I arrived in Accra, Ghana on June 30 at around 12:30 pm after a long and grueling flight. I thought I would be more nervous stepping out of the place than in actuality, and only began to get nervous after my baggage didn't appear for 40 minutes. One of the first things I noticed about Ghanaians is they are not shy to strike up a conversation, ask you why you're here and help you out. They seem genuinely concerned for my well-being. The baggage eventually came. One fellow even waited with me until he was sure I was safe and was picked up by the official WUSC driver.
After being here for a bit more than a week, this impression of locals has not changed. Whenever out on the street, or using local transit (trotros) they are usually extremely open and friendly. There are of course some people who are not as open to foreigners as others. A couple times I've been taunted and laughed at walking down the street. People yell out "Oburuni!" Which makes me uncomfortable. Perhaps they are just poking fun. Buts its the equivalent of yelling, "hey, black guy!" across the street in Toronto, which simply wouldn't be acceptable. Being multiracial, this gets annoying. It's a shame I am always seen as either one or the other. Black or white. In Ghana I am definitely white. It probably doesn't help that as Canadian volunteers we tend to travel as a group, which attracts a lot of attention (There are four of us here, from all across Canada working on seperate projects.) We are always charged Oburuni prices (significantly higher than local prices) and vendors can get pretty aggressive with their sales, assuming we have tons of money.
As I've mentioned to many people already, Accra is a fascinating and thriving city. It is filled with a ton of low lying, tin roof housing which sprawls across the expanse city. Vendors are everywhere. Traffic is awful. Most streets are unpaved and riddled with potholes. As one of the most developed countries in Africa, I begin to wonder what some of the other countries must be like. With that said, Ghana has a pretty good healthcare system, where all pregnant women get free service and malaria treatment is cheap and effective if caught early. One of the Canadian volunteers here has come down with malaria, but got herself some treatment and will probably be 100% better in about 3 days.
I've had a chance to see Adenta, where I will be working and to meet my new boss. She seems like someone I will get along with very well as she's super passionate about her work with women and girls. The pace of life here is something I am getting used to, but enjoying very much. Traffic tends to hold people up, resources are low and family always comes first, so appointments and deadlines are never absolute. It seems to be a norm to interrupt meetings to answer your phone. Stress doesn't seem to be a big problem here. But polite greetings are paramount.
I've made a few local friends and look forward to bursting out of this Canadian volunteer bubble. I hope to get a sense of the nightlife and what its like to be a Ghanaian (although I recognize this isn't completely possible). I am encouraged to keep smiling, stay open and go with the flow. All things I am very good at! I miss everyone at home and all the familiarities, but I will soon become accustomed to how things work here. It would be awesome if someone came to visit..just putting it out there =D
Taataa for now, my lovely blog followers. 'Til we meet again,
Adieu.
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