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
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Small Differences
Because I seem to have an excess of disposable time, I'm trying to find things besides school (we are on term break) to do.
Exhibit A: I finally took some pictures of some people and places in the bush/farm, so you all can see the habitat. This is not the same brushland found on African safari shows, but its a low level jungle.
Exhibit B: Doing math problems from a GRE study book to keep my mind sharp.
Exhibit C: Finding pleasure in the mundane tasks of cleaning and washing. I know this may seem like an oxymoronic statement, but its the simple things that give us pleasure.
The average size of the Ghanaian is much smaller than the average American, and the little things in Ghanaian society, or should I say architecture, reflect this size paradigm. People in my village are about 5'8 at the most; consequently, architecture such as doorways, vendors' roofs, and hanging objects all hang much lower; ergo, I have to stoop when entering into most rooms and when I buy from the market (you only hit your head once, unless you've had some small small amount of the local gin, in which case behavioral learning is disabled). Walking in my regional capital/market town, Ho () can be hazardous because of low hanging tin roofs and also because of open sewers (not a wise idea to fall into).
Other byproducts of local stature and economics: legroom in trotros is severely lacking (to compensate, imagine riding sidesaddle all the way to your destination!); the backseats of taxis fit 4 people, "comfortably" (even the front seat can fit two people, should you be so inclined to try); personal space is an option on my Metrobus (charterbus) to the regional capital (but privelage is revoked when the number of people is more than twice the capacity of bus seats); even beds are, on average, too short for myself. Am I a giant? Perhaps.
Picture of the week: chickens, in a tree!
Last week's math question: I am 24. When will be the next time my age is the sum of two prime numbers AND also a prime number? Answer: 31 (29+2=31 and 31 is prime)
Trivia: What is the only flag in the world that is not a geometric shape?
Exhibit A: I finally took some pictures of some people and places in the bush/farm, so you all can see the habitat. This is not the same brushland found on African safari shows, but its a low level jungle.
Exhibit B: Doing math problems from a GRE study book to keep my mind sharp.
Exhibit C: Finding pleasure in the mundane tasks of cleaning and washing. I know this may seem like an oxymoronic statement, but its the simple things that give us pleasure.
The average size of the Ghanaian is much smaller than the average American, and the little things in Ghanaian society, or should I say architecture, reflect this size paradigm. People in my village are about 5'8 at the most; consequently, architecture such as doorways, vendors' roofs, and hanging objects all hang much lower; ergo, I have to stoop when entering into most rooms and when I buy from the market (you only hit your head once, unless you've had some small small amount of the local gin, in which case behavioral learning is disabled). Walking in my regional capital/market town, Ho (
Other byproducts of local stature and economics: legroom in trotros is severely lacking (to compensate, imagine riding sidesaddle all the way to your destination!); the backseats of taxis fit 4 people, "comfortably" (even the front seat can fit two people, should you be so inclined to try); personal space is an option on my Metrobus (charterbus) to the regional capital (but privelage is revoked when the number of people is more than twice the capacity of bus seats); even beds are, on average, too short for myself. Am I a giant? Perhaps.
Picture of the week: chickens, in a tree!
Last week's math question: I am 24. When will be the next time my age is the sum of two prime numbers AND also a prime number? Answer: 31 (29+2=31 and 31 is prime)
Trivia: What is the only flag in the world that is not a geometric shape?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Life's Little Victories when traveling
Travel in Ghana typically happens via one of three vectors: tro-tro, taxi, or moto. Since Peace Corps bans me from motorcycles (which is dangerous anyway, because they dont wear helmets, go on dirt roads around blind corners through rain, and drivers usually dont have a license), I tend to stick with semi-reliable forms of transit and supposed safety.There are some typically Ghanaian/African aspects to relocating your body around the country: Some tro-tros will, in a row designed for three people, fit four, five even six bodies to make more money or because transit options are scarce (economics explain it all!). The roads may even be paved, but that doesn't make it a good road if there are multiple potholes per foot of asphalt – parts of the dirt road that goes to my town is better than the main highway to a city of around 10,000 people (the pothole per foot ratio is very important). Traveling at night is not recommended because of two things: sometimes the headlights on a car doesnt work (or the driver wants to save money so he doesn't turn them on) and the potential for armed robbers. Also, cars and tro-tros dont leave until every nook in filled with a limb; no one wants to go to my town? I wait. Finally, much like a bar or a club, the bigger you are the more right of way you have. A small taxi will almost always yield to a Metrobus (think charter bus) because hey, if theres an accident the metrobus driver will be out of a job, but the taxi driver may be dead, much like my bar example. With this being said, life does bring some little victories to travelling:
Life's Little Victories
Being the last person to board a tro-tro/taxi that immediately leaves (Yes!!)
