Ghana Meets Texas

16 March 2011

Fact:  the only thing more funny than an American trying to communicate with a Ghanaian is a TEXAN trying to communicate with a Ghanaian. Today I beared witness to quality evidence that clearly supports my claim.

Recall the Valentine’s Day proposal episode with Shorty Short trying to tell me that God and his dead grandfather have willed him to marry a white lady, which was obviously me.

I was orienting Kristi to the lab this morning, having a grand ol’ time in there as I usual do when I see this creepy little thing move close to the window outside. Him! I dove back into the back room because I really didn’t feel like dealing with this today, which left poor, “white lady” Kristi to be preyed upon.

He was talking to Emery through the window and immediately stopped when he saw Kristi and begged to know if she was married. Unfortunately, for that moment, she was not and unfortunately, she told the truth, and she got ran the same gauntlet I did, minus the whole dead grandfather’s wish on death bed thing.

She was kind, though totally taken aback, and gave him the whole “I’m in med school, don’t have time and have a few more years to go” schpeel. But when he kept pushing and saying that he would do anything and wait for her to finish her school to marry her, that’s when he got a Texas-sized shut down.

Though her body language was not what I am about to tell you, I have to describe it to you this way so you can hear her voice. Exasperated with a hand on her hip and finger pointed right in his face, she exclaims, “Well, you will be waiting for a VERY long time!” She says so herself, her accents gets thicker the more mad or excited she gets, and he got it all.

The best part of this whole story is that I managed to grab her camera and hit record right just as she said this, so this Texas-sized shut down shall reign in audio infamy.

Joe invited us to His Grace Academy (Read a Book. Busta Move) so I Kristi got to experience not only an exorbitant amount of cute kids, but an elementary school in Ghana, Africa. We got the grand tour and grand welcoming from the screaming kids. Every classroom we stuck our heads into, one child would see us, call out “Class Stand!” and they would all immeadiately stand and say in unison, “Good Afternoon Madams!” It was just precious. These kids are so very proper in that regard, and this is one of many examples of that.

One of my favorite things about my mornings lately is the company of James, Jonah and Aggie’s two and a half year old son. He is unlike most of the kids here in that his personality is very mellow. It took him a while to get used to me, but these past two weeks especially, we have become good buddies. He sits with me in my room while I read in the mornings or while I have breakfast. He is so subdued at times he will hardly move, which I love because I can just hold him for as long as I want. The other morning he wandered into the room Kristi and I are now sharing, climbed up on the bed next to Kristi, and crossed his little legs and folded them just like hers. It was just adorable, but too short-lived to take a picture.