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!