Living in Ghana there are a few tricks of the trade to survive day to day life. Maybe not day to day in my village, but travelling around where I'm just another foreigner, coping strategies are a necessity. I talked about last time how if a small child stares at me I stare back at them until they get embarassed and look away. Some of these coping strategies are benign (long-term psychological impact of staring at small kids are inconclusive), but some are a little more malicious... I tend to gravitate toward playful banter.
Clarifications resolved via a question and answer format, GO:
Q: What do you do when someone asks you for money, beer, or food?
A: You flip back on them by accepting their nonexistent offer of money, beer, or food.
Q: What happens if you're feeling especially conversant that sunrise?
A: Ask unknown people to dash (give a small amount) you random things. (this has worked for yours truly with beer, soda, liquor, meat, and market transactions)
Q: What if you get thirsty waiting inside a vehicle for it to fill up?
A: Shuffle cries of 'pure wata', 'hey!', and hissing in a cacophonous symphony to emphasize your thirst. Alternatively, saying what you want to a seller or driver will cause them to cease all other willpower-related functionings and single-mindedly search for your designated item of interest.
Q: Do you go to an unknown person when they call you to come over?
A: No! Say you are coming to them and walk away. Really, people appreciate this joke (You are fooling me!).
Q: How can one build relationships in a village quickly and easily?
A: Buy rounds of moonshine!
Q: What is the easiest way to force people to smile?
A: Greeting them in the local language
Q: Fastest way to get introduced to sisters, nieces and daughters?
A: Me le sro di. (I am looking for a wife)
Now, onto the less-friendly retorts. I tend to find going to certain areas of the country I get harassed more, and these (unfortunately) become more standard.
Q: How do you react to someone is hissing and saying 'White person!' while you know they possess absolutely nothing of interest?
A: Ignore them and pretend you are deaf.
Q: In the big big cities (repitition for emphasis), when young children ask for money, how can you survive?
A: Transform into a freight train that runs beggar kids over for breakfast.Very effective.
Finally, as is common in many parts, people constantly ask
Q: "Where are you going?"
A: "Crazy!"
I know some people coming may find this short list of coping strategies beneficial to the spotlight that will shine upon them during their glorious adventure to Ghana.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Nothing in particular but Ghana
So being in Ghana is quite different than being in the United States, and there are some (surprising!) things that I miss about good ol' USA. They range from the ordinary (un-potholed roads, pizza) to the not-so-surprising (air conditioning, cold drinks) to the ridiculous (on-demand food, meals where starch isn't the central colorie provider). The food is one of the biggest things. Disclosure: I love to eat. And I'll eat everything. But food here can taste the same and carries the same character (carbs with a soup or stew as a side). Pizza in the village? Nonexistent. The only time people reliably eat spaghetti or pasta is when making a variant of a Ghanaian dish, Waakye (or Watsi [wah-chi]).
Another thing I miss about the US is simple radio programming (and a radio for that matter – I guess I could buy one here) like NPR. Science Friday, This American Life, Marketplace... these mystical programs can only be descibed as exotic and are found wanting in my soul.
Sports – this one is a combination of sports on television like football and tennis and also playing sports like racquetball or disc golf. Sure, I suppose I could build a 40 ft x 20 ft x 20ft box in my village and teach people how to play, but the difficulties involved would be too easy to overcome. Since I am more of a sports guy than an endurance person (like running – ick) I can tell that part of me is getting out of shape and underused. So I started doing P90X (the X is for Xtreme!!). Then I accidentally deleted the workout videos and am currently back to square one.
Finally, I suppose interacting with people that I can relate more with than just the weather or apkoteshi is something I do miss as well. Real Conversations? They can occur, but usually it goes like this when I try and talk about something serious, like amending the school discipline techniques: "Its our culture, and we need this."
A final difference is that there are a few people who don't agree with consuming any acohol at all, and visibly show that other people shouldn't either. These people mystify my imagination. If this person has seen me drink a single beer, I am accused of 'boozing' and being drunk (after one beer? Negative). This is different than abstainers in present-day US, and reminiscent of prohibition-era teetotallers. To cope with this phenomena, outdoor bars (called 'spots') usually have a optical-blocking scheme of some kind, like vertical wooden slats (or, as is more common in my village, spots are located in someone's living room behind closed walls).
