50 Ways You Know You Are a Peace Corps Ghana Volunteer
Hi all!
Sorry it has taken me so long to post. Between training, lesson planning, and trying to integrate into my new community, I have been busy!
So, to give you a glimpse into what I have been experiencing, I came up with a list of 50 things PCVs here experience a lot, all of which were part of a process of culture shock but we have gradually accepted as part of our everyday experience.
Enjoy! And do not be too freaked out by anything listed here. I have been experiencing these things for 5 months now and am just fine.
You know you're a Ghana PCVwhen:
1. You've killed an ant/spider with your bare hands
2. You've relieved yourself in a place you were definitely not supposed to
3. You've pretended not to know English to get out of conversations with locals
4. If you know there will be a porcelain toilet somewhere, you refuse to go to the bathroom all day until you find it
5. You'd rather spend a day without a bath instead of walking all the way to the borehole for water
6. You've gotten used to coming into contact with animals you'd never allow touch you in the States (i.e.- bats, flies, spiders, etc.)
7. You are always discovering mysterious cuts and scabs on yourself
8. Every fever, ache, pain, etc. prompts the thought "is this what malaria feels like??"
9. Cold water is the greatest gift you can give someone
10. Mosquito nets serve multiple purposes, including as sleeping bags and curtains
11. You've literally read a hundred books, even ones you never thought you'd be interested in reading
12. You're the only one in the market carrying a hiking backpack on you and NOT carrying something on your head
13. Laundry is at least a 3-hour affair
14. You've waited for a host country national for hours even though they texted you that they were "coming"
15. You recycle basically everything you touch in case it might be needed for something in the future-- cans, boxes, jars, bottles, water satchets, etc.
16. Painting your nails makes a world of difference in your confidence (since you can hide all of the dirt eternally stuck under your toenails)
17. Being 5 hours away from someone "isn't that far"
18. You've closed the windows even when it was a million degrees to keep local kids from staring in at you
19. You literally pick up hairballs in the shower because you eat so little protein
20. You wear a ring to keep local men from proposing to you left and right
21. You've woken up at 4:30am to church services/religious announcements being loudly broadcast across your city/town
22. You compare yourself to others to see who's "roughing it" more
23. Anything more than 5 cedis is too much (approx. 1 USD)
24. You've gone weeks without washing your hair because it's too much work to do with a bucket bath
25. You've slept on the floor/on the ground at some point
26. You'll pay any amount or travel any distance for American food
27. You've developed a sense of creativity for random crafts (water satchet garbage can, anyone?)
28. You've watched more movies in a month than you have in the past 5 years combined
29. You've learned to bring everything you could ever need with you (i.e., umbrella, jacket, toilet paper, pen, paper, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc.)
30. You've shocked host country nationals by walking (instead of getting a ride that costs money) to a location within a mile from your home
31. You eat a jar of groundnut paste within a few days because you need the tupperware for storage
32. A feeling of movement on your arm could be a slight breeze or a spider-- do you really want to know?
33. Mosquito bites know no bounds-- don't be surprised to find one on a finger, an elbow, your back, even your butt
34. You always carry loperamide and pepto-bismol
35. You trust locals' sixth sense about the weather forecast more than any weather app
36. Having the electricity go out (especially when it's hot and you need a fan) is basically equivalent to the end of the world
37. You know how to talk your way into someone giving you free food
38. You hide away in your room so you can wear shorts
39. Your new name (bregrudgingly accepted) is Nansala (foreigner)
40. You love rain. It means one less trip to the borehole if you leave buckets out
41. You learn quickly that festivals never have a firm date, so when you leave you just pray that you didn't get there too early or too late
42. Style is no longer a thing. You wear whatever will keep you cool and protected from the sun, meaning clothes never match, giant hats are commonplace, and large sunglasses keep you from going blind from its reflection.
43. Your students don't understand that "sleeping in" means waking up later than 5:30am
44. You live in a state of constant confusion-- either you don't understand the language someone is using to try and speak to you or they are speaking English but you are unsure which words are coming out of their mouth (accents are hard)
45. You've jokingly promised hundreds of people that you will try and sneak them in your bag when you fly to America in two years
46. When you say you're from America, it means you know every other person that has moved there from Ghana-- people will ask you if you know their uncle even if you inform them that he lives 10 states away from you
47. You pray for a strong internet connection whenever you try to call friends and family
48. You are pretty sure you're going to get lung cancer every time a truck passes you (there are no emissions tests and you've breathed in more car exhaust than you'd like to admit)
49. You used to be addicted to the internet but slow connection and the time it takes to travel to an internet cafe has quickly changed that
50. You either dread or are incredibly excited for the weekend: it's either 48 hours of not much to do or is action-packed with travel/meetup plans
Sorry it has taken me so long to post. Between training, lesson planning, and trying to integrate into my new community, I have been busy!
