Since I have now been in Ghana for just over three months, I have found myself partially speaking like a Ghanaian. Though we speak the same language (well, whenever they don't slip into Twi/Ewe/Ga/who knows what), there are some distinctly Ghanaian ways of saying some things. I was definitely confused the first time Patience or one of the vendors at the night market first said some of these, so I will break them down. What I love about a lot of them is how they are indicative to overall life in Ghana. So let me invite you to a short lesson in Ghanaian.
You're Invited
I still remember the first time I was in the room when Patience cooked her lunch, and turned to me and said "You're invited." My first inclination was to ask "to what?" and she pointed to the food. I said I wasn't hungry and she looked a little upset, especially since I had turned down her invitation. In Ghana, whenever you have food and someone in the room does not, to be polite you are to invite them to also partake. This still holds even when you know they don't really want the food. Ghanaians share food all the time. At the night market, you can see four guys surrounding one bowl of jollof with no problem. When you order food at a restaurant, it is not ordering for yourself, but with an understanding that everyone will have some. A complete stranger invited me to his yam chips just because I was curious what he was eating. Sometimes now, Patience doesn't even invite me but just hands me a plate of food, despite my protest that she doesn't have to do that. This simple gesture of offering food relates to the overall friendliness and hospitality innate in Ghanaians. Eating with others is always the best way to connect with them. But recognizing that food should be freely given, not just hoarded for yourself, is an even deeper connection.
What will you take?
This definitely relates to you're invited, because it also deals with food. A Ghanaian doesn't ask what you want to eat, but instead what you want to take. You also describe your preference of foods by if you take it or not. Trust me- I definitely got confused the first time someone asked me this. I think we weren't even having a conversation about food at the time! I mean, you take pills, so it makes sense. But it reminds me of something Kofi, my Twi professor, told us. The word "believe" in Twi literally breaks down into "taking in what you are saying and making it a part of me" You are eating what they are saying. Ghanaians take their food seriously- literally and figuratively.
It's coming
Whenever you order something or ask a question they aren't sure about, a Ghanaian will politely tell you that "it's coming." An American would say "just a minute" but Ghana time means that it will be longer than a minute. A bus does not have a certain time of arrival, it is just coming. When you are running behind, you tell someone you are coming. Slightly a delaying technique, it is also a reminder to slow down. Things definitely operate at a slower pace here and impatience will not serve you well. Whatever is coming will eventually arrive and you can think about things while you wait.
Don't you have one cedi?
Making change in Ghana is normally quite the ordeal. All vendors would love if you had the exact amount and sometimes get really annoyed if they have to break a bill. Once, I could see the lady had plenty of peswas (cents) and singles, but she refused to take my ten. Sometimes even you have to hold your ground when handing them a five. You just always insist that no, you do not have a one. Then this can lead to "it's coming" as they go get change from a different vendor. At first, it was frustrating to try and get rid of high bills, but now everyone knows who will break them with little complaint and to hoard your singles for when you really need them.
It's finished
So, imagine that you are craving some red-red (bean stew and fried plantains) and get to the stand all excited. You order red-red, and the vendor says "it's finished." NOOOOOO. Disappointment! Because, "it's finished" means that you will not be getting any red-red. There is no further explanation as to why there is no longer red-red. Either they made a very small batch of bean stew for the day, or they are in the process of frying more plantains, or they just don't want to make any more for you. It is not said when they will have some again, just that there is none now. You can also say that any activity is finished and this indicates that it will no longer happen, like lectures or carrying a child. This definitive statement expresses the lack of details most Ghanaians offer and the uncertainty you sometimes have when you order anything.
No shakin'
This indicates the attitude you should have when "it's coming" or "it's finished." If there is a problem, it is polite to respond no shakin', meaning that you don't mind waiting or that you will have to come back another day for the red-red. Ghanaians definitely have the mindset of no shakin' and living here has made me realize that in the grand scheme of things, this is not really a problem and to not worry about it.
Where will you get down?
