Student Gap Year, University, College and Adult Gap Years Abroad.

MY GAP YEAR TO GHANA
George Walker

It has now been two whole weeks since I arrived back in the drizzly greyness that is the UK in winter. The fact that Ghana is still what I think about the most is testament to what an awesome experience I had over there.

On the 7th August, all those weeks ago, when I bid my parents farewell and walked through the security gates I did not know what to expect during my Gap Year. It felt great being completely alone in the huge sprawl of shops and waiting areas that is Heathrow’s Terminal 5, as it was the first time that I had embarked on any experience of this magnitude with or without people I knew. I had left behind all the experiences and people that constituted the first 18 years of my life, and it felt great to think that in just a few hours I would be completely immersed in a completely new way of life. To think that I was going somewhere where I could actually make a difference to others’ lives was also adding to the building anticipation in my gut.

My final destination was Cape Coast which is the capital of the Central Region. When I arrived I was greeted emphatically by my host family and shown to my room. Within hours I was part of the group of volunteers and that is how it stayed for the duration of my trip. Never before have I arrived somewhere and felt at home so quickly, for the first couple of weeks I didn’t think of home at all.

Having always watched 'Red Nose Day' and 'Children in Need' on TV, my impression of the hospital where I would be working was formed many months in
advance. I was very pleasantly surprised by the hospital on my first visit. It was
reasonably clean and well equipped, especially compared to some of the anecdotes I had been told about healthcare in Africa before I arrived.

During my time at CRH it became clear that there is a huge gulf in funding and
equipment between the UK and Ghana. The local doctors however manage very well with the resources they have at their disposal and although the frustration became evident on a few occasions, they all seem to cope very well.