Page 91 - Obruni In Ghana | Amber Lockridge

OBRUNI IN GHANA 89
young girl passed by with her family. She couldn’t have been more than nine but she was wearing a backless halter-top and short jean cutoffs. I was appalled and disgusted that a young girl was dressed in a manner that made her appear years older and sexually mature. A wave of shame passed through me that I came from a culture that encouraged nine year olds to dress this way. Nor was this style in any way out of the ordinary. I saw many girls, older and younger, sporting the same reckless, flesh-baring style. I reported my feelings to my father later that day. He met my outrage with confusion. “Well, it’s summer and they want to be cool” he told me.
Then there’s the smoking that occurs everywhere in the open. Cigarettes are only smoked in a few bars of distinctly ill-repute in Takoradi. Activities associated with tales of youth-gone-bad in Ghana are common practice here and I wonder if there isn’t some disease eating its way through the soul of American children.
Still, the majority of culture shock I’ve experienced has been surprisingly pleasant. I was