Week 1 in Ghana

Been in Ghana for a week now, and sad to say, I haven’t done much. Maybe it’s Jess being gone (in Kenya for now), maybe it’s the backlog of work that greeted me here. But a few things have taken place…

I have been given a warm welcome by my team: Naa, Oko, Naa Shika, and Naa Shormeh. Ghanaians are just fine, it seems, using about twenty names: roughly one name per million people. Might sound a little draconian in a land of baby name books, but look at it this way – at this rate, they’ll never get to Missy or Jazzmine.

I have learned the economics of driving a taxi while sitting in traffic: $6-10 per day paid to the taxi owner, $15 for gas, and then anything left over for you. Which, on an average fare of $1.50 and a glut of taxis in the city...

I have been amused that the steps up to my office are of random height.

I have met the Commissioner of Insurance, and lived.

I have become fascinated by Ghanaian hip life music, and the Ghanaian tendency to dance whenever music is playing, anywhere, at any time.

I have won $7 in a poker game.

I have passed an old Muslim woman in the street with two scarred Christian crosses carved into each cheek.

I have become accustomed to daily power outages in a town that is bursting at the seams. All the more interesting given that yesterday was Earth Hour, announced on the CNN website by this mind-bending headline: “AROUND THE WORLD, PEOPLE CHOOSE TO GO WITHOUT POWER.” My cynicism is quickly taking root.

I have perfected the ‘click’ at the end of the Ghanaian handshake, but have not yet been able to persuade a soul to speak Ga or Twi with me - or, rather, to return my Ga or Twi greetings with anything but a giggle and a response in the Queen’s English.

I have learned to be productive while soaked in sweat.

I have been to three church services – two voluntarily. The other one was an all-night service (10 pm – 5 am) at a large Pentecostal church outside my hotel window. If you can’t beat them…

I have paid $5 for a small grapefruit, and $2 for a huge draft beer.

Ok, that’s all for now. Thanks for your emails -


- PG