The Real Ghana (What Nobody Tells You About Moving to Ghana) Brace Yourself

Aquava and welcome to Expat Life Ghana. I'm Ayo and this is Tony and we're documenting our move from Texas to Ghana as we go beyond the return. This video what no one tells you about moving to Ghana. Let's get this video started. All right let's front load this a little bit. I love Ghana and I love living here. Yeah yeah this man never ever wants to go back to the states. Yep you got that right. Too much happening over there. I feel like I could never be at peace like I am here. So now that you've moved here and been living here for going on three years, what are the things that nobody tells you about moving to Ghana? Well I feel like I had a pretty good idea since we visited here before the move. And I have Pop and you as reference points. I kind of knew what I was getting into. Um well I got one. I knew you would. Nobody tells you that dairy is not a thing here. Yeah that's your biggest complaint. Cheese. Hey cream cheese sour cream. Coming out of Texas I miss queso. Yeah taco does sound really good like with some sour cream and cheese. Yeah all right but that's just part of it right. It's not just the cheese. I think the first thing nobody tells you specifically is that most of your like comfort foods or your favorite foods or like your snack foods are just not they're just not accessible. Yes they are. Your favorite food is fufu. Oh okay well like even like the candy situation like candy here is just it's not as sweet. It just tastes different and the chips like they're not the same. The crackers are even just every there's it's all it's all different. You're just meant to eat local food then. If you're on board with that then you're good. Right I mean I can get myself down with some sweet plantain chips but when I'm feeling like noshy I just there's just not as much snack food or your like favorite comfort foodie things especially dairy treats. You know what else is a lot of obese people. Okay all right you got that one. Okay another thing that nobody tells you is that you just get to be you here in Ghana. I feel like that's not a big secret for anyone who watches this channel. You tell them that all the time. Yeah but you know there's something to that feeling and I don't think you you can just explain your way to that you know. They have to experience what that's like to be free of your race. I get that. I mean we always talk about how you and I experienced America differently because I had the benefit of time here when I was younger and my father raised me as an immigrant kid and y'all first gens out there know what I'm talking about when I say that. Yeah right and and I'm really glad that our kids get to have this experience and see what life is beyond their race and grow up as individuals and not as black kids. Yeah that's pretty cool. I mean I get that. But speaking of kids nobody tells you that Ghana is super non-kid. Wait is that like there's it's not kid-friendly. Maybe that's what I need to say. But it's getting better. We were just at a new mall here in Ghana and they had a kids playground. They did. They had a little water thing. Well yeah but there was like no one playing in it and I was like they all know how to play with it. They don't know what it is like. What is that? That play area over there what is that for? Exactly I was leaving like are we allowed to use this or is this just like for show? I even I was like I didn't know. Yeah but it was there and places like the new trampoline park and the go track go-kart track you know they're great for kids. But here's the thing there's there's not like systemic pieces in it like there's no parks local parks or libraries or those like neighborhood-y based things that kids do as part of kids life. They're just like in and around the house. They're here they're just more spread apart. They aren't in every neighborhood. I was just shocked to find that there's an actual library here in Tema. Threw me off. Where did you find that? Community One. Threw me off. I know that one a little bit. When I was coming up we were always out in the alley or on our bikes and didn't have some big old play infrastructure you know. But I get what you're saying. Kids here are out there playing soccer and doing things though. Okay another thing well and you say that but it's like it was a different time then. It was a different time then. Yeah all we had to play with was outside. You want to go play with outside? Yes absolutely. Well another thing that you have to know is that as a woman you're still you're going to be in a very male-dominated culture where women are treated just a little differently than what we're accustomed to. Yeah we've we've talked about that a little here on the channel before. Yeah but I just think like I want to have that out there you can say okay okay I get it but nobody really tells you what it's like on the ground as a woman to be like superwoman every day in your American life and then come here and have kind of people slight you in obvious and not so obvious ways just because of your gender. I think it's getting better over time more women are being more vocal. Maybe but it's something any strong black American woman has has to be ready for when they enter this space kind of adopting a less entitled and more passive demeanor. You disagree? There are some ladies out there right now yelling at the screen. I'm sure there are. I get what you're saying but I just think you know Ghana was just ranked number one in female entrepreneurship and I just think all those ladies out there gonna get it. But how many of those ladies are entrepreneurs supporting a man while also raising all the kids doing all the cooking cleaning of the house is that life satisfaction as high or do they have to now play all the female roles and then take on some of the male roles? That was too much. Join the conversation drop a comment below and let us know what you think. Okay it is what it is. How about one more from you? I think nobody tells you how much bribery and scams and haggling really play into your daily