"Most of all I was afraid of infections": how a native of St. Petersburg lives in Ghana

Natalia from St. Petersburg was looking for a way to practice English, and found her husband from Ghana and went with him to his home country, which turned out to be a completely different world for a Russian.

The woman told the story of her move and life in Ghana to the publication “Lenta.ru report».

I was born in St. Petersburg. Received a pedagogical education. At the time of our acquaintance with her husband, she worked as an English teacher and was looking for ways to practice her skills. At one of the conferences I met African students, and through them I met my future husband. One year later, we began to think about going to Ghana to meet his parents.

Mom of her husband reacted with caution to our relationship. There are peculiar prejudices about white women in Africa. She was afraid that I would forbid Frank to communicate with them or not let me see my grandchildren. Her husband’s father was more loyal, he trusts his son’s choice. However, despite all the fears, on arrival in Ghana a very warm welcome awaited me.

First sensations

From the very beginning of our relationship, I understood that if it came to the wedding, after graduation, we would go to his homeland together. I was worried if I could live there. But I loved this man so much that I could only love his country in such a way that it is. And it turned out to be easy.

Soon our eldest son was born. For me it was important to have a baby in Russia: I was afraid of giving birth in an unfamiliar country. A year after the birth of the first child, we collected our small property and flew to Africa.

At first, it seemed to me that I had fallen on another planet. This is the opposite part of the world! Absolutely everything surprised me: friendly people, unusual smells and unusual traditions. Back in Russia, I was worried about the local cuisine, but there were no problems with that. You can find almost all familiar products or replace them with others. And even the fact that some of the dishes they are used to eating with their hands has become commonplace for me.

Most of all, I was afraid of infections that Russians have heard about. However, we were lucky, and these ailments are over. The only disease that poses a real danger is malaria. But if treated in a timely manner, it passes within three days.

Upon arrival in Ghana, we were in a difficult situation. The husband could not immediately pass the qualifying exam and get a job. We were helped by relatives, and we didn’t need anything, but I could not sit idle. So the thought came to create an online store for African goods. Already then I was blogging, so my subscribers became our first clients. The store has been in existence for just over a year, and the progress makes us happy, because we started practically from scratch.

Life in sight

Ghana is not the best place for an introvert. The locals are very welcoming and open. They are accustomed to discuss each other, their whole life passes on sight. Being a white man in Ghana, you need to immediately tune yourself in, that all eyes will be focused only on you. Even I, at the sight of a European, cannot look away - as much as we get out of the big picture. And besides this, the Ghanaians are interested, because in Russia they also look at Africans with surprise.

Often the locals are suitable to get acquainted. They want to make friends, take pictures, ask about life and even invite to visit. Ghanaians appreciate when visitors speak with them at the same level, and if they still say a few words in the local language, they will become friends for them forever. Even if they cross certain boundaries, it is better to forgive them and not to run into a conflict. Just accept that they are like that.

Small children always greet a white man with a song about him. In response, you have to smile and wave. At first, this causes only positive emotions - you feel like a superstar. But over time, it begins to bother, because every step you take is accompanied by hails or songs. However, I also resigned myself to this.

Russia through the eyes of the Ghanaians

All Ghanaians are different, as are people of any nationality. In Ghana, many nationalities with their own characteristics. Historically different experiences make them unlike each other. The main ethnic group is Ashanti. They are very proud, consider themselves the main caste. But there is a feature that unites absolutely all Ghanaians - patriotism. Everyone is very proud to be from Ghana. It seems to me that the Russians and the Ghanaians are even somewhat similar. Only certain features characteristic of Russian in Ghana appear several times brighter.

The Ghanaians have very vague ideas about our homeland. For them, Russia is a rich European country with a huge number of vacancies in the labor market and high wages. All their knowledge comes down to the fact that in Russia it is cold and snowy all year round. It seems to them that everything is as it is in Western Europe. Ghanaians really want to come to work for us. And when they are told that Russia is not the best place for an African, they refuse to believe it.

Cold summer, hot autumn

We now live in a small town 400 kilometers from the capital. This is a regional center with a population of thousands of people 300, several hospitals, a couple of good hotels and a supermarket. We have a spacious house with a courtyard and garden where papayas, oranges and plane trees grow. It is clean, green, not as dusty and stuffy as in the capital.

