You Are Invited

It's raining again today, and for some reason the trees here look better against grey skies than they do against the smoggy not-quite-blue we have been getting lately. But even when it is raining, its warm here, like a slightly damp hug from a long-lost friend.

Everything here is warm and welcoming. They told us before we left California that Ghana was very accepting and welcoming, that everyone here was nice. I couldnt believe it, because, really, HOW can an entire country be welcoming? When we landed there were signs everywhere saying "Alwaaba," welcome, and everyone who came to speak at our orientation said, "I would like to welcome you to Ghana." It got to be a little bit of a joke for a while, because everyone was a professor or some sort of authority figure. They couldnt possibly reflect the welcome of an entire country. Well, they do.

Ghana is the most warm, welcoming place, and with maybe one exception, everyone I have met in the month I have been here has welcomed me, and meant it. This is not an exaggeration. It gets a little weird when people introduce themselves and right away act like they have known you forever, but after you get used to it the feeling is so nice. Steve met a Ghanaian guy named Osman at legon Hall, where the boys live, and he started hanging out with us almost every night. He would walk with us to Bonjour, hike up the hill to Commonwealth Hall and Desperados, take a meal at the Bush Canteen, and all the time he talks, explaining Ghana, the people, the culture, the food (how you eat foufou: RIGHT HAND ONLY, scissor your first and second fingers together to cut off a piece. Use your thumb and three fingers to swirl it around in the soup/sauce, THEN you put it in your mouth and swallow, don't chew).

Last week Jon asked him what a woman meant when she had asked him to invite her to have some after she had sold him a bowl of rice. He didnt, of course, because he had just bought food, and it was his. But Osman told us that in Ghana, when you have something and someone else is with you you say, "You are invited." It doesnt mean that the person will take any, but that you have made the effort to include them in whatever it is that you have: food, clothing, notes, your space, anything. It is part of the general community care atmosphere that Ghana has. Family is really important here, and large extended families often live together. And even people who are not related call each other Brother or Sister, or Aunty or Uncle. There is an overall feeling of invitation, welcome, connection, that is missing in the united states. Maybe it has something to do with our obsession with posessions and individuality: this is my food, my personal space, my rights, my whatever. That tends to make people uncomfortable with the idea of sharing with strangers or near-strangers, maybe. hmmm... If America had a theme, it would probably be "Right to Individuality." Ghana's definitly is "You Are Invited." So all of you, including family, friends, Lyn , everyone, you are invited to my blog, to my experiences and adventures in this warm and welcoming place.