Twi

In Ghana the national language is english (which is why Wesleyan's abroad office would let me study here) yet many Ghanians speak a dialect of a language called "Akan." It has 5 major dialects, Akyem, Fante, Akwapim, Asante, and Borong. Asante, otherwise known as Twi, is the dialect most commonly spoken by traders and people who live in Accra and is also the language I'm learning throughout the semester. Before beginning classes, my goal was to be able to keep up in a basic conversation with a Ghanian student about their life, studies, etc. Now that I'm actually learning Twi, I'm starting to think this is a much harder goal than I originally anticipated.

I consider myself to be fairly good with languages - I have taken Spanish for 8 years, can almost consider myself fluent, and it's always my easiest subject. Twi is much more challenging. Many of its tones are sounds that are not part of english, so I have to train my tongue to make the new sounds. Take "Twi" for example: the tw is actually pronounced chw with pursed lips so it sounds like "chwi." Here are some of the words we've learned so far:

Mepa wo kyew - please
Mepaakyew yefre wo sen? - what is your name?
Wo ho te sen - how are you?
Yebehyia bio - we will meet again/see you

Tro Tro

The Tro Tro (pronounced Tchro tchro when said by Ghanians) is the bus system in Accra.  My group has found it to be an endless source of fascination for us since we learned how to use them last week. Most importantly, tro tros are extremely cheap.  A ride ranges from 30 to 50 pesewas depending on your destination in Accra (less than 50 cents in the U.S.).  Each tro tro is an old van with 4 rows of seats and a sliding door.  When the tro tro approaches the bus stop (which, to the tourist would not appear to be a stop at all because there are no signs) a Ghanian man leans out of the window and indicates the direction of the car by motioning with his fingers.  If the finger is pointing straight ahead, the tro tro is going to Accra, if its pointing to the right, the destination is La Paz, and a circular motion is to the circle (i think you get the picture).  Because the tro tros are not the size of normal buses they are often packed completely full with over 20 people! The best part, however, is watching people trying to get on the tro tro.  When the van gets closer to the side of the street, dozens of people rush forward (they are literally running) to try to get on the tro tro first.  If you aren't prepared to push and shove your way on, you will be standing at the stop for hours.  It was a little scary at first, but I eventually managed to push my way onto a tro tro and get a ride into Accra1

akwaaba (welcome!)

I have survived my first full week in Ghana! Unfortunately, the internet is much spottier here than I originally anticipated, so I might not be able to post as frequently as I want. Ghana is unbelievable - there are no words to describe what it's like to be living here, but I'll do my best!

Last week was our orientation on the University of Ghana campus. It was pretty action packed, but it mostly consisted of becoming acquainted with the different departments and course levels. Coming from wesleyan where it takes about 10 mins to walk around the entire campus, it was a little intimidating to walk around the campus here and realize that it could very well take 20 to 30 minutes to walk from my dorm to the lecture halls. However, as my mom made sure to point out, my dad had to walk for 30 minutes to get to classes when he was in college so I shouldn't complain (thanks mom).

The campus is beautiful. Hopefully at some point I'll be able to post a picture or two of some of the buildings. There are some central roads made of cement that connect various parts of the campus but the majority of the smaller roads are dirt. Many of the classrooms look like what you might expect them to look in Africa: open rooms with lots of windows, one story buildings that look like little houses, and rows of desks facing a chalkboard.

Ghana, particularly the region where I am (just outside Accra) is incredibly beautiful. I'm constantly amazed by the plethora of aromas and vivid colors I smell and see wherever I am. If only women in the United States dressed in such vibrant colors!