Obroni Observations

I am an Obroni. A white person in the middle of Africa. The people here call me "obroni" as I walk past them, especially in the market. It is not really a derogatory term, it just is what it is. And being an obroni comes with a certain perspective and view of the world. So this post is mostly about the basics of the culture here in Ghana. It doesn't mean that my view or opinion of the Ghanaian culture is right or wrong, it is just merely my reaction of being exposed to a different way of life.

To start, there are some "conveniences" that we enjoy in the USA that we definitely do not have here in Ghana. As for my living conditions, they are actually a lot better than I was expecting. I share a room with one other person. I have a bed (with poles for mosquito nets shown in the picture), a chair, a bookshelf, a desk, and tall dresser for clothes. I thought that I would wake up every night with lots of bug bites but not so far! We have mosquito screens on our windows so that has helped with that problem. When I read that they had "laundry facilities," that really meant a row a sinks for hand washing your clothes haha! I use a bar of soap and scrub the dirty places of my clothes and then rinse the soap through. So far I have been able to get everything pretty clean, it just takes some time. If I let my laundry build up for over a week like I do at home, it would take me about 3 hours to wash everything so I try to keep up with it. No wonder the women here are so strong! They have been washing their clothes like this their whole lives!!! And finally, the shower. The very cold shower. We are very lucky here to have running water for the bathrooms. A nice cold shower sure does wake me up every morning! It is not that bad. I have learned to do the Hokey Pokey while I take a shower... "put my right arm in, put my right arm out, put my right arm in and I shake it all about" That's what it's all about!

Although there is running water in our hostel, it is NOT safe to drink. Anytime I want water, I have to buy a bottle of water or a water bag (yes, a plastic bag filled with drinking water). Most of the time it is not cold water. And to top it off, they have no recycling here. The plastic is just burned. The level of cleanliness is VERY different from what we would expect to see at home. Except for buildings like those you find on campus, there are no trash cans and all of the trash is just thrown into the streets and the gutters. At first I was appalled. Then I realized that they probably don't see it as a bad thing... It just is what it is. Something to watch out for when you are in the market are the gutters. They are not only filled with trash, that is the sewer system for the market as well. So I am very careful when walking over the gutter so that I don't fall in!    

Although the water situation may not be the greatest, the food definitely is amazing! My meals so far have consisted of a fried egg with bread for breakfast, some type of fresh fruit for lunch (pineapple, mango, banana, plantain, avacado, coconut), and then a new food every night for dinner! Some of my favorite foods so far have been: chicken, wache (rice and beans), jollof rice, fried rice, noodles with peppe, and veggie kabobs! I really want to try the fish, but there is something about eating it with the skin, bones, head, and eyes all still there that kind of grosses me out... There are still many main foods here that I have yet to try, like bonku and fufu! Everything has great flavor and is very spicy!! Yum!! 

One of the things that is great here is the public transportation! Although some of the roads are under major construction, the traffic is less dense because of the use of cabs and trotros. You are probably wondering what the heck a trotro is. It is 15-20 passenger van that is converted into a mini bus used to transport people around town. There are places the trotros stop along the route. The trickiest part is getting on a trotro! As the van approaches the stop, the mate (the person who sits next to the sliding door) yells out of the window to let you know what route that trotro is taking. Then, depending on how many seats are available, you have to push your way through to get on. Once you have made it on to the trotro, the mate takes your money. Taking a trotro to get around is the best way to travel in Ghana. It is very cheep and can get you close to almost anywhere you want to go. As long as you don't mind sitting very very very close to people, the trotro is the way to go!

The best way to go shopping is to go to the local markets. We have a market very close to our hostel, the night market. There you can buy anything and everything that you need. Food, clothes, shoes, magazines, movies, minutes for your phone, ANYTHING! People also set up stands along the side of the road so you can get things as you are walking to different locations. I like to go to the night market to get my breakfast (fried egg on bread) and my pineapple! The girls who run the stands are very nice and I have gotten to know them really well because I see them every day. Even if you are in a cab or on a trotro, people are always walking in the lanes of traffic selling different items. It can be very convenient when you are on a trotro for an hour and you need some water, you can just reach out of your window and buy it!

One of the highlights of the 2 weeks that I have been here has been finding the local church. From using lds.org website, I found a church out in Adenta, about a 15 minute drive from where I am in Legon. Last Sunday I took a taxi out there and was a little late but made it for the sacrament and then found a seat near the back. In the middle of one of the talks, a priest-aged boy came to me and asked me for my name and where I came from. Then, during the intermission of the meeting, the bishop stood up to the pulpit and introduced me as their visitor that day! It was obvious that I was the visitor, being the only white person in the ENTIRE congregation haha! Everyone was very kind and helped me to find my way to the different classes. During the entire 3 hours of church, I was constantly trying to gain control of my emotions. I held back tears and I thanked Heavenly Father that I found the church and that I felt peace. In the midst of this foreign country, I had a home. That is what I love about the church... No matter where you go in the world, you will always have a family away from home - your ward family!

This weekend was the All Africa Day of Service! All of the members of the church in Africa would participate in a day of service in their community. This is very similar to what we have done in the USA. On Saturday, 4 of the wards in the stake went to the Adenta Community School to clean up the area. There were about 200+ people who came to help. The cut down grass, picked up trash, and brushed off rocks. Someone tried to teach me how to use a machete... but after many people started laughing at my sorry attempt to cut down the grass, I gave up and picked up a rake instead. We were there for about 4 hours cleaning up the area. I was able to meet some American missionaries, other obronies haha! How cool would it be to serve as a missionary in Ghana!! I met a lot of very kind people there and they were all grateful for my attempts to assist in the service that day. 

Well, this has been quite a long post. But I hope this gives you an idea of what the culture is like here in Ghana. The other events from this week include: trip to Makola Market (the biggest market in West Africa), driving past the Accra Temple and West Africa Area Offices, finally going to see The Dark Night Rises!!!, discovering places to eat, and attending and participating in the launch of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana. Next week I will write about the main reason why I am here... to go to school haha!!! But Monday is Ramadan so there will be no school! We are headed to the beach tomorrow. More adventures to come!!