More about Kumasi
What a city! Kumasi is a definitive CITY. Crazy traffic, tons of people everywhere, a greater gap between rich and poor, and between modern and traditional. I've seen more women here in pants and tight jeans, and more couples holding hands. I've also seen more men in traditional clothes, and a lot more beggars. The city is much more exciting and vibrant than Accra, but it's also louder and more intense (and the smog is unreal). I'm glad to be in Kumasi, but I'm glad that we'll only be here a few days!
I finally had my first bit of stomach upset; it was bound to happen eventually. The jerking bus ride from Koforidua (3.5 hours in the very back of a 22-passenger van) started it all, and then the scanty carbohydrate-only "lunch" didn't help, topped off with some super spicy soup at dinnertime... Anyway, last night was a bit rough. But the hotel is nice, and it's a little quieter than Koforidua just because there isn't a jarringly loud Islamic call-to-prayer at 4am!
It's fun to be in the "heart of the Ashanti Kingdom," just for the sake of being excited to go a place I've read so much about, and because I'm surrounded by Twi (unlike Accra, which is quite multilingual). It's now that I really see how much I was learning textbook Twi, and how that textbook Twi was really modeled after Kumasi; at least the few people we've talked to (Jefferson's aunt and uncle, say) have been so much easier to understand than the people in Koforidua. I could be exaggerating that, though.
There are a lot more Obroni-folk here, and interestingly a lot more East Asian looking people (I actually haven't seen any in Ghana until Kumasi). In general, the cries of "Hey, Obroni!" are much much much less frequent than anywhere else we've been. In its place are more cries of "Madam!" and the universal "Heeeelllooo!" and the ever present "Hey, Rastafarai!" (because none of the Obronis that are in Kumasi, though numerous, seem to have dreadlocks). Hissing at people to get their attention is just as frequent here as in other places in Ghana. I'm not sure if it's a polite thing to do, exactly, but it certainly doesn't seem to be seen as rude! My favorite attention-getting call came when we were walking to Jefferson's uncle's house in a quieter corner of town and someone called out "You tattoo is very nice!" (first in Twi, then in English) followed by "And your husband's hair is nice, too!" Now that's better than "Obroni, obroni"!
I finally had my first bit of stomach upset; it was bound to happen eventually. The jerking bus ride from Koforidua (3.5 hours in the very back of a 22-passenger van) started it all, and then the scanty carbohydrate-only "lunch" didn't help, topped off with some super spicy soup at dinnertime... Anyway, last night was a bit rough. But the hotel is nice, and it's a little quieter than Koforidua just because there isn't a jarringly loud Islamic call-to-prayer at 4am!
It's fun to be in the "heart of the Ashanti Kingdom," just for the sake of being excited to go a place I've read so much about, and because I'm surrounded by Twi (unlike Accra, which is quite multilingual). It's now that I really see how much I was learning textbook Twi, and how that textbook Twi was really modeled after Kumasi; at least the few people we've talked to (Jefferson's aunt and uncle, say) have been so much easier to understand than the people in Koforidua. I could be exaggerating that, though.
There are a lot more Obroni-folk here, and interestingly a lot more East Asian looking people (I actually haven't seen any in Ghana until Kumasi). In general, the cries of "Hey, Obroni!" are much much much less frequent than anywhere else we've been. In its place are more cries of "Madam!" and the universal "Heeeelllooo!" and the ever present "Hey, Rastafarai!" (because none of the Obronis that are in Kumasi, though numerous, seem to have dreadlocks). Hissing at people to get their attention is just as frequent here as in other places in Ghana. I'm not sure if it's a polite thing to do, exactly, but it certainly doesn't seem to be seen as rude! My favorite attention-getting call came when we were walking to Jefferson's uncle's house in a quieter corner of town and someone called out "You tattoo is very nice!" (first in Twi, then in English) followed by "And your husband's hair is nice, too!" Now that's better than "Obroni, obroni"!
posted by Lauren | 12:20 PM
3 Comments:
I just wanted to let both of you know how much I have been enjoying your blogs. It's good to keep up with you and know what you're up to. I've never been to Kumasi (well, if I have I was younger and don't remember it), but I would like to visit there the next time I'm in Ghana. I hope you enjoy Cape Coast. I like it there (well I've only been to the beach, the castle, and briefly the market), but I liked what I saw when we were there last. Anyways, enjoy!
"Your husband's hair is nice, too" ...That will make for an awesome inside joke. I just got your postcard, and I figured posting here would leave more room in your inbox-thanks, and everyone says hi! The pictures on the postcard are awesome, but the hills sound great too :) AND I have learned to make smoothies but, semi-sadly, I am working at Albertson's again... Oh well ;) It's still fun, the store I work at has some pretty neat customers. So I'm glad to hear that your Twi-learning is coming along; it seems pretty rough to study a language you have never heard spoken natively before! Well, that's all on the cousin front, hope your trip gets even better, and I'll talk to you soon!!
Love,
Stormie
P.S. Your husband's hair is nice, too!
I like your blog, it reminds me of my recent trip to Ghana.Shame there's no photo of you.
My website is www.manashantii.com
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