Whew...what a week!

On Friday I made my first solo excursion outside of Legon, where our University is located. A piece of my guitar had broken so I needed to go to the music shop to fix it. One of our U-Pals is part the Department of Performing Arts so he recommended a shop near the cultural centre of the city. Normally he would have taken me but he had other errands, so I ventured out on my own. For the first time since I've been here, I noticed that I was the only white person for blocks upon blocks. It was amazing to notice this as I've never been in that situation before. Being American, I am used to often being surrounded by all ethnicities and when I'm at Bucknell, I'm used to mostly being around other caucasians. But there, two blocks from the shore of the other side of the Atlantic, I was alone in my ethnicity. It was an incredibly humbling experience, a titanic reminder of how huge and diverse this world truly is.
One negative about being a white girl walking alone down the streets of Accra is that every shop owner and half the men on the street want your attention. I'm really glad, however, that I went alone because a number of things happened that otherwise wouldn't have. For starters, I took a trotro meaning that I'm beginning to truly get a hand on Accra's public transportation. While waiting for one to come by, an older Ghanaian woman asked where I was headed. I told her "Tema Station" and she said that she was headed in the same direction. When the trotro came, she motioned to me to sit by her. We spoke briefly about what I was doing in Ghana and other pleasantries. While we were talking she gave her money to the "mate" and said a few things then he gave her change. We soon got to her stop and as she got off she said, "I've paid your way to Tema. Akwaaba (meaning Welcome in Twi) and I hope you like Ghana."
Now this isn't the first example of extraordinary kindness that I've experienced here but it is among the few that truly stand out. The first time I went to one of the bigger markets is another example that stands out. One of the girls I was with really needed to find a restroom so we were asking around the market stalls with no success. At one of the stalls it seemed like the woman we were asking was struggling with our accents. It seems that Ghanaians have just as difficult a time understanding our accents as we do theirs (makes sense I suppose). A man buying vegetables from the woman turned to us and said "how can I help you?" We ask him where a restroom would be and he says "I'll show you, follow me." Now, in the States, I wouldn't trust that for a minute. In Ghana, it's fairly common for a person to actually lead you to the place when you ask for directions. He led us down the street a ways and then said "They do have restrooms closer to the stalls but they're not very hygenic. I live right around the corner and I have a flushing toilet in a private bathroom. You are more than welcome to use it if you'd like." Of course, we were a little wary and didn't want to put him out. But he pointed to a house a little down the ways and said "It's that house right there. It's really no trouble." We walk with him to his house. He unlocks the gate and leads us to the side door. He points Angie to the restroom and tells the rest of us that we're welcome to stay outside or come in. As we're standing there, two little girls run around the corner as if they were playing tag. They stop and stare at the 4 white girls in their driveway. Their eyes light up and they smile broadly, running back around the corner of the house. While we're waiting, they periodically peek around the corner and then giggle and say something in another language and hide again. It was absolutely adorable but besides the point. Angie came out and the man walked us back to his gate. He asked us where we were from and we told him the US. Then he told us that he and his family were from Liberia but that they enjoy Ghana and hope we do too. He waved goodbye and shut the gate with a smile. Never in a million YEARS would I expect such kindness from an American or European. We live in far safer neighborhoods and we'd never let a stranger into our home. Here, I feel that people go out of their way to extend a friendly hand.
Another thing I discovered on my solo journey to Accra is that just because most men are interested in talking to the white girl does not mean that they are looking to badger you. One man walked introduced himself as a fellow foreigner. Now, I looked at him and his skin was extremely dark, similar to many Ghanaians and he had a thick African accent. Someone who grew up here would probably easily be able to tell the difference. I, however, had no clue. I soon discovered that he was a Nigerian footballer who had come here to play. We didn't get to whether he played for the national team or what sort of team but we talked for a bit as I walked to my next destination. Soon he told me that he had to turn down a street and he asks if there is a way to contact me. "Here it goes," I think to myself with a silent groan. I tell him that I'm a student at the University but I don't have a phone. Of course this is not entirely true but I've discovered that this is the best tactic. He tells me it's not a problem but hands me his card and says that it was nice to meet him and if I have questions about visiting Nigeria, to give him a call. 15 minutes later I experience a similar situation with a man who makes drums. I ask him which way to the nearest trotro station and he not only takes me to the trotro but helps me find the right one to get me back to Legon. Of course, he also told me that I should come by the National Cultural Center for drum lessons from him but he wasn't overly pushy and didn't ask me for a cent. As long as you get used to the fact that you are white and therefore, far more often than not, have triple the amount of money than the average Ghanaian, meaning that you are a symbol of prosperity, then you begin to realize that the people talking to you are not necessarily trying to rip you off, they just want to talk to you. Of course, there are a few bad eggs and people who think that you being white means you're easy to rip off. The best way to get people to treat you like a human being and not a walking dollar bill is to treat them like a human being and not a walking gimmick. The minute you start joking and getting to know the person, you learn a lot and could even make a friend.

That's all for now but there will be an update on this past Sunday's excursion tomorrow!!