The Staging and Stars

Now. . . I'm trying to find the right words to explain what I saw the other day. Ok. So we went to two hospitals which were not too far from each other distance-wise, but were two extreme opposite points on a spectum. Ok, so the first place we went to was a mental hospital that was lacking in everything. First we had a nice powerpoint presentation and then was given a tour of some of the buildings. Key word here is 'some'. We had a chance to interview some patients in the rehab ward. Now, the guy that I talked to was this British kid (in his mid 20's I think) who really didn't have anything nice to say about his time there. But considering the fact that his father put him there, I can understand his distaste for the place.

We then were given a tour of the Occupational Therapy ward which seemed like it hadn't been used since my first birthday (yeah. . .we're talking 70's here). There were some woman in the courtyard dancing and playing music but that didn't last very long. And by the time we got to the area where they made benches, the was conveniently a bench that need to be put together with the help of the students (us). Now keep in mind that they knew we were coming.

They knew we were coming.

There's this show on Bravo (I think) called the Stagers. Its basically a reality tv show that follows stagers around. They basically go to a house thats up for sale and change all the furniture, decor and stuff to make the place look nice and welcoming for buyers.

They knew we were coming.

Now the other place we went to. . .when I say complete opposite. . .they had it all. Two pathologists, state of the art equipment, VVIP room(yeah. . .VV. . not one V but two V's). Both are owned by the same. . . .owner. Its a shame that a lot of developing countries seem to be able to provide for a very small few if and when they have the money. Its obvious that the material is there, there doctors are around, but the problem is allocation of funds and importance of priorities. . .and people. The more I think about it, it was kind of depressing. One minute we're in this place that really really is struggling just to survive and the next were at a place that has everything you need for any illness you have. I mean come on: VVIP room?

But on a lighter note, we got a chance to meet Emmanuel (from Emmanuel's Gift). He is something else. You know, after watching the documentary I thought he was amazing. But in person he's even better. I did not get a chance to talk to him personally, but I sat with his secretary and driving during dinner and they are hilarious. One thing I really noticed about all of them (even Emmanuel) is the sense of humor they have about everything. She planned on traveling with him in the next few months and was excited about getting out of Ghana and seeing the things Emmanuel had seen. She said she was really inspired by him and wanted to do something good. He is so sweet. He gave us each an autographed poster of himself with pictures of people he's met around the world including Oprah, Kofi Anan, and famous atheletes. I just don't know where I"m going to hang it.