I stood in the queue, feeling very apprehensive. What if my visa application was denied? Would the Consul Officer give me, a poor Mankessim boy, a visa? I had submitted everything as I should; my admission letter, proof of scholarship, and all other documents that were expected of me. However, I had heard many stories of people being denied visas in spite of the genuineness of all their documents, in spite of their fulfillment of all required obligations. Although I already had a job at the Effia Nkwanta Hospital in Takoradi, I desperately wanted to further my education abroad, and the US and the UK were the only two countries that appealed to me. As soon as I heard my name on the intercom, I knew that this was it. What would happen if I didn’t get the visa? My tension was so great, but I put on a brave face, and followed the Consular Officer to a room for my interview. I needed not to have worried. The interview went smoothly, and as the officer stamped the visa in my passport, and congratulated me, it felt like the heavens had opened. So, I had crossed this hurdle too. As I walked out of the Embassy doors, feeling very proud of myself for such an achievement, I could already see myself, in the US, walking on lush green lawns. Me, a poor boy from Mankessim, who had attended Swedru Secondary School. Actually, ever since I was in Form 4, I knew I would go to the United States of America. I used to go to the US Embassy’s Educational Advising Center in Accra to read, and go through US schools, and then, Iwouldwrite correspondence with governors to give me a scholarship. I was way ahead of my time. It is true that you arewhat you think about all day long - me and four other friends would walk from Lartebiokorshie to the airport, every Friday evening, only to watch the arrival of the PANAM plane at the Kotoka International Airport. This was our closest encounter with the US, but that experience gave us motivation that one day we will sit on an airplane to the US. Interestingly, all five of us are in the US now. In theUS, I started off at theAlbany Medical College in New York, where I graduated with a Master of Science degree in Pharmacology. I subsequently completed my Internal Medicine specialization at the State University of New York downstate followed by a sub-specialization in kidney diseases and transplantation at the prestigious Cornell University Medical Center, all in New York. A Dream Come True 20 The Birthday Journal
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTAyMTM3NQ==