Minority

This post will not be very long. It has been a long week and unfortunately I just don't have a lot of energy to write very much. But I still wanted to update you anyway. The last few days I have been thinking a lot about how my life has changed now that I am a minority here in Africa. I understand what it is like to be a minority when it comes to religion (because of my mission experience). But as for being a minority in race, this is new territory for me. No matter where I go, people either stare at me, call me an Obruni, or hiss at me (that is what they do to get your attention). I am always overcharged when I try to take a taxi or buy food/clothing items. One of the things that has bothered me the most is the way that the Ghanaian men here interact with white women. Let me give you a classic example of something that happens almost daily here in Ghana: 

(This happened today as I was walking to the trotro station to go to church)

Ghanaian Man: Hisssssssssss

Me: (Turning around) Hello.

Ghanaian Man: Hello how are you today?

Me: I am fine, thank you. How are you?

Ghanaian Man: I am very fine. I saw you walking and

I want to be your friend. Can I have your phone number?

Me: Oh I actually don't have a phone. Sorry. Hope you have a good day.

(Total duration of conversation: less than 30 seconds)

This happens all of the time. When I first arrived here it was really cool to be receiving so much attention. I mean just think about it... You are instantly popular and everyone wants to come talk to you and be your "friend." That is what everyone wants, right? WRONG! The people here in Ghana ARE friendly, but I have learned that when a Ghanaian man talks to me for 30 seconds and wants my number, his intentions are not always the best. After talking to my Ghanaian friend here, he told me that white women are approached by Ghanaian men for 3 different reasons: #1 They want to get with an American girl, #2 They assume that all Americans are rich, #3 They want to use the American woman as a way to get into the USA. 

I have been in Ghana for about a month now and I am realizing what it is like to be a minority.... To have people make assumptions about you before they take the time to get to know you.... To have "friends" who want to use me and my resources for their own purposes.... To feel exhausted at the end of the day just from trying to keep up in a conversation.... To get confused in a class because you miss one word that the lecturer has said....  Needless to say, my experience as a minority has been an interesting one.

Some highlights from this last week: 

I finally have my first drum! It was finished and I went to pick it up on Wednesday. It is a panlogo drum, which is native to Ghana. It is nice to have my drum in my room to practice all the time!!!

My Fridays are free from classes so I went to the temple in Accra! It is the most beautiful temple I have ever seen. The session was in French so I wore a headset (the majority of the people in that session were from the Ivory Coast, where they speak French). After the temple, I ate lunch with my friend Ernest and then he took me around the different national sites in the city. It was such a great day. I love the temple! 

Saturday I participated in a multi-stake YSA sports event. I was a part of the University of Ghana LDSSA team. There were about 500 people who attended the event and we all participated in football (soccer), volleyball, basketball, and track & field events. It was a great day to spend time with the YSAs in my group and to get to know them better. 

Other than that, it was a pretty standard week. Sleeping, eating, classes, running, reading, drum practice, and FUN on the weekends! The standard life of a college student.