New Experiences

Well, I had a few new experiences this last week. One was quite funny the other not so much, but both seem worthy of recording for posterity sake.

The first experience happen on Friday of last week; that would be the 9th of April. Andrew and I had finished visiting church people and were sitting on a tro-tro on our way to down-town. I was feeling like enjoying the sounds and sights, while Andrew was talking to everyone in the back of the tro-tro. Everyone was pretty impressed with his Twi, while I was just enjoying watching him work through the language. Then it happened!?!

Very close to our finally stop, where Andrew was going to get off the tro-tro and buy somethings, a young man jumped on the vehicle. He looked like a young man of about 25 years and was dressed a lot like an American or (at least an African version of one). After just about two minutes the tro-tro stopped at a stoplight, and Andrew asked to get off. (Now, this is not the normal way of getting off a tro-tro, but not ad-normal either. Most times a person waits to stop at the road side, but at times people do get off if the car is at a red light).

Well, the young man sitting next to Andrew (the one dressed up in American costume) took offense at his departure for some reason, and started yelling at the mate (the young man helping the driver to sell seats and get people off and on). He did not know that Andrew and I spoke Twi, and he began to belittle the mate. Basically yelled at the guy and asked if he was the slave of all white people, and a few other not very nice things. Well, Andrew just smiled, and decided to wait to get off. The mate must have felt sheepish after hearing all this guys yelling, so he jumped back on the tro-tro and shut the door.

I figured it would all end there, since I was sitting in the front, and could not see what was going on and was confused a bite. But, the young man had decided that this was a big issue and proceeded to yell at the mate more. This is when the culture got interesting.

See, I have been in Ghana for seven year, and have never really seen someone get so angry over something so small, and it was quiet amazing to me. (Maybe he got up on the wrong side of the mat, or someone burned his rice porridge, I don't know! But I do know he was angry). It was so amazing to me I did a normal American thing. Something that a person does when they see something confusing and frustrating. I shook me head!

I had no more than shook my head when a noise exploded in my ear, right behind me. In a loud English voice I hear, "DON'T SHAKE YOUR HEAD AT ME!" This was proceeded by the young man asking me if we would do this in our country, and other various and sundry things, that would not make much sense to a foreigner, or even me for that matter unless in lived here for a long time. Least just say the guy got really mad.

Well, the most Christian thing would have been to be quiet and smile, or ask why I had offended so much that he felt he needed to yell. But, sorry to say my Christian conscience jumped out the window with the hot air that was blowing on my neck. I was shocked! What was this guy's problem? Not only was he angry over nothing, but now he was yelling at me like I cursed him or something!

At this point I turn around and asked him in Twi: Why he keep asking me about my home, since we where in Ghana at the moment. Ghana was not America, so the ways of the one do not apply to other, and that the whole thing that he was asking about did not matter or make sense. Also adding that I thought that he talked to much, and that he needed to calm down.

Least say this did not help matters. (Hind sight is better than 20-20: Bibles says-- Proverbs 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. I should have kept quiet!)

Well, by this time our stop was up, and Andrew fly out of the tro-tro and went ducking for cover. The guy started cursing at me in Twi, and all the people outside where looking on, trying to figure out why this guy was so mad that he was insulting a foreigner. By this time I had gotten out of my sit... and hit the guy. NO, NO, NO, just kidding. I did not do anything like that. I just walked away, and told the guy that he needed to learn some wisdom, and not to yell at people.

So after the whole thing I felt pretty bad. The score was pride 1 and testimony 0! I was glad that I had not really yelled at the guy, but I had answered in anger and felt that I should have handled it better.

The next few days I started asking my Ashanti friends how I should have handled it. Know this is not an easy process, since self analyzing and self criticism are not parts of the culture. But, finally after ten to fifteen minutes of them each giving me sympathy, (this is what culture would do), I made them understand that I wanted to know what I did wrong, and how I could have handled it better.

I got a few interesting suggests. Some told me to use a proverb to rebuke him softly, some said to smile and be quiet. One told me to turn around and ask the men if he know how important I was? (Needless to say this was not a Christian man, and not a good idea!). But, finally my friend Nat told me something that no one else had told me.

See, I was not only confused about what I did, but why he attacked me. This is what Nat told me. I Ghana, when some is yelled at a person, they can do three things. 1. Smile and take it. 2. Answer back. How and what they say will determine what happens next. This can make things better or move things deeper into trouble, but it is a stronger response then being quiet. 3. The person can shake his or her head.

See Nat, told me that in Ghana, when a person is talking 'at' you or about you and in response, you want to show your anger, you shake the head. In Ghana culture, the person that shakes the head is saying to the person talking, "You are so crazy and stupid, that I cannot reason with you, so I will just shake my head at your foolishness".

I had no idea. What I thought was a harmless shake of the held, was total different in this man's mind. It was like shacking a red flag in the face of a angry bull. I had drawn a line in the sand and basically dared him to cross over!

Oh, the joys of culture learning! Needless to say everything started to make sense after Nat told me this. Fact is I had to laugh a bite. I felt sorry for the guy. To add to it, after I made my ignorant faux pas, I spoke to him in Twi, which only added to the fact that he thought I had insulted him on purpose!

Needless to says, I will not be shaking my head at angry people any more, and I will start learning a few new proverbs, so that I can keep my testimony when dealing with angry tro-tro passengers.

That was my first new experience. The second is much shorter and much more light hearted.

Wednesday of this week was our normal time to visit new people and hand out fliers for the Bible Studies. While visiting with Robert, our path chance to cross a large group of young people. They ranged from about 20 to 30 year in age. Robert and I talked to them for quite some time, and were able to invite them to our Bible Study. But this is not the funny part.

About half way through our conversation, a young man that I knew came walking up. He was part of the group. He had attended a Bible study before. I was surprised that he remembered me, since the night he blessed us with his presents he was quite drunk, but that is another story. He had told me that night that he was a movie star, and it turns out that he was telling the truth. The group of young people where there shooting a movie.

Well, after talking to them for quite some time in Twi, they offered me a job. (Ghana movie companies love trying to find foreigner that speak Twi). They told me that I could star in a new movie, they said I would be great!

Please do not get in mind Hollywood or me getting my name in a golden star on some side walk, think rather a low budget India movie with subtitles and a really long boring plot. Well, as 'tempting' as this opportunity was for my fifteen minutes of fame, I turned them down.

When I told Patty see laughed. My family will not have the pleasure of seeing my name in the end credits, but I will always have the knowledge that I could have been.... a MOVIE STAR!

These are just a few new experiences from my week. I hope the reader has the chance to have some of his own!