In Her Own Words...
Nicole Amadon, ONU student in pharmacy and French
Photo in a pharmacy in Ghana. From left to right: Kate (dispensing technician),
Rita Oti (ONU student), Nicole Amadon (ONU student in pharmacy and French),
Josephine (pharmacist), Courtney Porter (ONU student)
“I was in Ghana during the month of October [2012] for an international medicine pharmacy rotation. … Since Ghana is surrounded by French-speaking countries, occasionally a community pharmacy plays host to [French-speaking] visitors or immigrants.
“On one occasion, a husband and wife from Côte d'Ivoire walked into the pharmacy where we were working and did not speak English or Twi (the local language). Even though the French they spoke was a little different from the French I learned [at Ohio Northern] and spoke in France, we were able to understand each other enough for me to ask about the wife's symptoms and provide a recommendation.
“On another occasion, a young man came to the pharmacy for medicine for his mother. He spoke French and some English, so one of the other students did part of the consultation in English and I followed up in French to make sure the customer understood us.
“My ability to converse in French helped me to provide medications and advice to patients who otherwise would have continued to walk from pharmacy to pharmacy in search of someone who could understand their ailments.”
More modern languages features:
