You are Welcome

By Puneet Goenka
(This post was typed up in Ghana two weeks ago but is being posted now)

It’s been the same drill every day, irrespective of whether I meet an influential Government official from the Ministry of Health or a community health worker at a tiny health center outside of Accra.  I sit down, make sure my phone is on silent, take out my notebook and pen, and hear the words “You are welcome” with a 5 second pause that follows.  If I took too long and fumbled to find a pen in my bag, I would hear it a second time, “You are welcome” – same tone, same patience, same warmth. 

Taking the term quite literally, Ghanaians I met didn't wait for you to be thankful to welcome you into their space.  And so even though I know a formal thank you isn’t expected or required, I’ll say it anyway.

Thanks for being so warm – literally and otherwise

Coming here from Johannesburg where winter was setting in it was good to feel the heat and humidity.  The cloudy, rainy, humid weather was perfect and was a good consolation for missing out on Bombay’s monsoon season back home.  And if the rainy weather is coupled with deliciously giant mangoes, how could I not be happy and content.

Peacocks hanging out outside the hotel

Roadside lunch

But beyond the weather, people I met in Ghana exuded a warmth that was genuine.  I was invited over to join a group of strangers at a restaurant when they realized I was dining alone.  A few Government officials didn’t shy away from putting their hand on my shoulder while chatting with me (this may seem as an invasion of personal space from a U.S. perspective, but from another perspective it signals affection, friendliness, and cooperation).  Colleagues made sure I knew about all the vegetarian food options around work so I don’t struggle to find lunch.  The kids and security guards around my apartment building got a cab for me, helped load my suitcases in the trunk, said their goodbyes and saw me off as though I were a close friend or family member.

Thanks for being so safe

Not that I am recommending it as common practice or even common sense, but my ground level apartment door would inadvertently stay unlocked every third night.  I’d step outside for something, come back in and forget to lock the door before going to bed.  That’s how safe I felt.  After safety and crime always being at the back of mind thanks to the endless warnings I got in Johannesburg, it was a great feeling to roam around freely again – not worrying if my wallet can be easily flicked or if my phone is too prominent in my pocket.

I felt safer in Accra than I have in some large U.S. cities.

Thanks for being so fun

It doesn’t matter whether you’re at the beach, waiting in the check-out line at the grocery store, or traveling on a bus – dancing just seems to be a way of life.  If you hear music, changes are extremely high that someone around you is being not-so-subtle about swinging their hips, moving their hands, or tapping their feet rhythmically.  Even though I didn’t partake in it myself, it was fun watching people be so carefree and comfortable with themselves. 

But I know saying thank you is not the Ghanaian way of doing things, so I’ll just end by saying, you are welcome. 

Slave prison/dungeon at Cape Coast

Learning how to cook Ghanaian food

Republic Day at Labadi Beach