random things about ghana

Here's a list of a bunch of things that I've learned since being here...hope you enjoy it!

• Catching a tro-tro going in the correct direction requires that you understand the hand motions and strange pronunciation of places such as ‘Madina,’ ‘Accra,’ and ‘Circle,’ none of which sound as they should when being yelled by the mates (the person who collects the money and directs people on and off the tro)
• Ghanaian men are very forward, so knowing how to deal with marriage proposals is a great skill
• When telling a creepy Ghanaian man that you are already married, you must have the story about your ‘husband’ already prepared…or else he will not believe you and will continue to pester you. However, even when you do tell someone you are married, be prepared to answer why you don’t want a Ghanaian boyfriend
• Ghanaians respond to both good and bad things with the saying “Oh, Ghana”
• Greet people with ‘hello, how are you’ before asking for anything – if you don’t greet, you will not receive the answer you need
• The thought of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are repulsive to virtually all Ghanaians
• Ghanaians express their dislike for something by making a clucking noise with their tongue
• “Ey! Ey!”—commonly used words to express excitement, anger, surprise…you name it
• Ghanaian theater is very interactive – don’t be surprised to see African dance incorporated into everything and people carring things on their head any time there is any sort of street scene. Even when the play is Beauty and the Beast. 
• Americans talk extremely loud. Ghanaians talk quietly.
• Honking is a necessity and can be used in pretty much every situation….to alert others cars, people and animals on the road that a car is coming, to say hi to another taxi driver or someone they know on the side of the road, to replace a turn signal, to express anger at another car/tro-tro/truck that has cut them off...
• Learning even a few words in the local language, Twi (pronounced chwee) makes Ghanaians so happy. Even though they laugh every time you say something, they really do love it
• There is a special Ghanaian handshake where you shake hands and snap your middle fingers together as you are pulling your hand away
• Most Ghanaians ‘bath’ twice a day. Everyone will think you are gross unless you do the same (oh well…)
• Not wearing shoes to the bathroom is also considered very gross (whoops)
• Sleeping past 8am is considered late
• It is always necessary to check the cup of sugar that comes with your oatmeal to make sure there are no bugs crawling around
• “Almighty Stamps” or “God’s Time is Best Fried Eggs” are common store names
• Men call each other 'boss' (American equivalent of ‘hey man’)
• All Ghanaian clothing (unless handmade) are secondhand and imported from the United States or Europe
• Soccer (or “football” for us Westerners) is a serious national obsession
• Ghanaians think it is very strange that Americans decorate their rooms with pictures and other various things
• Many things, including sache water, ice cream, and juice, are packaged in plastic, and you drink them by biting off a corner of the package and sucking the liquid out
• It is extremely unladylike to walk & eat at the same time
• You can make ice cream sundaes here! Only trick: you must run from the supermarket to your room to make the sundae as fast as you can, because ice cream is never actually frozen here and it melts VERY quickly
• You can buy almost anything while sitting in a taxi or tro-tro from people who walk around and sell things. Things you can buy include:
•  20 x 24 picture frames
• Ghanaian flags
• Mentos/gum
• Cell phone minutes (called ‘credit’ here)
• Various food items: Fanice (ice cream), plaintain chips, dough balls, Tampico fruit drinks, meat pies, chocolate, peanuts
• Cuff links
• Push-up bars/ ab workout matsWater saches (bags of water, much cheaper than buying bottled water, usually are safe to drink, and what all Ghanaians drink)
• Handkerchiefs (used by all Ghanaians as sweatrags) 
• Make-up products
• Steering wheel cover
• Sunglasse
• Q-tip
• Poster-size world maps (I had to restrain myself from buying one, it was difficult)
• Hair trimming kits 
• Pirated movies
• TV remotes
• Toothpicks

All of these items are sold by people who walk in between cars on the highway – I like to think of these people as the walking Walmart of Ghana. If you look just a little past these people, you will find even MORE objects being sold on the sides of the highway – shoes, clothing, buckets, fresh fruits and vegetables, dustpans, fabric, kitchenware, furniture, skin lighteners, jewelry, you name it.