life. For real yikes. You know there is just this dash culture here that is unlike anything you've experienced and it takes some getting used to. It's just so blatant yeah like just so in your face. I think even when you know it's coming it's like nerve-wracking or frustrating. But I think it's just how Ghana is so you just have to get used to it. I think you know the more out there getting used to it the more it's like you know you don't even think about it. Okay but that don't mean I gotta like it. No but you gotta live with it. You know I think the other thing that nobody tells you about is like the public amenities. What do you mean? I mean like when you have to use the restroom in public places. Oh the lack of public amenities. Yes. Just go on the side of the road like everybody else. I don't get it. No thank you and that's the thing though. You come here all let me drink my eight bottles of water so I can stay hydrated and then you realize the gravity of where am I gonna go potty. Someone commented that you shouldn't talk about the bathrooms like they're coming to the bush you know gonna have people coming in with a full suitcase of tp you know. No no there's plenty of toilet paper y'all but there isn't is a good selection of feminine products so pack that. Yeah and you know what trips me out here sometimes is grown men saying I gotta go wee-wee like a little kid. They actually say oh I gotta go wee-wee. Do you say that like all ages grown men? I hit puberty I gotta go take off so that's different. That is. It's like people will say that to me I try not to laugh in their face and I'm biting my tongue not to laugh. My dad used to say it like that it was always funny to me too. Like 75 year old man. Right. Hi I'm Leo subscribe right now. Things that folks talk about a lot is you know the people here in Ghana and how friendly they are. They are they are because they'll tell you when they gotta go wee-wee but what they don't tell you is that you still have to be a little bit on guard even when people are really friendly towards you because as a wise elder once told us don't trust anybody. I know dude said don't trust nobody and I appreciate that. You talk about you know people being friendly and my thing is the friendly they are the less I'm trusting them. Really but like that's the thing when you come to Ghana like everybody's so friendly. I'm like what's your angle? Yeah it is a little bit of that don't trust anybody. He said what'd he say he said I don't trust my wife I don't trust my kids if my mama was here god bless her so I wouldn't trust her. I was like why? He was like sometimes I don't even trust myself. I was like dang. He has a point though I mean the people are friendly but they're not all genuine so some of them really just see you as a as a meal ticket. Yep as easy money. And others see that blue passport and they want to marry you. If you ain't been proposed to in your first week in Ghana something is wrong with you. And that includes my married friends out there too they're coming for you too. Who's coming for you? Who's coming for you? I ain't married I'm happily married so they ain't coming for me. I feel like um they're coming for you. I feel like this was not a very organized list so let's do a like a recap okay. All right things no one tells you about Ghana. Yes first you will probably not have access to your comfort foods or snack foods like you do in the states. Second you get to be you your authentic you your unapologetic you. Third not a lot for the kids in terms of like non-paid infrastructure. Fourth is bribery is a thing it's a dash culture. Fifth is the amenities are better than you expected but not as common as you'd like them to be. Is that fair? Fair enough. Six people are friendly but that doesn't mean they are trustworthy. Seven you are going to be proposed to like a couple of times. Yeah that's a good list. You didn't object to that couple of times. It's very true. I think I think I have one more. Okay what is it? Number eight your money doesn't go as far as you think it's going to go. Like your American life here in Ghana is more expensive than your American life in America. I mean it's not as okay yeah you're right. People comment they get all those CDs and they think they are balling. They get them stacks. But that money goes fast. Right? Very fast. Like in and out. Yeah and we've talked about that before. But they don't tell you how fast it all flies. Like it's like oh I can eat for five dollars a day in Ghana and I'm all like where's that huh? Okay then I have one more too. What's that? Number nine you're going to wonder why you didn't get here sooner. Is that what you think? Absolutely. I wish I had come to Ghana sooner. Well you're here now so you just have to enjoy it while you can. Yes I am. With that if you are out there debating on when a good time is to come to Ghana it's now. If you're planning your return to our Facebook group so you can connect with folks just like you. And if you are planning your first trip to Ghana check out what we have to offer on our website at expatlifegana.com including full service tours, airport pickups and drop-offs, and day trips to see the best of Ghana. Plus we now offer accommodations at our lodge. Check out the rooms and full service options online at expatlifegana.com. Hit that like button if you're still here with us and subscribe. And don't forget to hit the notification bell so you can join us here the last Friday of every month live on YouTube. Yep and with that, ciao for now. I saw this post in one of the Facebook like the Facebook group posts and it was like how come every time I see men they look happy. Ghanaian men look happy and the Ghanaian women look sad. And I was like aww. And then it turned into like gender wars underneath it. Do you think that's true? Do you think like somebody else made a comment about Ghana women look so sad. And I was like huh. I don't see it. No? You don't? Okay. There's a big gender thing on there. All right. Maybe it's the time of day you're looking at. So about seven o'clock in the evening going home nobody's happy.