Big hug from Africa!

Hello everyone out there!
So it’s been a week since I’m here – in Accra, Ghana – West Africa.
It was an interesting week! I got here last Tuesday flying from Bucharest to Amsterdam for 2.40 hours and from Amsterdam to Accra for 6 hours. I had a very good trip – starting with the treats I got in the plane, especially in the second flight (pillow, blanket, lots of food, my own TV with lots of good shows) and ending with meeting Kennedy, drum maker having his own shop called “No food for lazy man”. He was the first Ghanaian I’ve met. The 5 hours till our flight to Accra stopped being dull, although I had problems understanding everything due to his accent.
That keeps on happening every day at work, but I’m getting used to it and I've noticed they are making efforts to speak clearly with me.

I was happy when I finally got on Accra’s airport - all the current AIESEC trainees were waiting for me. They were from lots of different countries - Kenya, Serbia, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, and Netherlands. We went for my welcome pizza because it was Tuesday and that’s when you get two pizzas for the price of one. Yuhuuu!

Even if it’s only been a week, lots of things happened. They didn’t actually happen, it was me seeing them for the first time, meaning – the cultural encounter.

First things one notices are that they carry everything on their head - oranges, sugarcane, toothpaste, bananas, fish, water, sunglasses, flip-flops and a lot more I will soon discover. I’m referring to the people selling things on the streets. And they are a lot and everywhere.

Secondly I’ve noticed they have stickers praising God on the back window of their cars. They have written things like: “Follow Jesus”, “God first”, “God’s time”, “Keep on praying”, “Trust and obey” or “Declare his goodness (psalm 105:1).”

They speak more than 100 languages in Ghana, apart from English. These languages are different tribe’s languages and the most common seem to be twi. Then, there are ga and ewe. That’s all the languages I know how to pronounce. So they speak mostly twi between them, but they use English in business, on TV and in schools.

Although the most developed in western Africa, this is a third world country. So you can see most of people living in improvised little houses, trying to make a living out of selling things in the most basic way. But there are also the educated people having a good job in a big company, living in better houses – actually in houses, not in improvised shelters. And there are also rich people with big houses and beautiful cars, like the ones I see living around my company. But the discrepancy is big and almost anywhere you go it’s not a pretty sight. But I’ve grown used to it and it is so interesting to see.

Bout the food – hadn’t yet experienced the real thing. Not brave enough. It doesn’t look too tasty, but I will try it soon enough as part as my cultural experience. A very important thing anyone who lives here, learns is that you don’t have to think how the food was made. It is true that hygiene is not one of their strong points.

It is also nice to see all the tropical threes – palm three, coconut (I have it in front of my room), avocado, mango three and more I can’t identify yet.

Here are some interesting facts about their culture I've discovered so far:
- They eat mostly with their hands (actually with their hand - they use only the right hand)
- They eat the bones of the chicken also (sometimes)
- We use to beep someone = they use to flash someone
- "Pssst" – it’s like “hey you”. It is not rude like back home.
- Time- 11 is 13 and Saturday is Monday. They have a time of their own. :)
- They say I am going to urinate insted of I'm going to the toilet, like we use.
- They have written on walls: "Don’t urinate here." :-)
- They beat people to death if they catch them stealing.

So stay tuned for more adventures from Ghana!