First Impression of Ghana 初遇加纳

张健

一边是熙熙攘攘，分秒必争的美国，一边是悠然自得，清闲自在的加纳。两种文化碰撞在一起，迸溅出新鲜的际遇。热情的出租车司机，步态从容的女人，随处可见的小摊贩，对美元模样颇为好奇的小孩……如果我没有去加纳，我不会知道他们是怎样的；如果我没有去，我不知道他们眼中的我是怎样的。从打包行李、告别亲友、匆匆吃够本地美食开始，旅行就已精彩起来，真正置身异国之后，更是精彩无限！我在加纳到底遇见了什么，你想知道吗？

“Are you excited？” everyone asked me once they learned I would be travelling to Ghana. I would reply with the standard， “Im so excited！” and continue to elaborate1 on my travel plans. However， honestly， the weeks leading up to the big trip were extremely daunting.2 I was going to be travelling to Ghana， Africa for two months. I was going to find a home among strangers， comfort in an alien3 world. I was excited while simultaneously deeply terrified of the unknown.4

The preparation for the trip was a feat5 in itself. It consisted of shopping for clothes appropriate for African weather， gadgets to repel stealthy mosquitos， vaccinations and antibiotics to prevent exposure to diseases， snacks for whenever I cant find or cant stomach local food， and miscellaneous gifts for friends and strangers.6 In order to prepare for the paucity of junk food and good old American grub， I spent the last couple of days in America eating to my hearts content.7 This meant that I feasted on lasagna，8 ice cream， chips， and chocolate until my body begged me to finally fly off to Africa for a better diet. In order to accustom myself to the traditions and traditional foods， I conducted a plethora of research and watched numerous videos on social etiquette in Ghana.9

I also spent the last weeks catching up with friends and family， as I wouldnt see them for two months. The hardest goodbye， hands down10， was with my mother. My father， mother， and I stood in the airport as I clutched my boarding pass and passport.11 We were laughing at something and with a lull12 in the conversation we stopped. My father began to message the friend who would be picking me up from the Accra airport and my mother and I patiently stood there in silence. As I started to think about how much she had helped me pack， stayed up13 until 3：00 a.m. organizing my things for the big journey， and how she was more worried about my trip than I was， I began to tear up. I hadnt even said goodbye， yet tears streamed down my face as I thought about how I wouldnt feel her gentle embrace for days on end.14

Now Im here in Ghana. It was incredibly overwhelming from the get go.15 As I exited the airport， a hoard of taxi drivers bombarded me asking if I needed a ride to my destination.16 After rejecting about 20 taxi cab drivers within 10 minutes， my ride finally showed up.17 As we drove from Accra to Kumasi， I absorbed the environment around me. Women lugged buckets， almost half their size， atop their heads as they gracefully walked along the busy streets， un-phased by the burden they bore and the beeps of the automobiles buzzing past them.18 Everyones skin color was brown. I remember glancing19 down at my white hands that seemed so alien and pale in comparison to everything else around me.

I also noticed that there were few restaurants， rather many outdoor， small-scale vendors scattered alongside the road，20 providing quick meals to passers. Secondly， I noticed a majority of vendors were women， but interestingly enough the coconut vendors have been predominantly males.21 I assume this is because cutting coconuts is a particularly labor-intensive22 job.

One of the most difficult things to adjust to was the outright alienation.23 Although they dont alienate foreigners with negative intentions，24 rather they draw attention to them in amazement， its difficult to feel comfortable in an environment where youre the center of attention all of the time. For example， a foreigner cant walk the streets without a child or idle adult hollering， “Broni.”25 “Broni” is the term for a “white man” but the term “white man” has a very loose26 definition. A white man is simply one who is not black， meaning Asians， Europeans， Australians， and Americans may all be classified as a Broni. As soon as the word “Broni” is shouted， vendors， children playing on the streets， and individuals carrying conversation stop and turn to stare at the said Broni. I usually try to play it off27 by staring into the distance as I walk straight ahead or smile at the individuals staring at me （and they always smile back）， but theres no denying that I feel incredibly uncomfortable at times like these. An evening stroll turns into an entire ordeal.28

Despite the obvious alienation， the people here are extremely friendly. At this very moment， I have already had two strangers approach me and talk to me， asking my name and where Im from. Its incredibly easy to make friends， as all Ghanaians seem so deeply engrossed in individuals hailing from America.29 Nearly 90% of Ghanaians that Ive spoken to half jokingly （although I presume some ask slightly seriously with a glimmer of hope）30 ask if I can take them back to America with me. Children and adults alike are always mesmerized with31 the mention of America. They ask me to tell them stories about America， American people， American food， American pop culture， and the differences between America and Ghana. I remember one day I was surrounded by at least 20 children， and they asked me to take out an American dollar for them to see. I didnt have American dollars with me， and instead I took out a chewy granola bar.32 I said this is what I eat in America and gave it to one of the older children， and 10 seconds later he was mauled by his peers who also wanted a taste of “American food.”33

