Spring 2022 University of Ghana

Living abroad is hard. Loneliness is your neighbor and a new world can be overstimulating. Having a community of people who are in the same boat as you helps. It forces you to work with and learn how to deal with people from varying backgrounds. How to learn from diverse experiences while creating your own. The most impactful experiences are the little ones. The moments where I watched anime or Netflix indoors when it rained. Or when we, as a group, walked to and from the Night Market reminded me of who I am. A writer, musician— creative. These mundane things made me value this human experience of camaraderie and forced me to relax. Life abroad is it; There is no train or bus ride to mommy or daddy. Not always reliable water or complete group homogeneity. Conflicts happen and personalities clash, however, we remained one. The care and genuine feelings of belonging and acceptance is reciprocated. This experience is a rarity and a blessing with memorabilia that’ll be cherished forever.
Some of the most impact totems I brought back are my kente cloth and painting of a Baobab tree. I brought back several chocolate bars as well but we all know how that goes. They were cherished in the moment though.