Journal Entry 38: Hidden Talent in the Ghetto

When I got my hair done for the third time, it was an even more interesting experience. Instead of getting it done on campus, my Ghanaian friend offered to take me into town to see the woman that does her hair.

After sitting through a somewhat long ride on the tro-tro and passing through many crowds, we started to walk through a poor neighborhood. “This is our ghetto” she laughed, making references to a conversation we had earlier about the ghettos in the U.S. “This is the ghetto for real—a Muslim neighborhood, you see. You can tell”. We walked over to an open area and my friend suddenly stopped walking as if she had reached her destination. Then I saw a small narrow alley with a woman on a stool getting her hair braided. The alley was wide enough for me to stick both of my arms out, but not much wider. I was very surprised at the location, but I also knew that the ghetto also has some hidden treasures (talent). I looked around for somewhere to wash my hair, assuming that there would be a place, but there was nothing.

As she started doing my hair, my friend spoke to her in the local dialect in order to communicate how to do my hair (causing me to assume that she doesn’t speak English). While she was braiding, there was a man talking loudly through a speaker, calling the Muslims to prayer as I saw more and more pour into the street. 

A friend helps me pin up the middle of my hair...

I was right to say that the woman is skilled because she did a great job on my hair, but I admit that I didn’t keep the hairstyle very long because it was a little more unique than I’m used to (considering I’m “plain Jane”). I am so glad that I went with her to experience this because with more exposure you can always discover that there are two sides to every story. That day, I saw a different side of Ghana, a side that is no less important than the side I see at the University.