Me Ka Fante Kakra

I speak a little Fante

“Lisa Ama!”
“Yes Mum?”
“Lisa Ama!”
“Yes Mum!?”
“Lisa Ama!”
“Mereba!”  I’m Coming
*Lots of laughter*

So my Fante is coming along -- slower than convenient, but quick enough to not be discouraging.  A couple days ago Sammy and I met up and took a taxi into town.  It dropped us at central town and my mum’s laundry shop, our final destination, was a little farther from there.  We decided it was close enough though to not take another taxi, so we did what anyone who isn’t a boy scout would do: we asked directions. 

“Me pa wo kyew, Wiseway Cleaners ewohenfa?”  Please, where is Wiseway Cleaners?

Usually this was met with a laugh or a smile and then they would give us directions in English.  Occasionally though, the person didn’t think twice and started pointing and talking in Fante.  The trouble is, I don’t know the Fante words left and right yet…so I just gave a nervous smile and nodded.

“Me daase.”  Thank you

Another tricky thing about Fante is that it’s tonal.  Since I have never spoken a tonal language, two words which sound exactly the same mean completely different things.  The most frequent trouble I have with this is when I’m studying or reading for my classes back home and someone asks me, “Ere suasi?”  Are you learning?

Me re suasi -- Me re soasi

 “Me re soasi.”  I am carrying something on my head.

The only time this didn’t cause me trouble was when I actually did learn to carry something on my head.

Pounding the Fufu

“When you pound the Fufu, the plantain and the cassava mix together and cannot be separated.  That’s how it will be.  Our culture and your culture will mix to make Fufu.”

--Dad Joseph

I’ve now been in Ghana for just over one week.  I’ve been with my new family for just under one week.  Ghana is such a beautiful country—not only because of the scenery, but because of the culture.  When Edmond and Sandi, two AFS volunteers, dropped me off last Tuesday my new mother ran out to meet me with open arms.  “Akwaaba. You are welcome,” she said.

That’s how everyone is here.  I’ve never felt more sincere interest and concern from so many people as I have in my short time here. 

At Orientation in New York.
Left to right:  Sammy, Allie, Me,
Avery (our cultural resource), Audrey,
Imani, Lauren

Orientation was a good segway into my new life here.  It was ran by AFS volunteers and returnees and although most of the information was again repeated from our other orientations, it was good to hear it from the perspective of Ghanaians.  It also gave us a chance to really bond as a group.  I knew the other Americans: Sammy, Allie, Audrey, Lauren and Imani, but I also became good friends with the six Belgians and two French exchange students.  The day we went to meet our host families was bittersweet.  All of us were excited to meet our host families, but saying goodbye to each other was hard.

My host mom and my two host sisters

My family is wonderful though.  They let me jump right into life and try to help in any way they can.  Grace, my 12 year old sister, asked me to teach her Spanish, to which I happily agreed to do in exchange for Fante lessons.  (English may be the official language, but it’s not the spoken language.)  Mom, Dad, and I get along great.  I’m pretty sure we understand each other better every day.  Gladys, my four year old sister, thinks it’s so funny that she has an obruni (white person/foreigner) sister now.  She laughs about it all the time.  Yesterday she was stomping around the house yelling, “Sister Lisa! Sister Lisa!”  It’s hard to have a conversation with her though as her English isn’t very good yet and neither is my Fante.  We’re both learning.

My host sister (Gladys) and I

Everything is well.  A few days ago I got very homesick and it upset the whole household.  But I explained to them that nothing was wrong, I just missed home very much.  I think they got it in the end.  Mom Kate kept saying, “I know.  It’s natural.  It’s natural.”  She spent some time in the Ivory Coast so she knew a little what it was like. 

Since then up to this very moment, I’ve been very happy.  I’m adjusting to the different style of life and the family dynamic.  I’m working with my contact person to figure out when I’ll be starting school.  I’m taking it one day at a time and am grateful every day for the opportunity I was given to live here for this short time.

Pounding the Fufu on Sunday

The plantain and the cassava is mixing together to create a new kind of Fufu.