I Thought I’d End Up Alone, But God Had Other Plans – A Journey Across Continents To Find Love (Part 2)
If you’re new, please review part one of Kisha’s story here. Now, let’s jump straight into part 2.
THE LOVE STORY
I always thought I’d grow old alone. I was married before and got divorced, so I knew the odds of remarrying were slim to none. But, God said something different.
I met my boyfriend on the same flight I took to Nigeria. He was seated beside me and kept pestering me by turning off my TV screen. Finally, I got really annoyed and slapped him. That slap lead to the start of a beautiful relationship that lasted eight months; and then, it made way for my husband.
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I met my husband through a friend; a Ghanaian doctoral student who I met in China while living there in 2014. When my airplane love and I broke up, I met up with him and asked if he had friends who he could introduce me to. I told him I’d been in long distant relationships before and wasn’t afraid to start one. Once I said that, he smiled and told me he had the perfect guy for me. He gave me his friend’s contact, we started chatting, exchanged photos & hit it off immediately.
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His name was Nana. He lived in Ghana and I lived in Nigeria. There were no commitments made so, we remained close friends while I continued dating other people.
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In 2017, I decided I wanted to remain in Africa long term and saw Ghana as the place I’d like to settle. Once I made my decision, I went to Ghana and I met up with Nana. From the first time we met, I found him to be very honest and forthright.
He always guided me while being gentle at the same time and I always felt protected with him. Gradually our friendship moved beyond platonic. We started dating officially in October 2018. One night, we were talking about the future and I couldn’t help thinking that he’d make a great husband. As if reading my mind, he asked me to marry him right there in that moment and I said yes. It felt right in my mind and my heart and we got married on July 17, 2019.
China – April, 2020
If someone had told me years ago that in 2020, I’d move back to China, I would have accused them of lying. But, here I am. When my contract expired at my international school in Nigeria, I started looking for a new job and realised that a lot of schools in China were seeking counselors with IB (international baccalaureate) experience.
I accepted a position with a school that agreed to send me for further training. I also had plans to get involved in the hair selling game, but needless to say, it’s not a good time to be back as I’ve been quarantined in the house since January, 24th. Mind you, I’m still working online and getting paid, but it is definitely a time of uncertainty.
When COVID-19 first came about, my boss thought it wouldn’t last long. He’d lived in China for over 20 years and had been through similar situations such as SARS and the bird flu. We took time off in January with the estimated return to be February 9th. As the days passed and things got worse, the 9th moved to the 16th, then it moved to March 9th, then to March 16th and now we’re in May with no talks of returning to school anytime soon.
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The only good part about being in China this time is that I don’t have to go through it alone. I genuinely thank God for this because I think this crisis would have hit me a lot harder if my husband wasn’t here with me. We spend our time in quarantine cooking both Jamaican and Ghanaian dishes. We play board games and video games and take occasional walks in our neighborhood. We also have groceries delivered to our apartment, so we don’t have to go to the supermarket.
Today is May 25th and things in China are slowly returning to normal. I hear more cars on the road and restaurants are beginning to open. Some schools have resumed, and life looks like it is ready to begin again. My co-workers have left their apartments to have social distancing ‘get-togethers’, but I opt to remain in my apartment where I have everything I need. I’ll feel more comfortable when all this is officially over.
Much thanks to school counselor, Kisha Hugh-Abban, for allowing me to tell her story. Please follow her on IG @catchingupwithkeesh
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