Building a Community Center in Ghana

In addition to light shopping/heavy traffic and whirling blades of death, I also feel I should mention another little funny aspect of life here in Ghana:

3. Reading the signs

As any outsider does, it is hard not to find the way other people phrase things very funny. It is no different for me here in Ghana. First, reflecting their deeply religious mentality, Ghanaian merchants have taken to naming their businesses some pretty interesting things. For example,

- Jesus Loves Fashion Enterprise
- We are the Pencil in the Hand of the Creator Fashion Salon
- God is One Battery Enterprise

No matter what the business, it is likely to have a completely non-secular name.

What I find even more interesting are the different slogans accompanying military facilities.

- The Armed Forces “…The Peace Keepers…”
- We defend Ghana by sea, land and air even at the peril of our lives
- Professionalism and Loyalty
- Only You

And my personal favorite:

- Hard Training Easy Battle

Well, I guess it is hard to make too much fun of Ghana’s military mottos. The US Air Force’s new campaign is just plain creepy!

4. Waving

Never before have I felt so popular than driving around Ghana in our big bus. Wherever we go, in the cities or in the rural areas, people wave at us. Sure they shout, “Hey Brunie,” and occasionally, “Hey White Person,” but as often as I feel like they are mocking us, more often, they seem genuinely interested in getting our attention. I wave back whenever I can, but often the bus is moving so fast, I worry they think I am ignoring their salutations.

It’s not just the children who wave (though they are the cutest), men and women, young and old, take part in greeting us. Maybe they just like making contact with the strange foreigners, but either way, they make me feel genuinely welcome.