Out for another walk across campus.

Yesterday marked the halfway point of my stay in Ghana, so I thought it would be a good time to look at some of the things I have experienced in Ghana, as compared to how it would have been at home Maybe at the end of the trip, I will have 20 more things.

1. I think the biggest difference I have thus far experienced is the concept of time. In America, time is money – everything is fast-paced.  Lectures don’t go over the allotted time, a schedule is adhered to, food is taken on the go, and people try not to be late. Here, time seems to mean something completely different. There is no belief that time is money, or that time is limited ; here, everyone has all the time in the world. Professors show up 15 minutes late to class regularly, and then go over time, regularly – sometimes by talking about things that are not remotely related to the subject they are supposed to be teaching. Everyone is really laid back, and when you come from a fast-paced society, it can test your patience.

2. The showers are cold. I didn’t really mind at first, but now showers seem to be more of a chore than anything….and sometimes I count the days I have left in Ghana by the number of cold showers I will need to take. I have 63 more cold showers to take…ooooohhhh….shiver.

3. There is a lot of American music on the radio stations, but every song that plays—every song that I recognize–is by an African-American artist. I have yet to hear a Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, or Justin Beiber song (not that I am particularly upset about it). And, funny enough – that “Black and Yellow” song was changed to “Green and Yellow” here. (Because of the Ghanaian flag?)

It's always an adventure on a tro tro. On one trip, whenever we got to a "hill" all the passengers had to get out, walk up the hill, then get back on the tro tro at the top of the hill. We had to do this three times in one trip.

4. Cheese is hard to come by. Laughing Cow cheese (you know – the processed spreadable stuff that kinda-sorta tastes like cream cheese) is not hard to come by. Laughing Cow cheese is super cheap here (interesting because it’s very expensive at home). If you order a cheese burger here, the cheese on top is Laughing Cow cheese. LOL

5. The bread is really sweet, and made with nutmeg. It tasted really good the first couple times, but now I am finding myself craving a good hearty, and not sweet, bread. Try living on the good ol’ Hawaiian buns you can get at Safeway, then you’ll feel my pain. I miss sourdough, mmmmmmmmm.

One of the many markets in Ghana.

6. All meals consist of at least one of the following (usually more); rice, beans, cabbage salad, plantains, and stew. A lot of times, it is served in a bag. I hope that everyone that comes here isn’t OCD about their food touching, because if you get 50 peswas of rice, 30 salad, and 20 plantains, it’s all going in the same bag, on top of each other- covered in a spicy sauce. Yum.

My Favorite Ghanaian Meal, Groundnut Stew with Fufu.

7. Ice cream and water also come in a bag. It’s going to be interesting going home eating on dishes and drinking out of glasses again.

8. Marriage is a common topic of conversation and a thing to joke about. School girls are not supposed to grow out their hair until they are done with school, indicating they are ready for marriage. Honestly, I have never felt so single in my life – but considering I still get a number of marriage proposals (is it my long hair?!), it’s not something I dwell on. In the countries that surround Ghana, it is almost unheard of for a girl in her twenties not to be married, and not to have any children.

9. The copyright policy is somewhat…relaxed. If you need to read pages from a text-book, make copies, if you want to watch a movie that just came out in theaters there are guys on every corner selling bootleg copies, if you want to download music for free it’s OK to do so on the school internet (and you will not get a follow-up email from the school administration/security/cops telling you that you have 60 minutes to get the content off your computer, as you would back in the US).

10. When the power goes out, life keeps going. Weird concept, eh? Classes still go on, people still go to work, and food is still cooked. I was under the impression that the world stopped when power went out. Evan, Hannah, and I always pulled out the candles, a deck of cards, and special snacks for the occasion. I kinda miss that….

One of the hotels I have stayed at. Note the thickness of the hotel matressses, and the size of the pillows.

11. The water goes out sometimes. I never imagined that happening – once it went out for 3 days, and I thought the world was ending (much more so than when the power goes out), until I found out that one girl had been out of water for a month. When I heard that, I thought twice about being so lucky as to have the cold showers…most of time.

12. The men shave their armpits, and the women do not necessarily shave their legs. Now this is something I am adjusting to nicely. Smooth arm pits and hairy legs are things that I can deal with . The arm pit thing is a matter of hygiene, it is taught in school that you should shave your armpits (Mie said that it should become a world-wide mandate). Hair that is elsewhere is seen as god-given (as opposed to armpit hair?!) and should not be removed (even facial hair).

13. There are no credit cards. It is rare for a Ghanaian to have any debt because everything is paid upfront. Kinda cool if you ask me.

The Voodoo Market.

14. Christmas decorations are available in stores in Ghana by October. Just like at home.

15. Salty snacks are pretty rare, and really expensive (a snack size tube of Pringles costs about $4.00. To put the cost in perspective, a full meal often costs less than $1). I never knew how much I craved salt until all of a sudden the bread is sweet, and snacks are mainly cookies. I can’t wait to eat Goldfish or Cheese- Its again. Mmmmm, salt! One day I bought French Fries – and even though they were ice cold, they were covered in salt, and quite possibly the best French Fries I have ever eaten.

A walk across a bridge.

16. Walking is definitely more challenging. I walk about 4-5 miles a day, but it’s not normal walking. I have to watch out for roots, uneven pavement, lizards, ditches, pointy rocks, and “Obruni Traps” (gutters that line the sidewalks-sometimes full of murky water, sometimes just full of leaves). Needless to say, learning my way around campus took a lot longer than usual, because I was always looking down!

17. Funerals are just as big and as joyous as weddings are. When I got to Ghana, one of the first question I was asked was “When people die, how long do they usually spend in the morgue before the funeral?”…Kinda a weird question, eh?  I said not more than a couple days.  The guy asking the question laughed in astonishment and responded by saying, people in Ghana can be in the morgue for months and months, sometimes a year! It takes a long time to plan a funeral. Often, funerals are several days long- each day celebrating a different aspect of life.

18. The doodles on the desks in the classrooms are not vulgar. At home, there often nude pictures drawn on the desks or something mean is written, directed to no one in particular, or at everyone. Here, all the writings on the desks say things like “Jesus loves you” and “God is great”.

19. Vegetables can be incredibly expensive. A pound of asparagus costs about the equivalent of $15, and a small bag of chopped cauliflower, about $12. It’s OK though- I never did like ‘em much. Cabbage salad is good enough for me!

20. Everyone here is just really pretty. Their faces are pretty, their legs are long, everyone has some muscle tone (if not totally ripped), and they’re just…pretty. I have yet to see an ugly person in Ghana.

Day 63! Loving this!!

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