I Know You Missed My Updates

I know I haven’t blogged in a few days, but I have been very tired. Volunteering at the Dental Office Monday through Saturday for five to six hours a day can really take a toll on me. However, the reason I go so much is because I truly enjoy it and I learn a lot. I think the doctor enjoys me being there because he always asks me if I will be there the next day. He has invited me and Amna to his home this Saturday to meet his family and to hang out in his pool. Dr. George is an example of a wealthy person in The Gambia. If there is a misconception that all people in Africa are poor, that is not true. People here are either wealthy or poor; there really aren’t many middle class people here. A few days ago I was able to watch Dr. George perform many surgeries where he did a lot of reconstructing his patients mouths. He told one woman that he was not going to charge her full price; this allowed me to really see that Dr. George is not interested in money; he just wants the best for his patients. This reminded me once again why I want to embark into this profession; I am passionate about helping people and making a difference in the world. Dentistry will allow me to serve those who are in need of oral health care domestically and internationally. Dr. George is becoming more and more trusting of Amna and I. We now know how to set up the X-Rays for him to use. We also know how to read them; I have spotted decay and diseases. I can also spot 1st Class cavities, where the cavity is surrounded by the tooth, as well as 2nd Class cavities where the cavity is on the side of the tooth, and the tooth is actually missing a side. I also have knowledge of how and when to use anesthetics. For example, when treating the top teeth, you use a method called “Infiltration”, where you put the anesthetic in many different places between the nerves in the top gums. However, when treating the bottom teeth, you use a method called “Block”, where you focus on the certain area that is being treated. Dr. George also taught me a few medical terminology terms like “apicoectomy”, which implies the surgical removal of the tip of the root of the problem tooth. I will say that I am learning a lot about dentistry from Dr. George and I am very thankful. I have helped Dr. George with his data for his patients. I organized his charts in alphabetical order, and tomorrow I will be creating an excel document for him to keep track of all his patients’ records: their balances, their treatments, and their insurance claims if they exist.
On another note: I took a trip to the market where I purchased many gifts for my family and friends. I had to take two taxies just to get to the market. One thing about The Gambia is that it is heavily depended on Taxis because many people do not own cars. The expense to ride in a taxi is 7 Dalasis per town. So for me to go to the market I had to take a Taxi from Bajilo (where I’m staying) to Senegambia, then I had to get out to get into another taxi, then I took that taxi to Serrekunda, which is where the market is located. The total for that trip is 14 Dalasis, which is very cheap in American dollars. (1 U.S. Dollar = 27 to 28 Gambian Dalasis) I had to pay the same to return home. One thing to remember if you ever travel here is to not get charged too much for Taxis. One man told me “You have American skin so you pay big American money”. I told him “Ok I am American, but you either give me a ride, or you will not make any Gambian money today”. He stopped and thought about it, and said “Get in”. I happily got in, and rode home. He understood that he would not have any income at all if he refused to take my money at the same rate that he charged the Gambians.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

My New African Family

I visited one of my new Gambian friend’s compound (village) recently to meet her family. I met her two daughters, her mother and father, her brothers, and her sisters. There are about six of them that live together in the small compound. There was no carpet, decayed walls, and many bugs. However, they did have a very comfortable couch and a new Television set with great channels. The children were eating fruit and bread off the floor, and it seemed very natural to them. The family was so ecstatic to see Americans; Cherish and I answered many curious questions about America that they had. Ida’s daughter’s felt so comfortable around us, they performed many of their African dances for us, and we actually have it recorded. Ida’s daughters were very smart, they were ages 7 and 9 and could talk about almost anything. We took many pictures together; they really enjoyed getting their pictures captured. They automatically characterized us as their friends, because they are so friendly and open to new people. I really enjoyed spending my day with this family, they are in need of so much and I really want to get them help when I return to the U.S.

I’m Getting my DENTISTRY ON….

After an extensive search for the best dentist in The Gambia, I found him. Dr. M. George is one the best dentist’s in The Gambia. He studied dentistry in the UK, and he also studied Public Health in the U.S. at Johns Hopkins. Dr. George has been practicing since 1972, and he owns 3 dental practices in The Gambia. The first day I arrived, Dr. George would not allow me to work with him until I showed him my ID and my resume. After he received both, he was more than happy to mentor me and show me what he loves to do: dentistry. Dr. George’s practice is very different than the practice I visited in Sukuto. His materials and resources are very similar to the U.S. He used anesthetics, needles, and his equipment is in very good condition. Because The Gambia has limited resources, many things such as white resin (fill-ins) and crown, are hand made before being applied to the patients mouth. When I say handmade, for example, there is a liquid and a powder that are combined to form resin then applied. However, in the U.S., this has already been combined and it is only applied. Also, a lot of their supplies are rinsed and reused instead of thrown away because they cannot afford them in abundance. One thing that I observed was that the dentist did not have a dental hygienist or a dental assistant; he had a dental nurse who had been trained on the job. One sanitary issue that bothered me was that the dental nurse did not wear gloves, nor did she wash her hands regularly. When I would inquire about different substances, she would just hand then to me to touch. This would never happen in the U.S. I understand that they do things differently here, but at the end of the day these people are getting the proper treatment from a good dentist.