I'm not ready to go back to the US yet, but I think I will be by the end of my service here. I can tell I make a difference in people's lives, and to spread word about American culture and its differences with Ghanaian culture, but there are simply things that I want to enjoy. Why do laundry by hand when I can have a washing machine do the same thing with far less effort? It builds character.
Being a white person in a black country has its ups and downs. Case and point is attention received when I'm doing absolutely nothing interesting. Small children enjoy staring at me, so I turn it into a game: I stare at them in the eyes until they feel shy and look away. I like to think of it at practice for staring down students in the classroom environment. On the flip side, people are almost always respectful and accommodating to my needs (or, I daresay, whims).
NOTES:
There's a song here that is from Nigeria, but contains a line "It's all about the benjamins baby"... are there $100 bills in Nigeria? I didn't know 'benjamins' was a common system of currency.
People have no reservations about stating truths in a straightforward manner ("Mike! You are looking fat! Ghana is good for you!" and "You always eat groundnuts, so I will call you groundnut man").
Another thing I miss about the US is simple radio programming (and a radio for that matter – I guess I could buy one here) like NPR. Science Friday, This American Life, Marketplace... these mystical programs can only be descibed as exotic and are found wanting in my soul.
Sports – this one is a combination of sports on television like football and tennis and also playing sports like racquetball or disc golf. Sure, I suppose I could build a 40 ft x 20 ft x 20ft box in my village and teach people how to play, but the difficulties involved would be too easy to overcome. Since I am more of a sports guy than an endurance person (like running – ick) I can tell that part of me is getting out of shape and underused. So I started doing P90X (the X is for Xtreme!!). Then I accidentally deleted the workout videos and am currently back to square one.
Finally, I suppose interacting with people that I can relate more with than just the weather or apkoteshi is something I do miss as well. Real Conversations? They can occur, but usually it goes like this when I try and talk about something serious, like amending the school discipline techniques: "Its our culture, and we need this."
A final difference is that there are a few people who don't agree with consuming any acohol at all, and visibly show that other people shouldn't either. These people mystify my imagination. If this person has seen me drink a single beer, I am accused of 'boozing' and being drunk (after one beer? Negative). This is different than abstainers in present-day US, and reminiscent of prohibition-era teetotallers. To cope with this phenomena, outdoor bars (called 'spots') usually have a optical-blocking scheme of some kind, like vertical wooden slats (or, as is more common in my village, spots are located in someone's living room behind closed walls).
I'm not ready to go back to the US yet, but I think I will be by the end of my service here. I can tell I make a difference in people's lives, and to spread word about American culture and its differences with Ghanaian culture, but there are simply things that I want to enjoy. Why do laundry by hand when I can have a washing machine do the same thing with far less effort? It builds character.
Being a white person in a black country has its ups and downs. Case and point is attention received when I'm doing absolutely nothing interesting. Small children enjoy staring at me, so I turn it into a game: I stare at them in the eyes until they feel shy and look away. I like to think of it at practice for staring down students in the classroom environment. On the flip side, people are almost always respectful and accommodating to my needs (or, I daresay, whims).
NOTES:
There's a song here that is from Nigeria, but contains a line "It's all about the benjamins baby"... are there $100 bills in Nigeria? I didn't know 'benjamins' was a common system of currency.
People have no reservations about stating truths in a straightforward manner ("Mike! You are looking fat! Ghana is good for you!" and "You always eat groundnuts, so I will call you groundnut man").
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Local School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
So here's a little parable about the spiritual conflicts of a society. During our term break, there was some motor oil spilled outside of the teacher's lounge and the headmaster's office at our school. My thought process = Hmm that's odd, but whatever. Local teachers' reaction = we will not teach until the perpetrator is found and brought to justice because the oil may be a sign of a curse.
Ok.
We just had a meeting about this situation at the school. Until we had this meeting, where it was revealed that the local church and church members came to pray to Jesus to counteract this lesser traditional belief, the staff members refused to enter either room. Since all of the log books and grade books were in the rooms, who went into the danger zone to collect them? Students. Thankfully, the belief that spirits exist are compatible with Christianity (according to the Bible, from locals vehemently protesting "it's true!") is widespread. It is the opinion that Jesus is, in a sense, the supreme spirit with power over all other minor spirits; therefore praying to Jesus gives power over minor spirits. Also, pouring libation in the form of local gin is the same as Jesus in driving out evil spirits.
