With two young children and a wife I balanced my time catering to their health and beating the street. As with most of us, upon arrival we are always faced with great trepidation over the pending threat of malaria, typhoid and whatever else might be lingering in the water. Because of the children, that fear was doubled and I often lost faith in the healing power of the herbs  and homeopathic medicine that I had grown accustomed to taking and giving to the youth.  On one such occasion, my daughter fell terribly ill and we rushed her to the hospital where we were met with the kind of insolence that you would find at a post office.  No semblance of the kind, good natured Ghanaian existed in the fiber of any of these nurses.  This was one time I didn't hesitate to pay the 'foreigner's' tax and get more immediate service, which meant I only waited about an hour, with my daughter's fever soaring.   At a glance the doctor diagnosed her with malaria and gave her a shot that sent her eyes to the back of her head and put her straight to sleep.  I, too, almost passed out as I watched her become almost lifeless in my arms.  The solution for every malaria case is still a shot of chloroquine, which has long been proven ineffective against the latest strain of mosquitoes.  I was firmly reminded of why I didn't go to hospitals in the first place and since then I have made very few trips there.  Instead, we have relied on the herbs, namely the Nim tree as a preventative and artesunate, a Chinese herb readily available at most pharmacies, or Bullet Malaria, a locally produced herbal medicine, as cures.  How ever trying those initial spouts were, I realized that they were as necessary as any other part of the initiation.  Our body must also adjust to the new environment, building up anti-bodies against previously unknown threats to our immune system.  Once it takes place and we survive it then we are granted a 'status of immunity.'  Not that we can't get sick and possibly die, but when do we ever escape that possibility?  Suffice it to say, my children and their mother are all strong and well acclimatized, no longer causing I any concern of that sort, but it did not happen over night.

Now to the streets.  Admittedly, I'm no baller, no shot caller.  I probably can't do like Jay-Z and triple my worth anywhere on God's green Earth, but I have never had any problem keeping my head above water.  I was determined to make it happen. I came with some state of the art equipment and a master plan.  I was ready. Already deeper into my savings than planned, I wasn't yet worried, because, as always, it was about to turn around.  Well it turned around and around and around.  I was spinning and spending like a mouse in the wheel, making as much progress.  There is no simply no way of explaining the disparity between doing business here and doing it anywhere else in the world.  There are rules interwoven, never spoken and never broken, that those of us coming from the Diaspora will only learn when its our turn. If you are patient and observant you may catch on in time, but most of us can't afford to be patient enough to be truly observant.  Not many of us come with more than a year's savings and we all have to eat.  So we start planting seeds as soon as we can.  Well all my seeds were planted, some on the concrete, some in the sand, but none, no not one found fertile ground, for a while anyway. Barely one year after my repatriation I was looking at empty coffers and my wife wanted to return back to babylon with our children.  Then I felt stronger than ever, that I should have come before my family and had thought to advise families in this way, but looking at what time it is and the escalation of events, I rather say, be equally yoked and face it together, just prepare for the added challenge to your relationship, whether it be man to wife, parent to child, or brother to sister, the molding that takes place during this transition will tests all relationships.  You will certainly get to know yourself a whole lot better too.

Anyway, back to the block where we hammer out our daily bread.  The big question is how can we make some money?  Often people asks about jobs.  I say, if they look scarce in America, what do you think they look like here?  But honestly, there are a few positions available for preferably American or European trained minds, at the U.S. Embassy or places like that.  I can't speak for everyone, but I didn't come all the way over here to work for them.   This is Africa, Zion, Ethiopia stretched forth her hands unto the Most High and she was heard.  
So what do we do???  Know your strengths and apply them.  Some of us are teachers, builders, farmers, bakers, writers, dancers, you name it.  Writers write, dancers dance and farmers farm.  The way you will make your sustenance through your passion will be between you and the Most High.  Faith in HIM and confidence in yourself is the key, then patience, nuff patience and of course, endurance.  The race isn't for the swift...

Questions or comments: Prince AriEl M.O.I. lionsden2ghana2@yahoo.com