What I don’t miss about Ghana

What do I NOT miss about Ghana?!

As much as I miss Ghana (it is a lot), there are many things that I truly do NOT miss about living in West Africa. Lots of things in life are bittersweet, but for now let’s take a look at the bitterness that I’m quite content to have left behind.

The weather: True, it has been a “rough” summer (according to most), and the weather in the Midwest has been pretty HOT and HUMID. But, it still is more pleasant than it was in Ghana. Even the days when the weather is comparable, people aren’t outside NEARLY as much (around me at least) as they are in Ghana. People complain about how hot it is, when the only time they have to go outside is the 30 seconds spent in their car before the air-conditioning works, then the 2 minute walk in the parking lot from their car to their destination (which is most likely air conditioned). I’ve noticed my body can handle warmer temperature than most people, and that I get cold easier. It also gets cooler at night in the Midwest, so it’s much more tolerable at night. It’ll be 95 degrees here and I’ll go on a run at 4 pm and my friends will think I’m crazy. They’re right.

Slow Restaurant Service: I’m still shocked every time I go out to eat when my food arrives so quickly. It makes me so excited I feel like I end up eating more!

 

Mosquitoes with Malaria: Mosquitoes in Minnesota and Wisconsin don’t have malaria! THEY CAN BITE ME ALL THEY WANT! They’re not as sneaky anyways. It’s nice not having to sleep with a mosquito net, too.

No Air conditioning: That’s just something I’ll always appreciate. It’s so beautiful. It feels good. It sounds pleasant. It keeps mosquitoes away. It keeps me cool. And, best of all, it’s almost everywhere: restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, airports, libraries, coffee shops, trains, busses, bus stations, malls, movie theaters. They all have air conditioning (for the most part). What a great invention!

Being responsible to provide your own soap/toilet paper: I’m almost over this luxury, but the first time I got off the plane, I went to the bathroom. After I finished my business, I drank the tap water, pocketed some free toilet paper, and washed my hands with WAY too much soap. It was quite epic.

Sunlight from 6am-6pm: It’s great having sunlight until 9-10 pm. In Ghana, it was basically pitch black by 6 pm. I think it’s rainy season now, so it might even get darker sooner, but it’s nice to be able to do stuff outdoors as the sun is setting. I’ve gone on a few bike rides and jogs at 7 or 8 pm, or even later (after the sun set). It’s nice and cool, still light out, and the streets are nice and paved. Also, I don’t have to worry about…

Obruni Traps: The open gutters in Ghana are often referred to “Obruni Traps”. I don’t miss walking around and worrying about slipping and falling into one. I do miss watching my fellow obruni’s fall into them or hearing stories about their accidents. Just kidding! (Kinda)

Hand Washing my laundry: Don’t get me wrong! Hand washing your clothes can be good exercise, a good way to catch a tan and do something outdoors, and a great way to bond one on one with your clothes and feel accomplished. However, having someone do your laundry (love ya MOM AND DAD!) is much easier, and having a machine do the washing is easier, too. I’ve hand washed a few times since being back, but has been nice having a machine do most of the work. I’ll admit it, though. It does hurt me a bit deep down knowing that I was just learning how be good/decent job at hand washing my clothes, and then it was time to leave. But, when I recall how BAD I was the first few times, it’s nice to know I don’t have to be embarrassed anymore.

Aside from that, there’s not much I can say. Even if I complain about the things that I had a hard time with while I was in Ghana, the positives CLEARLY outweigh the negatives.

Despite the list above, I would GLADLY go through all of it if it meant I could wake up, sweaty, in a room with no air-conditioning at 7 am covered in bug spray from the night before. Then, go to the bathroom with soap and toilet paper in my bucket. Then, take a seat outside and attempt to hand wash my filthy clothes. Then, avoid the open gutters during my walk to a restaurant where I’ll order and not know how long I’ll have to wait for my food. All of this would be worth it to me, just to speak Twi, eat a big bowl of fufu and meat for $2, and dance azonto as the locals smile and laugh at me.

Oh, Ghana, how I miss you so!

Love Always,

Jeremy Kwabena

P.S.

Stay tuned for: “Things I do NOT NOT miss about Ghana”

What’s it like being back from Ghana?

Do you miss Ghana?

