A Little Bit About Me...

Greetings! I will tell you a little bit about myself. I was born in Accra, Ghana in the late 70's and later moved to New York City (The Village) with my folks in the early 80's. At the time, I mostly spoke my native tongue, Fanti and Twi (Akan dialects), and a good amount of English with a strong accent. I remember feeling different in pre-school. I knew everyone was not like me and I was different. I eventually moved to Flatbush, Brooklyn with my folks (which was probably the most comfortable I felt ).  And then we moved to a small town in central New Jersey: Roselle. That is where I really felt ostracized because I looked, spoke, dressed and acted differently from the other children. From then on it became a constant struggle for me to feel like I completely fit in anywhere, whether it be at home at school or later at work. This topic has been discussed with many of my friends that feel the same way from various countries. Either you are too American or too something else. The thing is, I have come to realize that I am both, Ghanaian and American. I just wish the rest of the world would realize it and stop forcing me to choose, no matter how subtle it may be. This is a little bit  of my story. What's yours?

XOXO,
Araba
@arabawritestoo

Araba at a friend's 

birthday party in Flatbush, Brooklyn

Go to my Etsy Shop:ArtByAraba for merchandise:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtByAraba