Ghana I miss you!!!!

I thought that I would have a smooth transition back into my American lifestyle… Boy was I wrong. It was great coming back seeing my family and being greeted with food, I literally ate baked ziti at 6 am since that was when I got back home. However there were a lot of things I had to get used to, like actually having hot water again. To this day I still take luke-warm showers and somewhere towards the end remember that oh yeah the water can get hotter LOL. I also had to readjust to the grocery stores. The first time that I walked into my local Stop and Shop I felt so overwhelmed like kind of dizzy and confused as to why there was so much food in the store, I’m telling you I felt light headed, my mom of course brushed me off and told me that I was being dramatic. In addition to my traumatic shopping experience (OK I’m exaggerating) I also had a hard time dealing with the fact that I HAD NO DRIVER!!!!!!!! I had to go into Manhattan everyday for my internship by bus, THE HORROR!!!! It wasn’t so bad it was just kind of weird for a couple of days. I also had to get use to the fact that in America I can’t possibly have the social life that I had in Ghana, why? Because unfortunately I’m not 21, take me back to Ghana!!!!

It actually wasn’t until recently that it really hit me and I started to feel Ghanasick, I was just listening to some of the music that I got in Ghana and all of sudden I feel this pang in my chest and had to stop everything to reminisce on my Ghana days. (I mentioned that I was dramatic right?) One of the things that I miss the most would have to be the fresh fruit, it was soooo sweet, and I have no clue where else I could get white pineapples from. I also miss my adopted child, did I tell you guys that I’m a mom now, Ok just kidding but there was this adorable baby named Adasi that I got to play with at one of the internship sites, she was adorable and so playful. I really miss the freedom that I experienced; I was pretty much able to do what I wanted when I wanted to, as long as I made it to my internship. I have never felt as stress-free as I felt when I was in Ghana, I didn’t have to worry about, school, money, graduation or lack-thereof,  I just focused on my day to day life and took it one step at a time. Of course it wasn’t all perfect, I was with 11 other woman so there was some stress involved.

Overall I truly am grateful to have had the opportunity to go abroad yet again. I learned a lot about the history of Ghana and the people of the African-Diaspora as a whole. My trip made me appreciate my history as an African-American woman and my life as an American citizen. I have a greater appreciation for the liberties that we take for granted and it has definitely changed the way that I view certain issues. I vividly remember when I thought that this trip wasn’t going to happen because who knew where I was going to get about $9,000 from, but somehow it all came together and I made it. Words cannot express my gratitude to everyone that made this trip possible, this experience has and will definitely influence the person that I am and hope to become. 

Delicious pineapples and mangoes

Playful Adasi

One of our drivers, Kwesi, taking us to work