Kickin' it in Kaleo

Ashma from Kaleo!

We arrived in Kaleo on Saturday and were warmly greeted by Sister Edith, a rainstorm and our first Kaleo baby birth! The first task after arriving at the Immaculate Conception Health Center was to search our living area for a note left by last years girls. Thanks for the tips, ladies! Our time in Kaleo has been wonderful... The people here are so friendly and eager to learn about the Canadian ways. The children love to play and give us gifts, aka dead lizards. Fortunately, most of the things we need are only a short walk away, but for the things we can't find, we can catch a trotro into the nearby city, Wa. A few years ago, Muriel befriended a university student while on the bus from Tamale to Wa. Now, every year Hassan and his friends meet the students as they get into Wa and show them around town. It would have been a nightmare without him! We have to admit, we were really spoiled in Tamale at the Catholic Guest House... Arriving in Kaleo was a bit of a shock (and a whole lot of bugs!!), but we've all adjusted and can truly say we love it here now! We were a bit worried at the beginning that we would starve to death, but thankfully there are enough generous people around to help the poor "mansalas" fill their propane tank. We've figured out the ways of the propane stove and shouldn't light anything on fire... We hope!

Today is day 3 of clinical for us, and this year our schedules are significantly different than the years before us. Every day we travel to a new health clinic in the district... Which means a lot of hellos and goodbyes, but also means a lot of new experiences. Due to the heavy rains, there have only been a handful of patients at each clinic. We have, however, seen a baby being weighed by a scale attached to a tree, newborn assessments, multiple children with malaria and a toe amputation. Today's clinic is supposedly much bigger than the previous two, so we're eagerly waiting to see the exciting things in store!

This weekend we will be hitting the road to a hippo reserve called Wechiau. We're told it's a must see! Wish us luck... Hippos are mean!

In conclusion, Kaleo has never ceased to amaze. Between the children creeping into our complex to play and the random man riding a camel down the highway, there's never a dull moment!

Thank you to all of our friends and families for the continued support.

Love,

The Kaleo Gals - Sergeant Larry, Sergeant O, Sergeant Star and Chow (aka Hailley, Gabby, Stef and Emery)