It has been one week and a few days since I’ve left Ghana. Today, I was going through my photos and the first picture I took was of a Club beer. Oh, how I miss that terrible lager. I miss so many things about Ghana. Not every moment was comfortable, but those six weeks were memorable and going on the trip was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
Readjusting back into my normal lifestyle has not been hard at all. Waking up to my room that has been chilled by A/C, a soft bed, my cat Nala lying next to my leg, I appreciate the little things more now since I’ve been back.
As I sit on my parent’s comfortable couch, I realize how lucky I am to be able to relax in the comforts of home, as well as venture out and gain new experiences and perspectives. From so many Ghanaians I met, I learned that being materialistic doesn’t matter as much there as it does for Americans, but rather to be the happiest one can be with what you have. As a result, I hope to try harder to appreciate the non-material dimensions of my life.
After leaving Ghana, I stayed in London for five days. Getting on the subway was kind of a blur for me. Everything was so fast-paced, people had to be somewhere and in a hurry. It wasn’t unfamiliar to me, but in Ghana, I was used a much slower pace of work for six weeks.
One major realization I have had since being back home and after visiting London and Ghana is the differences in societal structures towards violence. In America, our culture seems to normalize violence—from organized fighting to the normalization of owning guns. In Ghana, violence rarely occurs. Yes, once in a while there will be verbal altercations but one rarely hears about cases of violence involving injuries or deaths. Ghanaians are baffled by the many reports of violence in the U.S. For instance, in Ghana I spoke with Kenny, the DJ from Trivia Night, who said, “…It’s crazy how normal guns are in America.”
In London, as I was walking on Oxford Street, a couple of vendors were trying to hand out bracelets to bring more awareness to knife violence. In my head, I thought, “Knives? It can’t be that serious… I have to worry about getting shot when I get home.” From there, I walked back to where I was staying and saw a line of cops assisting an arrest. I couldn’t help but notice none of the policemen had a gun. The arrest went smoothly and I thought to myself again, “Why can’t it always be like this?”
From my experiences abroad, I want to help make changes in American society where violence will not be tolerated. It is a task that seems impossible, but change has to start somewhere and I believe it should start today.