Reflections

People are different. People are the same.  Groups of people are the same way - different from and the same  as other groups of people.  This was what was running through my head as I sat in the bedroom and thought about what I had seen, heard, talked about, and felt since being here in Ghana.

Like, when my kids I was evaluating for their knowledge of the English alphabet not saying all the letters 'correctly'.  They'd say "Gee" (like the first part of geek) for our letter "E", "jayn" for "G", and "vayn" for "V", as well as "zed" for "Z".  These don't sound like English letters, but neither does "elemenope" for "L, M, N, O, P" when average American kids sing the alphabet without an adult directing them, or when a child with a speech impediment tries to say a word that uses sounds they have difficulty with.  Yet, they know when they're right.  And they don't like it when you think they're wrong.  The kids I marked wrong on letters they weren't sure on, didn't question it.  They tried again, but didn't try to convince me they were right.  The kids who had just pronounced the letters differently than I was expecting were very adamant that they were right. They would draw the letter in the air and try to tell me again and again, very clearly, what letter they meant.  They thought I was just hearing them wrong, not that they were wrong.  And, when I've worked with kids in the US, they're very vocal about being right, especially when they know they're right.  They'll stomp around and try to write it, say it, draw it, and bring a friend over to tell you they're right.  Even though the language is different, and the modes available to express their frustration are different, the idea behind their expressions is similar.

Kids explore things with their hands, mouths, and any other part of their body that they can, usually.  My kids in the US stick marbles, food, even dog poop if I'm not watching in their mouths and nose, sometimes ears.  My Ghanaian kids do the same thing.  One of the major differences I saw was that, in Ghana, the kids aren't generally reminded not to stick things in their mouths like kids in the US are.  They might take my hand and, wanting to meet me and understand what they're holding, they'll put my hand in their mouth or lick me.  In the US, most people would scold the child, saying something like, "You're not supposed to lick/bite other people. That's rude."

The other way I found the explorations different was in the force of their physical movements.  Kids in the US will touch everything, maybe push on it, kick it, drop it, or slap it.  But, generally, they don't do any of this in the repetitive, forceful way I saw kids in Ghana doing it.  For example, when I've taken care of a group of American kids who don't necessarily know each other all the way, they'll reach out and maybe touch each other's faces or hang onto their hands.  Ghanaian kids will reach out and punch someone.  They're still learning about their environment and others by touch - it's just a different kind of touch.  It surprised me at first, how violent these kids seem.  They actually do hurt each other quite often.  They also learn to deal with it though.  When they get hurt because of someone else hitting them, they cry, sit down, look around, notice that no one is going to help them, and stop.  Soon, they're right back into the game or fight.

As time goes on, I'll notice a lot more of the differences and similarities in a way I can write down so they make sense. I'll wait until the time in my trip when I noticed them so you can follow my experience as much as possible.  Keep in mind, please, people are more the same than they are different.