My last day at work came all too soon. I became really good friends with my coworkers and I was sad to leave them. There were some coworkers that I hadn’t really talked to, but on my last day they kept giving me hugs and telling me how sad they were to see me go. I was incredibly surprised. I am really touched by the kindness I saw in that office. As I was leaving, Eugene came up to me and wanted to make sure that I was able to learn a lot at Orakle. I did. I learned some of the most valuable lessons over the past month.

1. I learned the power of acceptance and kindness. All of my coworkers were prime examples of that every day.
2. I also learned to understand different cultures. That is an incredibly valuable lesson to learn and cannot only help me in the advertising field, but can also help me in my daily life. In the States we are all surrounded by people of different backgrounds, and being able to understand cultural differences will allow me to be more accepting of others.
3. I learned to relax. I consider myself to be a relatively “calm” person, but in Ghana, there is a whole new level of “go-with-the-flow.” It is still important to understand deadlines and time commitments, but some things just don’t need to be stressed over.
4. I learned to live my life colorfully. We don’t need to confine ourselves to the mundane. This may not be the most “valuable” lesson I have learned, but it is definitely one of my favorite parts of Ghana. I love how everything here is lively and colorful. People are always trying new things, wearing vibrant colors, singing on the trotro, and just living their lives as they please. I think that is important. Sometimes we get so caught up in what is “normal” or what other people think that we forget who we are.
5. I learned to help others. I have never been surrounded my so many people that are willing to drop everything to help others. On several separate occasions, a Ghanaian would drive me to my destination, walk me to the right trotro, help me find a phone card, and so on. It was shocking to be around such genuine and thoughtful people.