Resolute

Greetings on the last day of the year! After coming home for the holidays, I returned to Ghana yesterday. For the moment I am in Accra, spending a few days here as a buffer to ease the transition from Chicago back to Tamale (and also to squeeze in some last minute shopping).

Returning home has never before felt like as much of a homecoming as it did this time around. From the moment I was greeted by my entire family at the airport with a big “Welcome Home, Siliminga” sign, I felt such contentment to be back with loved ones. The week went by far too fast, but I think that’s just because it was such a whirlwind of laughing, eating, complaining about eating too much, and goofing around together.

Aside from all the indulgence and relaxation I got to enjoy while home, it was also really nice to have some space away from this intensely immersive experience I had been having the last four months. It gave me some much needed perspective on what I had been doing, and by talking with lots of people about my plans for the upcoming year, it also helped me refocus my thoughts on what I wanted to improve upon or do differently. Essentially, it gave me chance to think about my goals for the new year, which I wanted to share here, even if they are only half-baked for now:

• Be patient.
• Find new ways to step outside my comfort zone.
• Be a tourist/travel more within Ghana. Specifically, plan a trip to visit Kintampo Falls, Kumasi, and maybe the Volta Region.
• Take care of myself by exercising more regularly. I have a yoga mat now so no excuses anymore!
• Cook new recipes. Shout out to my mother for insisting I bring an Instant Pot back with me.
• Learn how to make homemade bread.
• Initiate more FaceTime/video calls with family and friends from home.
• Write more.

I usually prefer the term goals to resolutions, but I thought it seemed fitting to name this post Resolute because it encompasses the state of mind I would like to have when I fly back to Tamale tomorrow. I left there a week ago feeling somewhat fatigued and uncertain; I want to return determined and with purpose.

P.S. If anyone has suggestions for the goals I wrote here, please reach out to me! Always open to new ideas.