Akwaaba wɔ Ghana (Welcome to Ghana)

28 May 2018

Thoughts on visiting Ghana for the first time

Weston served his mission here in the Cape Coast area of Ghana, the southern part of the country. I have seen many pictures and heard many stories of the two years he lived here. While I served in Italy, it was really neat that I also got to meet Ghanaians there and try one of their most common dishes: fufu. Being here in Ghana is a totally different experience. Partially it's what I expected and a lot of it I just wasn't prepared for.

I expected there to be a lot of dirt streets and hut-like houses. This is correct.  However, I didn't know it was so hilly. Steep dirt roads up and down, with gutters and potholes carved by water. Dusty. Houses without air conditioning  (not one so far). And though I did expect it, I wasn't prepared for it. I knew I wouldn't be prepared for the walking but that's another topic.

The humidity? Awful! I've been in it before but I'm just not used to it. It's absolutely miserable. I don't remember this feeling. The humid heat is very draining.

My experience riding on a tro-tro is not bad, but I definitely won't brag about it or seek after it. Finding a bus back to Accra at the end is my hope. Trotro drivers are absolutely crazy, and the same goes for taxi drivers!!! No respect for speedlimits, or seatbelts, or windy roads. They frequently have police traffic stops on roads and drivers will just pay the police to get through without a fuss.
Photos: Osu castle and the square in Accra

The people are all very kind, aside from that. You walk down the street and everyone will greet one another. They are welcoming of people. They are generous as the can be. They are not very patient though while driving or in tour groups. The people selling stuff get very pushy.  It really is realisitc for Ghanaians to see “white people” and be shocked. A lot of them will see us white people (oboroni) and shout it out. Weston shouts back obibini (black person). It's cute when kids do it, but the adults can get uncomfortable. We were visiting independence square in Accra when an 11-year old called out asking for a picture with us. Why? I thought. Well, said Weston. We're white people. And then I thought, in America, if we tried to treat “blacks” like that it would end up on the news in some contorted way about racism. People ask us for money because we are white. It seems that everyone has their viewpoint on others.

So far we have visited Accra, Swedru, and Cape Coast. Swedru Is dirty! It made me uncomfortable the whole time.  It makes me wonder why the people are OK to let it be so dirty everywhere. Weston and I have had a few long conversations about this… it's not bad. It's just different. But I feel like they could have so much more! They chose to live how they live  (for the most part) because that's how they were raised and that's all they know, and it's good enough for them. Me? I don't like having to survive every day. I feel so blessed to have what I do at home. If I was born and raised here though, maybe I would see it differently? I'm all about simplicity AND comfort, and toilets. I'm really grateful for my flush toilets and toilet paper.

In Swedru,  we just walked around popping in to members houses. They all live within walking distance. We visited a good 7 or so houses seeing lots of people in between.  I finally got to meet Priscilla and Patience, of whom Weston has always spoke fondly of. And the former bishop of the area, brother Wallace, owns a private school. He had his students perform a cultural dance to welcome me to Ghana for the first time. A very neat experience! We both loved seeing the school and greeting all the children. Lisa is a child of one of the church members, and she fell in love with me from the first moment she saw me- mesmerized I'm sure by the unusually pale skin. I fell in love with her, too. (See her holding my Lego buddy)

In Accra we visited a castle, and out of all we saw the plastic trash on the beach amazed me, especially after having just developed a lesson all about oceans and plastic pollution. They use so much plastic here and it collects in gutters, on the ground, in the water. Again, why doesn't this bother them?

Street markets are everywhere. That's how they shop. An entire street will be lined with different stands selling different things. You go to the next street and fond the same thing, maybe slightly varying. People buy from each other and they know each other. Everyday, as needed. That's just how it goes. Unless handmade, all toiletries and household goods are imported.

There are goats, chickens, and cats everywhere. The goats are small! There are a few dogs.

The language is all over the place. English is not their first language though most can speak it. They speak Twi or Fante. I'm impressed at how well Weston was able to teach himself their language so he could speak it. Members and others love him. They have been so excited to see him again, even for such a short period of time. His heart and soul was truly planted in this country.

On that note, it was only the fourth day here when i realized we still have nine days left!!! And my heart sank. I'm ready to leave. The food is good, no complaints, except I'm already bored of it. I was not made for Ghana. Ghanaians are physically and emotionally strong people, but I feel very weak in both areas. Again, the people are really amazing. I don't understand them, but they gems.

I'm having fun doing fabric shopping. Their little street markets can be rather fun. I'm learning about their schools,  about the people here and how km they live. Americans have a lot of misconceptions about Africans in general, and Weston keeps reminding me that Ghana does not represent all Africans. Ghanaians represent Ghana.

Heather