I worked in various hospitals and psychiatric wards, I attempted to grasp these differences. Now, in my final week, I wouldn’t say I have fully accepted them, but I have found a middle ground where I managed to break down these cultural barriers. This allowed me to independently provide counselling in a variety of challenging circumstances.

One of the most memorable experiences was with a pregnant woman with epilepsy who had not been taking her medication. I sat down with her one-on-one to explain what her condition means and why it’s crucial for her to take her medication to reduce seizures. Also explaining the importance this has for the safety of her baby to avoid falls that could cause internal damage. Due to the language barrier, I had to rely heavily on charades and gestures. However, after much patience and rephrasing, she understood and agreed to keep up with her medication. This was especially rewarding because she had previously refused to listen to other doctors who hadn't shown as much compassion or taken the time to explain things to her. The fact that she listened to me and understood could potentially save both her life and her baby's life.

Another impactful experience was at Becky’s orphanage, where I was unexpectedly tasked with facilitating a group counselling session. Minutes before arriving, I was informed of this responsibility, with no information about the group or the session’s topic. When I entered the room, I found a small group of teenagers who were struggling with bedwetting, a challenge they had faced for many years. Despite the initial surprise, I showed compassion and quickly adapted, offering advice and creating a safe space where the teens felt comfortable discussing their issues. This was a significant breakthrough, as previous counselling sessions had failed due to their shame and embarrassment. Leading this session made me proud, especially as we made considerable progress in understanding the causes of their difficulties and developing personalised strategies to address them.

Reflecting on my first week compared to now, I realise I’ve developed my own approach to counselling and therapy. I’ve learned that mental health care cannot be standardised, as everyone’s needs are different. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to witness how mental health teams operate in this another country, which has deepened my appreciation for the services and ongoing training we have access to as practitioners. While our systems are not perfect, they provide a level of care that I now value even more.

The Children

I spent my last day on placement with the children, now as excited as I was to come home I have been dreading this day as I knew how difficult it was going to be to say goodbye. I made sure to grab lots of sweets and chocolates to hopefully prevent too many tears (this did not work). The children gave the sweetest speeches, goodbye songs and then continued to pile onto me for a hug where I was trampled by 20 children. Following this we played many games to distract everyone (and myself) as much as possible from the fact I was leaving.

 As the sky got darker and time went on it was sinking in that I was actually going home and that I wasn’t staying in Ghana forever which was a strange feeling. It finally was time to say goodbye where I had to mentally prepare myself not to cry (this failed miserably). When I saw how sad everyone was to see me go with the sobbing and snotty noses It had confirmed that I had made an impact and a difference to these children’s lives. Despite being teary eyed I couldn’t help but smile at what I had accomplished.

The final challenge

At this point I thought I had conquered every challenge and have fully thrown myself into this experience and that my last day would just consist of relaxing at a resort.

This was accurate until that evening when I went to check into my British Airways flight, and it said ‘cancelled’. Despite feeling my cortisol levels spike I reassured myself I could book onto the same flight a volunteer was going on (1 hour after my original). ‘not available’. I did a double take and put in for the next day and the next to find the next direct flight available was in 5 days’ time. Now I haven’t cried on this trip once, but this pushed me over the edge. Scrambling to find any flight at 11pm and only finding £2,000 business class flights available across most airlines, I can confirm I was bordering on hysterics. Until I found 1 flight, but I didn’t feel a sense of relief as I read it was 17 hours long….. that’s right guys I flew to Dubai for 20 minutes. Not only is this the longest flight I had ever done, but I have never travelled alone or have done a connecting flight before. Despite all that I was the most peeved at the fact I wouldn’t even get to look around the airport or buy this specific chocolate I have been dying to try that is only sold in Dubai! (first world problems). To top things off I was given the middle isle on both flights, at this point I accepted fate. Taking all of this in my stress levels were through the roof and I had to hype myself up for the journey with an airport hazelnut latte.

After running on 1 hour of sleep, completing basically 17 hours straight of flying and 6 movies followed by a 2 hour train journey I made it home. BRITISH AIRWAYS YOU DID NOT BREAK ME! *middle finger*

I just want to end this blog series with a massive thank you to @Matt Penhaligon  and @Rebecca Shaw for working so hard and supporting me in creating my own project and following my passion. An additional thank you to the coordinators at vocational impact and finally the @Laidlaw Foundation  for funding this once in a lifetime opportunity. I can proudly say this experienced has allowed me to grow as a person as well as making a positive impact. Now I have many memories and stories to share alongside inspiration to continue travelling. 💜 

Medaase (thank you) 🇬🇭