Obro Tro 8/21/2016
So, as I mentioned earlier an obruni is the Ghanaian word for a foreigner. The next word I have for you is "tro tro." This is a form of Ghanaian public transportation. I hesitate to compare it to a bus. It is more like organized chaos on wheels. When I first heard of the tro tro, I vowed never to set foot on one, it sounded like a death trap.
The tro tros travel on designated routes. There is the driver that drives the tro tro. Then there is the mate. He collects the money and hangs out of the van as it careens through the streets and he shouts things like "Cra Cra Cra" meaning that they are headed toward Accra. Or the mate might be shouting "Circ Circ Circ," which obviously means that they are headed towards the "circle" where you can transfer to a different tro tro. The third person you will always find on a tro tro is some random woman that silently sits beside the driver and she somehow never breaks her stare, even when the tro tro drives off the road to pass a car in the fourth lane, this is terrifying when you realize there are actually only two lanes of traffic.
The tro tro costs around 1 cedi. That's about twenty five cents state side. I think about how much people spend to try skydiving, swimming with sharks, bungee jumping, climbing Mount Everest. I can risk my life and be an adrenaline junky for only twenty five cents! So once you have successfully entered the tro tro you immediately become very close to those around you. It's a lot like being in a can of sardines. Come to think of it, tro tros usually smell a lot like sardines on the inside...remember, ac isn't a thing here. After that you hold on and enjoy the ride of your life!
I would advise against a window seat. When the driver thinks it's necessary to actually stop at a red light(also assuming that the traffic lights happen to be working that day)the local women balancing baskets on their heads now have the obruni trapped. These women will come to your window and stare you down until you cave and buy whatever it is that they are selling. Could be sugarcane, could be coconuts, could be tiger nuts, could be gum,could be water, could be q-tips, could be toilet paper, could be a chicken, could be some foreign substance in a foreign container, maybe a steering wheel cover, phone credit perhaps. Who needs Walmart, this brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "window shopping".
My first few weeks in Ghana felt like one long ride on what I now call my "Obro tro," I found myself holding on for dear life, not sure where I was going, not sure what I was eating, not sure who was around me, I wasn't sure about anything really. It's been a lot of over stimulation and I'm exhausted all of the time. But I am now an obro tro junky!!!
The tro tros travel on designated routes. There is the driver that drives the tro tro. Then there is the mate. He collects the money and hangs out of the van as it careens through the streets and he shouts things like "Cra Cra Cra" meaning that they are headed toward Accra. Or the mate might be shouting "Circ Circ Circ," which obviously means that they are headed towards the "circle" where you can transfer to a different tro tro. The third person you will always find on a tro tro is some random woman that silently sits beside the driver and she somehow never breaks her stare, even when the tro tro drives off the road to pass a car in the fourth lane, this is terrifying when you realize there are actually only two lanes of traffic.
The tro tro costs around 1 cedi. That's about twenty five cents state side. I think about how much people spend to try skydiving, swimming with sharks, bungee jumping, climbing Mount Everest. I can risk my life and be an adrenaline junky for only twenty five cents! So once you have successfully entered the tro tro you immediately become very close to those around you. It's a lot like being in a can of sardines. Come to think of it, tro tros usually smell a lot like sardines on the inside...remember, ac isn't a thing here. After that you hold on and enjoy the ride of your life!
I would advise against a window seat. When the driver thinks it's necessary to actually stop at a red light(also assuming that the traffic lights happen to be working that day)the local women balancing baskets on their heads now have the obruni trapped. These women will come to your window and stare you down until you cave and buy whatever it is that they are selling. Could be sugarcane, could be coconuts, could be tiger nuts, could be gum,could be water, could be q-tips, could be toilet paper, could be a chicken, could be some foreign substance in a foreign container, maybe a steering wheel cover, phone credit perhaps. Who needs Walmart, this brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "window shopping".
My first few weeks in Ghana felt like one long ride on what I now call my "Obro tro," I found myself holding on for dear life, not sure where I was going, not sure what I was eating, not sure who was around me, I wasn't sure about anything really. It's been a lot of over stimulation and I'm exhausted all of the time. But I am now an obro tro junky!!!
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