Pretty as a Car Crash

Nanyamka


made by BethiiLovesYou @ the Quizilla! Forums

A wise man once said, “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” I guess my parents took that quote to heart, seeing as how my name means “God’s gift”. My name is Nanyamka.

From when I was born until the age of five, I lived in Africa with my Mother and Father in the Republic of Ghana. I remember going to the shores of the Gulf of Guinea and spending the whole day there with them. We would take a lunch with us and go swimming in the ocean or spend the day collecting sea shells. My parents both were doctors and conducted research in the rainforest. On the days they needed to do research, they generally brought me with them, saying that it was a good life experience. The trees were huge and a lush green color, just like the flora. The animals, which we rarely saw, but always heard, were quite interesting. From what I can remember, we only saw birds, a monkey once or twice, and lots of bugs. The bugs came in a variety of sizes and colors, especially the birds and bugs.
Just before I turned five, my parents were offered jobs as doctors by this man that was visiting the area. They accepted. So on my fifth birthday, we boarded a plane, with almost all of our possessions on board, and flew over to the U.S., or more exact, the border of Maine and Canada.

My preschool teacher’s name was Mrs. Ashby. I always looked forward to going to school - to be a part of her class. On that first day of school, both mother and father brought me to Madawaska Preschool - the only preschool in the town of Madawaska. The first time I met Mrs. Ashby, I was extremely scared. Being five years old and in a foreign country - which was now my home - was scary enough, but talking to a woman that I had never met before was even scarier.

“Good morning Nanyamka! Welcome to Madawaska Preschool! I’m your teacher, Mrs. Ashby.” At this point in our very first conversation, she stuck her slender hand out at my small, chubby one. When I was young, I was very shy, so in return to her attempted hand shake, I hid behind my mother’s slender, sugar-brown legs.
“I’m sorry Mrs. Ashby. Nan is very shy.” My father spoke, putting his hands on my shoulders and gently pulling me from behind my mother and in front of him. To me, my father was one of the most influential people in my life. He was my role model.

“Nan, honey, it’s okay. Mrs. Ashby isn’t going to hurt you! It’s okay. Go ahead, shake her hand!” He gently pushed me towards my new teacher.

He was always doing that, gently pushing me in the right direction - in the direction of my dreams.

I took her hand in mine, or as much as I could grasp, and shook it as firmly as possible.
“What a strong grip! It’s nice to meet you, Nan.” Mrs. Ashby said, a smile taking over all of her facial features.

“Hello. It’s nice to meet you as well.” I offered in my small whisper of a voice.
She straightened her posture, along with her blouse, and looked at my parents, that smile still plastered to her face. I surveyed the scene around me as my parents and teacher talked. All around, there were children about my age with their parents entering the school and only parents exiting it. At first, I didn’t understand why only the parents were leaving, seeing as how I had never been to a school before in my entire life. This was a shock to my system. I didn’t know what happened to those children, but I certainly didn’t want to find out.
“Darling, come along. It’s almost time for school to start.” Mom said, as she lifted me up into her arms and smiled her beautiful angel’s smile.

“Just a moment please. I’d like you to meet one of my star pupils.” She turned away from my small family and looked at a lime-green minivan. Out of it stepped a little girl my age with brown, curly hair in pig-tails, wearing an apple red jumper with big red buttons on the straps.
“Mrs. Belvidere, Jessica, I’d like you to meet a family that just moved here,” She yelled - waving at the little girl and a woman I assumed to be her mother.

That was when I met Jessica Belvidere - the girl that I call my best friend - the person that is always there for me - no matter what happens.

The day that Lisha Marie Ramsey was born, my little sister, was a day that my life changed dramatically. At first, I was totally stoked about having a little sister, but after learning how to change a diaper, having to share a room with her for two months while her room was being finished, and having multiple things ruined by her, I decided that I would like to return her to the hospital.

For a while, I tried to convince my parents that she really did need to be returned to the hospital, but they wouldn’t have it. Then, I just came to accept the fact that she was going to be here for a while and that there was nothing I could do about it. Once I accepted this, life became much easier, until the next year when Gyasi was born, adding to my knowledge of annoying siblings.

My parents wanted all of us kids to have authentic African names with meanings. You already know what Nanyamka means and that was exactly what my parents considered me when I was born; god’s gift. I suppose they still consider me that, but sometimes I seriously doubt it. Lisha means “mysterious” and Gyasi means “Wonderful one”. I think each name fits each of us perfectly. Lisha always has been and always will be mysterious and Gyasi is wonderful in the way that he’s always giving and he’s always kind - no matter his mood.

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”
- Abe Lincoln