"My name is Adjua," I said as I shook someone's hand. The shack uproared with hearty Ghanaian laughter.

"Ah...you were born on a Monday!" he said. "They have taught you well."

Children in Ghana are named after the day of the week on which they were born. Adjua, meaning Monday, is my new Ghanaian name.

Yesterday's game of Scrabble taught me a great deal about the shack.

Scrabble Game Rules (abridged version):

"1. All the letter tiles are turned face downwards or kept in a bag. To decide who will start the game, each player picks out one tile and the person drawing the letter nearest to ‘A’ plays first.

2. Each player picks seven tiles and places them on a ready-made rack, where only that player can see them.

3.The first player puts the letters on the board to make a word, either ‘across’ or ‘down’ (as in a crossword), with one letter of the word on a central square. The score is recorded, including any double or triple allowance for tiles placed on premium squares...

4. A bonus of 50 points is awarded to any player who uses all seven tiles in one move.

5. The first player picks out from the unused tiles the same number of tiles as was used to make the word...

6. The next player has to add another word, joining or interlocking with the word on the board...

7. All new words must use at least one of the letters that is already on the board.

8. Players score for any word made or changed by their moves – but premium bonuses apply only the first time that letters are played.

9. Instead of laying down a word, any player can exchange any number of tiles from their rack for new tiles from the ‘bank’...

10. The game ends when all the tiles have been used and one player has laid down all his or her tiles, or nobody can think of new words to place on the board...

11. The winner is the player with the highest score.

Variations:
There are several variations of Scrabble. Double-Bag Scrabble divides the tiles into two separate bags: one for vowels, the other for the consonants. Scrabble for Juniors is a boxed game using a two-sided board: on one side, children can play a normal game of Scrabble except that there only 13 by 13 squares and the scoring is simplified; on the other side, young children have to place letter tiles on words already printed on the board. Solitaire Scrabble is for one player only. Unscrabble (or Scrabble in Reverse) involves removing letters from the board: players remove between one and six tiles from the board at each move, but the letters they leave must spell proper words interlocked with one another. This game ends when nobody can remove any more tiles from the board, and the winner is the player whose stock of removed tiles makes the highest score." (Source: http://www.askoxford.com/wordgames/scrabble/scrabblerules/?view=uk)


Shack Life Rules

1. All the customers at the shack come between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. The first customer depends on who approaches the shack earliest in the morning. The customer closest to 7:30 a.m. is first.

2. Each customer buys one of seven things: soda, water, beer, juice, buiscuits, crackers, or a phone card.

3. The first customer buys from either Doris or myself. The purchase is recorded in a notebook, including any multiple purchases.

4. A high five is given to any customer who buys all seven items because they are promoting privately owned businesses, which account for approximately 80 percent of Ghana's economy, according to Daniel Tetteh of Ashesi University.

5. The sales girl refills the refrigerator or shelf with the same thing the customer just purchased.

6. The next customer has to buy another item, continuing the sales for the day.

7. All new customers must buy something that has already been purchased by previous customers.

8. Customers pay for any item they choose -- but discounts only apply on occassion.

9. Instead of making a purchase, any customer can sit in the shack and read the newspaper.

10. The day ends when it is time to close, or when it is too dark to see inside the shack because of loss of power.

11. The winner is the customer who leaves happiest.

Variations:
There are several variations of Shack Life. Double Shack Life divides the work load into two different shops. This means the owner has two or more shops. Shack Life for Juniors is an illegal practice, but remains common in Ghana, according to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). Solitaire Shack Life is for one owner only. UnShack Life (selling or ending shack business) involves taking everything out of the shack, but leaving the structure of the shack in good condition. This game ends when nobody can take anything else from the shack, or when nothing else can be sold. The winner is the buyer whose collection of goods was purchased for the lowest price.

Stealing is unacceptable. Corruption has been steadily increasing in Ghana since 1996, according to Tetteh. Income levels have forced people to engage in acts of corruption on both political and economic levels.