Facing Life as the Girl from Nima

“I cannot believe that Black man won. Obama won, and I am so angry.” These are amongst the first words Mariam heard as an African immigrant arriving to the home of her host family in the United States. Having won a scholarship to study in the USA, Mariam left Nima, Ghana, as a high school student with high hopes for her new life in the “land of freedom.” But instead, she found herself welcomed by racism and mistreatment by the very people she’d hoped would be her American family and friends in the new land.

After suffering an identity crisis, Mariam returned to Ghana, where she felt unwelcome and ostracized by friends and family due to her decision to leave America. Years later, Mariam married an African immigrant and returned to the USA, where she faced numerous trials throughout her marriage, pregnancies, and parenting.

Facing Life as the Girl from Nima is one woman’s story of reflection, laughter and solace spanning decades and two continents. Through her sometimes tumultuous journey, Mariam inspires herself and others to face life one day at a time and seek joy through finding self-contentment while embracing self-awareness and compassionate self-improvement.