Expectations versus reality

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July 7, 2010

We’re on our way to Kumasi, which gives me plenty of time to process all that we have done and seen. We’re all having our own experiences and lessons learned, but the one we all share is the constant realignment of our expectations to Ghana reality.

• Take for example a construction zone. Now, back home there are rules and a certain --- even if it’s slow and inconvenient --- order. There’s order here, but it’s called chaos. Don’t even bother thinking that the driver won’t go there because there’s just no way, because I guarantee he will cure your constipation and do just that.
• A highway is not a minimum of four lanes (two for each direction) and smooth and tarred. It might be in some spots, but then you’re right back onto the boneshaker red mud that zig zags left, right, up, down and all over.
• Livestock is too stupid to live in urban areas. Oh debedebedebedebe (no). I actually saw a hen stop at the side of the road to look both ways before leading her chicks across the street. A pig sloshed around in a parking lot mud hole. Goats dart in and out of traffic and through the market alleyways. I’m surprised they don’t carry merchandise on their heads.
• “It’s too heavy,” does not exist here. We’ve seen mattresses, 5-gallon tubs of water, loads of ice, and even a crate of live chickens carried on top of people’s heads. One woman carrying a full burlap bag of something --- wouldn’t be surprised if it was concrete --- ran across the street without using her hands to keep it in place.
• Do not play near railroad tracks. Why play when you can set up a bustling market just inches away from the rails?
• Oh goody that porcelain toilet in the shack has a flusher and a sink, which must mean it has indoor plumbing. Actually it means those huge buckets of water outside and that little pail is your plumbing.
• Another story on indoor plumbing: we met a fascinating woman we call Auntie Yah, a retired New York school teacher who moved here in her sixties with a disability (a can-barely walk one). I’ll write another article on just her, but for now I’ll share her house-hunting story. She asked some Ghanaians to find a house for her. It had to have a kitchen, water and easy access. The guys came back all excited, “Mum, we have a beautiful house for you, and it has water!” Come to find out “we have water” means there’s a pipe outside you can fill up your bucket with.
• Nudity is an indoor activity. I saw a man completely naked sleeping about a yard away from Accra traffic. We girls also saw a beautiful man changing outside, um underwear is apparently optional.
• Sequined gowns are for formal affairs. I could spend an entire month just watching the women (and some men) walking on the streets. Starlets at any awards ceremony would be jealous. You will see a stunning, jaw-dropping gown standing next to a man wrapped in cloth next to a woman in a t-shirt and vibrant skirt with a baby tied to her back. It’s all good. My theory is it’s the Ghanaian way of sprucing up the city.
• We have all sorts of food expectations versus reality stories, but my favorite belongs to Sandra, who ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. She took one bite and then another hoping to taste something, after the third bite she opened up the bread to see what looked like butter. When she asked the waitress about it, the response was, “sorry Mum we have no cheese.”
• A sauce called shito, which looks exactly like mashed shito, is actually quite delicious. It's Africa's version of chipotle and comes from the Ga people. Another new favorite is kelli welli --- fried plantains and peanuts. It doesn’t look all that hot, but yummmmeeee. Oh and one more expectation versus reality: I sooooo thought I was going to lose a lot of weight here. Um, no. The food is really good, as long as I don't expect it to taste the way it does back home.

Another big lesson that I think we all share is that poverty does not mean desperation, but that’s not quite right because most of us knew that already. It’s the people here. They glow. Now it could be because of the humidity (even my Secret aint cutting it here), but that wouldn’t explain their smiles and can-do spirit. There is a sense of pride that transcends living in a true concrete jungle (if you live in the city) or in a shack surrounded by mud. The people here love to talk and laugh and make do with what there is. I looked down from my bus window to see two legless guys skooting by on skateboards. They looked back up at me, smiled, waved and skit-daddled right on by. That's Ghana.

Side note: I started writing this entry a few days ago, but you guys know how bad the Internet is by now. For some reason it's working tonight, so I'm going to hurry and post this and some random photos (just to please your eyes). There's so much more to tell you about --- like the lectures we've attended, Kumasi market (largest in West Africa), the Four Villages Inn where we're staying (I LOVE it here), the Asanti Palace, and the wood carving village. I promise I'll post those as soon as I can. Tomorrow, we're going to a funeral, which means more drums and dancing (woo hoo!). Oh, I accidentally danced at a funeral at the kumasi market. I saw people dancing and joined, not knowing it was a funeral. They didn't mind --- actually it was hard for me to get out of their circle. So, there you go --- even death is a joyous thing. God Bless the Ghana way of Life and Death!

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Photos

the gang
at Ghana University

Capt Ghana
Paul in his Ghana gear, before leaving for the game

Didi
on the way to the party

Paul in the crowd
Paul sitting with the locals

Venita and me
before we were tossed around.

Comments

[Maryanne Stahl]

go, Ghana
I'm really enjoying this, Bettina! Looking forward to hearing and seeing more. Hope you've bought some awesome fabrics! xxx

[sylvia silva]

Thanks
Hi, I want to thank you for posting your blog so that i can see what my daughter maria lopez is doing. It looks like you are all really learning a lot and enjoying it as well. my daughter renee lopez forwards your messages to me. again, thanks a lot.

[Badgette]

hello mom!
Sylvia, I'm so happy to hear our words are getting to you as well. I should call you Mom by now as well since Maria is my bedmate. Only one of our hotels had seperate beds. The good news is we're getting along great. Your daughter is fantastic!