Bon Appetit!

Wednesday, August 18

This morning I was able to eat again and felt ok. We decided to not run the trial again today since most of the mothers have been told to come on Thursday and Friday. We would have had to set up everything for just one or two mothers. Instead we sent one of the girls to the clinic to reschedule with any mothers who happened to arrive today.

I set off with one of the other field workers who was going on a home visit to meet with one of the pregnant mothers. As a part of the larger study mothers are visited in their homes every other week during their pregnancy to follow up with adherence to study and to ask about any illnesses they have experienced over the past week. We took the trotro from the study house out to near the home of the study mother. Most people seem to not really like the trotro as it seems to be the cheapest form of transportation, apart from walking of course. I’ve heard most people tell me I would much rather take some other form of transport since the trotro is cramped and can be smelly and hot, etc. But I LOVE the trotro! Because it is such an inexpensive form of transportation, there is such a wide array of people taking it. There is someone or something interesting to see every time I take it and I actually get excited at the opportunity to use that form of transportation. Heck with taxi’s, public transportation is a much more interesting experience!

Today is the big Market day in Kpong and people come from all around (even as far as Accra) to participate. It seemed as though everyone was either buying something or selling something, and the trotro was packed with people heading to the market. Shortly after we got on, two young kids (one was probably only 8 or 9 but had an infant sibling strapped to his back) carrying a dead, roasted, cat-sized animal got on the trotro heading to the market. I leaned over to the girl I was with and asked her what it was. She informed me that it was “bush meat”- basically it was a rat. I still can’t believe that a rat could be that big! She asked the children about the meat and they told her they were on their way to the market to sell it. She said that people will often travel to the rural villages outside Accra to buy their meat (including bush meat) because it is cheaper and fresher. Bon Appetit!

When we arrived near the women’s home, we had to walk a bit to get there. It was really interesting to see some of the daily lives of women doing laundry, cooking, and a man making beads similar to the ones we bought the other day. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the house it looked empty. We asked around and were informed by her neighbors that the study mother had some family business to attend to and had unexpectedly traveled to a nearby town. While a small fraction of the study participants do have cell phones, for most it is a matter of hoping they remember the meeting times and are still available during those times. I am so impressed with the organization of the study and the persistence and commitment to follow-up. Seeing some of the difficulties the field workers encounter and the cheerful persistence and positivity with which they meet it, is extremely impressive.

It was only 10am when we arrived back at the house, but it was perfect timing! Almost as soon as we returned I felt ill again and spent the rest of the afternoon in bed. By 4pm I was able to eat again and was feeling a bit better, although still pretty weak. We have a very full day planned tomorrow, so I’m going to try to get a really good nights rest tonight in hopes that I’m good as new tomorrow!

P.S. Tonight I just had a little baby lizard join me in my room for the night…oh how I love company.