It was only expected that almost immediately after arrival people began questioning me about Ghana. If I mentioned something about the food or something about the music, my Sierra Leonean friends would quickly say, "Ohhhhh... so you're Ghanaian now..." with more than hints of sarcasm. In all honesty, it was cute how jealous and protective they became.
In terms of questioning by the American students, it usually focused on which country I liked better. Of course, that is a completely unfair question. So naturally, I'm going to try to explore it:
The first noticeable difference between Ghana and Sierra Leone is the land. Both are on the Atlantic Ocean but Freetown is blessed with beautiful mountains along the coast ("Sierra Leone" is Portuguese for "lion mountains" because the mountains are shaped like a sleeping lion). Freetown almost reminds me a bit of California, with houses splattered around areas of different elevation.
The other noticeable difference is the smell. Freetown smells like burning. This makes sense, as fire seems to be the answer to many problems in Sierra Leone- from taking care of overgrown brush to incinerating garbage. Sometimes in Accra, I get a whiff of something and think "Ooooo, it smells like Sierra Leone," then I realize it's because there's smoke coming out of a nearby pile of leaves.
Humor. Humor is ridiculously culture-based. Sierra Leoneans are pranksters. They're goofy. And for that reason, I feel very comfortable joking around with my Sierra Leonean friends. Especially in physical, animated ways, it is easy to be silly with them. In Ghana, I am surrounded by an educated demographic, so my humor here is more witty, more biting, more thought-out. My humor with the American students (which I didn't realize how much I missed) was more reference-based. We could talk about things from PBS kid's shows or current events or happenings at Lawrence.
Then there's the whole development issue. I was more physically comfortable in Sierra Leone, even though Ghana is much more developed. This surprises everyone (including myself), so I have thought quite a bit about it. Here is my conclusion: Sierra Leone feels like it is supposed to be a different country- a unique country, a country that gives a good, interesting vacation. Even though Ghana has better roads, billboards, malls, and toilets with toilet seats, it does not seem to give much more of a comfort level to visitors. Essentially, Accra feels like one of the lesser developed cities in the US. The tricky part of this comparison is that I'm sure that if I went to school in Sierra Leone, I would quickly become much more uncomfortable than I am in Ghana, but I have not experienced that. The weather was also slightly cooler in Sierra Leone, which I think made a big difference.
My views of the countries are definitely products of how I experience them. I have been implemented into the cultures in very different ways. In Sierra Leone, I learn about the food because we have a private cook who teaches us about all the local dishes. In Ghana, I'm in charge of food myself so it's therefore much less interesting. In Sierra Leone, I learn about the people's values because of talking with our houseboys, translators, and friends who take us around the country. In Ghana, I spend hours with Ghanaian students, so I can learn about how they think, what they like, and their relationships with their families just by hanging out in the dorms or in class. In Sierra Leone, I was able to see cities all around the country because we had a private car and a driver. In Ghana, I am tied to one city because I have classes to attend; I get to know this one city much better than I would one city in Sierra Leone, but I know less about how those cultural traits change around the country. Traveling is also more difficult when you have to pay for taxis everywhere.
The Rotary clubs are very similar between the countries. Spirited, sparky, energetic. At the meeting in Freetown, I was able to talk a bit about what the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship entails and learn about some of Freetown's service projects. They focus a lot on medical care for women and children.
My host sister picked me up from the airport in Accra (Both she and my host mother work at the airport) and brought me to the house for dinner. At the table, my host father says, "Didn't you miss kenkey?" pointing to the balls of mashed cornmeal on the table. I laughed and said not really, to which he jokingly replies, "You're not going back there again." I have people who care a lot about me in both places. Amazing how you can make family and friends in a few weeks or a few months time.
Sooo, Ghana or Sierra Leone? Well, one is my second home and one is my home away from home. I'm just lucky I guess.
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