“ s can be deduced from my name, ‘Helwan,’ which means, ‘Sweetness of Heaven,’ I come from a devout Muslim background. Born on 9th March 1983, to the late Ismail Atta-Boakye and Rosemond Hawa Peprah, of Ashanti and Eastern Regions descent, respectively. I was the last in a family of five children. Our family was very nuclear and shielded. Perhaps this was the only snag in my upbringing because I was very reserved as a child, which sometimes came off to people as being aloof. We had a very happy childhood. My mom was a secretary by profession and loved to bake, cook, and plant vegetables in our backyard. I have very pleasant memories of being dressed up nicely for ‘Our Day,’ carrying my basket of goodies, of which the cake was most special, and walking proudly to school, feeling so on top of the world. We never lacked. As a child, I loved being at home and loved cooking. I was a normal, playful child but was also very quiet, which is probably my nature. I may have been the youngest and was very much loved, but I think I must have taken on a bit of responsibility, for I carried myself in a certain way and must have come across as ‘fussy’ to my two older sisters, who would have a tiff with me every now and then. They probably thought I was a snitch because I was the ‘go-to person,’ whenever my mom wanted information on what had transpired in her absence. I told it like I saw it. Actually, I like to think that I was the one who could be trusted, in terms of getting things done around the house when we were kids. Our family was a close knit one, but of all my siblings, I was closest to my sister Ramlat, probably because of our closeness in age. I have heard her tell people that we were like a team. That, I was her chatter partner. That is so true; people saw us together and went like, “Ah there they are at it again,” and we two would burst out laughing. Even ourmother knew that A As a child, I loved being at home and loved cooking. I was a normal, playful child but was also very quiet, which is probably my nature. 1. US and Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty to reduce tensions and avoid nuclear war risk. 2. Apple introduced the first Macintosh computer, marking the beginning of personal computing era. 3. Margaret Thatcher won a landslide victory in UK elections and Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín became the President of Argentina through democratic elections. 4. Tragedy marked the year with the bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut (63 casualties) and the US Marine barracks bombing (241 US military casualties). 5. Pop culture highlights included “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi” and the introduction of the first mobile phones by Motorola. A Year of Epic Shifts and Unforgettable Moments that Changed the World Forever 1983 6 The Birthday Journal
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