This might be slightly unethical...

The following is a series of e-mails between me and a guy who was at the very first internet cafe we went to in Ghana. My computer froze and he tried to help by restarting it, but instead he restarted the computer of Laura, who was sitting next to me and had just finished writing a long e-mail and hadn't quite sent it. Anyway, he decided he wanted to be my friend and asked me persistently for my e-mail address, so I finally gave him my really old hotmail address. About a week later I decided to check and see if he'd written to me yet, and lo and behold, there was an e-mail from "Charlie Innocence" (name has been changed for purposes of anonymity). Enjoy :)

From: Charlie Innocence
To: Lydia Green
Date: Thur 3 Sep, 2009
Subject: Hello dear lydia

Hello my dear Lydia , how are you doing for me ? i hope you are very fine for me and i am sure like my country Ghana . Anyway , i am Charles , the guy who is working at the internet cafe at XXXX and asked you to give him your Email address .

I just want to tank you for giving me your contact and i do appreciate it a lot.

I am very happy about you because i like you to be my friend , then we can know more about each other as well as we can also build life together as true friends .

well i will like to end here and i am looking forward to hear from you soon .

xxxxxxxxxxx From Charles xxxxxxxxxxx

_____________________
From: Lydia Green
To: Charlie Innocence
Date: Wed 9 Sep, 2009
Subject: RE: Hello dear lydia

Hi Charles,

Thank you for your friendship! I do not have access to internet often, because we are in class all day, but I am glad to be in Ghana and meet such nice people. I hope you are well. I am learning drumming, it is very interesting :)

Your friend,

Lydia

_____________________
From: Charlie Innocence
To: Lydia Green
Date: Wed 9 Sep, 2009
Subject: Hello dear Friend Lydia

Hi Dear friend Lydia ,

Many thanks for your lovely message to me .How are you doing for me ?

i am very happy to read from you and i am hoping that everything is okay with you as i prefer for you in my country .

Oh that is very good that you are always in class because you also need that ability to build up your life .

Wow Dear Lydia , i am really glad to hear that you like been here and you do also meet different people of culture.

Oh Lydia , it is very interesting that you are learning drumming , i like that . And I am a good drummer in some African music cultural group calling [XXXXX cultural and youth group] we do drumming ..Dancing ... singing..... We do always perform for schools....and Companies etc...

I have to tell you more about myself in my next message to you and please i am inviting you to come over to our music group praticing programme on Sunday .

Please Lydia , i want you to come then you can just call me on this number (XXXXXXXX) for me to come and pick you up at wherever .

Dear Lydia , i will like to end here and I am looking forward to hearing from you soon again.

 

Be Safe for me…..

xxxxxxxxx Charles xxxxxxx

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Anyway, I think it's very sweet. That's kind of the attitude of everybody here. They ask you to marry them, they want to be your friend, and they're all very eager and willing to help you catch a tro-tro to the right place (and occasionally even pay for it). Everybody is super impressed if you speak any Twi, and all the little children will run up to you with arms open shouting the non-derogatory  "obruni! obruni! (westerner! westerner!)".

It's cute.