Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Want to play tennis in Ghana?

I don't know about you, but I've been riveted to the TV, watching the Wimbledon championships, enjoying my favorites: the Williams sisters. When they first burst on the scene, I was surprised to hear that tennis was considered a "white" sport. The most popular sport in Ghana and most countries is soccer or football. But the second most popular one is tennis. After work, most people head for the tennis courts and play until dark. Most of the courts used to be grass, but now there are lots of clay courts and some hard courts. On Saturdays and Sundays, people play in the mornings, followed by a long, leisurely brunch. Players drink beer as well and sit chatting in loud voices until about four when they start drifting home. In fact, about once a month or so, there's a party after the games where guests eat, drink and dance until late at night. In most clubs, the men seldom bring their wives, because, ahem, that's when girl-friends show up. Go figure!!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Wetting my feet

I'm new to blogging, but I'm going to do my best!

Last Saturday, my best male friend in Ghana got married. Good luck to him! I really like the bride. But you know what's funny? The wedding was yesterday although they were already married. Ghanaians are so funny. They do traditional marriages, called an "engagement", a rather elaborate and expensive ceremony unifying the two families. The man has to buy all kinds of things for the girl: clothes, ring, Bible, jewellry and booze for the family. That's marriage. But thanks to past British colonialism, Ghanaian girls don't feel properly married unless they've said I do the western way. Which is why half the time, the girls are pregnant at the altar, something that makes foreign missionaries frown--yikes, they had sex before marriage! Anyway, congratulations twice to the not-so-newly-weds!