Since I don't focus on it in my blog: here's a list of culture shocks I've had in Gana!
Cars
Cars in Ghana are seemingly always broken. Either the front window or the seats, one day the filling of the car door fell out when I opened it. They're also dirty. Jed's right car door does only open when you press the little locking knob in front of the window from the inside. Also most Ghanaians neither have nor use seatbelts.
General safety
No seatbelts, seemingly no driving rules, streets full of holes... Also no working safety: the coconut vendors use machetes and construction workers barely have helmets. People loosely sit in trunks, sometimes bringing also loose and way to big metal pipes from one place to the other. Wood transports only secure the wood from the sides and are open in the back. Also not talking about Malaria and the sick looking dogs and cats everywhere.
Animals everywhere
Dogs, cats, chicken, goats, bats, lizards... they're everywhere and most of the "pets" look incredibly thin and unhealthy.
(The lack of) punctuality
Self-explanatory. Speaking from the majority of my experiences planning with Ghanaians almost seems impossible. "Be there at 9 am" - "Oh no, uh we'll make it around 1pm", is something that happened several times.
Empty promises (Reliability but I'm dramatic)
At our work we often had to triple check if something was actually done when we were told it was done (most of the times it wasn't). Also "studies" sometimes have been based on guesses/personal opinions and there are no reports of agreements, prices or other data, requesting it can be exhausting. In Germany this behaviour wouldn't fly, but we've already encountered it multiple times.
Not a culture shock, but the weather and day to night rythm?
The humidity, the dusty, dirty air, the hotness and burning sun. Even though I knew, I start to realize more and more how hard it hits me, especially at noon. Also the day ends and starts early, sun is down at 6pm every day. I'm not made for this enforced healthy schedule.
Toilet paper
Not really culture shock for me, since I've experienced it before, but you have to put your toilet paper in an extra bin. Imagine having your period, not yummy.
Water and food
If you're white/a Westerner like me, you cannot drink the tap water. Also before using it for your body you should let it flow for a short while. Same goes for the food: only eat food if it's cooked, baked, grilled, boiled or peeled. Never eat food that has been in contact with water (e.g. salad) and isn't hot. Also people here always eat meat: you have to eagerly communicate that you don't want, they will look at you like a car (German saying alert!) and then they'll give you egg instead. Plus, food is spicy (as a white person: what isn't? Huehuehue): for me it's fine but if you can't take spicy and don't eat meat: your doomed.
Women
Women are everywhere and nowhere. You see them carrying goods on their head and selling as vendors in the streets. You see them taking care of their children, you see them around their homes, in their community. You don't see them in high positions, maybe as secretaries, sitting there, not saying a thing. Only twice I have talked to a woman authority here and around six times to men (22.10.24). It is very obvious that women here are way less equal than in Germany.
Colonialism
Many people here are saying that they want back colonialism: in fact it is a popular opinion here. Before you're shocked, let me analyze it here out of my perspective as someone who has great interest in history:
In Ghana the democracy is uncompleted, politicians are taking the money that is for the people and the country for themselves, police is bribeable, basic infrastructure is lacking: (almost) no trains, at least not for people, bad streets, poverty, pollution...I could go on and on and on.
Colonialism was bad, postcolonialism actively is bad til now, but if you're a colonizer and you want the resources of a country, you have to build its infrastructure, you provide jobs, you govern the country. All of this for the sake of exploitation, but there is reliability. People don't want colonialism, they want reliability: a working system not an incomplete, corrupt one.
As tragic as it is, colonialism is idealized since it was the only (for the people memorable) time, Ghana had stability. Similar to the social media tradwife trend, people focus so much on the positive aspects of something in the past, that they totally overlook the negatives. It is pure idealization, that hides the wish for stability and a better time. Problem is, that you cannot just idealize colonialism, you need to see in the future and people don't seem to think that far when expressing their opinion.
Sexism
Yeah, uh how do I say that? I talk a lot about it in my blog. Sexism is thrown in here very casual. I'm not really happy to spend some months as a woman alone in Ghana soon.
There are many nice people, but generally not having a dick makes me feel unsafe :*)
Noise
Why is everyone SCREAMING?! On the radio, on TV, in the news, while discussing, at the market... just why?
Also why is there always so loud music? Whyyyyyy?!
And why do some cars have huge boxes on their roof and why are some people in the streets screaming into a microphone? Guys, my ears!
I'm really not used to this, especially Accra was overwhelming. Tamale on the other hand is pretty chill.
Working hours
At most places - apart from schools maybe - there are no working hours. At one hotel the receptionist slept under a blanket on the ground behind the counter. Many watch Instagram or Tiktok because they have nothing to do, except being at their job from 6am to 9:30pm. Also jobs like "carrying your drinks to your room" seem pointless and saddening. Great is also the 30days work/30 days rest schedule.
Engines
I've never heard engines sound this broken.
Smiles
When I first arrived here it seemed to me as if all the Ghanaians smile. This is because I come from a country were most people don't smile per default. So for me this was something I had to get used to, especially because I had to learn to distinguish between honest and non honest smiles. Some people just smile, because they want money or something else and this kind of gave me trust-issues.
Sleep
People sleep everywhere: on chairs, benches, tables, the ground...... real tbh
Accidental sustainability
Opposed to the plastic and water pollution in Ghana I found many aspects of life here to be non-purposely sustainable (those are solutions born out of poverty, but I still admire the creativity and sustainable advantages):
- Car sharing; Trotros, YellowYellows, Taxis and more, everything is shared
- Shoes; people create long-lasting shoes out of old tires
- Secondhand (okay this is a whole other issue but hear me out); people use secondhand gadgets and clothing
- Repairing: you can get almost everything repaired. E.g. your shoes at a random stand at the roadside.
Secondhand
It should be common knowledge by now, but Europe and the USA export nearly all old clothing (often donated) to Africa. Here it is seen as a cheap, unique and durable alternative, but it destroys local markets and is over all just a bit mean if you think about how we export clothing that we perceive as trash and here it nukes the infrastructure.
Caning
One of the hardest culture shocks for me to deal with is, that in Ghana it is still allowed to hit children. You shouldn't do it out of aggression, but to me it seems like this is still the case. For example: if your parents cannot afford the school fees you will be caned for it - it is none of your fault, as a child you don't have an income, but still it will happen. Also I believe that you shouldn't be punished for anything like that, this doesn't promote learning out of mistakes, but rather being scared of them.
To put it simple: in Germany physically or mentally abusing a child will make you got to jail for up to ten years. I totally and fully agree with this law and even though I cannot blame the people (who grew up this way and also experienced caning in their childhood), but rather the society for this behaviour, my attitude towards this practice won't ever change.