Why I write

Looking back on what I’ve written so far, I realize that I write too much. Sorry. I’ll try to cut back. With everything going on in my life right now, I don’t think I’ll have to try too hard.

The reason why I write so much is that I have no one to talk to. I mean, yes, I have a few friends here, and I talk to people every day, but everyone here is African. For me, every little experience is so different and feels like such an adventure, but for people here, it’s just normal life. Imagine having a visitor who was amazed by something as simple as going to the grocery store or loading a dishwasher! I can’t talk to any of my friends from home, so my notebooks have become my best friends, listening to my thoughts, fears, and emotions as I adjust to this strange country.

I also write because my family and some of my friends have asked me to. They’re curious as to what life is like as an American in Ghana. Since they can’t be here with me to experience it firsthand, I write about everything so they can share some moments vicariously.

I write because I can’t escape this feeling that there’s a reason while I’m here. Of all the places in the world I could have ended up, somehow I ended up here, at Ancilla School in Haatso, Ghana, through a series of lucky (and unlucky) coincidences. And so did all the people here. I don’t know why I’m here of all places, but I think as my story unfolds, I’ll find out.

So, as my life-changing, earth-shattering, meant-to-be story plays out, I don’t want to miss any details! If my story is interesting enough, I’ll turn it into a book someday, but for now, I’m writing it as it happens. Life is such a mystery! Okay, I know that I’m crazy, that the reason why I feel this way is because I want my life to be an adventure and I want to feel that I’m caught up in something bigger than myself, but why not? Can’t a girl imagine her own life the way she wants?