The weeks before arriving in Ghana were undoubtedly stressful， but now that Ive arrived Ive realized there was nothing to be scared of. Within days， I felt at home in a country where nearly nothing is the way I know it. I can feel that this trip will be one of the most meaningful trips of my life， since so many experiences have already changed my perspective34 and views on life. This is the perfect opportunity for me to reflect on my past， present， and future， as I draw back from the hustle and bustle of American life and entrench myself in the laid-back Ghana culture.35 Curious as to what life-changing thoughts I conjure36？ Dont worry， Ill keep you posted.

1. elaborate： 精心制作，详细计划。

2. lead up to： 临近，紧挨在……之前；daunting： 令人畏惧的，令人胆怯的。

3. alien： 外国的，异族的。

4. simultaneously： 同时发生地，同时出现地； terrified： 极度恐慌的，非常害怕的。

5. feat： 伟业，壮举。

6. appropriate： 合适的，恰当的；gadget： 小器具，小装置；repel： 击退，驱逐；stealthy： 偷偷摸摸的，鬼鬼祟祟的；mosquito： 蚊子；vaccination： 疫苗；antibiotic： 抗生素；stomach： v. 能吃，吃得下；miscellaneous： 五花八门的，各式各样的。

7. 加纳没有垃圾食品，也没有好吃的经典美式美食，为此，出发前最后几天，我敞开肚皮吃了个够。paucity： 少量，不足；grub： 食物；to ones hearts content： 尽情地。

8. feast on： 尽情地吃，大快朵颐；lasagna： 千层面。

9. a plethora of： 大量的；numerous： 众多的，许多的；etiquette： 礼仪，礼节。

10. hands down： 无疑地。

11. clutch： 紧握，紧抓；boarding pass： 登机牌；passport： 护照。

12. lull： 间歇期，平静期。

13. stay up： 深夜不睡，熬夜。

14. gentle： 温柔的；days on end： 连续数日。

15.从一开始，情况就让人难以招架。 incredibly： 非常，极其；overwhelming： 势不可挡的，令人不知所措的。

16. 我一出机场，就有一群出租车司机追着问我要不要打车去目的地。a hoard of： 一批；bombard： 连珠炮似地提问，大量提问；destination： 目的地。

17. reject： 拒绝考虑，不同意；cab： 出租车，计程车；show up： 出现，露面。

18. 女人们运着桶，把齐腰大小的桶顶在头上，步态优雅地走在熙攘的街面上，头顶的重量、身旁驶过汽车的喇叭声，都扰不乱她们的脚步。lug： 吃力地搬运；bucket： （有提梁的）桶；atop： 在……顶上，在……上面；gracefully： 优雅地；un-phased： 即unfazed，不受影响的，不受烦扰的；beep： 嘟嘟声，哔哔声；buzz： 发出嗡嗡声。

19. glance： 瞥，迅速地看一眼。

20. small-scale： 小规模的；vendor： 小贩，摊贩；scatter： 分散，散开。

21. coconut： 椰子；predominantly： 绝大多数地，大部分地。

22. labor-intensive： 劳动密集型的。

23. outright： 公开的，直截了当的；alienation： 疏远，格格不入。

24. alienate： 使疏远，离间；negative： 坏的，有害的。

25. 比如，一个外国人每每走在街上，就会有小孩或者无所事事的大人大叫一声“Broni”。 idle： 无所事事的，空闲的；holler： 叫喊，叫嚷。

26. loose： 意义含糊的，不严谨的。

27. play it off： 假装，以……冒充。

28. stroll： 散步，闲逛；ordeal： 煎熬，折磨。

29. be engrossed in： 热衷于；hail from： 生于，来自。

30. presume： 相信，推测；a glimmer of： 一些，少许。

31. be mesmerized with： 对……着迷。

32. chewy： 耐嚼的；granola： 格兰诺拉麦片（用烘烤过的谷类、坚果等配制成的早餐食品）。

33. maul： 抓伤，咬伤；peer： 同龄人，同伴。

34. perspective： 思考方法，态度。

35. 从熙攘喧嚣的美国生活中抽出身来，一头扎进悠然自得的加纳文化中，这正是我反思过去、审视现在、沉思未来的完美契机。reflect on： 沉思，深思；hustle and bustle： 熙熙攘攘，忙碌；entrench： 使……根深蒂固；laid-back： 悠然自得的，放松的。

36. conjure： 使……呈现于脑际，使想起。