More Impressions

Ghanaians have their own version of English where some words or expressions can be quite unusual for an American ear. 

Here are just a few:

·         Small-small – a little bit

·         I go come – I’ll be back (shortly or never)

·         Bread and egg – egg sandwich

·         Small boy/girl – young person

·         Waist exercises – sex

·         Please, are you having…? – Do you have…?

·         Dash – add a little extra/bribe

·         Cold store – a store with a freezer where meat/fish is sold

·         Spot – bar

·         I’m running – I have diarrhea (now, if you want to say that you like jogging, you say: I’m trotting/I’m training)

·         You’re trying – you’re making an effort (my Ghanaian mom says it every time I tell her something in Twi).

·         Charlie Watsies – flip-flops (aka bathroom slippers)

Everyone is wearing very colorful and well-tailored clothing. Our home-stay families are making dresses and shirts for us: tailors’ services are very cheap. I already have a very nice church-going orange dress with puffy sleeves and a bow in the back. It’s smashing!

Even in Accra, there are goats and chickens crossing busy streets.

You can buy water and ice-cream in plastic satchels.

Local currency here is a CD (see-dee). 1 US $ is about 3 CDs. 1 CD is 100 pesuas. As trainees, we get a 7 CD daily allowance. Since we get fed by our home stay families, it is plenty to get a beer or top up our cell phone plans. 

Here are some prices in Accra:

Coffee (in a nice Western-style café) – 8cd (a very small cup….)

Local Beer (1 ltre bottle) – 4cd

4 bananas – 1 cd

Nice ice-cream (2 scoops) – 10cd (!!)

Local ice-cream in a satchel (Fan-Ice) –  80p

Small bag of fried plantains (delish!) – 1cd