New Beginnings
When you are meant to do something, life finds a way of directing you to that something. No matter what.
Ever since I moved to America back in 2005, my heart has been everywhere else but there, especially back home. I sometimes find it a bit strange because America is a place so many people want to go to. It is seen by many as a sort of “promise land”. A place you can go, and all your problems will cease to exist. A place where money is never a problem. A place where one can simply dream it, and it will come true. The American Dream.
For me, for as long as I stayed, I could never seem to find my place in America. I could never seem to dream my American Dream. I visited different places, experienced different things, but the one denominator in all my thoughts when visiting those places and experiencing those things was how I could create those experiences back home in Liberia. Often times when I speak with other diaspora Liberians concerning returning home, their response is,”What is there for me?”. Its true. Not much is in Liberia for many people, especially compared to America. However, I see that as the most driving factor behind my decision to return home. Nothing is here, and nothing will be here for as long as we, as Liberians, keep saying that nothing is here for us. The burden is on us to create those things that we want to see. That is the reason God give us the opportunity to leave Liberia and experience a world different from ours. We are no more special than those who did not get that opportunity, however, it is now our duty to share our exposure with our people in an effort to develop our nation so that the things we want can be here for us and generations to come.
Deciding to move to Liberia was an easy decision for me on the surface, however, there were many factors which I had to consider in making that decision. Number one being, how ready am I to really come here to make some sort of impact, and what will that impact be. There is a whole lot to be done here in Liberia, so how exactly can I do something without getting frustrated, or losing focus?….
This is not a question I have been able to answer as of yet. I understand that moving here means enduring some difficulty, and even some frustration along the way. I am not the first person from the diaspora who has made the decision to relocate to Liberia with the dream to make changes and to create impact, and I definitely will not be the last. The difference is, I’m not here to change everything. I did not come with the notion to change the Liberian society into what I was comfortable with in the United States. What I came here to do, and will do, is to tell the stories of the Liberian people, by the Liberian people. I came to shed light on all it is about this great nation that makes me love it so much. That made me leave America, the land of “milk and honey”, to come back. I want to re-tell our stories and make people understand that sometimes, we have to focus on our loves, instead of our hates. Yes, there are things that I dislike about Liberia. There are decisions mades by our leaders that I do not agree with. There are many things that we are lacking. However, we possess so much beauty in the little that we do have, and that is what I have chosen to focus on —All that I love about my beautiful Liberia. From the food, the people, the welcoming culture, to the great land, the history, the thriving communities, the ability to see past our own shortcomings, the art, the beaches. I love this country so much, and I am so grateful to have made this decision to move back home, because now I get to share this great love with all of you, and, to hopefully inspire others to focus on what it is they love about this country, in hopes that that very love will drive them to return home, and to impact some form of development in our nation. The love of liberty, and the love of my my people brought me home.
