MY FAMILY

From Drew.


Most of us were born alone, except of course twins. We spend nine months living alone in our mother's womb but the moment we come out, announcing our arrival with a cry, we begin to live with others.

We are introduced to a family that is supposed to protect us and care for us.

My name is Andrew Tetteh but you can call me Drew. Growing up for me was a little away from the ‘normal’ well, like I tell my friends; I don't come from a ‘normal’ family. It's not that my family is crazy or something but my family history's is not what most of my friends have.

Ever since I knew who I was and had a fair idea of our existence as human beings (eight or nine years old), I have never lived under the same roof with my entire nuclear family for more than three weeks before. It is either with my brothers and/or with either one of my parents.

At school my friends talk about their family and certain things they share, they speak so highly of the “family bond” but I realized I had no clue as what my family had in common apart from our names and our bloodline. I wished then that I will one day experience the same thing they talk of. This was way back in primary, fast forward to present day university graduate and I have not yet experienced the so called family togetherness or bond.

The interesting thing here is that I'm not complaining and more so I wasn't craving for that experience. In the end my realization is that my friends have their family story and I also have mine, which is unique to me and my family.

It wasn't that my family didn't have a story or was not 'normal' as I believed it to be, but the fact was that we did have a story. It was not a story of us living in one big house together but a rich story of us living physically apart from each other yet staying together because of love and respect. Yes my family is a normal family. It is our normal, besides who defines what is a normal family?

Living in the same house is a good thing, but if you don't have that it does not warrant complaining about not having a good family. What is most important is love amongst you, this I learned from my dad Richard Botchway, Agatha Botchway my mum, Nathaniel Tetteh Snr, Benard Tetteh, Micheal Tetteh, Kingsford Tetteh and Nathaniel Tetteh Jnr my five big bully brothers. I hope they will not read this else I will not get a gift on my next birthday; March 25.

I have been to college, finished successfully and I could not have done this without the help of my family.

One thing I have learned is that every family has a story, a unique one for that matter and there is no way you can have the same family experience as that of your friend. The most important thing is to find ways to make your family work. It took me twenty three years of searching to get this answer.

I hope yours ends here.

Please do tell us your family story by commenting and share the article with your friends and family.

LIFE EXPERIENCES

                                                                              

So we went to school, did our best and passed our exams; coming out with flying colors and then we got a job. We both got a middle class houses on mortgage while we were pretty sure our jobs was secured. A good one for that matter and then we started taking our girlfriends serious. We started discussing marriage and then we got really serious and did the unthinkable; we met the parents.

After a month or two, one of us took the lead and went for the engagement list and he realized he doesn't have enough savings so he started buying them in bits and when he realized that he had bought two third of the items of the list he set a date for the engagement and the wedding date too.

Two weeks to the day his wife and him started buying the rest of the items but then their savings begun showing in the red, the next natural thing to do was to start contemplating whether to postpone the wedding or borrow money to pay for the rather lavish celebration they have planned. Postponing was taken off the list because their parents have invited all their people from the village and they have embarked on the three day journey already. So, the only option left was to borrow. He did not ask us for the money but a business associate instead.

Well, the wedding was great; there was plenty of food and drinks. The music was superb; he hired the best live band in town and got the most sorts after venue for the reception. The marriage ceremony was everything he had read about from the fairy tales books during his childhood and now, it is his reality.

The honeymoon was unimaginable, a four star service, but when they got back, his friend business associate from whom he borrowed the money to pay for the rest of the wedding had left him a voice message on the answering machine. His lender was in a serious financial mess and could do with the money he borrowed him, preferred deadline for payment; three weeks. What a start to a marriage life, gasped.

This is a real life story but not ours, follow this blog for real life stories about us, (three university graduates) as we cope with life after school. We will tell you everything concerning our hustle in life from our career to our love life, nothing is off limits.

Most importantly we hope that these life stories of ours will help you live your own life……. Sometimes we think we are alone in our misery but most often than not there are thousands more also wearing the same issues as us.

It is our wish that you learn from our real life experiences and do not repeat our mistakes….

Our names are Lemuel Nortey, Jonathan Donkor and Andrew Tetteh but we prefer that you know us as Lemuel, Jonny and Drew.