Ghana is Hard

I have lived in Ghana now for over a month. And boy sometimes I wasn't sure if I was going to make it.

I thought about if I should only highlight the good parts of my experience, or if I should also share how difficult it can be in Ghana. I remember during my training the field support specialist for my region told me that "Africa is Hard" and your assignment will be difficult. As much as you mentally prepare for the difficulties you will face, it is really unknown, so how can you really prepare. My MFI is full of nice people who don't exactly evaluate time the way we do in America and who often will not provide you with the most straightforward answer. I hear it is because Ghanaian people don't want to deliver bad news or disappoint you, so as you can imagine it has been very difficult to work in such an environment. I chose to come here and I accepted this difficult assignment, so I try to keep the complaints to a minimum. I mean how many people really have the opportunity to move to Africa and do development type of work? So although there are many days, I long for my nice computer office on California Avenue and my old apartment, I am still thankful and realize that these difficulties are part of the experience.

Here is a quick summary of some low points:

-- A rather large cockroach crawling over my hand when I was falling asleep last night. As most of you known, I am easily frightened by insects. After staying up until 2:00 a.m. going through all of my stuff to make sure no other little guys were waiting for me to go to sleep before they came out, I finally made it to bed. This morning I had one of the workers at the main house come check out my apartment with me, and of course no bugs.

-- The death of my cute little netbook (laptop)

-- Meeting some pretty intense Obrunis in Kumasi, who need a vacation to a Westernize country because it does start to wear on your spirits here

-- Having the same conversation with colleagues about the importance of transparency and full disclosure 10 times

-- Missing my family and friends

-- Trying fufu and having stomach problems for the next 4 days (Fufu is a staple dish in Ghanaian diet which is made pounded of cassava and plantains - see this link for a better description -- http://en.wikipedia.org.wiki/Fufu


Some of the highlights are:

-- Getting a chance to live in a developing country

-- Joking around with the same colleagues I mentioned above

-- Meeting with actual Kiva borrowers and conversing with them

-- Going to Accra and meeting a handful of cool foreigners, including my new friend Richelle whom I have a date to go check out a gold mine in the town of Obuasi

-- Laughing at jokes from Richelle until I was literally crying

-- Attending a concert of Nigerian and Ghanaian hip hop and r&b artists, including PSquare with my new friends in Accra

-- Shopping at a legitimate grocery store in Accra (but very sad because it is a 5 hour bus ride from Kumasi)

-- Having a lovely Italian dinner at Michelangelo in Accra

I meant to write a few blogs about the experiences above, but I have been without a computer for the past 3 days. Although this weekend, I will be staying in Kumasi, I do hope to start going to other towns on the weekend to fully maximize my time here.

Hope everyone is well!!!! I am still here and enjoying most of the minutes of this experience - well definitely not the cockroach part or the part where my computer died -- but most of it.

Hey Obroni! (“Obroni” means white person in the Twi language)

“Hey Obroni!” is often what I hear on the streets of Kumasi, Ghana. It has been nearly 2weeks, and without fail someone will call out “Hey Obroni!” In the United States, some people may find this offensive, but in Ghana, it appears to be a way for people to get your attention. And let’s face it; I am usually the only “obroni” on the street, so I always turn around. Some of my colleagues have told me that it is a term of endearment because Ghanaian people believe that visitors are special. I am not sure if it is true, but I prefer to think so.

My first “hey obroni” came from a group of small children who seemed so excited when I turned around to say hello. Their sweet little faces had huge smiles and they were madly waving their hands just to get my attention. However, not everyone calls me “obroni.” Many of the older men and women I come across just bid me “good afternoon” or tell me that “you’re welcome” which I take to mean “welcome” or “hello.” I usually respond with a hello and how are you. The older men and women usually respond “me ho ye” which means “I am well” in Twi, the language predominately spoken in Ghana, especially in Kumasi. Then I usually respond back in Twi “Wo ho te sen?”, which means how are you and then we both laugh. I guess I realize that they would prefer if I greeted them in Twi, so I try to do so after the fact. They don’t seem to mind and I think they appreciate my efforts. The only word I have mastered in Twi is thank you or “meda ase.” However, I will attempt to learn a few words each week and hopefully I will have the vocabulary of an infant by the time I leave Ghana.

I will try to be better about writing my experiences, but since I am usually working or trying to get myself situated, I don’t have a lot of great stories yet. But stay tuned! Also, as a Kiva fellow, we have been asked to refrain from posting pictures on our non-Kiva blog, so I will likely not post pictures on this travel blog until I have completed my fellowship. However, I will provide links to the Kiva website to my photos once I post them. I believe there is a way to become a follower, and then you will get updates when I post on my blog. Hope you are all well!!!