Welcome to Ghana

Welcome to Ghana

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

You Know You’re In Ghana When…

What should have been a fun filled week of Rotary International Health Days and visiting the Ghana Maritime Academy for a three day field trip with my nautical science class instead resulted in me sleeping for 17 hours every day as I tried to get over an infection. That all being said, I’m healthy again, and in honour of being in Ghana for 2.5 months, I have constructed a “You Know You’re in Ghana When..” list. Should you ever come to Ghana, you’ll experience this list for yourself!

You Know You’re in Ghana When…

  • you get excited when you do not need to bring your own toilet paper to the bathroom
  • you are named after the day you were born (I’m Yaa, for Thursday).

  • you refer to everyone as if they are related to you.
    • similar aged people are “brother (name)” and “sister (name)”
    • people old enough to be your parents are “uncle (name)” and “auntie (name)”
    • elders are “grandparent (name)”
  • the bugs are HUGE.

  • many shops are named after something biblical.
    • “Blood of Jesus Barber Shop”
    • “Moses Prostate Cancer Center”
  • reliable internet is somewhat challenging to find.
  • the currency being used is the Cedi. 


  • you start to believe your name is “Obrouni” (foreigner).
  • you know what a “squatter” is. 
  • the pineapple juice is delicious.
  • you frequently experience dumsar (power outages or “on and off”).
  • the locals say its cold when it is below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • you take the TroTro instead of a bus. 

  • you know the hand signs for TroTros.
  • you’re constantly meeting people named Kofi and Kwame.
  • you cannot escape marriage proposals.
  • your diet consists of rice, chicken, and more rice.
  • funerals are fun and people bring strangers to them to celebrate the deceased moving on.
  • you find yourself hissing at waiters and not getting slapped for doing so.
  • you frequently see advertisements pertaining to HIV/AIDS and ebola.

  • it’s okay to tell your friends to “flash” you.
  • taxi drivers get insulted when you put a seat belt on (if there are even seat belts in the car) because you are in insulting their driving skills.
  • you bargain for anything and everything.
  • there are no hooks to hang your handbag in the bathroom.
  • people get upset with you for paying for or eating with your left hand.
  • you buy food from the top of people’s heads rather than a super market.

  • your professors don’t come to class because it is raining.
  • coffins are wooden and made into any imaginable shape. 

  • people urinate on the “do not urinate” signs.

  • people are surprised you do not personally know President Obama.
  • homosexuality is considered a sin; however, it is normal for men or women to walk around holding hands 
  • xylophones and seprewas are used in traditional songs.

  • Ghanaian friends who can hardly afford their own school fees will refuse to allow you to spend a single pesewa (“cent”) while visiting them.
  • not having exact change ruins your day because exact change is almost always necessary.
  • everything you eat is red.

  • it’s rare to meet a local who knows how to swim.
  • you know pictures simply can’t do Ghana justice.


3 comments:

  1. what an awsome blog keep up the good work!

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  2. So fun to read Angela! Do the women wear colorful dresses and head wraps? I love their textiles! Have you seen mud cloth? If you see fabric in the market take pictures!

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  3. I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog! Thanks for all the pictures you post, and this great blog! Tell my sister to post some pics already! Lol! Hope you two are having a blast. It really looks like an adventure!

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