Did you know that the time in Ghana is actually different from the time
anywhere else? Yes it is.
You see in other parts of the world, people read the time on a clock and
stick to it. Elsewhere if someone tells you ‘I’ll be there in fifteen minutes’, you can expect to meet them in fifteen minutes. In Ghana, that same sentence means an entirely
different thing and you need to know these three tips to know exactly when they
are coming – or if they are coming at all!
Welcome to Ghana, where we have our own concept of time!
First, know the basic sentences.
English; I'm on my way ; Pidgen; I
dey road top dey come;
MISTAKEN MEANING; I have set off
ACTUAL MEANING; I have nothing major to do BEFORE I set off / or all the
things I have to do before setting off will not take longer than 35 minutes.
ESTIMATE ARRIVAL TIME; 35 minutes + Normal distance travel time + 10
minutes extra for no reason!
Second, listen to the tone
ENGLISH; I'm already here, where are you?;
Pidgen; I dey here, where you dey?
MISTAKEN MEANING; I'm already here and seated.
ACTUAL MEANING; This is tricky. Listen carefully to measure how much
emphasis they place on the ‘you' in English. In Pidgen, they'll repeat the ‘you’
twice like ‘where you, you dey?’ that means the person is actually within 3
minutes of your planned meeting place. If there is no emphasis on the ‘you’,
give them 10 minutes! Yes! many of us actually think arriving 10 minutes late is being on time! Some
even think that’s being too early and shows we are too eager!
ESTIMATE ARRIVAL TIME; 3 - 10 minutes depending on emphasis!
Third, prepare for a no show
ENGLISH; That will take me a while.
Pidgen; I go cher small, give me
small time.
MISTAKEN MEANING; They’ll come in about 2 hours
ACTUAL MEANING;
This is as honest as it gets.
ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME; Unknown. Roughly anything
from 3 hours to infinity!
WARNING
These estimates only work for the more punctual people and it assumes that the
person is eager to see you. You may have to wait longer or forever if any of
these are not true because some people are notorious for making people wait
for ridiculous times.
What is the most annoying time someone has ever made you wait for? We can't
wait to hear it!
2 comments:
interesting piece... some indeed have got a poor sense of time. Whatever the occasion, the punctual minority would have to be held hostage until the late majority shows up. It is a sad state of affairs but hey, there are some who definitely mean business.
Samuel, yes it is sad that the punctual ones are the minority!
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