Although English is the official language of Ghana, many people here in the north only speak the local dialects. Mampruli is the most common language spoken around Nalerigu. I've tried to learn some basic Mampruli, although I haven't gotten as I wanted and at times still try to talk to the patients in Portuguese or pick out Portuguese words in the songs at church. :)
Greetings are a big deal here and there seems like a hundred different greetings! I have mastered the usual good morning, good afternoon, good evening but there are different greetings for people working, for a group of people versus 1 person, for someone eating, for someone walking, for someone carrying water... and who knows what else! Every morning on the way to the hospital I walk past the maintenance guys and attempt to greet them. I can now say “Good morning” and the proper morning follow up “How are you?” but then they will say something else and I'll start laughing or say what I think may be right in the form of a question. They all laugh but since I'm laughing too I guess it's ok.
On Friday I was talking to one of my patients and I thought she asked how I was doing and I said “Alafia” which means “Doing well” but then my interpreter informed me she was asking how my husband was doing. When I said, “Oh, I don't have a husband”, her reply was that she would take me home and let me share her husband! FYI - It is not uncommon for men to have multiple wives here, a concept I still don't understand how these women can be ok with! But I decided that I'll just got back to saying “Alafia” whether they are asking how I am doing or about my husband... ignorance is bliss and I don't think I want any more women offering to share their husbands with me!
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