At first glance, one may immediately think the community of Ekumfi Techiman is run-down and underdeveloped. They may not have access to the most up to date technology, clean kitchen areas or even running water, but what does that say about their community as a whole? Many people I know would feel pity towards the community members after seeing their living conditions. What I learned throughout my time in Ghana, however, is that we are the pitiful ones. We are so bogged down with material items that we have become a country filled with depression, selfishness and anger. The community members of Ekumfi Techiman have a very little in terms of material items, but I have never seen a happier group of people. Instead of worrying about getting ahead in life, when the newest I-Phone will come out, or catching up on the latest gossip, the people of Techiman protect and love each other. During the door to door visits, I asked a man, How does your community deal with crime? He replied, We don't. You can leave your house for weeks with the doors open and nothing would happen. Their entire community acts as one big family. Instead of sitting around a television during dinner, they bond, talk, tell stories. It was the one of the most refreshing things I have ever seen.

Although these people have all the love in the world for each other, they do not have the knowledge or supplies to live a healthy, clean life. In a way, I agree with Adam Davis' claim that service work exposes the inequality that exists around the world (at least in the medical sense). The people of Ekumfi Techiman were born without the healthcare that most of us are able to receive on a daily basis. As a young adult, I did not work for my healthcare. As many young adults in America, I was born into a family with the means to provide me with basic healthcare. Does that make us superior to the people of Techiman?

Davis writes, "we're not improving those we serve; we're only improving the conditions in which they find themselves." I connected deeply to this quote. Our mission as a brigade team was to bring medical supplies to a community that is unable to access such supplies. We improved the conditions in which they live by providing them with medications and knowledge about health care, but that did not change their souls or personalities. They were beautiful, smart, and amazing people before we arrived. Although we might have made it easier for them to live, they taught us what it means to be a genuinely happy person. In exchange for their love, happiness and hospitality, we provided them with materials for which they would have never been able to acquire otherwise. Personally, I would rather live in such a happy, caring and honest community with low healthcare than a country obsessed with acquiring material wealth by any means possible.

Throughout the brigade, I thought to myself multiple times, this is why I want to be a doctor. I loved seeing the smiling faces of the children even though some were in significant pain. I felt grateful for what I had in America, and excited that I was able to serve the people of Ekumfi Techiman. It did not hit me until I was back home that it was not all about ME serving them, what I wanted my professional career to be, and how I felt. Instead, it was about the unification and growth of two very different cultures. So while technically as Global Brigaders we were serving them, they served us in ways that most people will never understand. We served each other, but the community of Techiman served us brigaders unknowingly, which is the best kind of service. The timeline I created for this reflection maps out the days of service we gave to the community through our clinical days, however it also maps out the days in which the Ekumfi Techiman community served our brigade.