How to...
...say hello: “Mia-wézo/You are welcome!”
...shake hands: With a snap. When you pull your hand away you should snap middle fingers with the other person.
...drink it: From a bag! Tear off the corner with your teeth and enjoy. If you’re not finished, just let it hang from your mouth. In restaurants you’ll be served a chilled plastic sachet on a plate!
...eat it: With your right hand. There’s no Ewe word for “fork.” On the go? Then from a bag! I was not surprised to see a kid squeezing fried beans through the corner of one.
...take it home: In a bag! Everything from sweet milk to soda pop, powdered milk to garé powder is poured into little bags and tied off. Tear open and enjoy!
...carry it: On your head! If it’s heavy, nest it in a rolled-up scarf and then head down the road like it ain’t no thang. Lots of things can be carried in a helpful large metal basin, but it’s not uncommon to see anything from stools and tables to 10-meter-long bamboo poles resting up on top of the noggin. Florence once headed home from the farm with empty hands but her purse on her head. It’s just what you do!
...maintain good posture: See previous.
...go: You’d better like to squat.
...wash: Out of a bucket. Soap up and rinse, repeat.
...drive: Fast!
...pass another vehicle: Honk your horn.
...pick up passengers: Honk your horn.
...say hello to a friend: Honk your horn!
...make a left turn: Pull off to the right side of the road and wait until no one’s coming.
...get a ride: Wave your hand.
...get the right price: Say “Ao! Meñé-sigbé-o!/No! That’s not it!” and ask for your change or “balance”.
...make a Ghanaian roll with laughter: See previous.
...beat the heat: Just ain't gonna happen.
...tell if it’s your goat: If it’s your goat, apparently you’ll just know.
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Crazy...or Monty Phython! It's so easy for us to laugh, but I can only begin to wonder how you have managed to interpret so much in such a short time. Good on you both! I can't wait to see more photos, but your descriptions have already put brilliant pictures in my head. Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I can see you two in 20 years still using these as inside jokes: You'll be sitting at dinner with friends and Anne will suddenly say, "Hey, how do you know if it's your goat?" And one of your unsuspecting friends will say, "I don't know, how?" and while they're all waiting expectantly for the punchline, Sam will look at them very seriously and say "You just know..."
ReplyDeleteHaha!