"Me din de Afia" (My name is Afia)

It’s starting to feel real here now.  For the past four days I’ve felt caught in one of the crazy ‘malarone dreams’ from my malaria medication – but now Ghana, with all its charm and challenges, is truly coming to life.  I’m in a house with about 10 other volunteers, and some Ghanaian staff members.  The people I am getting to know the most right now are three francophone med students from Ottawa (this is because we are doing our orientation week together).  When I say med students, I really mean super-med students.  They are really some of the most astounding people I’ve ever met!  Orientation week has consisted of cultural and language training, along with traveling around to local areas to learn how to get around, and to interact properly.  The other people in the house are also amazing.  I think it takes a certain amount of nerve to do this sort of thing, and I wildly respect the people around me for this.  I tend to leap into things wholeheartedly without thinking them out, and then not giving myself time to be afraid.  By the time I was afraid, it was too late.     

Some of the things we’ve learned:   

• Twi Alphabet (one of the local languages):  ABCDEƐFGHIKLMNOƆPRTUWY   (The pronunciations of the letters are closer to French than English)

• You don’t do anything with your left hand here – it is extremely rude.

• Bargaining: People will do anything to get you to buy their wares…even give you something for ‘free’, or make a bracelet with your name on it, or say that it is the only way they will be able to feed their children, follow you, etc.  Generally half the price is a fair price to pay.

• Many Ghanaian people’s names are from the day of the week that they were born (soul names), and there are male and female versions of these.  There are also temperaments/ personality traits that go along with these.  These names are meant to convey a sense of familiarity due to the communal nature of the culture.  You already know something about the person when you first meet them.

Weekday	Twi Girl’s name	Twi Boy’s Name
Sunday	Akos	Kwasi
Monday	Akwoa	Kwadwo
Tuesday	Abena	Kwabena
Wednesday	Kukua	Kwaku
Thursday	Yaa	Yaw
Friday	Afia	Kofi
Saturday	Ama	Kwame

Characteristics of Each Day

• Monday's child is the father or mother in the family; nurturing in nature, dependable and organized, and protective of his/her family.
• Tuesday's child is the problem solver and planner of the family. They are structured in nature, neutral in all matters and never takes sides.
• Wednesday's child is fully in control of every situation, does not want to be told what to do, knows it all, is spontaneous, vibrant and cordial. Be sure not to cross his or her path, though...
• Thursday's child is quiet in nature and incredibly observant. They are generally listeners, not talkers, and analyzes situations very well.
• Friday's child is a leader, not a follower. He/she is very temperamental but has a big heart. Generally the instigator of everything.
• Saturday's child likes to take control of family situations. He/she runs the show and make the rules, but will go out of his/her way for others any time.
• Sunday's child is the passive, sensitive and warm member of the family. He/she tends to be shy and likes to keep to his/her self, but is very aware of his/her surroundings and usually is the secret keeper of the family.

It is about more than having to live without some of the comforts we’re used to here.  It’s also about having to adopt the customs and culture around us – but not completely.  We cannot oppose the customs and laws if they contradict our beliefs.  But we also cannot accept things exactly as they are.  Women are viewed as property here, belonging to their husbands.  Children are caned here when they misbehave at school.  Traffic is notoriously chaotic.  What can I possibly do to help?  I can’t change anything, but I can influence some people’s lives as well as my own.  I can experience life in such a different way while I’m here – I can try to carry things on my head like the locals and get laughed at, I can try to speak Twi and get laughed at, or I can do anything else and go anywhere and get laughed at.  I have certainly learned a lot - especially that white people, or “Obruni”, are hilarious.