From a historical perspective, Christianity was only introduced about 120 years ago. People had their traditional beliefs and deities before then, and when they converted to Christianity the easiest way for people to accept it (and convert) was simply to keep many traditional beliefs but put Jesus and God at the top of the Tower of ethereal Power.
Sad News: I got cut from a piece of glass and it started to become infected. While still oozing pus, I no longer have a fever.
Avg daytime high:84
Avg nighttime low:74
Ok.
We just had a meeting about this situation at the school. Until we had this meeting, where it was revealed that the local church and church members came to pray to Jesus to counteract this lesser traditional belief, the staff members refused to enter either room. Since all of the log books and grade books were in the rooms, who went into the danger zone to collect them? Students. Thankfully, the belief that spirits exist are compatible with Christianity (according to the Bible, from locals vehemently protesting "it's true!") is widespread. It is the opinion that Jesus is, in a sense, the supreme spirit with power over all other minor spirits; therefore praying to Jesus gives power over minor spirits. Also, pouring libation in the form of local gin is the same as Jesus in driving out evil spirits.
From a historical perspective, Christianity was only introduced about 120 years ago. People had their traditional beliefs and deities before then, and when they converted to Christianity the easiest way for people to accept it (and convert) was simply to keep many traditional beliefs but put Jesus and God at the top of the Tower of ethereal Power.
Sad News: I got cut from a piece of glass and it started to become infected. While still oozing pus, I no longer have a fever.
Avg daytime high:84
Avg nighttime low:74
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Term break!
Check it out: The past few weeks I've been traveling around Ghana enjoying a variety of activities. First, I went to a paragliding festival in Mpraeso, Eastern Region. Besides possessing cool weather (always a bonus!) I went paragliding for thirty minutes! Pretty cool stuff. Also the scenery is fantastic with rolling hills, forests, sheer rock faces. Next I took a ferry to see some friends in Donkorkrom, in the middle of Volta Lake. The Afram Plains area in which they live has some real pretty sights, more typical of what you would expect of 'Africa' – some open spaces, fairly flat, and very rural. From Donkorkrom, I went with a buddy across a different ferry and to Hohoe in Volta Region, and in the same day went to Wli waterfalls. Wli is an awesome (and supposidly largest) waterfall in West Africa, with an intense hike to the upper falls. The next day, I went with two friends to Amedzofe, about a two hour hike from the road to the top of the mountain with some spectacular views. A quick roundup of the rest of my trip includes ubiquitious dashes:
-Jasikan in northern Volta (used a computer!)
-Dzita on the beach in southern Volta (great getaway spot and played bunches of board games)
-Aflao near the Togo border (delicious baugettes with avocado filling!)
-Ho, my market town
At Ho we had an All-Volunteer Conference for all Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, with most of PC staff as well. We had a poker tournament with about 20 people, and I ended up splitting the pot for first place! Tons of fun. AllVols taught about PEPFAR funding (President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief), and hopefully with a little determination and effort, there is a plan for a plan for a workshop about educating teenage girls about HIV/AIDS and gender empowerment. I do have a little bit of a hangover from seeing so many Americans the past few weeks; its nice to be back at my site but also sad to be away from friends I've reconnected with. School resumes Monday!!
Return/Outlook
-Jasikan in northern Volta (used a computer!)
-Dzita on the beach in southern Volta (great getaway spot and played bunches of board games)
-Aflao near the Togo border (delicious baugettes with avocado filling!)
-Ho, my market town
At Ho we had an All-Volunteer Conference for all Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, with most of PC staff as well. We had a poker tournament with about 20 people, and I ended up splitting the pot for first place! Tons of fun. AllVols taught about PEPFAR funding (President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief), and hopefully with a little determination and effort, there is a plan for a plan for a workshop about educating teenage girls about HIV/AIDS and gender empowerment. I do have a little bit of a hangover from seeing so many Americans the past few weeks; its nice to be back at my site but also sad to be away from friends I've reconnected with. School resumes Monday!!
Return/Outlook
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