Lessons learnt but not from the old...

Gosh! When I started this blog it was my aim to write posts every single day, but now am sorely dissapointed.
2011 has really brought with it so many surprises. I got a partime job helping foreign students settle in Ghana which is pretty much fun and on top of that am helping at my mum's new school. Furthermore, youth meetings need to be attended, choir rehearsals and other mundane tasks like cooking, cleaning etc.
Anyways am not here to discuss my hectic life but talk about something I learnt this week.
   From the kids I teach I learnt how to cultivate patience. You know how people keep saying you can learn from anything. So, I thought what could I possibly learn from 3-5 year olds? Nothing academic of course.. we have been reciting the ABC's for a week now but they keep on forgetting. It's so frustrating repeating yourself over and over but then you know through all this agony your leaving an indelible mark which would show in years to come.
   Also I realised this week that my world as I know it may be so simple, understanding and kitsch to me but could be another range of ajectives for another person. I sat in a orientation lecture organized for foreign exchange students and it dawned on me that my Ghanaian culture could be described as strict, pre-modern nonetheless friendly to all. It sounded strange at first but I quickly accepted the facts, I am 19, boyfriend less, still have a curfew, my parents are strict no guys allowed to visit at certain times yet I don't see anything wrong because I have become accustomed to it. Ghanaian culture still doesn't accept homosexuality and so do I, women are expected to do most house chores , get married  and not end up single mothers. We still view the left hand as the evil hand, so we do not give presents or take them using that hand.
Ghanaians are staunch believers of sorcery , witchcraft and divination and are less enthused at science. But, we are so friendly and I experience it everyday when a market seller gives me more tomatoes than i payed for or some anonymous person pays my bus fare for me with no ulterior motive. From a westerner's view of point we may be pre-modern but I think that's what makes us so unique and heartwarming. I'm going to end this note with a familiar local saying 'Travel and see'. Learn about different cultures you would be amazed! You could end up appreciating your culture more than ever.