Our city is located in the central part of Ghana. It is not as humid as in the south, but not as hot and dry as in the north. Such is the balance. The coolest time of the year is June-August, the so-called rainy season. At this time there is almost no sun, and the air temperature is 26-28 degrees. In December, the drought season begins, cold winds from the Sahara begin to blow. At this time it becomes cold at night, and during the day the sun is not visible because of the dusty suspension in the air that the wind brings. The hottest time is October-November and March-May, when the temperature rises to 36-38 degrees, and the air becomes humid due to rains.

I feel comfortable enough to live in such a climate. However, it’s not particularly possible to walk under the scorching sun - we leave the house after 16: 00. There are fans in every room under the ceiling, but now we hardly use them - apparently, we are used to it.

Ghanaian oddities

I have to observe Ghanaian traditions and customs, because I am responsible for the honor of my husband. For example, with the arrival of guests, I have to serve them, showing maximum hospitality. Some traditions we can neglect. A husband should not prepare and perform women's work, but Frank helps me and believes that there is nothing wrong with that.
One of the most unusual foundations, which I could not understand for a long time, is a free debt. In Ghana, it is customary to ask for money and lend it without return. In time, I simply took it for granted. I transferred cases of this nature to my husband, because he understands this more. I can trust him, because I know for sure that he will not deprive us.

One of the strangest traditions for our mentality is the Ghanaian funeral, an event that has been prepared for months. A deceased can be kept in the morgue for a long time, while relatives all over the world collect money, print banners, sew clothes, and also order a special coffin in the form of a mobile phone or the Bible. On this occasion, organize a whole celebration, which can advertise even in the local media.

From the outside it looks like a holiday: loud music, fun dances. They even hire dancers who carry the coffin dancing. If the deceased is an elderly person, then it is rather a celebration of life than the mourning of death. It’s just a different understanding of the situation, people with our mentality cannot understand it.

Cheap Ghana

Rental prices vary greatly by region. Renting a tiny house in the capital costs about 350 dollars per month, while for a few hundred kilometers a house with a plot will cost 70-75 dollars. Pay usually take two years in advance.

In Ghana, people most often buy land on which they build spacious one or two-story houses, but they rarely buy apartments. The bricks are made by hand, dried in the sun, and then the walls are laid.

The average salary in the country is 250-300 dollars. Oddly enough, the prices of products in Ghana are comparable to Russian ones. If you were here with 50 dollars in your pocket, you could afford a lot. For example, this amount would be enough for us: to rent our house for 2,5 weeks or an average hotel room for a day, pay for water or gas for four months, buy 35 portions of rice with sauce and chicken from street vendors or 14 meals in KFC, pay for 2,5 weeks of study in a good private school or buy about 30 gigabytes of mobile Internet.

Lack of doctors

Medical insurance in Ghana was introduced not so long ago, but it works poorly. The state delays employee benefits, which puts hospitals in an awkward position. Most services are still paid, including many basic supplies. Medical services in Ghana are expensive, and they are not available to everyone. In the hospital where my husband works, he is the only doctor, and this is not uncommon.

There are a large number of private clinics, and in the capital you can find any specialist. But the farther away from major cities, the worse the situation. Lack of professionalism, negligence and lack of equipment are the main health problems in Ghana.

Doctors have a special position in society. They earn good money and are universally respected. A specialist doctor can simultaneously work in different cities across the country: on Monday he is in one, on Tuesday - in the other, on Wednesday - in the third.

Local education

Ghanaian public schools resemble each other: small yellow-brown one-story buildings built around a football field. Each building is a class, inside there are only desks and a chalkboard. In the classroom it is dark: there are no light bulbs, the light comes through the windows. Local schools are still shocking to me.

Most private schools are not very different from the state. They are fenced with a fence, the walls are painted in bright colors, there is a playground in the courtyard, inside there are all the same dull desks and bare walls. A private school term will cost approximately 250-300 dollars.

Despite everything, Ghanaian education is considered very good, and English is highly literate. For my children, I dream of distance learning in a Russian program. Or about a decent school, which can be found here.

Wait and see

My parents accepted my choice and did not approve right away, but now the souls are not in love with their son-in-law. From friends I have never heard of negativity towards our union, for which they are immensely grateful.

Now I came with my children to visit their relatives in Russia. I really wanted the children to see their second homeland. Living in Ghana, they know a completely different world, I want to give them the opportunity to see both countries and adapt to different conditions of life.

There is no desire to return yet. At the moment, my husband has more professional prospects in Ghana, and we feel comfortable, even though we live in a third world country. What will happen next? Wait and see.

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