Homegoing to Ghana✈️

Hi friends!

From end-of-year shenanigans to graduation, leaving Stanford, apartment hunting in LA, my trip to Ghana, and a wedding, it's been a super busy and packed few months. Still, I'm excited to be in conversation with you all! The highlight of my post-Stanford vacation has been my trip to Ghana. I've wanted to return home for a few years; however, with misaligning academic calendars and expensive plane tickets, it's been super challenging to find the time. However, with my sister and I both graduating and starting our jobs in the fall, we were able to plan a solid three-week vacation. Although three weeks is a drop in a 16-year bucket, they've given me the chance to experience my motherland as a fully aware adult. I'm not only reconnecting with my childhood by meeting family and going through the hundreds of pictures I never knew existed, but I'm also observing and synthesizing the differences in lifestyles and privileges between the US and Ghana. Below are a few observations:

• 🪣 Using a bucket of water for everything, including bathing, flushing a toilet, and washing dishes. This wasn't the nuisance or struggle I expected, but I quickly developed this habit.
• 🔌 Turning off individual outlets when not using an appliance. Have you ever unplugged your microwave when it's not in use?
• ⬇️ Preplanning activities and tasks for when access to power and water changes. This includes downloading music, podcasts, and episodes, charging portable chargers, and doing laundry with the machine washer 🔑
• 🛣️ Acclimating to incredibly bumpy rides on unpaved secondary roads
• 💸 Bargaining for items — everything not in a Walmart-like warehouse is negotiable, and you have to be strong.
• 🪦 Learning more about specific practices, such as when visiting a family member's grave
• 🔁 Spending a significant amount of time with extended family was so much fun! I've never been surrounded by so much family for an "extended" period. While I'm grateful for my immediate family, I wonder how different life would be if we were surrounded by more family.

Besides these high-level observations, my climate, sustainability, and infrastructure development orientation led to several reflections on what it takes to really develop a country. I think that if I had visited just a few years earlier, my undergraduate or graduate trajectory would look a bit different!

When I left Ghana in August 2006, I didn't know I wouldn't return for another 16 years in 2022. From the moment my plane landed at the very modern Kotoko International Airport to my last bumpy ride out of Kpone, I reflected on my life and how it led to my visit. From my parents' adaptation to this foreign country to my privilege to experience all I have, I'm grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with my family and heritage. Yet, I know it won't be 16 years before my next visit.

📸Content Consumption

Over the last few months, my stop-and-go life has made it difficult to maintain any rhythm with my habits (RIP my 52 book goal this year). This summer, though, I have been enjoying the following content:

• Jane the Virgin: It feels like everyone and their mothers have already watched this show, but it's my first time through it, and I love it. I don't watch TV too often, and I miss the feeling of binging 5+ episodes at a time.
• The Bible in a Year: Julianne and I have been going through this podcast where we read/listen to the bible in about a year. It's been really fun and edifying connecting with the bible through this mode.
• Saving Us x Katherine Hayhoe: One of my favorite books on climate, especially since it wasn't all about climate; instead, it was more on how we talk about climate with others.

Thanks for reading and reflecting this week! As I head to Los Angeles, I cannot wait to get back to regularly reflecting with you. If you aren't subscribed to get this in your inbox weekly, you can here!

Best,
Awoe ✌🏾