Take Your Talents Home
If you’re looking for some kind of motivational speech to spark your urges to go back home to change systems and break barriers, this is not the place. This is really for you to decide for yourself what it is you want from your life and more importantly who you think is going to develop your country. Before pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Finance abroad, I was so sure that I wanted to come back home after my studies. I don’t know if it is the fear of being denied a student visa that made me convince myself that I was definitely returning to Ghana or if I genuinely wanted to come back home to make a difference. Until this time in my life, I have never experienced living abroad and although I was nervous about what my life abroad would be like, I was excited to live life on my own after being sheltered for so long.
When I moved, I realized saying, “I am “an international student” made me so cool. I would always introduce myself as an international student even when the situation did not require it. In my creative writing courses, I would always throw that fact in there somewhere. Just hearing Americans, “ooooh” and “aaaah” about my stories of moving to the US all by myself at 18 boosted my self - esteem. A few people called me brave. I always wondered if I was even deserving of that title. Does moving from my home country to pursue what was a world class education abroad make me brave? That sounds like selfishness to me.
My American friends will always say, “I can never imagine leaving my family to go abroad all by myself”. And I always replied, “That’s because your country doesn’t give you any reason to leave” maybe until now. While in Rhode Island, I met a few people who have never been to Boston (about an hour away) or New York (3 hours away). I was baffled. I also met people who travelled by air for the first time and that’s because the company we were employed at, gave them the opportunity to. I always assumed Americans were well travelled so for an American to tell me this was their first time flying and squeezing my hand during take-off was unbelievable. Although I’m always annoyed by how some Americans see the world as beginning and ending in their country, I can understand why this is the case. Their systems work so well even at the state level, that there’s really no need to move. Just look at the championship game called the World Series. The World Series only has most of, if not all American teams participating in it but it’s called the World Series. Are you still surprised that some Americans think the world begins and ends in America? But seriously why is it called the World Series? If anyone can explain, please chat to me in the comments. Inquiring minds want to know.
Do you honestly think I’d be here if systems worked in my country? Certainly not. As I progressed in school, I noticed that being an international student was actually not the best thing. Job offers were limited and some companies will tell you, “We don’t hire international students” as soon as they hear an accent or see a last name with too many syllables. Companies are not to discriminate by law but really does the discrimination matter if it happens behind the scenes or right in my face? I’d rather no one wasted time with false hopes.
You will learn very quickly that the system is designed for you to return to your home country and if you somehow get the chance to pursue internships or even get a full time job, you are living the dream of most of your peers. A lot of people I know had to go back home right after graduation because they could not find jobs and many of us that found jobs were unable to obtain work visas. When you’re hit with stumbling blocks like these, you begin to think about pursuing a career back home. Unlike popular assumptions about West Africa and some other parts of the continent, we’re better off living in houses with more square feet and big front and backyards than in tiny boxes. Honestly.
The urge to come back home grew stronger because I was tired of all this nonsense. There are some people who know for sure that they want to return home with the skills that they have acquired, there are others who are very much open to staying a little longer and there are a lot more who really have no business going back home. Going back home, although it sounds easy, is not a walk in the park. I’m not referring to the people who have a family business they’re itching to take over, I’m talking about people who want to jump start their careers or create a start-up. If you’ve received some kind of experience abroad, although it’s good experience, you have to understand that systems are different. There’s a way things are done. In most cases, they are not best practices but bear that in mind. Work ethic is different and oh the bureaucracy will make you give up quickly but patience is key. The best way to deal with these frustrations is to actually do something that you’re passionate about and that lessens the blow a little bit.
I couldn’t bring myself to working in corporate Ghana since I want to live longer, so I decided to focus on volunteering. I felt like volunteering will be more valuable to the people around me and make my experience more worthwhile. Two friends of mine have a start-up called the Butterfly Effect Ghana that focuses on curriculum development. I reached out to them while I was home for an opportunity to volunteer. I had the exciting opportunity to make photo essays and this was a great fit because of my interest in photography. I got insight into education in Ghana and the steps this organization is taking to make a difference in the way the average Ghanaian child learns.
For the person who is eager to go back home to break barriers and reform systems, good luck. I admire your courage and maybe someday I could muster the courage to be like you.
