thesaurus

my peace corps service will be ending in less than six months. it is a strange thing to think about. 

going home will be weird. it will be one of those times in your life when you know you've changed, but you can't see where or how because it has been gradual, and then being back in a new, yet old environment will make everything seem very drastic.

i know i have changed. 

one way is my speech. i use ghanaian english a lot. sometimes it is on purpose, either teasingly or simply to make a point clear to the ghanaians with whom i am communicating, but sometimes it just slips in, even when i am with other americans or even talking on the phone to family. 

because of that, i suspect i'll have trouble with that when i get back to america.

so, when you talk to me in america in six months, here is what you need to know about my vocabulary:

"somehow" means "kind of" or "somewhat."

"small small" means "a little bit."

"paa" after anything means "very."

"are you having?" means "do you have?"

"i'll go and come" or "i'm coming" means "i'll be right back."

"moto" means "motorcycle" or "motorbike."

"watah" means "water."

"link" (as in "the link is down") means "internet."

"small time" means "see you later" or "talk to you later."

repeating any word (such as "more-more-more" or "small-small-small") means emphasis or very (this one is more sign language than ghanaian english though!).

"pick" means "pick up" or "get" or "answer the phone."

"cock" means "rooster."

"drop" means to exit a taxi or bus.

"two days" means "it's been a long time since i've seen you."

"pants" means "underwear."

"trousers" means "pants."

"in fact" means "i agree" or "it's true."

"sorry" means "that's unfortunate" or "i'm sorry" (regardless of whether it is my fault).

"flash" means to call someone and then hang up before they answer, the ghanaian equivalent of voicemail.

"football" means "soccer."

"abah" means "ugh!" or "come on!"