Just a Few

As I walk down the streets of Accra, I experience things that I would never experience in America.  

I think about them often and thought I would share a few of them.

A few phrases made here:

"You're invited" rather than, "would you like a bite?"

"Shop" rather than "store" (I need to stop at the bookshop.)

"Pain" rather than "hurt" (My head is paining me.)

"How do you find _ _ _ _" rather than "How do you like _ _ _ _" or "What do you think of _ _ _ _"  (How do you find Ghana?)

"Flash" me rather than "Call" me.  This has been a bit odd for me when someone tells me to flash them.

"You say" rather than "what did you say" or just plain "What" or "pardon me?"

"See you on your way" rather than "I'll walk you out.".  However, the Ghanaians actually walk you down the street rather than just to their door.

"I'm coming" rather than "I'll be right back"

The traffic signs say, "Overspeeding kills" rather than, "Speeding kills".  This explains a lot about the traffic here.

"Small" vs "short" (Let's stay just small." rather than "Let's stay just for a short while.")

I saw a billboard today that stated, "New Homes starting at $32,000".  Keep in mind that $32,000 is in the Ghanaian Cedi which is far less than the American $.


Gas is $1.50 per gallon.  I can still remember when gas was $1.50 in America.


A package (six bars) of Dove soap here is about $35 USD.


Most women wear beads around their waists.  They receive the beads when they are babies and never stop wearing them.  The original fathers of the country started this tradition because it symbolizes a woman's healthy body.  It truly is so cute to see a little baby girl crawling around with nothing on but the beads around her waist.  I know this sounds strange but it symbolizes so much here.  It may be something that needs to be experienced to fully understand.


Cell phones here are never on silent or vibrate.  It can be a bit annoying but its the Ghana way.


I hardly ever see public display of affection.  This includes holding hands or kissing goodbye.


I see stickers on vehicles that end with an "'s" but the "'s" is so tiny.  At first I thought they didn't leave enough room on the sticker to add the "s" so they just made it tiny but I realized this maybe the way they intend it to be.  It's pretty funny.


Anything and everything is placed in a small plastic black bag.  Even if I were to buy a small pack of gum.  When I let the checker know that I don't need a bag they always ask me if I am sure and give me an odd look.  The black bags and the bags that hold drinking water for the locals are what I see all over the ground.


I rarely hear someone say, "goodbye" when they are finishing a phone call.  It appears that they just hang up.  They'll be in the middle of a conversation but then all of a sudden they put the phone down and go on about their day.  At first I figured they lost their phone connection but over time I've realized I was wrong.

These are just a few of the observations I have had while here in Ghana that I've found interesting.  There are far more that I will share as time goes on.  

I learn so much daily about the difference in our cultures and I am not sure how I will feel once I return to America.  

There is so much that I absolutely love about the culture here.  

I hope I can continue with a few of them once I return home.