So, to give you a glimpse into what I have been experiencing, I came up with a list of 50 things PCVs here experience a lot, all of which were part of a process of culture shock but we have gradually accepted as part of our everyday experience.
Enjoy! And do not be too freaked out by anything listed here. I have been experiencing these things for 5 months now and am just fine.
You know you're a Ghana PCVwhen:
1. You've killed an ant/spider with your bare hands
2. You've relieved yourself in a place you were definitely not supposed to
3. You've pretended not to know English to get out of conversations with locals
4. If you know there will be a porcelain toilet somewhere, you refuse to go to the bathroom all day until you find it
5. You'd rather spend a day without a bath instead of walking all the way to the borehole for water
6. You've gotten used to coming into contact with animals you'd never allow touch you in the States (i.e.- bats, flies, spiders, etc.)
7. You are always discovering mysterious cuts and scabs on yourself
8. Every fever, ache, pain, etc. prompts the thought "is this what malaria feels like??"
9. Cold water is the greatest gift you can give someone
10. Mosquito nets serve multiple purposes, including as sleeping bags and curtains
11. You've literally read a hundred books, even ones you never thought you'd be interested in reading
12. You're the only one in the market carrying a hiking backpack on you and NOT carrying something on your head
13. Laundry is at least a 3-hour affair
14. You've waited for a host country national for hours even though they texted you that they were "coming"
15. You recycle basically everything you touch in case it might be needed for something in the future-- cans, boxes, jars, bottles, water satchets, etc.
16. Painting your nails makes a world of difference in your confidence (since you can hide all of the dirt eternally stuck under your toenails)
17. Being 5 hours away from someone "isn't that far"
18. You've closed the windows even when it was a million degrees to keep local kids from staring in at you
19. You literally pick up hairballs in the shower because you eat so little protein
20. You wear a ring to keep local men from proposing to you left and right
21. You've woken up at 4:30am to church services/religious announcements being loudly broadcast across your city/town
22. You compare yourself to others to see who's "roughing it" more
23. Anything more than 5 cedis is too much (approx. 1 USD)
24. You've gone weeks without washing your hair because it's too much work to do with a bucket bath
25. You've slept on the floor/on the ground at some point
26. You'll pay any amount or travel any distance for American food
27. You've developed a sense of creativity for random crafts (water satchet garbage can, anyone?)
28. You've watched more movies in a month than you have in the past 5 years combined
29. You've learned to bring everything you could ever need with you (i.e., umbrella, jacket, toilet paper, pen, paper, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc.)
30. You've shocked host country nationals by walking (instead of getting a ride that costs money) to a location within a mile from your home
31. You eat a jar of groundnut paste within a few days because you need the tupperware for storage
32. A feeling of movement on your arm could be a slight breeze or a spider-- do you really want to know?
33. Mosquito bites know no bounds-- don't be surprised to find one on a finger, an elbow, your back, even your butt
34. You always carry loperamide and pepto-bismol
35. You trust locals' sixth sense about the weather forecast more than any weather app
36. Having the electricity go out (especially when it's hot and you need a fan) is basically equivalent to the end of the world
37. You know how to talk your way into someone giving you free food
38. You hide away in your room so you can wear shorts
39. Your new name (bregrudgingly accepted) is Nansala (foreigner)
40. You love rain. It means one less trip to the borehole if you leave buckets out
41. You learn quickly that festivals never have a firm date, so when you leave you just pray that you didn't get there too early or too late
42. Style is no longer a thing. You wear whatever will keep you cool and protected from the sun, meaning clothes never match, giant hats are commonplace, and large sunglasses keep you from going blind from its reflection.
43. Your students don't understand that "sleeping in" means waking up later than 5:30am
44. You live in a state of constant confusion-- either you don't understand the language someone is using to try and speak to you or they are speaking English but you are unsure which words are coming out of their mouth (accents are hard)
45. You've jokingly promised hundreds of people that you will try and sneak them in your bag when you fly to America in two years
46. When you say you're from America, it means you know every other person that has moved there from Ghana-- people will ask you if you know their uncle even if you inform them that he lives 10 states away from you
47. You pray for a strong internet connection whenever you try to call friends and family
48. You are pretty sure you're going to get lung cancer every time a truck passes you (there are no emissions tests and you've breathed in more car exhaust than you'd like to admit)
49. You used to be addicted to the internet but slow connection and the time it takes to travel to an internet cafe has quickly changed that
50. You either dread or are incredibly excited for the weekend: it's either 48 hours of not much to do or is action-packed with travel/meetup plans
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