Today was incredible.

My Twi language skills were finally put to the test today, and I must say the benefits of learning phrases of the most commonly spoken local language in Ghana, Asante-Twi, FAR outweigh the costs of the few hours I sat frustrated, repeating over and over again phrases in a language I thought I would never understand.

During my final Twi lesson this morning, I learned the importance of greeting people. I was reminded that often times Americans are so quick to move through the motions of their days that they don’t stop to greet and acknowledge the people in their environment. For example, it’s an unfortunate and common practice in the United States for a person to walk into a store and demand something from one of the store employees without evening stopping to utter a simple “hello.”

“It’s understandable to ignore animals, but people are meant to be greeted,” my language instructor said. “In Ghana, you must greet; if you don’t, you will likely be ignored.”

It took a little while for me to sit and think about what my language instructor had just said, but he was right: people are meant to be and should be properly greeted.

The Media in Ghana family had the privilege of stopping by a wood carver’s market today and the experience was moving to say the least.

Keeping the importance of greeting in mind, I did my best to properly greet every individual I came across at the wood carver’s market. What I learned today: a little bit goes a long way.

Before entering any huts where the Ghanaian crafters kept their wooden masterpieces, I asked how each person was, gave them my name and asked for theirs, and shared a local handshake. After doing all of this in the local language, one man said to me with a bright smile, “We are brothers and sisters now, and now I will give you a good discount.”

Not only was the tension of being a foreigner broken after exchanging proper greetings, I could literally feel the warmth and appreciation from many of the locals for attempting to respect their culture. Also, I was consequently given some improbable discounts that I otherwise wouldn’t have received.

Today I left the wood carver’s market with five wooden statues, a decent-sized hole in my wallet, and a better appreciation for the little things. I’ve noticed in America that a smile can go a long way, but I hadn’t given a ton of thought to truly noticing and inquiring about everyone I encounter. When I get back to the states, I plan to change this.