As my first week in Accra, Ghana wraps up I realize I have spent a good majority of my time viewing the country through the window seat. While traveling to new places through Accra’s infamous traffic our bus is often stopped at traffic lights.

This is where I encounter hawkers, a term that has been unfamiliar to me until now.

Hawkers are well known as street vendors; however, they don’t sell from street corners or from the sidewalk, and that’s not because Ghana doesn’t have any. Instead, they make their way from the medians and edges of the road into the car lanes. Walking one by one through cars holding items to sell they seek eye contact with any potential buyers. The majority of the hawkers hold these items in a large bowl on the tops of their heads, which if you ask me, looks like quite the balancing act especially when considering the way, they weave in and out of traffic. The items they carry can range from fruit to bottles of water to eggs and I have even seen some hawkers selling cell phone chargers, laundry detergent, and sunglasses. Anything you might need they have it and in that sense, I see the practicality of it. It’s more convenient for drivers to purchase something they might need from the store from a hawker while sitting in traffic.

Although, as far as safety goes it is a little concerning. I’ve talked to several Uber drivers about the hawkers and I have been told that it isn’t uncommon for hawkers to be killed by drivers. And more often than not, they are hit by motorcyclists who are driving on the center dotted line while traffic is going, which is another common sight from the window seat. There has also been bans for the hawkers, but within several days they are all back on the street.

With the acknowledgment that the hawkers will be a daily occurrence for my next five weeks here, I see them as being fearless for working in an environment like they do. But also, aggressive in the way they tap on your window or with any connection of eye contact you get a bag of plantain chips handed your way.

After watching the hawkers for about a week now, I am looking forward to making a purchase sometime in the near future from my window seat.