Returning Home Ain’t Easy But It Sure Is A Blessing!
A Mini Book Review
Returning Home Ain’t Easy if it means picking yourself up and moving to a different country, but yes it can be a blessing. That’s for sure!
When many African-Americans and other People of African Descent living in the Diaspora visit Ghana, one place they are sure to visit is a place called, One Africa Health Resort located in Cape Coast. Situated close to the Elmina and Cape Coast Slave Castles and Dungeons, the resort has became an iconic pilgrimage spot for visitors eager to reconnect to their African roots.
One Africa Health Resort
One Africa Health Resort is also the home and brainchild of the author, Seestah Imahkus (and her late husband).
One visit to the Cape Coast Slave Castle dungeons was all it took. After an emotional and gut-wrenching experience , as she states in the book’s introduction, “I would never be the same again! After years of wandering and searching, I have finally found home.”
But, saying it and actually making the move did not happen overnight. They needed to plan and prepare and so between 1987 and 1990, Seestah Imakhus and her husband made several trips to Ghana.
In 1990, despite objections from friends and family, especially on the part of her mother, they made the move.
Reality sets in
And then reality set in. Visiting a country and living in it are two different things. In this memoir, Seestah Imakhus chronicles her experiences over the course of twenty one years of living in Ghana. There are the good times and the challenging times as she and her husband and other friends and returnees adjust in their ancestral African homeland.
She discusses how she learned to be careful not to trust everyone after being taken advantage of by a friend and swindled out of money. Lacing factual information about some of Ghana’s history, culture and traditions, Imakhus addresses the challenges of language barriers, and being viewed as foreigner and called obroni (white person), which she found to be particularly disturbing. But most of all, the book speaks to the joy she has always felt at being home in Motherland, Africa.
Today, many global celebrities make it a point to visit the iconic One Africa Health Resort in Cape Coast. In addition to hosting enlightening Rites of Passage ceremonies, and conducting somber Castle/Dungeon pilgrimages and ceremonies, One Africa is the site of weddings, meetings, burial of ashes and and a lot more.
If you are lucky, you may get to visit with Sister Imakhus herself.
So here is the takeaway
I highly recommend Returning Home Ain’t Easy But It Sure Is A Blessing! for the following reasons:
If you you are thinking about relocating or repatriating to a country in Africa, this book gives detailed insight as to what to expect.
It is as relevant today as the day it was published (1999 and revised in 2009). It’s worth keeping on hand as a reference guide.
It provides Ghanaians with a greater understanding of African-Americans and why they are choosing to return to Africa, specifically, Ghana.
And finally, Seestah Imakhus writes in way that is so relatable, conversational; funny at times, and other times, angry and feisty.
You can purchase a copy of this book at Amazon.com and other online retailers.
Ready To Quit Your Job and Become Your Own Boss?
Before you do that, read “two weeks notice” by Amy Porterfield
Do you wake up too many mornings thinking that you just don’t want to keep on doing what you have been doing? Quitting comes to mind. You want to become your own boss. But are you ready?
You’re envisioning taking more control of your work and career by starting your own part-time or full-time business. The more you think of it, the more certain you are about becoming your own boss, but you’re just not sure how to get started.
Perhaps you’re a writer like me, and want to take your writing to another level by diversifying what you offer and creating additional income.
No matter what the business you’re thinking of starting, I highly recommend that you begin by reading Amy Porterfield’s book, two weeks notice: Find the courage to quit your job, make more money, work where you want, and change the world.
But hold on! Before you hand in your two weeks notice, please read Amy’s book first.
Yes, I am promoting this book and here’s why. I am a writer, editor and business owner. I want to take my writing and editing business to a higher level, but I am terrible at marketing. I just don’t know enough. I should be more successful than I am, and I know it’s because I am terrible at online marketing.
I want to become better at being my own boss.
Enter Amy Porterfield. She is an undisputed master of online marketing. Check out her top-rated podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy.
I attended some of her free online webinars and was impressed with the knowledge, energy and passion she brought to every session, along with her signature humor and authentic desire to help others succeed. I was equally impressed by the fact that she stayed online with attendees until every question was answered.
She always over-delivered and had plenty of stories to illustrate topics she covered, as well as several scripts that attendees could swipe and make their own. Kind, encouraging and always smiling, by the end of her sessions, attendees and students are left feeling that Amy is a friend who has your back.
After attending one of her free bootcamps on how to start an online business, I decided to take her courses. Since then, I find myself going back to her teachings over and over again. Doing so refreshes my thoughts and keeps me motivated to keep going.
But, could she impart her personality and brand into a book?
Because she teaches on video and students get to see and interact with her in a visual way, I wondered if, or how, she would be able to translate all of her knowledge, as well as her personality and brand into a book. After all, there are some things that are really difficult to feel, or get a sense of, without seeing.
But somehow she did it. And here’s the thing. The book is not even that long, at 277 pages, but Amy has been able to infuse her book with that same enthusiasm, with that same passion, and that same wealth of knowledge.
It’s pretty amazing, given that this is her first book. What’s also amazing to me is that despite her multi-million dollar success, and with all that she has accomplished in her business, she admits she still had a bit of doubt and fear that she could actually write a book about the business she is a master of.
In her book, Amy shares the ups and downs of starting and growing her business. She is very honest about the fears, stumbling blocks, mistakes, crying fits, embarrassments that she faced along the way to creating a very successful business.
We have all felt those things one time or another, right? When you begin to think of starting a business, there’s going to be fear, uncertainty, and looking at others to see if you can possibly be as good as they are, called imposter syndrome, these days.
Still, I was surprised that Amy admitted to feeling uncertain about writing a book about a business that she excels in. She shares this to show how normal it is to feel this way, but she also shows you what she did to overcome and push through that feeling.
Here’s my best advice.
If you are ready to start your own business, my best advice is to start by reading two weeks notice. It’s an excellent, practical guide to get you started. You’ll learn what you need to have in place before handing in your two weeks notice.
Amy has been where you are now, and where you want to be. She breaks it all down in a friendly, conversational way. You’ll get scripts and examples to follow to reach your goal. At the same time, you’ll get strategies that will help you overcome the hurdles that will undoubtedly come your way.
And you’ll feel that she believes in you and is holding your hand as she guides you to success. Like a friend who “has your back.”
It all begins with a single thought. If you are reading this, then I know you are already thinking of taking charge and becoming your own boss.
Be motivated, gain confidence and save yourself time and money. Order your copy of two weeks notice today. You won’t be disappointed.
If you have enjoyed reading this article, or found it helpful, you might be interested in these other articles of mine. Write a Book to Promote Your Business and Think You Can’t Do Something? Think again.
I write about writing, editing, entrepreneurship, self-improvement and travel. I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter! When you join, we’re able to stay in touch, and I’ll send you weekly articles, resources and more, to take your writing to the next level. Subscribe!
