By Purity Ntonda
Being in a foreign land is not easy, it’s frustrating and so stressing that at times one has to undergo a lot before they can cope. The first day I landed in Ghana, I was very excited that my dream was coming true, well I forgot that with every gain there is always a price to pay. I never saw it coming but now I see it. To say I am homesick will be an understatement, I just want to go home, even if it is only for a day. I miss the food, my friends, family and I just miss home itself. The first days when I arrived I was having problems with the food, the water, and just the language I would cry myself to sleep. I started isolating myself from people and spent half of my time thinking about home. Then one day I talked to my best friend who is in Botswana about how I was feeling. Little did I know that just sharing my problem with her was the turning point for my problem.
After the talk I felt like a burden was lifted off me, indeed a “problem shared, is a problem half solved” my friend did not just talk me out of the sadness I had created for myself, but she also touched my weakest point. She remaindered me of how lucky I was to leave a refugee camp on a fully funded scholarship. She reminded me of where I came from and that this opportunity was the turning point for my life. After the talk with her, I got to realize one thing, that I was not growing any younger. That one way or another I am supposed to take care of my parents and my siblings. The talk reminded me that if I wanted a bright future I had to prepare for it.
Being a Social worker in training I got to realize that I was almost at a point of depression. To avoid being homesick, I decided to keep a positive mindset, to remember that I am not away from home only for myself but for my family.
To feel better, I call my parents, siblings and my friends at least twice a month that way I would feel at home (and mind you, when I say home, I mean the refugee camp in Botswana because all my immediate family is still there and that is where I was raised). I also decided to avoid being alone for a long time. I also visit places with friends, eat new and different kinds of local food and attend church services, hang out with Ghanaian friends, learn the local language and attend some functions on campus and it is really working because I am able to forget about home for some time and helps me concentrate on my school work.