Oburoni, You are Welcome Here

Another week is gone, and another started, that means it is time for an update!  Before I left for Ghana I went home one last time to be with my family, my parents hosted a small gathering for close friends. One of the most important figures in my life (Gary Milanowski) told me something that I won’t forget. He said “Corrinne, my Dad always told me, you can do anything if you get through the first 10 days. Give it 10 days.” I had never heard this before but I internalized it wondering it was even applicable. Ten days seemed so easy! Heck yeah I could get through 10 days, that would fly by! HA! 

I arrived in Ghana and time crawled by. I thought to myself that it would be the longest trip if I felt out of place, I missed home, I missed independence.  Would I ever settle in if I hadn’t already by day six? 

I’m not even sure how to explain my realization, I stood in the middle of the courtyard at school last week and realized I was okay and  I was content. I was finding more  happiness and comfort in Ghana each day. I wasn’t tracking the days then  it hit me while I was reflecting on what changed, it had been more than ten days. The ten day mark fell on that Monday and that's when I realized things turned around after that weekend passed. 

  Give it ten days, you can adjust to anything just get through the first ten days! I can confidently say I’ll be keeping this advice near and dear for the rest of my life. It’s not a realistic expectation to say that after ten days it's all smooth sailing, but a difficult adjustment soon became an enjoyable lifestyle in Ghana. I am finding more to love here each day, and it makes me so happy that the advice carried heavy truth and I hope it does for you, I found it especially applicable for this solo trip, when there  is no choice but to uncover parts of yourself that were not obvious before. 

I mentioned before the English is the official language in Ghana, but that’s on paper and a majority of people will not or do not speak it. I am learning the language of Twi through teachers at school to have a better chance at understanding and communicating with the community. Even though school is taught using the British English standards, there is an extreme language barrier which causes only up to 70% of information to be successfully understood in a casual conversation, that is not a complaint or judgement but instead a reflection on how I shift my habits. Much information is lost in my accent and language functions that aren’t used in Ghana so I find myself adjusting to all British English standards and changing all my prior knowledge on American grammar and phonics. I even find myself pronouncing my name differently,  in the way that everyone here had been pronouncing it since the pronunciation of vowels differ greatly from American English. 

I was told prior to arriving that I'd be referred to as “oburoni”, it would be shouted at me everywhere, not to take alarm but carry on. Obruni is an identification in Twi that means ‘Foreigner from the horizon” but then was changed to mean identify white women and white men. For the first few days I couldn’t catch the word since conversation moved rapidly. Soon I started to hear it more and more, and I wasn’t sure how to react, now I hear it everywhere! I’ll be driving to school and since the road is slow I am practically driving at walking speed and every local I will point and say it then carry right back on with their conversation. It is said EVERYWHERE, not just when referring to my presence but used like my name in conversation with me. My host brother and I were talking about the differences between the United States current demographics and Ghana. Race functions differently in Ghana and in many counties that had been colonized, meaning that race and origin are seen differently than in the United States. Though the demographics  in Ghana are changing because a younger generation of people are moving from various parts of the world to start businesses or find family, the presence of ‘oburoni’ isn’t seen to common yet. My home is located in Tema which is a suburb/city outside Accra. Tema is the industrial capital of Ghana and it is still developing and growing rapidly, I find my presence seen as  much more obvious than when we were in Accra this weekend. There was huge difference between Tema and Accra in terms of environment and movement of people. 

Tema is a developing port city with great commercial size movement and Accra acts as the successful government and business hub of Ghana. 

One of the most wonderful parts of Ghana is the humanity and warmth that seems to be lacking sometimes in the Western world. I  started to realize its significance during my first couple days, wherever I went the most common saying was “ you are welcome here” I walked into a classroom,  teachers and students would stand and greet me with “you are welcome here” giving me permission to enter and enjoy myself then not sitting until I did. Then,  in Accra I am greeted by lifeguards and as we talk they always finish the conversation with the reassuring “you are welcome here”. Ghana has shown to welcome every foreigner despite direct connection or not. Kelvin told me that despite locals making is obvious and pointing out the “oburoni” they welcome you, because for centuries they have known displacement in the world and their country, so now it is made point to welcome all  to avoid displacement of other humans. I find this extremely admirable and a practice that should be instilled everywhere, not because it is forced upon the society but because as humans they understand the feelings of displacement and make a point of never repeating it for anyone. 

 It comes at the most random times and it brings such happiness, for example I sat down next to an older woman at school who I had not yet met (we are close now).  She opened her banana, before taking a bite she looks at me and say “you are welcome”. This inviting me to eat her banana with her. My co-operating teacher tells me this every day at lunch making sure I do not leave hungry. Again I  heard it when I approached a small market stand at dark this weekend, the neighborhood Grandmother was sitting underneath a light cooking food over a gas lit fire. The call to prayer had just subsided and children were leaving their place to be fed by her, she looked at me and asked “Oburoni, ɛte sɛn?” I replied “ɛyɛ”, a common exchange in Twi. Then as if I am a friend or one of the children she is feeding, the Grandmother patted her stoop, “you are welcome here".

How beautiful is that concept? For everyone to be welcomed despite being a "foreigner from the horizon” or a close friend, to share whatever it may be. It may be the sharing of food or simple company, there is no displacement here. Yes, I am referred to as oburoni more than my own name but with that I am still welcomed to share life with friends and strangers. Humanity appears to distant itself more every day, but there are reminders like this in Ghana of effort being made to combat the separation, and I hope the world catches on to that.  Have a great week wherever you are,  I will make sure to send back some sunshine to Wisconsin since it looks like there is a shortage. 

Goodnight from Ghana. 

xoxo

Corrinne Ruth