Who am I? (18 September 2008)

I have to get used to being seen. By this I mean that it is very hard for me to go unnoticed here in Ghana. Because I am white. I am accustomed to being able to blend in, to hang out in the background if I so desire, but such is not possible here. I am frequently greeted with "obruni" which roughly means "white person". Children holler it as I pass by; adults sometimes introduce me that way (what, as if people cannot see that I am not Ghanaian?). Additionally, people just want to interact with you (anyone "white") - I am frequently asked for my phone number, one gentleman stated that he would like to have a "white female friend". From talking to the male Fulbright teacher who is also on exchange in Ghana, he too feels as if he is always on stage, but does not get asked for a phone number nearly as frequently. On Saturday we were both asked if we could take someone to the U.S. with us - there is apparently a belief that Americans can just invite someone to come to the States, and it will happen; in fact I have no control over the granting of visas by the American Embassy.

I am also "Becky" here, despite the fact that I never introduce myself that way. Part of me understands that it is common here for names to be shortened, but I am not Becky, I have never been Becky, and never desired to be. I am, and always will be, Rebecca. (Okay, the one exception is Mrs. Duran in the JEB Stuart front office - she can call me Becky.) I am also Aunty Becky to some people, Aunty and Uncle being common here, seemingly substitutes for Sir and Ma'am. Honestly, sometimes it takes me a while to realize someone is talking to me. I was out for a walk today and was hailed by a boy who was trying to get my attention by calling "Aunty". I had no idea at first that he was talking to me.

Classes have officially started as of Wednesday 17 September, but I do not even feel like a teacher yet either. Wednesday was the day for teachers to meet with their students from last year and go over final exams. I will not see my Government class until Monday (unless the Timetable/Schedule changes before then), and they are the only students I will see for more than a month. As previously mentioned, the incoming Form 1, or freshman, students will not be arriving until mid-October since they have not yet received notice of the school they will be attending, and once they arrive will undergo orientation, so I will not be teaching my three Social Studies classes until the end of October.