Tro-tro mates speak their own language. They yell while leaning out the window of the tro which station they are going to, with "Acc-cra-cra-cra-cra-craaaaaaaa" obviously being Tema station in Accra with corresponding pointing straight ahead, and "Circ-circ-circ" meaning Nkrumah circle in the heart of town while they are spinning their hand around with their fingers toward the ground. Those are the most popular, and clearest ones. Sometimes, even when I directly ask a mate where he is going, he can say something that I can not decipher at all. If you do find one that will confirm that they are going where you need to be heading, you climb in the over-sized van that has a dangerous amount of exposed metal, fold down the seat they have attached to add another row of people in the aisle, and hold on. To determine the rate of the fare, the mate asks "Where will you get down?", meaning how far are you going, when do i need to tell the driver to stop, and therefore how much should I charge you. Once you tell the mate, he quotes the price that is almost standardized and you pass your peswas forward, normally with the aid of other passengers. When you are approaching your destination, the mate hits the side of the tro, yells "last stop!" to communicate to the driver a passenger needs to disembark, and you climb out. Tro-tros are such a wonderful and peculiar thing that are definitively Ghana.
Purrrrre Wawta
If you are in any vehicle, you will without a doubt pass a girl selling "pure water." Ghana has dreadful tap water- even most of the locals only use it for cooking- so they drink pure water instead. Pure water is literally a bag of water that is supposedly filtered that you bite off the corner of and drink. I am probably one of very few international students who still drinks only bottled water, but there are so many brands of pure water that there is no guarantee all of them are safe and you can't see what kind the vendor has on top of her head as you are buying it out the window of a moving vehicle. Sometimes when Heather has a sachet (the other name for these bags of water), I joke with her by saying "mmm...typhoid" Pure water is definitely the most popular item for sell, but you can also get practically anything through the car window. Vendors walk the white line between lanes, carrying their wares and coming to your window while you are at the stop light to convince you of a sell. There are the standards of the pure water, phone credit (this topic is coming), and plantain chips. But I have also seen maps, fans, football jerseys and balls, sunglasses, jewelry, patterns for dress making, super glue, exercise equipment?, movies both legit and not, towels, shirts, toilet paper, tissues, flags, hats, canes, radios, flashlights, air fresheners, yogurt though it concerns me as it is being sold in the hot sun, dry erase boards, toys, framed paintings, end tables, and who knows what else. It always makes traffic interesting to see what item is coming next but makes me wonder just how much business these people can actually get on the road.
Flash me when you get there
Bwahaha. This is definitely not as bad as it sounds. So phone companies and cell phone culture is totally different here. Instead of signing a contract with one company and dealing with the consequences, you buy a phone from anywhere, get a SIM card that connects you to a specific network, and add credit that acts as a declining balance as you talk with a few peswas translating per minute. Everyone has a cell phone, and the companies basically run this country. Their advertisements are everywhere, including people's houses with the logo painted on the side. People normally have a few different numbers, based on the various SIM cards they have to call certain people on certain networks. Some phones even hold two or three SIM cards to accomodate for this. You can buy credit anywhere, especially from your window, which is a little card that has a code printed on it that you text on your phone which adds money to your balance. Well, since you are literally paying for every minute you are connected on the phone, you "flash" people. Which involves calling them, with the understanding that they won't pick up. That way you aren't wasting your credit. You also flash your number, which occurs once one person gives you their number and then you call them so they have your number. So if you are meeting someone, instead of calling them to say you have arrived, you dial their number but never connect. It makes economic sense, but the terminology catches you a bit off guard the first time.
Change your style
Maybe it is just Patience and our neighbor and friend Lucy, but from what I can see, Ghanaians LOVE to take pictures of themselves. If they look nice (which is basically everyday,) they will have a photoshoot in the room or around the hostel. Patience showed me a photo album of her relatives and friends, and almost all the photos were from studios. The photo store at the mall is always packed with people getting things printed or waiting for their chance in the photo booth. When you are taking someone's photo, to tell them to do something different or have a new pose, you tell them to "change your style." Ghanaians change their style all the time, by wearing their nice clothes only when they are going outside the hostel, going to the salon, ordering new dresses made from the beautiful traditional fabric from their seamstresses. Also. Instead of saying "cheese," which is an item practically non-existant in their society which I continue to lament, you say "cassava." Just the thought of it makes me smile.
It's nice
This is the blanket way of saying "I approve" or "it's good." This could relate to food, clothing, how attractive someone is, the weather, how you are feeling, or basically anything. Vendors also use this line to convince you their products should meet your approval. Even if something is not the best, a Ghanaian will normally still say that it is nice to be polite. It relates to their non-confrontational manner. And such optimism wears off on you.
