Yaa: Champion of Ghana

I have a lot of catching up to do! Let’s get cracking.

So to contrast my story about the silly boys on campus, I would like to share a story about the sincere kind of “Ete sen”, the kind you encounter 95 percent of the time.

My roommate and I decided to explore Medina Market and pick up fresh ingredients for dinner. (We’ve mastered the art of hot plate cooking.) This market is probably my favorite, though I don’t recommend it if you’re easily overwhelmed. Just one town over, you wind your way through the crowded streets, walk through a tunnel sort of thing, and you’ll suddenly find your self in this market full of tiny alleyways and hundreds of people. It’s the perfect place for exploring.

We were back in the vegetables section when a Ghanian woman stopped me and said hi. She hardly spoke english and was thrilled when I responded to her “Ete sen” with a “Eye, na wo nso e?” (I am well and you?). She asked me my name and I responded with “Yefre me Yaa” (They call me Yaa. Yaa means I am Thursday born, it’s my Akan name.) At this point she raised her arms and exclaimed “Yaa!!! You are champion of Ghana! Champion!”

And then we laughed and talked awhile longer in our half Twi half English. With every phrase I knew in Twi, I was congratulated. It was fantastic. Her kindness and happiness was so utterly sincere and it absolutely made my day. Before coming here I probably didn’t believe that you could make a friend in under a minute, but Ghanians prove you can do just that basically on the daily. 

It’s hard to believe that in just 6 week I’ll be leaving all this!

Standing in between the cowhide/ pig legs and the peppers, sucking on an orange.

They don't slice their orange. 

It's kind of like juicing an orange in your mouth.