GHexpat

Most Ghanaian fraudsters aren't bad people.  The likes of romance scammers may have ethical issues when it comes to the pursuit of money, but they usually aren't the type of people you would describe as the epitome of evil.  They aren't the types of hardened criminals you more commonly find in places like the United States. AMBITION & SURVIVAL IN GHANA In anthropology, there's this concept called cultural relativism .  As a (cultural) anthropologist, one's job is to study foreign cultures by actually living within them - as would a native - for an extended period of time.  One thing I've learned living in Ghana is that people want and need money just as they do stateside, but the access to that type of cash just isn't here.  For instance, the government of Ghana doesn't have the wherewithal to borrow trillions of dollars, as its American counterpart does. In the U.S., young, disenfranchised men who want to make money like grown-ups tend to get into e...

I had written before about how one of the most difficult adjustments to living in Ghana has been in terms of dietary changes.  More specifically, the foods I grew up enjoying in the United States tend to be either difficult to find, uncomfortably expensive or outright unavailable in this part of the world. And I know, from chatting with a couple of friends, that Ghanaians face similar challenges stateside.  For instance, one homey from Ghana told me how when he's in the States, he makes groundnut soup from peanut butter. Normally, groundnut soup is made from groundnut (aka peanut) paste, which itself is produced naturally.  Meanwhile, peanut butter is a processed supermarket food, besides being sweetened, thus meaning it's not an ideal alternative for groundnut paste when it comes to making soup.  But you do what you have to do when you're living in a part of the globe you're not accustomed to. PROLIERATION OF WESTERN-LIKE SNACKS IN GHANA When I first came to Ghana,...

“Pure water” is the primary form of drinking water in Ghana.   Some Ghanaians drink water from the tap, bottle or, in places where you may find them, even the likes of clean streams and lakes.   But the primary form of water consumption, based on what I’ve observed, is via pure water.   A conventional sachet of "pure water" "Pure water" basically consists of about a couple of cup’s worth of drinking water (i.e. 500ml) placed within a small, handheld, mostly see-through plastic bag, which is locally referred to as a "sachet".    If you weren’t brought up in this type of system, drinking this way may seem uncomfortable and does take some getting used to.   I found it weird at first but eventually got accustomed to it.   However, I was reminded of how unconventional pure water was, from a Westerner’s perspective, when one of my homeys from the States came over to visit.   And he was like ‘how do y’all drink water out of those little bags’? As my ti...

There are two basic life lessons I've learned living under the sun in Ghana .  One is that the sun affects everything that it touches.  And second is the first rule of fashion being practicality. I'm currently residing in a city up in the mountains, a part of the country which for years I've heard Ghanaians refer to as being "cold", specifically during the nighttime.  I'll admit that sometimes, it is noticeably cooler up here in the evenings than other parts of Ghana I've resided in at lower altitudes.  Occasionally, I may even turn off the fans at night before going to sleep.  So the relatively-chilly air is real, but Koforidua and other places like this definitely aren't "cold" at night, at least not be Western standards.  But that said, I have yet to reside up here during the harmattan, which is actually the coldest time of year in this part of the world. NO COATS IN THE RAINY SEASON Back when I decided to relocate to Ghana, I was doing a...

I remember a few years back, I was reading what may have been a Watchtower pamphlet.  There was an intriguing article about this old American couple who was in one of those Asian island countries that has serious civil issues.  They ended up being kidnapped by a band of rebels, those types that are always moving around in the bush so that they won't be detected.  The rigors of being on foot like that wasn't easy for them, and unfortunately the husband died along the way.  So it was the wife who lived to tell the tale. While captive they did a lot of praying, as to be expected.  And as time progressed and they grew more accustomed to being captive in the bush, it even reached a point where, according to the wife the couple prayed to the Lord Himself for hamburgers.  And one day, out of nowhere, it's like they found themselves on the outskirts of the city and were able to get some. There's now Burger King in Ghana, thank God. It was that particular aspect of...