I hope this gave you just a slight picture into normal life here in Ghana. Well, as for me, as the Ghanaians always say, "I'm fine!" with a huge smile on their face. I love speaking like a Ghanaian, living in this place I now know as home, comfortable in my own skin, now matter how blindingly white and sweatsoaked it may be.
You're Invited
I still remember the first time I was in the room when Patience cooked her lunch, and turned to me and said "You're invited." My first inclination was to ask "to what?" and she pointed to the food. I said I wasn't hungry and she looked a little upset, especially since I had turned down her invitation. In Ghana, whenever you have food and someone in the room does not, to be polite you are to invite them to also partake. This still holds even when you know they don't really want the food. Ghanaians share food all the time. At the night market, you can see four guys surrounding one bowl of jollof with no problem. When you order food at a restaurant, it is not ordering for yourself, but with an understanding that everyone will have some. A complete stranger invited me to his yam chips just because I was curious what he was eating. Sometimes now, Patience doesn't even invite me but just hands me a plate of food, despite my protest that she doesn't have to do that. This simple gesture of offering food relates to the overall friendliness and hospitality innate in Ghanaians. Eating with others is always the best way to connect with them. But recognizing that food should be freely given, not just hoarded for yourself, is an even deeper connection.
What will you take?
This definitely relates to you're invited, because it also deals with food. A Ghanaian doesn't ask what you want to eat, but instead what you want to take. You also describe your preference of foods by if you take it or not. Trust me- I definitely got confused the first time someone asked me this. I think we weren't even having a conversation about food at the time! I mean, you take pills, so it makes sense. But it reminds me of something Kofi, my Twi professor, told us. The word "believe" in Twi literally breaks down into "taking in what you are saying and making it a part of me" You are eating what they are saying. Ghanaians take their food seriously- literally and figuratively.
It's coming
Whenever you order something or ask a question they aren't sure about, a Ghanaian will politely tell you that "it's coming." An American would say "just a minute" but Ghana time means that it will be longer than a minute. A bus does not have a certain time of arrival, it is just coming. When you are running behind, you tell someone you are coming. Slightly a delaying technique, it is also a reminder to slow down. Things definitely operate at a slower pace here and impatience will not serve you well. Whatever is coming will eventually arrive and you can think about things while you wait.
Don't you have one cedi?
Making change in Ghana is normally quite the ordeal. All vendors would love if you had the exact amount and sometimes get really annoyed if they have to break a bill. Once, I could see the lady had plenty of peswas (cents) and singles, but she refused to take my ten. Sometimes even you have to hold your ground when handing them a five. You just always insist that no, you do not have a one. Then this can lead to "it's coming" as they go get change from a different vendor. At first, it was frustrating to try and get rid of high bills, but now everyone knows who will break them with little complaint and to hoard your singles for when you really need them.
It's finished
So, imagine that you are craving some red-red (bean stew and fried plantains) and get to the stand all excited. You order red-red, and the vendor says "it's finished." NOOOOOO. Disappointment! Because, "it's finished" means that you will not be getting any red-red. There is no further explanation as to why there is no longer red-red. Either they made a very small batch of bean stew for the day, or they are in the process of frying more plantains, or they just don't want to make any more for you. It is not said when they will have some again, just that there is none now. You can also say that any activity is finished and this indicates that it will no longer happen, like lectures or carrying a child. This definitive statement expresses the lack of details most Ghanaians offer and the uncertainty you sometimes have when you order anything.
No shakin'
This indicates the attitude you should have when "it's coming" or "it's finished." If there is a problem, it is polite to respond no shakin', meaning that you don't mind waiting or that you will have to come back another day for the red-red. Ghanaians definitely have the mindset of no shakin' and living here has made me realize that in the grand scheme of things, this is not really a problem and to not worry about it.
Where will you get down?
Tro-tro mates speak their own language. They yell while leaning out the window of the tro which station they are going to, with "Acc-cra-cra-cra-cra-craaaaaaaa" obviously being Tema station in Accra with corresponding pointing straight ahead, and "Circ-circ-circ" meaning Nkrumah circle in the heart of town while they are spinning their hand around with their fingers toward the ground. Those are the most popular, and clearest ones. Sometimes, even when I directly ask a mate where he is going, he can say something that I can not decipher at all. If you do find one that will confirm that they are going where you need to be heading, you climb in the over-sized van that has a dangerous amount of exposed metal, fold down the seat they have attached to add another row of people in the aisle, and hold on. To determine the rate of the fare, the mate asks "Where will you get down?", meaning how far are you going, when do i need to tell the driver to stop, and therefore how much should I charge you. Once you tell the mate, he quotes the price that is almost standardized and you pass your peswas forward, normally with the aid of other passengers. When you are approaching your destination, the mate hits the side of the tro, yells "last stop!" to communicate to the driver a passenger needs to disembark, and you climb out. Tro-tros are such a wonderful and peculiar thing that are definitively Ghana.
