Memories

At the Table

Clicking sounds of cutlery, laughter and endless chatting. A scene of our eight

seater dining table on the first evening of the school holidays. There were many

of us, our extended family, my three siblings and I, three cousins from my father’s

family and a cousin from my mother’s. We were all teenagers in our

household and most of us were in boarding schools, spread across three different

regions of Ghana.

The variety of stories, after our meal was as engaging as the schools we attended.

These were very special tines. We learned a lot from each other, life at boarding

schools in the 1980s could be quite challenging. The stories that stuck in my mind

were very radiant and life-changing. We can all admit now that the experiences and

friendships we made in those years are long-lasting.

My brothers narrated stories of their sports events, when they went out of school to

a local stadium and convened with hundreds of other students. The colored pavilions

represented the different schools. They told us about the competitive sports events and

the best sprinters, some of whom we knew. They sang some of the rhythmic anthems and

choruses to us and shared how animated they all were on the buses riding back to school,

especially if their school had won any medals.

My sister and I reported stories about the vegetable gardens each house made and the

long distance we walked to tend them. My cousins described the selection of entertainment

and many more captivating stories. My cousin Kwabena in particular was a natural comedian

he embellished his stories so much that we were always in fits of laughter.

Our evening at the table was enchanting and left us feeling excited about the rest of the

holidays. This became a regular reunion. It also made us appreciate the privilege of

going to boarding school, washing away the somewhat difficult circumstances

we encountered there.