Things I've been learning about Ghana

Okay, here goes the second posting for me (yes, I have been in Africa for over 3 months but Jalyn's so good at it...)

I've been noticing a number of interesting cultural nuances to Ghana (well, depending on the frequency per day and what mood I'm in) that I thought I'd share.

There are a huge number of taxi drivers on the street and all of them for some reason assume that you need a ride if you look foreign and are walking. As Jalyn mentioned in her previous post, their availability and excitement in providing you with the experience of riding in their rusted out 1983 Corolla is communicated through a series of honking (beginning about 2-3 block prior to reaching you), slowing down as they approach you so that all the other cars behind them reach levels of hysterical anger (if you're going below 60mph down backroads, this occurs) communicated through more horn blowing, and then finally, an arm is thrown out the window in a gesture often seen among New York taxi drivers (except without the middle finger in this case) as if to say "what? you don't need a ride?". This is done in combination with kissing sounds and Tskk-ing (see next paragraph). Funny, except it literally happens about 10 times per block.

Tskk-ing and making kissing sounds are a common way of getting someones attention. Lets say for example you want some more water at a restaurant. An "excuse me sir" is usually ineffective. The proper way to signal your need of something is to Tssk at them. Works like a charm. The kissing thing seems to be a similar technique - the nuance to which one you use when is still beyond me.

All men greet each other here with a handshake ending in a snap (using each others thumb and middle fingers to generate the snap). As an example, I went to a conference on vegetables last week and met a number of people, from input suppliers, to NGOs working with farmers, to farmers themselves. Happened with almost every greeting, unprompted in anyway. Same goes for all the men I work with at TechnoServe (non-expats), people showing us apartments, etc. Anyone who is Ghanaian and African heritage has greeted me in this way, no kidding. I'm not sure how I got invited to the club, but I love it.

As Jalyn pointed out in her previous post, many (most?) of the little businesses owned along the street (e.g., phone cards stand, automotive repair, convenience store / kiosk) have names that combine religion with whatever it is that they are selling - Praise Be Hair Salon, Almighty Tire Repair, etc. Working on a picture collection of these.

Change is rounded off to either person's favor, so don't expect to ever see an actual Peswa (penny)

Okay, so this last one isn't anything I've actually noticed, but its a good story. In Kenya, I was reading a book that had a main character based in Nairobi (Last Call at Harrods International Bar and Nightspot). This character started noticing at one point in the story that he was getting an itchy boil on the inside of the cheek of his posterior (to put it nicely). As days passed, it seemed to be getting itchier and growing bigger. He had a flashback to a conversation he had when he first arrived in the country with a diplomat at the embassy that had been living in Africa for a long time. The conversation basically was that he should always make sure that his butler ironed his undergarments. The rationale is that if you wash your garments and then let them air dry outside (as most do), sometimes a flying insect called a Jipu (I imagine a moth with big pointy fangs) will land on the wet garments and lay its eggs. If the garment is worn afterwards without ironing, the eggs will burrow into the skin and hatch into maggots that then feed on your skin until they get big enough to rupture the skin. I thought this was a bit of story-telling and told this story to my manager in Kenya (who grew up in Zaire).

She said she had this as a kid. It was painful when her father cut the little guys out. Her advice was that covering the boil in vasoline will suffocate the bugs and drive them out on their own saving you the pain of cutting. Good advice. I recently heard that they have them here in Ghana as well.

I was also advised to use dewormer if I'm in Africa longer than 6 months. "You'll know its time when you feel the sharp pains in different parts of your stomach"

Several things I've been noticing that should be considered Ghanaian adages (I know these are less good-natured, but true none the less):
The customer is not always right
Pedestrians do not have the right of way (in any situation)
Quality is less important than just finishing
If you need something, ask for it. No one will offer it otherwise

Starting to learn the ropes here. My presentation with Guinness went well and I've been starting to pull together an edited version of the presentation for a more senior management team there. I was invited to take a site tour (with tasting) at some point. More on this one to come...

-CN

Btw, did I mention that I have a spot on my leg that's been itching a lot?

Note that the sweet 'stache in this video conveys complete confidence and authority:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FTTYViwZ8c