Purrrrre Wawta
If you are in any vehicle, you will without a doubt pass a girl selling "pure water." Ghana has dreadful tap water- even most of the locals only use it for cooking- so they drink pure water instead. Pure water is literally a bag of water that is supposedly filtered that you bite off the corner of and drink. I am probably one of very few international students who still drinks only bottled water, but there are so many brands of pure water that there is no guarantee all of them are safe and you can't see what kind the vendor has on top of her head as you are buying it out the window of a moving vehicle. Sometimes when Heather has a sachet (the other name for these bags of water), I joke with her by saying "mmm...typhoid" Pure water is definitely the most popular item for sell, but you can also get practically anything through the car window. Vendors walk the white line between lanes, carrying their wares and coming to your window while you are at the stop light to convince you of a sell. There are the standards of the pure water, phone credit (this topic is coming), and plantain chips. But I have also seen maps, fans, football jerseys and balls, sunglasses, jewelry, patterns for dress making, super glue, exercise equipment?, movies both legit and not, towels, shirts, toilet paper, tissues, flags, hats, canes, radios, flashlights, air fresheners, yogurt though it concerns me as it is being sold in the hot sun, dry erase boards, toys, framed paintings, end tables, and who knows what else. It always makes traffic interesting to see what item is coming next but makes me wonder just how much business these people can actually get on the road.
Flash me when you get there
Bwahaha. This is definitely not as bad as it sounds. So phone companies and cell phone culture is totally different here. Instead of signing a contract with one company and dealing with the consequences, you buy a phone from anywhere, get a SIM card that connects you to a specific network, and add credit that acts as a declining balance as you talk with a few peswas translating per minute. Everyone has a cell phone, and the companies basically run this country. Their advertisements are everywhere, including people's houses with the logo painted on the side. People normally have a few different numbers, based on the various SIM cards they have to call certain people on certain networks. Some phones even hold two or three SIM cards to accomodate for this. You can buy credit anywhere, especially from your window, which is a little card that has a code printed on it that you text on your phone which adds money to your balance. Well, since you are literally paying for every minute you are connected on the phone, you "flash" people. Which involves calling them, with the understanding that they won't pick up. That way you aren't wasting your credit. You also flash your number, which occurs once one person gives you their number and then you call them so they have your number. So if you are meeting someone, instead of calling them to say you have arrived, you dial their number but never connect. It makes economic sense, but the terminology catches you a bit off guard the first time.
Change your style
Maybe it is just Patience and our neighbor and friend Lucy, but from what I can see, Ghanaians LOVE to take pictures of themselves. If they look nice (which is basically everyday,) they will have a photoshoot in the room or around the hostel. Patience showed me a photo album of her relatives and friends, and almost all the photos were from studios. The photo store at the mall is always packed with people getting things printed or waiting for their chance in the photo booth. When you are taking someone's photo, to tell them to do something different or have a new pose, you tell them to "change your style." Ghanaians change their style all the time, by wearing their nice clothes only when they are going outside the hostel, going to the salon, ordering new dresses made from the beautiful traditional fabric from their seamstresses. Also. Instead of saying "cheese," which is an item practically non-existant in their society which I continue to lament, you say "cassava." Just the thought of it makes me smile.
It's nice
This is the blanket way of saying "I approve" or "it's good." This could relate to food, clothing, how attractive someone is, the weather, how you are feeling, or basically anything. Vendors also use this line to convince you their products should meet your approval. Even if something is not the best, a Ghanaian will normally still say that it is nice to be polite. It relates to their non-confrontational manner. And such optimism wears off on you.
I hope this gave you just a slight picture into normal life here in Ghana. Well, as for me, as the Ghanaians always say, "I'm fine!" with a huge smile on their face. I love speaking like a Ghanaian, living in this place I now know as home, comfortable in my own skin, now matter how blindingly white and sweatsoaked it may be.
