I realized recently how comfortable and at home I am in my village now. I realized this because I went somewhere out of my village, with people I dont know that well, who dont speak the best English.
I have have multiple different villages that I am assigned to work with while I am here. The next village over from where I live, not the one in which I live, is named Pompomsi. I remember the first time I went to Pompomsi and met the chief, the queen mother, and all the important people. This was the village where I told them in Krobo that I like dancing and music, and then an elderly woman made me dance with her. When I left that first time they gave me a huge bag of oranges and a young woman carried them for me to the edge of their village, where then John carried them. Anyway this young woman's name is Beatrice, and I saw her around where I live, and at the football gala, and other places. Then when she was going to the other other village beside the one i live, she came to visit me and I walked with her where she was going (to collect some jeans from someone over there). When I went with her I completely forgot that she was already my friend Beatrice and I thought she was just another random person that was interested in me because I am the white person. I didnt remember her face. So I was asking her where she lived and things, and I said I would come and visit her. The next day I did not visit her, I dont really remember why, I think I may have told too many people that I would visit them and so it didnt happen. So then the next time she saw me she asked me why I didnt come and it was then that I remembered who she was from the beginning.
Okay so I felt guilty for forgetting so the day after that I went to visit her. It is kind of a long walk but on my way to her village I actually ran into her because she was going to give some pots back to someone in my village. So we walked together, and I came and met her family and now I know her house. Her aunt is my namesake (Mamle) and her mother is my namesake (Nakie) and her neighbor is my namesake (Awisi). I have many names...Mamle means you are the third born female of your mother. Awisi means you were born on sunday, and Nakie is the queen mother name that they gave me. This visit to Beatrice occurred during a time where I would walk around with a notebook and pen and talk with anyone who was willing to teach me some Krobo. Her neighbors were more than willing to show me things and they liked hearing what else I had written that day. I guess that time was the beginning of when I started walking around to get to know everyone and as I met people several common phrases came up. And by common I mean everyone said the same things: They liked my hair, what was I using in my hair, the insects were biting me and I should be wearing long trousers and long sleeves, why didnt I have earrings, if you are a female Krobo you must have earrings, and my skin color was very beautiful. So as we were talking Beatrice's mother said something about some event in Somanya that they would take me to, but I didnt know what exactly she was talking about. I thought she meant they would take me to see the Dipo celebration because everyone seems to ask me about Dipo because they know I did the dance at the naming ceremony.
A couple weeks went by and I didnt think anything of it because many times people say they will do things and then those things dont happen. Then I saw Beatrice and she told me that we would go that Thursday to Somanya. It turned out that my cp John couldnt come. So when the time came I went with Beatrice, her father, and some guy I hadnt met before named Phillip. It turns out we werent going to Somanya, we were going to Odumase. And when I asked what we were going to do when we got there Beatrice just said we were doing some program, and when I asked where we would go once we got there her father just said Somanya. We didnt really go to Somanya, we just went through Somanya. The place that we were was the chief's palace in Odumase, where they were having a gathering concerning the new chief. It was sort of like a celebration I suppose. When I walked in there was a compound full of people, and two old women (one that I had met before, one I hadnt) that ran up and attacked me with hugs, saying "Atu, atu" which means welcome. Then there were all the men that ran up to talk to me, and tell me they would marry me etc. Then there was an elder who I had met before that held my hand and ran around with me, until finally he sat me in a chair up in the veranda with all the chiefs that had come to the event, and he sat me directly across from where the new chief would sit. I realized that these were all chiefs and I needed to greet them but I couldnt remember the right thing to say, I could only remember the responses. So I just went up and did the little hands on the knees bow thing that you are supposed to do when respectfully greeting. It worked out okay because the elder who I knew told them what the deal was with me, and actually the chief of Pompomsi was also there even though I didnt remember who he was. I was looking at him trying to figure out where I knew him from but didnt remember, later he reminded me that he was the chief. So while the Elder was explaining my purpose to them, they were speaking in Krobo and I couldnt understand and the oldest of all the chiefs looked really angry and the only word I could pick out of what they were saying was "Blefono" which means white person. It was uncomfortable for me because I really didnt have a purpose for being there except to see what goes on there, in the Krobo culture, but all that was going on really was important Krobo men discussing things and drinking. All the women there were busy cooking, and some younger men were there but didnt sit in the veranda, I'm pretty sure it was only the chiefs up there. and me. Then the new chief came, and he was pretty young and he was happy to talk to me in English and he was nice but then he brought me to sit with him and told me he would make me his throne wife. I was joking with them about this but then some of them old men were saying stuff in Krobo that I couldnt understand and doing a sort of maniacal laugh afterward and I started to feel uncomfortable again, like I had been brought there as a spectacle. It was not my favorite Peace Corps moment but it really did show me the value of my counterparts protectiveness, and made me realize how the people in my village treat me very well, and also how awesome the food is that John's wife cooks. The food I ate at the event, while it was yams which I like with a stew that I like, it was so full of fish bones that I couldnt get a single bite without fish bones, tons, and I had to eat them because someone super important from Pompomsi made the food for me and she was watching me eat it. So I also now know that I have the ability to eat fish bones. All in all it was a learning experience I suppose, but really I didnt care about meeting a lot of those people because I wont be working with them. And the people who took me there were trying to take me as a spectacle, they are just excited that I am living with them and they are proud to take me places. So the biggest reason I went was to strengthen my relationship with them, even though we didnt talk a lot at the event, I think it was a good decision to go. I dont want people to think that I will only go somewhere if my counterpart goes. As they say here, I want to be free with everyone.
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