An ‘Obruni’ in a strange land

Running through the market in the early morning, villagers would yell “Obruni” as he ran past. It isn’t a derogatory term, 20-year-old Kenneth Wong said — it just means “foreigner,” and a foreigner he was in Ghana, West Africa.

Wong, a Newport Beach resident and graduate of Corona del Mar High School, spent five months as an “Obruni” as he studied at the University of Ghana and did malaria research at the children’s ward of the Legon Public Hospital in the fall.

The UC San Diego senior worked closely with parents of children with malaria, a disease in which every hour counts, but that didn’t bother him. The “sobering” aspect of the trip was getting all the injections before he left — a good half-dozen.

The trip was Wong’s first overseas experience, and he spent his time traveling, attending church services and learning which foods had peanuts, a common ingredient in local cuisine that he is allergic to. The food allergy could have been a problem if it wasn’t for a local woman who took Wong under her wing — and whom he came to call Auntie Irene, per the polite way in Ghana to address older women.

“I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, what can I eat? What is in some of these soups, some of the rice? What is it in fact mixed with?’” he said. “For an hour and a half, [Auntie Irene] sat down with me and we went through all of the Ghanaian dishes, explaining what has peanuts . . . ”

Wong’s work back in San Diego is what brought him to West Africa. He had been a volunteer researcher of tropical diseases for almost two years on UC San Diego’s Malaria Research Project.

“That sort of struck my interest in malaria, which led me to Ghana,” he said.

Abroad, Wong took the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, working in the children’s ward of a hospital, gathering research on why parents waited to bring their children to the hospital after they displayed signs of the disease.

“Malaria is so common over there. It’s as frequent as the common cold,” he said.

Children would come in with fever and chills — symptoms of the disease — and Wong would interview parents, take vitals and even help clean wounds.

His experiences working with the sick children and the people of Ghana have altered his outlook on life, Wong said.

“I’ve realized that the point-to-point, very pragmatic outlook that we have here in America isn’t the only way, and it’s not necessarily the best way,” Wong said.

Wong said he now makes time for others and put his new philosophy to use this summer when he volunteered in Latin America. Wong spent two weeks aboard the U.S. Navy ship “Comfort” with his school’s Pre-Dental Society assisting in cleft lip and cataract surgeries in Nicaragua. The opportunity, and his semester in Ghana, took him to several countries.

“A whole year ago, I had only been to three countries, and now I’ve been to 10 — just in a year. It’s really opened my eyes,” Wong said.

His experiences during the last year have confirmed his career path. As a double-major in microbiology and Third World studies, Wong said he wants to go on to medical school to become a pediatrician with a specialty in infectious diseases and work overseas.

“For quite a while now, I’ve been interested in international health, because going into a medical career, I feel that is where the greatest need is,” he said.

With six more years of school in front of him and five more of residency training, Wong said it is going to be a long road, but he can make it, and those who know him have no doubt.

Lauren Weiner, UC San Diego’s director of Associated Students administration, has worked with Wong on student council, in which he is a senator, and has seen him spearhead project after project, attend every meeting and jump at volunteer opportunities. Weiner said he is a great leader and very well respected with students and faculty members.

“He takes everything to the next level,” Weiner said. “I know there are really big things in his future.”