Who Is This ‘Stranger’ In Accra?

Hello, wonderful people of the WWW! Welcome to ‘A Stranger In Accra’, a blog that follows my life experiences in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Now you may wonder, ”who is this person that calls themselves a stranger?” Well, let me tell you how I landed in this city that’s always under the sun.

Sit down, relax, grab a cup of tea or coffee or sobolo or a calabash of pito! Whatever makes you comfy. This is a safe space.

“A new environment encourages us to be more mindful and present, as we’re more likely to notice and appreciate new surroundings”
Michael Kim

I arrived in this beautiful city 3 years ago, straight out of what I consider to be my home country (that we shall call Westie, but can you guess? Hint: It’s in Africa. Now you have 53 countries to choose from! Easy right?) My move here was quite unexpected, but I did not feel ‘strange’ in this land, as I was raised by FULL BLOWN GHANAIAN PARENTS and my elder siblings are based here.

“Then how on earth is she,” (yes, I’m a she) “a stranger?” you may ask. Well, I was born and raised in an environment that some may view as a total contrast to Ghana. Contrast in terms of culture, language, social settings, and values among many many many others! Having spent most of my life in said country, every aspect of it was ingrained in me, though I ALWAYS identified as a Ghanaian.

However, when I came back to said ‘motherland’, I felt so lost and clueless. Hence, why I consider myself to be a stranger. Everything about me was different: my accent, the way I dressed, my physical features and how I acted in social settings, among a multitude of others. I struggled with who I was for ages, feeling like I was not Ghanaian enough and fighting to keep the culture I grew up in. But I could not be both simultaneously, because choosing one would mean losing the other, which meant losing a part of myself (talk about an identity crisis!)

But as time has gone by, I have learnt, and am still learning, to embrace both cultures and appreciate them for their uniqueness.

As I have learnt to embrace my multicultural identity, I’ve had a number of experiences, some funny, some sad and others that make you want to bang your head on the wall! I realised that some may relate to these experiences, others may learn from them and quite a number (I hope) may gain some inspiration to be unapologetic in who they are.

From this realisation, the blog ‘A Stranger In Accra’ was born! Some may say why not ‘A Stranger In Ghana’ ? Well, I’m based in Accra and can only speak for this part of Ghana. However, I travel once in a while, so when I do, I shall speak for the regions I find myself in.

Wow! We have reached the end of my FIRST post! What a Wauw guys!! I’m so excited to go on this journey with you! Tell a friend to tell a friend and if you don’t, make sure you come back, or else…

Thanks for reading!

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