Growing up in Ghana West Africa, I was one of 9 children as the 8th on the spectrum and the 4th girl; I faced unique challenge in a culture where boys were the focus of the family when it comes to proper education. However, an incident in my early years at school changed my father’s thinking and I to join my brothers in a preparatory school instead of the public school my other sisters attended. The incident that impacted my education happened when a teacher beat my buttocks with a stick and tore my flesh at the public school my other sisters attended. I remember my father coming home from work and my mother telling him what happened to me at school, he took me to the teachers house, I remember a group of people pulling him aside to calm
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I thrived and excelled at the private school setting which led to my skipping two grades after year 4, even though I could do the work, emotionally and psychologically I struggled and begun to second guess my capabilities. There were no resources or a support system to help me transition and adjust to the work and maturity level. Meanwhile, I had very little time to adjust because I was in the preparation class for the common entrance exams, the general evaluation class for secondary school. At this point, my lack of confidence reflected in my choices for secondary school, without the help of a guidance counselor is resource not available. We had no guidance counselors to help with the process. Eventually I passed and was shipped to boarding school at 11 years old. I this regard, I was literally on my own, there were no family visits, from the day I was dropped off until vacation, if I don’t find a reason to go home then that was it. Eventually, three years into my schooling, one weekend I was called that my senior brother had come to visit, a part of me did not feel right about it, however, I followed his …show more content…
In the mean time, I found a job at a foreign exchange shop that exposed me to expatriates a majority of them worked for the United Nations. Interestingly, a particular individual after several conversations told me how the UN employment application worked, they furnished me with one, and the next time they came to work in Accra, Ghana, I then filled out a personal history form and told my family I was going to Geneva to look for work. This intension sent shock waves to my family particularly my mother who was confused and alarmed at the prospect of me leaving the country, no one has set that precedent therefore, she could not understand how I could just announce I will be leaving the country and go abroad for work is not the norm, those who leave usually do so because either a parent of sibling is lives in the country and invites them. The determination to pursue my goals and dreams landed me in Switzerland, just like my boarding school experience, no one prepared me for the harsh reality of the change in seasons, the culture shock and even the food. I worked temporarily for different UN agencies within a span of two years, I had grown and adapted to the conditions that shaped my thinking during the early young adult
I thrived and excelled at the private school setting which led to my skipping two grades after year 4, even though I could do the work, emotionally and psychologically I struggled and begun to second guess my capabilities. There were no resources or a support system to help me transition and adjust to the work and maturity level. Meanwhile, I had very little time to adjust because I was in the preparation class for the common entrance exams, the general evaluation class for secondary school. At this point, my lack of confidence reflected in my choices for secondary school, without the help of a guidance counselor is resource not available. We had no guidance counselors to help with the process. Eventually I passed and was shipped to boarding school at 11 years old. I this regard, I was literally on my own, there were no family visits, from the day I was dropped off until vacation, if I don’t find a reason to go home then that was it. Eventually, three years into my schooling, one weekend I was called that my senior brother had come to visit, a part of me did not feel right about it, however, I followed his …show more content…
In the mean time, I found a job at a foreign exchange shop that exposed me to expatriates a majority of them worked for the United Nations. Interestingly, a particular individual after several conversations told me how the UN employment application worked, they furnished me with one, and the next time they came to work in Accra, Ghana, I then filled out a personal history form and told my family I was going to Geneva to look for work. This intension sent shock waves to my family particularly my mother who was confused and alarmed at the prospect of me leaving the country, no one has set that precedent therefore, she could not understand how I could just announce I will be leaving the country and go abroad for work is not the norm, those who leave usually do so because either a parent of sibling is lives in the country and invites them. The determination to pursue my goals and dreams landed me in Switzerland, just like my boarding school experience, no one prepared me for the harsh reality of the change in seasons, the culture shock and even the food. I worked temporarily for different UN agencies within a span of two years, I had grown and adapted to the conditions that shaped my thinking during the early young adult