Well, we’ve officially been in “Kumasi here” for a year. These are some things we have learned.
- Friends happen anywhere
- Letting go is easier when you have no control over your situation
- White towels are a bad idea
- People won’t turn their backs on you, even if they look you straight in the eye while urinating on the side of the road
- Ghanaians love to laugh
- A sense of humor is innately human but the form it takes is culturally defined – don’t expect to ‘get’ the joke and likewise to have your jokes understood
- Laughter, cheers, tears, sneezes and children at recess sound the same in any language
- When someone laughs, it doesn’t always mean ‘Ha Ha” but rather “Tee Hee, I’ve let you down, but won’t do anything different next time”
- If you say hello to people on the street, know that one out of five will respond by asking you for money
- When the next door neighbors light a truck tire on fire, they are fixin’ to butcher another one of their dogs
- Stew smells great when you are hungry, even when it’s got meat in it
- A mango a day keeps home sickness at bay
- You can get used to the feel of an ant crawling up the nape of your neck and resist flicking it off while carrying a hot pot
- Cooking by sense of smell is difficult because at any moment you will be awash in the aroma of roasting cocoa, burning plastic, sewage or garbage
- Always do a load of laundry when both the power and water are on
- You can totally get excited by the prospect of a cold shower after two days of bucket baths
- You may never get used to watching someone pick their nose in the middle of your conversation
- Water is important. It is the staff of life and will keep you from dying of heat stroke
- It’s true what they say about washing or cooking vegetables from the market if you don’t want to get sick
- The medical support systems are not in the least bit supportive in keeping with themes of corruption and disregard for human life
- Honk for the person who you want to come out of the house. If they don’t come out in two seconds, honk again. Repeat as necessary, but for god’s sake don’t get out of your car
- I never would have had the adventures I’ve had if it weren’t for Bob
