Moving to Georgia from Ghana

Growing up in a small town in Ghana at the age of ten, my life was absolute with a mapped out future. My dad had just built a new house; we went to chapel every Sunday where we knew everyone there. I had everything I could want: peers, family and so on. One evening I was summoned into the living room with my brothers. There my parents sat me down at the table to break the news of getting me a visa to Georgia in United State.

My way of life would be changed forever from that day on. Woefully for me, Ghana and Georgia couldn't be any more different. In Georgia I had no friends to welcome me to the neighborhood and I was forced to adapt myself to the new culture. I would overcome my struggles by adapting to the Georgia lifestyle and holding onto traditional values.

The teens of Ghana are primarily interested in sports and field games.

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To my new pals living in Georgia, they would view these interests as those of a jock, but, to me they were just normal kids. I had problems becoming close with my new friends because of my meticulous soccer schedule. It was tough to grow relationships when you were constantly practicing throughout the week. After two years I quit soccer, the plan worked as I was able to spend more time with peers. Coming from Ghana I would have music quarrels with my new friends. As time went by I gave up my hip life music and started listening to hip hop.

A part of my life that took time to adjust to was the compactness of Georgia living. Good and bad came from everything being so close.

Avoiding communication with my friends in Ghana would prove to be impossible. Constant phones calls back to Ghana, visiting family, and trips back to Ghana would allow me to live through the changes. I had family members from Florida who came to visit me occasionally, especially on Easter and thanksgiving holidays. I enjoyed touring them around to all the nice tourist locations in Georgia. We visited the aquarium and zoo in downtown Atlanta. I stayed home a lot every winter since I wasn't used to the weather in Georgia yet. When summertime came along I spend much time with my new friends at six flags. I took pictures and shared videos of me riding roller coasters to my friends in Ghana. Climate at summer season in Georgia seemed to be the same in Ghana, so I never had a problem staying outside for long.

Moreover, I spent the first couple years of living in Georgia trying to change myself to fit in with everyone. A few years later I realized I was going about adapting all wrong. Fitting in was hard in high school; but, I made it an effort to retain who I was and where I came from. I learned and adapted to their educating system that quick. It wasn't easy at first but I survived and thrived well after my second year in high school. Every Sunday I would attend church with my friends and go out to lunch afterwards. Atlantic buffer was my favorite restaurant; serving all kinds of international and traditional foods. I never knew I had an appetite for frog meat until I tried one for the first time. It was delicious. While I had switched from private school to public school; my parents decided that it was relevant that I still received the same religious education. On Thursday nights I would attend bible school to work towards my confirmation. I always make sure to maintain something values in me especially when it comes to religion. While most of my friends were interested in buying designer clothes, I worked towards buying my first sedan car. I attempted to take up skateboarding so that I would be able to keep up with my crazy friends. After skating I would coax them into heading to the lake for some fishing.

Moving to Georgia from Ghana was a huge blow to me and required lots of effort and stress to acclimatize to the culture. I would spend time changing myself and still remembering where I came from. At the time of the move I thought it would be most dreadful thing to have occurred to me; but, as I would learn later on that it would help me become the man I am today and I still enjoy my stay here till now.