One of my fondest memories of Mariama was her habit of buying us biscuits whenever she came back from running errands. It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to us. She would bring us each a packet of digestives, which we would savour with delight, relishing every crumb. But Mariama was no pushover. She had a firm but gentle way of disciplining us when we misbehaved, and we knew better than to cross her. If she asked us to do something and we didn’t do it, we knew not to expect any biscuits from her. Primary school was at the Christ Missions School and was a bit stressful because I was kind of bullied. My schoolmates made fun of my name and I hated being made fun of. Secondary school was much better. It was fun. I was excited to be admitted into the prestigious Mfantsiman Secondary School, where I was assigned to the Scotton House. I must confess, though, that the first few weeks were a struggle; I literally cried each of those days. Our seniors woke us early each day, and we had to walk a very good distance to get water for ourselves and our school mothers. That was two trips to fetch water! I mean, at home, all I needed to do was step in the shower! Also, we had tomake sure to iron our clothing or risk being punished. I was sometimes punished because of this. I had to go a far distance to get red sand, which I was expected to carry on my head. By the time I arrived back at the dormitory, I had red sand all over my face. It was all so horrible and embarrassing. As time went on, I adapted to our SchoolMotto, ‘life is how you make it.’ If I was going to enjoy it at school, then I had to adjust my attitude to meet my expectations. And I did come to enjoy it so much, together with my three friends, Sandra, Stella, and Doris. We were never found one without the other. I read Animal Science at school, which was not surprising because I love animals, but from a distance. Actually, we had so many animals at home: dogs, sheep, and many others. Perhaps this love for animals was the earliest indication of my caring attitude. I had a lot of love to give. Visiting days at school were delightful. We would sit under the summer huts and wait for our families. It was a day to eat home-made meals. There were days when I missed home so much. I missed my family. Oneday, aswe sat under the summer hutwaiting for our parents, I saw a man walking towards me. There was something about him; he looked like my dad. But my dad was far away in the States! I had not seen him in seven long years! Was it him? Was it someone that looked like him? When I saw my sister Mariama walking just beside him, I flew off my seat and gave him the bestest hug ever! Oh, how I missed him! I cried so hard that he asked why I was crying. I told him I missed him, that I missed home, and that I wanted to go back to the States with him. My dad’s reply was, “I would have taken you straight away, but your mother wants you to finish your secondary school in Ghana before you go.” That day, I think I made thousands of friends. My father brought somany goodies and candies to go around the whole school that I became popular overnight. 8 The Birthday Journal
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTAyMTM3NQ==