Obaa skul ye Ghana shi New York ni ojee. Ba ni oba hea nii ye bee.

Pronounced: Oh-bah-skool-yay-Ghana-chi-New York-nee-oh-jeh. Bah-nee-oh-bah-hee-nee-yee-bee-eh.

Means: I am an exchange student in Ghana from New York. Come and buy things from my shop.

Doris is the new sales girl. She taught me how to speak Ga, one of two local languages. But don't kid yourself, I am not an expert. And yes, I do get funny looks when I ask "Mi ni obaa hea?" which means, "What are you buying?" It makes for a good laugh. And with luck, a good sale. And with time, a good friend.

Shack Life: Fun. And educational.

So why am I spending hours a day working at a shack? No, I am not getting paid. No, I am not getting extra credit. And no, there are not several small monkeys running around the shack who play with us and serve crepes and nutella.
Too random?

The reason is because there is no reason not to. I get to wear an apron, meet the regulars, pop open a few Cokes, have some laughs, help out a local family. And because of three letters we call T.I.A. This Is Africa. So dive right in. But don't forget your Malaria pills.




In Ghana, there is a fabulous series of pocket sized children books that exist for the purpose of providing children with good moral education. One is titled, "Play It Cool, I'm a Virgin." Another is called "I turned My Wife Into A Snake and Sold Her For Money." And yet another is titled, "Doctor Please Kill My Baby." Moral of the baby-killing Story: If you have sex without a condom, your baby will have the soul of your sinful ancestor who has come back to haunt you. Please kids, just wear condoms.