Cultural Differences
We spent the day yesterday in the operating theatre, where we helped with a cesarean delivery of a big, healthy baby boy. He had lots of curly dark hair and huge lips! So handsome, and of course I got pictures. I had to restrain myself from tucking him under my arm and running - I don't think his mother would have appreciated that very much.
In our time here, we have learned a few things about the Ghanian culture that have suprised us. For example, it is a very male-dominated culture. A man can take as many wives as he wants, even though polygamy is not as common as it used to be. But often a man will have two or more familes living in the same house. And if he decides to take another wife, his current wives just have to accept it. It is also very common for a man to commit to a woman, have a family with her, and then leave them all behind. Elizabeth, Anne's host mother, has been with three men, all of whom have left. Actually, most of the time, couples are not even married. They may call each other husband or wife, but there is no official marriage, leaving the women even more vulnerable.
And here's an interesting situation. We live in the nurses' quarters, a group of small apartments located about a 10-minute walk from the hospital. There is no running water here, and the closest source is a small faucet on the hospital grounds. Pipes were installed in these apartments almost two years ago, with the intention of providing running water for the nurses. Interestingly, since then nobody has connected the pipes to a water source, leaving the families with unusable shower spouts, sinks, and unflushable toilets. But, across the street, between the nurses' quarters and the hospital, are the doctors' homes. They have running water. Why, then is it impossible to connect the nurses' pipes to the same water source that the doctors enjoy? When we ask the nurses why they haven't complained about this, their answer is, "We have complained, but nobody will do anything to fix it". Why aren't they complaining louder? I can't figure out if they don't think they have the right to really speak out, or if they don't feel that they deserve the convenience of running water. Or is it that they have lived for so long without it, that it would be almost a break of tradition to change?
But perhaps the most shocking information that we have learned pertains to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. We have a friend, Aaron, who is volunteering in the Planned Parenthood organization in the neighboring town. He has learned that condom use is not common here, because often the first sexual encounter is forced, so that leaves little time to put on a condom. Women are being forced to have sex and likely contracting HIV at the same time. Birth control is cheap here - it costs less to purchase a month's worth of birth control pills that it costs to buy one small apple. They have many available options of inexpensive birth control here, yet women are not using them because it is not socially acceptable. But, some days in the OR we see up to ten young women coming in for abortions. And the most shocking thing I've heard yet: "AIDS is a myth, an American created myth to stop us from having so much sex." If AIDS is a myth, why are we seeing so many young men and women wasting away, dying of that very disease on these hospital wards every day?
In the newspaper today, we read an article saying that homosexuals are "sub-animals". It even went so far as to say that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment on New Orleans for immoral acts. The article also blames the HIV epidemic on homosexuals, with outrageous and unbelievable statistics. To publish these things as fact, I can't help but wonder what other choice people have but to accept it as truth. Upstanding, educated individuals support these opinions, believing that God's wrath will disturb the peacefulness of the nation if homosexuality is allowed. Pastors of the church are saying these things - what happened to a loving God who has created us in his image? I choose to believe that we can love the person without condoning the act, that calling our fellow human beings "sub-animals" would be displeasing to God.
My first reaction to all of these situations is shock and anger. Anne and I were raised, thank you parents, to be strong and independent women. We have been given the right to express our ideas and to be respected as women. I can't imagine living in a society in which I am expected to be submissive to men - it's uncomfortable at times for us to just walk down the street and be the object of their stares. Of course, not all men are this way and not all people believe these things, but it is so prevalent here and we encounter it every day, so it is extremely difficult to ignore. As we do each day, I once again thank God that we have been blessed with the privileges we enjoy in the United States, even though by no means is our country perfect. I also pray for tolerance and understanding as we interact with these people, that I can be nonjudgemental and loving toward each of them.
In our time here, we have learned a few things about the Ghanian culture that have suprised us. For example, it is a very male-dominated culture. A man can take as many wives as he wants, even though polygamy is not as common as it used to be. But often a man will have two or more familes living in the same house. And if he decides to take another wife, his current wives just have to accept it. It is also very common for a man to commit to a woman, have a family with her, and then leave them all behind. Elizabeth, Anne's host mother, has been with three men, all of whom have left. Actually, most of the time, couples are not even married. They may call each other husband or wife, but there is no official marriage, leaving the women even more vulnerable.
And here's an interesting situation. We live in the nurses' quarters, a group of small apartments located about a 10-minute walk from the hospital. There is no running water here, and the closest source is a small faucet on the hospital grounds. Pipes were installed in these apartments almost two years ago, with the intention of providing running water for the nurses. Interestingly, since then nobody has connected the pipes to a water source, leaving the families with unusable shower spouts, sinks, and unflushable toilets. But, across the street, between the nurses' quarters and the hospital, are the doctors' homes. They have running water. Why, then is it impossible to connect the nurses' pipes to the same water source that the doctors enjoy? When we ask the nurses why they haven't complained about this, their answer is, "We have complained, but nobody will do anything to fix it". Why aren't they complaining louder? I can't figure out if they don't think they have the right to really speak out, or if they don't feel that they deserve the convenience of running water. Or is it that they have lived for so long without it, that it would be almost a break of tradition to change?
But perhaps the most shocking information that we have learned pertains to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. We have a friend, Aaron, who is volunteering in the Planned Parenthood organization in the neighboring town. He has learned that condom use is not common here, because often the first sexual encounter is forced, so that leaves little time to put on a condom. Women are being forced to have sex and likely contracting HIV at the same time. Birth control is cheap here - it costs less to purchase a month's worth of birth control pills that it costs to buy one small apple. They have many available options of inexpensive birth control here, yet women are not using them because it is not socially acceptable. But, some days in the OR we see up to ten young women coming in for abortions. And the most shocking thing I've heard yet: "AIDS is a myth, an American created myth to stop us from having so much sex." If AIDS is a myth, why are we seeing so many young men and women wasting away, dying of that very disease on these hospital wards every day?
In the newspaper today, we read an article saying that homosexuals are "sub-animals". It even went so far as to say that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment on New Orleans for immoral acts. The article also blames the HIV epidemic on homosexuals, with outrageous and unbelievable statistics. To publish these things as fact, I can't help but wonder what other choice people have but to accept it as truth. Upstanding, educated individuals support these opinions, believing that God's wrath will disturb the peacefulness of the nation if homosexuality is allowed. Pastors of the church are saying these things - what happened to a loving God who has created us in his image? I choose to believe that we can love the person without condoning the act, that calling our fellow human beings "sub-animals" would be displeasing to God.
My first reaction to all of these situations is shock and anger. Anne and I were raised, thank you parents, to be strong and independent women. We have been given the right to express our ideas and to be respected as women. I can't imagine living in a society in which I am expected to be submissive to men - it's uncomfortable at times for us to just walk down the street and be the object of their stares. Of course, not all men are this way and not all people believe these things, but it is so prevalent here and we encounter it every day, so it is extremely difficult to ignore. As we do each day, I once again thank God that we have been blessed with the privileges we enjoy in the United States, even though by no means is our country perfect. I also pray for tolerance and understanding as we interact with these people, that I can be nonjudgemental and loving toward each of them.
posted by Sarah @ 7:19 AM
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