Yes. Everyday. Sometimes more than others, but I definitely miss Ghana A LOT! I miss the experience I had there, the people I surrounded myself with, and the situation I was in, but I still miss the country itself a lot. I’ve now been back for over 2 months, but I still find myself acting as if I was in Ghana quite often.

I had a dream I was at a soccer game watching the Black Stars play, and I was sitting next to the Asantehene (chief/king). I woke up that morning and thought I was back in Ghana.

I feel like I’ll have a little Ghanaian in me forever. Some people that haven’t seen me since before I left have told me, “Wow, dude, you LOOK African.” I disagree with that. If there’s any African in me, it’s all on the inside!

How’s the adjustment been?

It’s been hard at times, but overall not too bad. I appreciate weird things that no one else seems to notice: nice bathrooms in restaurants, air-conditioned stores, free napkins at coffee shops, free drinkable-tap water at restaurants, and unlimited toilet papers and soap! I haven’t had any HUGE culture shock issues, but definitely a few.

I was at the metro station in DC and the security guard told me there was no food or beverages allowed. I couldn’t finish the rest of my iced coffee, so I “invited” him and his friend to my drink. They stared me down like I had made a joke about their mother. My friend blurted, “He’s just kidding, don’t worry.” But, I wasn’t kidding. Why was it rude to try to share my coffee with him?

I also tried to share food with a stranger sitting next to me on a bus. He seemed a little freaked out as well.

I recently got a job as a DJ-Entertainer for weddings. During a training session, my boss hit his head on the ceiling fan while he was setting up a speaker. “Oh, Sorry!” I said. He then laughed and yelled at me not to be sorry. He demanded me to laugh at him and make fun of him, and not to be sorry. “What are you sorry for? You should be laughing at me for acting like an idiot! Not saying ‘sorry’!” (In Ghana, if you drop something or fall, someone will tell you they are sorry.)

I also have had a hard time adjusting to the “no urinating in public” rule in the United States. I feel the urge quite often, but I’m doing my best to follow the rules as best as I can.

I miss the dancing culture of Ghana so much I can’t even express it in words. I remember the first few weeks in Ghana how shocked I was when people started dancing. I remember being the only one not dancing and feeling out of place. Now, it’s almost the opposite. When I hear music I wanna move! In Ghana, if music is playing, it is acceptable to dance, even if it means dancing alone. When I’ve tried to dance by myself in the States, people look at me like “check this guy out! He’s SO DRUNK!” It’s made me realized that the only people who really dance by themselves are the super drunk ones.

In the weight room in Ghana, I use to be the only one listening to headphones, while everyone else listened to the Ghanaian music that came out of the speakers. I recall smirking at the Ghanaians as they danced with each other in between reps while they lifted weights while I listened to my pump up American music. Now, whenever I’m working out and a hiplife track comes on, I feel the urge to start dancing. And, I’m sure everyone surrounding me stares at the short white kid dancing in the weight room.

It’s also been an adjustment talking to strangers. I can no longer flirt with girls around my age by speaking Twi and danzing azonto. I can’t hiss at someone to try to get their attention. When I was in Ghana, I felt most of the locals wanted to talk to me. Maybe it was only because I was a foreigner, but it was still nice to have people want to talk to you. Now, I find myself looking for Ghanaians to talk to. It’s not like they’re everywhere, either.

I’ve also noticed that I now live a much slower paced life. I often feel rushed. I walk very slow. I like taking my time. I’ll get picked up and will be yelled at for not rushing into the car if we are late. If I run to the car and save 30 seconds, is that REALLY going to make that big of a difference?

A friend came over and I offered to escort him to his car on his way out and he acted all confused when I insisted. In the words of my Ghanaian friend, “It’s the least I can do after someone has come all the way to my house to visit me.”

Questions that I have been asked:

What kind of food did you eat? (long answer.)

Did any Africans try to cut you? (No.)

Do they eat monkeys? (No.)

Are people from Ghana called Ghanarreans? (No, They are called Ghanaians.)

Did they have cars in Ghana? (yes)

Did you get AIDs? (No.)

Did you see any Cheetahs? (No.)

Are you African now? (No)

What’s the currency called there? Kwabenas? (No. Cedis. Kwabena is a name given to males born on Tuesday!)

Do you miss it? (Yes, very much!)

Thanks for reading!

xxxooo

J-Kwabena-Ginsburg