Quick Ghana update:
Except for the last rabies shot, I am done with my vaccinations. I am impervious to disease! (How I wish that were actually true…) Yellow fever, rabies, MMR (measles mumps rubella), hepatitis A/B, polio, TDAP (typhoid diptheria pertussis), meningitis. I start my malaria pills in a couple of weeks - keep an eye out for exciting odd behavior brought on by crazy dreams and hallucinations! Whee! It does make me feel incredibly guilty to show up with my vaccinations and pills and mosquito-repellent-treated clothes and iodine tablets and “I’m too good to swim in your lake.” Not guilty enough not to protect myself, obviously, but still…I wish I could bring enough clean water and vaccines for everyone. It’s also made me realize how much of the way the first world/third world dichotomy shook out has to do with climate. No tropical diseases/gentler environment for agriculture = healthier population = more time and energy to spend building an industrialized empire.
I sent my donation request to my school, and I have been blown away by the generosity! I now have several offers of laptops, plus children’s clothes and toys, and an offer to run a school supplies drive in the Middle School. In recent weeks kids at my school have also run creative and successful fundraisers for Heifer International, Amnesty International, relief work in Darfur, and to send kids to school in Zimbabwe. There’s a lot that bugs me philosophically about working in a private school, but I think we’re raising these kids to care about the right things and to know what to do with that caring. And since they will grow up to be the people with money who fund the social programs…we’re doing good stuff here.
And finally, the internet tells me that my Ghanaian name is Akosua, for “girl born on Sunday.” Everyone gets a Western name and a Ghanaian name, which is based on the day of the week on which you were born. Kofi Annan? Born on a Friday. How cool is that?
0 responses so far ↓
1 Kath // May 27, 2006 at 1:33 pm
Mine appears to be Abena, since I was born on a Tuesday. Interesting idea!
2 Dima // May 27, 2006 at 1:41 pm
I think it’s really cool that you’re doing this!
One comment though on the First World/Third World dichotomy:
Don’t forget that Europe suffered terribly from infectious diseases until just a few hundred years ago. Remember bubonic plague? Some would argue that plagues of various kinds were one of the main causes of the post Roman Empire cultural decline that is sometimes called the Dark Ages. I don’t think disease is the key to the dichotomy — better agricultural environment is perhaps more important — never underestimate the impact of domesticated animals. I was just reading recently that the Maya in Central America had invented the wheel but never used it for anything practical because they didn’t have animals that could pull carts, etc. We only know they knew about the wheel because little carts have been found as children’s toys!!
3 ny // May 27, 2006 at 11:29 pm
I have the same name as you. This will get so confusing!
4 Martini-Corona // May 29, 2006 at 5:24 pm
Oop, I was also born on a Sunday.
I had a Ghanaian friend in high school named Esi… I think that’s Monday. (But I haven’t looked it up yet.)
5 Kate D. // Jun 5, 2006 at 6:38 pm
Uh, oh. Someone mentioned the bubonic plague. (Pause while I roll up my history geek sleeves.)
The plague is actually responsible for a lot of social innovation in Europe. Because there weren’t enough people to work the land, hoity-toity types had to be nicer to their serfs. Everyone was afraid that the peasants would find better working conditions and leave.
Disease = labor bargaining. Interesting, no?
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