Tower of Babel

A lot of students study abroad in Ghana because it is considered an "English-speaking country," as opposed to its "Francophone" neighbors Togo and Cote D'Ivoire. But in reality, the predominant languages used in Ghana are neither English nor French. And once I venture out of the city (or to the pediatric ward where patients have come from more rural areas), I'm suddenly out of my language comfort zone. African countries are in reality dominated by hundreds of local languages. In Ghana, the primary tongues are Twi (pronounced like "Chree"), Ga, Ewe, and Afante. If you don't speak one of these languages, you're at a disadvantage in all sorts of situations (and can't even understand the radio, sadness).

I was quite surprised at the dominance of these languages. On the wards of Korle-Bu, I actually need a translator to provide my study patients with informed consent, and Ward Rounds can be a complete mystery. However, I love languages and was optimistic about picking up some Twi. Two things have made this task especially difficult:
-I haven't been able to track down any Twi books all year.
-Most people speak to me in English if they can, as a courtesy.

However, thanks to a spunky soda vendor at the medical school who insists in talking to me in ONLY Twi, and getting quite angry (in an endearing, yet intimidating way) when I forget her lessons, I've made some progress! Today, on the sidewalk, I was super proud of the following exchange, accomplished entirely in Twi:

Me, speaking to an older female vendor: "Good morning, your dress is very beautiful."
Lady: "Thank you! What is your name?"
Me: "My name is Meghan, and yours?"
Lady: "My name is Gifty."
Me: "I'd like some peanuts."
Lady: "Ok. Good-bye!"

I know. Not so impressive, maybe. But exciting for me!

Addendum: The small boys in Kokrobite (a beachtown near Accra) also love teaching me Twi. Although with them it's more of a contact-sport language lesson. They perform a simple act (i.e. sitting down, jumping) and say the accompanying Twi word. Then I repeat the word and make them do the task. Once I learned a few words, it was like a giant game of Simon Says!

Chale (Ghana-ism #3)

Chale (pronounced Chah-lee), is a common West-African nonsense word. I've encountered it in conversation with Ghanaians, Nigerians, and even in an autobiography from Sierra Leone (note: A Long Way Gone is an amazing story of a child-soldier from the Civil War in SL, and requisite reading for anyone going there. Plus, it's an easy read. But I digress....). Chale can be used in almost any context, and it might be easiest for me to just point out some examples:

Taxi driver: "This ride will cost you 5 cedis."
Me (being very Ghanaian): "Ah! Chale! That is too much!"

Boy watching football in my hostel: "Chale! Did you see that goal?"

My roommate Ama, on the phone in our room: "...Chale! No way! Tell me what happened!"

No one seems to have any firm definitions for Chale, so I'm loosely considering it a sort of benign expletive that's flexible enough to be used happily, out of frustration, or with anxiety. But in general it's a fun word, and makes any visitor to Ghana feel a tad more native.

Hey! Chale!