Mother Nature seems to be extending the summer just a bit longer than usual. The last few days have been hot, and by the time I went to bed last night, it was still so uncomfortably warm and humid I ran the air conditioner in my bedroom. The paper says rain this afternoon, but the day belies the forecast. It is sunny and warm with a deep blue sky. It is deck weather again.

During my first week in Ghana, we sat in a group lecture to learn about Ghana’s culture and languages. Back then, I was the poster child for Boston accents and a great source of humor for my fellow trainees. Prior to the lecture, I had been asked if I would stand up and recite a sentence aloud. I did, and after I’d finished, there were quite a few laughs at the oddity of my accent. The Peace Corps staff member giving the lecture told the group that what they’d just heard was as close to Ghanaian English as anyone of us would get. I smirked.

It took a while for me to learn to speak Ghanaian English. The first month of teaching was a nightmare. I’d teach the whole period, and usually, at the end of the lesson, a student would raise her hand, stand up and say, “Madame, we didn’t hear you.” That meant they didn’t understand a word I’d said. Every lesson was discouraging. I was depressed and lonely and decided I’d leave before Christmas if things didn’t change. Why stay if I was ineffective?

I did learn to speak Ghanaian English well before Christmas. I learned to speak slowly. I learned that words like leTTer, beTTer and waTer had a stress on the T. Students no longer had trouble hearing me. I forgot about leaving.

A strange phenomenon took place whenever we were with our Ghanaian friends. We’d speak regular English to one another then turn and speak Ghanaian English to our friends. We didn’t do it consciously. It just happened.

On the flight home, I asked the stewardess for some waTer. She looked at me and repeated, “WaTer? You want waTer?” I was being made of fun again. This time it was my Ghanaian English.