5. Don’t think you can dance until you’ve been to a
Ghanaian wedding; One thing you quickly learn when
living in Ghana is that Ghana does it better. Which certainly means weddings
are no exception, from the spectacular dance moves, to the famous and quite frankly
traditional song of ‘one corner’, it soon becomes apparent that the ‘worm’ and ‘water
sprinkler’ just won’t cut it when faced with the ‘azonto’. The most outstanding
thing however about Ghanaian dancing, is the ability to be dancing to an almost
non-existent beat, where each person on the dance floor is doing their own
routine, running wild with imaginary moves of their own, it puts a whole new
meaning to ‘cutting shapes’. My
favourite thing however, was the spirit and energy that flooded the dance floor,
watching my peers attempt to learn these vigorous gyrating leg movements has to
go down as one of my favourite moments so far.
4. A simpler life is simply
blissful; It’s only when coming from a country so
absorbed in technology and an on-the-go lifestyle, that you discover human
interaction again when you find yourself in Ghana. No longer distracted with
errands, technology or TV, Ghana has re-ignited my passion for reading and
writing. Or simply the art of conversation for hours with a friend, or my
personal favourite; hoola hooping with my host families kids. Some of my favourite
moments here have been playing cards with other volunteers, or colouring with
the family.
3. Don’t trust the oranges- never
judge a food buy its cover; where everything in
Ghana is desperate compared to the UK, a familiar object or sight is blessed,
even if this comes in the form of an orange. As a UK volunteer, the food was something we
were prepared and briefed on before we started our placement; however one vital
lesson I have learnt is that looks are deceiving. Some of the best food I have
had out here has certainly not looked as appealing as one is used to, nevertheless
it has been utterly delicious, some of my personal favourites has to be “fufu”
and rice balls. Yet, some of the less pleasurable encounters have surprisingly
been with familiar friends such as oranges, which I can only describe as
playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette. The food here certainly
encompasses my overall motto for Ghana, which is to expect the unexpected. Yet,
with somewhat irony, it is this precise motto, and my mistrust in oranges, why I
am falling completely in love with the wonderful country that is Ghana.
1. Be grateful; the hardest part of my experience in Ghana was only picking five lessons.
I have truly learnt more here in five weeks than I ever have, about culture,
people and what really matters in life. One of the best things about people in
Ghana is their appetite for knowledge, and their generosity in giving it. From
language lessons in my line taxi’s to work each morning, cooking lessons with
my host mother or dance lessons from strangers at a wedding, it is such a gift
to be surrounded in a culture full of new things to learn and embrace. Working
and living in a country so different from your own is certainly simultaneously
daunting and down-right incredible. Yet, it is not the country of Ghana that I
have learnt most from, but the people that live within it. The spirit that runs
through this country is electric and contagious, a country where no-one is
strangers, and no-one is too busy with life to take a moment to appreciate it.
I have not just learnt the simple greetings from the Ghanaians’, but quite the
contrary, a life lesson; happiness.
Written By
Chloe Rose-Brown
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