Riding a Metrobus and other vehicles will part like the Red Sea (Score!! Suckers!!)
Knowing the road ahead has no potholes (Time for a nap!!)
Sitting in the backseat of a tro and pretending to be fat so only three people will be on a three-person seat (When the door closes I stretch out, bonanza!!)
Not seeing a large person boarding the taxi to my town (Then I can steal the front seat while the other four people cram into the back seat of a compact car!!)
Walking to the roadside of my town and seeing a vehicle (I think I will go to the city!!)
Riding my bike to a neighboring town to catch a vehicle, and no one passes me on the way there (Complex decision = justified!!)
Finding a wageshi (fried cheese) seller right outside my vehicle ( I'll take THREE!!)
Riding my bike home and seeing the 'local gin' seller / Primary school teacher in my neighboring town, who indicentially offers free shots to all teachers (I've had a long journey, might as well treat myself to something nice...)
Life's Little Victories is a cartoon in the Funny Times (for those that dont know, it is a monthly political cartoon and humor newspaper – highly recommended by yours truly!). Additional information for you digestion: my birthday is April 16th! And for those than can't remember how old I am, I will be 24! I am 23 now, which is a prime number.
TEST: When will be the next time my age is the sum of two prime numbers AND also a prime number?
Answer: TBA
I think this question comes from me doing oodles of GRE/GMAT math problems. I find doing them is fun and relaxing; my correct answer rate is about 95%, but time constraints during the actual test will make it harder. Also, I'm thinking about going back to school a year or two after I return to the US. Will ponder over it.
Life's Little Victories
Being the last person to board a tro-tro/taxi that immediately leaves (Yes!!)
Riding a Metrobus and other vehicles will part like the Red Sea (Score!! Suckers!!)
Knowing the road ahead has no potholes (Time for a nap!!)
Sitting in the backseat of a tro and pretending to be fat so only three people will be on a three-person seat (When the door closes I stretch out, bonanza!!)
Not seeing a large person boarding the taxi to my town (Then I can steal the front seat while the other four people cram into the back seat of a compact car!!)
Walking to the roadside of my town and seeing a vehicle (I think I will go to the city!!)
Riding my bike to a neighboring town to catch a vehicle, and no one passes me on the way there (Complex decision = justified!!)
Finding a wageshi (fried cheese) seller right outside my vehicle ( I'll take THREE!!)
Riding my bike home and seeing the 'local gin' seller / Primary school teacher in my neighboring town, who indicentially offers free shots to all teachers (I've had a long journey, might as well treat myself to something nice...)
Life's Little Victories is a cartoon in the Funny Times (for those that dont know, it is a monthly political cartoon and humor newspaper – highly recommended by yours truly!). Additional information for you digestion: my birthday is April 16th! And for those than can't remember how old I am, I will be 24! I am 23 now, which is a prime number.
TEST: When will be the next time my age is the sum of two prime numbers AND also a prime number?
Answer: TBA
I think this question comes from me doing oodles of GRE/GMAT math problems. I find doing them is fun and relaxing; my correct answer rate is about 95%, but time constraints during the actual test will make it harder. Also, I'm thinking about going back to school a year or two after I return to the US. Will ponder over it.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Prices of Cheap, Cheap items
Hello! As you may know, Ghana is a country in Africa that is currently listed as 'underdevolped', but within the next 5 years it should be upgraded to 'developing'. Let's examine some of the advantages associated where the cost of living is consequently low from lack of capital. The prices of items can be extremely cheap compared to the US, but on average I would say they are about 1/5 of US prices.