One day, Dr. George took me to another one of his clinics in another town to shadow an orthodontist for about 5 hours. This was very interesting to me because this is one specialization that I have never been exposed to in the U.S. yet. Therefore, I could not make many comparisons. The orthodontist was from Senegal, he has a private practice in Senegal and he teaches there also; he comes to The Gambia every 6 weeks to do work. I learned a lot from him; he spent most of his time teaching me anatomy of the mouth.

One very interesting thing about shadowing here is that I am not alone. I meet a girl name Amna from Canada who traveled here to shadow Dr. George also. She is also an aspiring dental student who has a serious passion for dentistry. Amna is very nice and we do all our shadowing together, we exchange ideas and questions with each other. I am truly happy to have met someone who shares this same passion.

I Am Warming Up To AFRICA

I met a woman name Ida, who is the sister of the housekeeper at my hotel. Ida braided my hair for me for very cheap and I was very thankful. During our time together, Ida and I talked about Africa and America. Ida is very poor, she has 2 children and she is trying to provide them with a good education. She has to pay 2,000 Dalasis a month for each child, which is about 70 U.S dollars. She said that she cannot afford this and that her younger child may have to stop going to school until she can get some help. I really felt bad for her and her children. An education is so valuable and all children should be presented the opportunity to get one; an education is the one thing that no one can take away from a person. Ida has invited me to her compound this Tuesday, she wants me to meet her family and she wants to cook me a REAL AFRICAN MEAL. Ida told me that I was her first American friend and that she was so happy to meet me. When I return to America, I am going to try to send Ida money so that her second child can get an education.
After breakfast this morning, a Gambian named Yerro picked Cherish and I flowers and brought them to us. They were lovely and unique. Later we attended a beach party. The Gambia’s beach party reminded me of Spring Break in MIAMI. There were tons of people all over the beach dancing and having a great time. There was also tons of different foods being sold. However, because this country experiences blackouts about ten times a day, the beach party had no lights. It was difficult for me to see my way around and there were dogs running around; if anyone knows me, they know that I am furious of dogs, so I had to leave the beach party early. I ate dinner at a place called “African Queen”, the food was ok. I have yet to experience a wonderful African meal.

MAKING MOVES AROUND THE MOTHERLAND

The past days have been very challenging. Everything that I have eaten has made me sick except for French fries. One thing about this country is that it does not have sanitation grades, so they can cook what they want to cook, how they want to cook it. This morning I found copper in my breakfast. I often eat once a day, and drink a lot of water to get me through. I had the opportunity to go to one of the biggest markets here, in a town called Sukuto. I also had the chance to visit the maternity unit, public health center, and the dental unit. I spoke with a dentist there who has agreed to allow me to work with him. The dental unit’s here are very old and outdated. They do not have the proper medications to perform such procedures. For example, they do not have needles and anesthetics for proper sudations; instead they give the patients a form of codeine before they do their extractions. They also do not have Novocain which is what is used in the U.S. This is very harmful because the patients are never numb; instead it lightens the pain just a little. I really feel sorry for these patients. The dentist informed me that there are not many people who go to the dentist, so he may see only ten patients a day at the most; because it is so expensive. The dental unit is only open from 8am to 12pm because there is no air and the hotter the temperature, the more the patient will bleed during procedures. This was a great experience and I am very excited to begin working with the dentist here. I also was presented with the opportunity to go to an African club Friday night in Senegambia, called Club DUPLEX. It was actually well built; it was very big. The music reminded me of the late R&B and Hip Hop era of the 1990’s. One thing that I did not expect from Africans was for them not to dance; they all stood around and looked at each other the entire time. I left the club early because I got tired. After the club I went to a restaurant for a burger and French fries. My tour guide Keemba came along; while eating I met a man name Abdul from Mali who was visiting Gambia to become fluent in English because Mail is a French country.

Back to the Story

Abdul asked if I could help him with a few English words and I gladly assisted him. Abdul was very interested in American History; he spoke about the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Obama. He told me that when Obama won presidency and became the 44th president, he was watching it on TV and he began to cry; he could never image that a black man could go from slavery to presidency in only 143 years. He inquired so much information about American History, and I happily explained it to him. It made me feel proud of America and how far we have come, although we do have a long way to go. I enjoyed exchanging cultures with Abdul, and I wish him the best with learning the English language.