So I was walking in town today (I wrote this in my journal at the start of September a few days after we had arrived) searching for some bedsheets. A trader outside Melcom (the main dept store in town) sees me browsing through his produce and the conversation went a little something like this:
Me (white beardy Irish guy) : 'I'm looking for some bedsheets'
Him (twenty-something black Ghanaian trader) : 'Welcome...yes yes, we have bedsheet, do you need curtains aswell?...maybe table cloths?'
Me: 'No thats ok, i just need some bedsheets, do you have double size?'
Him: 'Yes, yes, let me go and get some more for you...we have the best quality!'
Me: 'ok then...i just want some plain ones...' -he scuttles off into a small side alley and returns with armloads of bedsheets-
Him: 'ok ok ... here is the double size...with pillow case, you take it 25 cedis'
Me: -laughing and walking away- '25 cedis!!... no thank you I will buy them somewhere in the market for 12!'
Him: 'No no, ok ok ... but look, this is the best quality!...22 cedis!'
Me: 'But there are bedsheets on sale in Melcom...right there, for 14 cedis! I would like to buy from you...melcom only have blue sheets and I dont like blue...but I only have small money...15 cedis ' -its getting a bit heated now...hes not happy at the thought of my going to Melcoms and its pretty loud on the street side.-
Him: 'Melcom quality is very bad...and blue is a bad colour for sheet...look at this ... best quality!! and white...white is better!!! I give you for 18 cedis' -he's pretty much shouting at this stage-
Me: -also shouting now to be heard above the din of the traffic..and getting into the swing of bargaining- 'Yes defintely!...white is better! white is better...I like the white ones!...ok 17 cedis...last offer...otherwise I go to Melcom'
Him: 'ok ok ...17 cedis for the white ones....you want curtains now??'
Me: 'no i will come back another day for curtains...thank you for the sheets!'
Monday, October 13, 2008
Puzzled in Ghana
I had never been to a country outside of Europe or North America before I came to Ghana...so my experience of place in which a very different culture existed was quite limited. Because of this my first month in Ghana has been a hugely eye-opening experience which has lead me to realise how little I knew about so much. On one of my first days in Ghana after reaching Tamale (our base city in the northern region) I was waiting for Shannen outside a tile shop when a little toddler...maybe 2 or 3 years old wandered past me, tottering about a little as infants do. I didn't pay too much attention at first but then I noticed that the child was sucking on a small light bulb. I was a bit shocked at first and thought to myself 'Woah, someone should really get that lightbulb from the kid!' There were plenty of people around and nobody took any notice of the child, and I, feeling it wasnt my place to do so didn't intervene. The moment passed pretty quickly and she soon disappeared around a corner leaving me with a guilty conscience for not having done something.
A few days later as we left our house and walked though the little village at the top of our road I spotted a razor blade lying on the ground right where the village children run and play barefooted every day of the week. Again I was pretty shocked at this and pointed it out only to be told that it was probably a toy that they played with or used to make toys out of other materials like cans or pieces of cardboard.
So what does one do in such a situation...take a childs toy for its own protection (according to my way of thinking) or let things be (according to the way things are here)?? There are so many examples of things here that the mindset which I have used for most of my life screams 'No!' or 'Wrong!' at. They challenge me on a daily basis to reconsider my preconceptions regarding what is 'correct' or 'safe' or 'acceptable'. Added to this is the consideration that I am a foreigner here and dont yet know the correct 'order' or 'way'. I find myself almost over conscious of not stepping on anyones toes by making assumptions about certain situations that I may not understand because I am not from here.
However given the chance again I like to think I would have taken the lightbulb from the child and picked up the razor blade from the ground.
One of the other games played by the kids involves a tyre and a stick. Belt the tyre with the stick and run after it...much safer!
A few days later as we left our house and walked though the little village at the top of our road I spotted a razor blade lying on the ground right where the village children run and play barefooted every day of the week. Again I was pretty shocked at this and pointed it out only to be told that it was probably a toy that they played with or used to make toys out of other materials like cans or pieces of cardboard.So what does one do in such a situation...take a childs toy for its own protection (according to my way of thinking) or let things be (according to the way things are here)?? There are so many examples of things here that the mindset which I have used for most of my life screams 'No!' or 'Wrong!' at. They challenge me on a daily basis to reconsider my preconceptions regarding what is 'correct' or 'safe' or 'acceptable'. Added to this is the consideration that I am a foreigner here and dont yet know the correct 'order' or 'way'. I find myself almost over conscious of not stepping on anyones toes by making assumptions about certain situations that I may not understand because I am not from here.
However given the chance again I like to think I would have taken the lightbulb from the child and picked up the razor blade from the ground.
One of the other games played by the kids involves a tyre and a stick. Belt the tyre with the stick and run after it...much safer!
Ghana first post
So finally I've managed to find myself stranded in the local internet cafe during a heavy thunderstorm (and surprisingly the power hasnt cut out) which means that I finally have time to start this blog!
Ive been in Ghana for just over a month now and its been a whirlwind of an experience since I left Canada on September 1st. Im living with my girlfriend and now boss Shannen and her friend Kay in a small city in the north of the country called Tamale. We are here to work for Shannens NGO called Create Change...more about that later.
Im going to divide the blog up into a number of different sections which will cover most of what I am going through here in Ghana... I aim to write little pieces on things like 'the Creating Change project', 'funny stories', 'motorbiking', etc so that you can dip in and out for little extracts from my current situation.
So here goes...
Ive been in Ghana for just over a month now and its been a whirlwind of an experience since I left Canada on September 1st. Im living with my girlfriend and now boss Shannen and her friend Kay in a small city in the north of the country called Tamale. We are here to work for Shannens NGO called Create Change...more about that later.
Im going to divide the blog up into a number of different sections which will cover most of what I am going through here in Ghana... I aim to write little pieces on things like 'the Creating Change project', 'funny stories', 'motorbiking', etc so that you can dip in and out for little extracts from my current situation.
So here goes...
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