• A pineapple the size of your head can be bought for about 1 dollar
• The cost of going from Ho, my regional capital to Accra, the national capital costs as little as 5 dollars for a 3 hour ride (compare THAT to Greyhound)
• I bought a knife for 50 cents. Granted, I have someone sharpen it quite often.
• Three tomatoes in the US can go for a dollar, but here its about thirty tomatoes/dollar
• The third-worlds' favorite snack, Obama Biscuits, sells for 15 cents a pack (comes complete with Obama's face on every wrapper!)
• For a mere 7 dollars, a meal can be prepared to feed 6 people handsomely.
With clearout prices like these, its easy to spend next to nothing while here! Especially for you all coming to visit me, prepare to spend more on a plane ticket than you would in a month here! I'm in the village, and essentially the African bush for food perspectives: My rasta-friend brings me avocados gifts every other day or so (usually about 5, but this past time I now have 10 avocados to eat before they all go bad... hello calories!). Speaking of calories, people in my village make some comments like "Kofi! You are becoming large, Africa is good for you!" and "Yevuga" (translation = big white person): understandably, the lack of organized sports (except soccer with 12 year olds) has taken its intended victim, Me. To counteract this balance of power, I purloined some P90X workout videos from a friend to stay in shape. Updates on whether this will have an discernable effect will follow in the future.
I just had a wonderful day the other day: The day after school finished for the term, I went out to the bush at 6am with my rasta-friend. After collecting (and partaking in) some palm-wine, we ate some banku, and later some fufu. Being the middle of nowhere in the bush was incredibly relaxing (minus the bugs). Then we went and collected some avocadoes from an avocado tree, checked a trap for some grasscutter (alas, meat is in short supply sometimes), took a long nap, and finally helped smoke palm trees ("set fire to" means to blow with a small tube to create a sweet palm wine and give it flavor). Coming back, some students were in school when they espied my body removing itself from the bushpath. "Sir! Sir! You've come from the bush!", and they started cheering for me. Good Times. All in all, it was the best day I've had in a long time; I spent exactly zero Ghana cedis and had a fulfilling day.
• A pineapple the size of your head can be bought for about 1 dollar
• The cost of going from Ho, my regional capital to Accra, the national capital costs as little as 5 dollars for a 3 hour ride (compare THAT to Greyhound)
• I bought a knife for 50 cents. Granted, I have someone sharpen it quite often.
• Three tomatoes in the US can go for a dollar, but here its about thirty tomatoes/dollar
• The third-worlds' favorite snack, Obama Biscuits, sells for 15 cents a pack (comes complete with Obama's face on every wrapper!)
• For a mere 7 dollars, a meal can be prepared to feed 6 people handsomely.
With clearout prices like these, its easy to spend next to nothing while here! Especially for you all coming to visit me, prepare to spend more on a plane ticket than you would in a month here! I'm in the village, and essentially the African bush for food perspectives: My rasta-friend brings me avocados gifts every other day or so (usually about 5, but this past time I now have 10 avocados to eat before they all go bad... hello calories!). Speaking of calories, people in my village make some comments like "Kofi! You are becoming large, Africa is good for you!" and "Yevuga" (translation = big white person): understandably, the lack of organized sports (except soccer with 12 year olds) has taken its intended victim, Me. To counteract this balance of power, I purloined some P90X workout videos from a friend to stay in shape. Updates on whether this will have an discernable effect will follow in the future.
I just had a wonderful day the other day: The day after school finished for the term, I went out to the bush at 6am with my rasta-friend. After collecting (and partaking in) some palm-wine, we ate some banku, and later some fufu. Being the middle of nowhere in the bush was incredibly relaxing (minus the bugs). Then we went and collected some avocadoes from an avocado tree, checked a trap for some grasscutter (alas, meat is in short supply sometimes), took a long nap, and finally helped smoke palm trees ("set fire to" means to blow with a small tube to create a sweet palm wine and give it flavor). Coming back, some students were in school when they espied my body removing itself from the bushpath. "Sir! Sir! You've come from the bush!", and they started cheering for me. Good Times. All in all, it was the best day I've had in a long time; I spent exactly zero Ghana cedis and had a fulfilling day.
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