In Ghana patience is a virtue… I’m learning.

Example 1:

Busses, cars, and tros don’t leave until they are full… completely maxed out with about 10 more people than seats. And there is no set schedule when a vehicle is going to leave or when it is to arrive…

So the other day after one of my Hohoe excursions I went to the lorry station to catch a tro back to Kute… I was the second person to arrive that needed to go to Kute, and being that it was the larger bus that was going to Kute it was going to take FOREVER to fill. As I’ve been taught to always bring a book to read, and maybe even a second. I sat and waited, and waited and waited some more for the tro to fill. I could of gone off and done some shopping or gotten on the internet, but the vehicle leaves when its full, and I never know when that’s going to be. 4 hours later the tro was filled (I realized I could of biked home faster than taking a vehicle). Time to get my own set of wheels… two wheels.

Example 2:

Ghanaians work on their own time, and now I fully understand why it takes FOREVER to get anything done. I’ve been getting furniture made for my room (I really have no desire to sit in plastic chairs to hang out in for the next two years) so I’ve befriended a carpenter in town and I asked him to make me a chair thing… something, anything other than plastic. He agreed and asked when I wanted it by. I said next Friday (giving him 10 days) and he said he would get it done much faster than that… (yeah right). Friday rolled around… he was out of town. Sunday I saw him and he said that he would start on Monday…And I got it on the following Friday… Woot Woot.

Example 3:

I asked for a piece of land to farm on (more or less have my own garden so I can attempt to grow some other veggies that don’t exist in Ghana). I asked when I came for site visit… 2 months ago… and I’m still waiting. I ask my counter part about once a week if they have found a plot of land yet that I can farm and her answer is always the same… “yes” (but Ghanaians say yes to anything and everything because they don’t like to tell you they don’t know or want to be wrong). And then I ask if I can see it and she always responds with “I’m coming” (another typical thing to say in Ghana when really they are telling you they will be right back) and then she leaves… and when she does come back she tells me tomorrow… tomorrow has come and gone…

Example 4:

I’m suppose to be working with a group of farmers… suppose to be… and they keep telling me that I’ll meet them soon… when, who knows… I’m starting to wonder if there are really farmers… be patient Molly.