Galina

Chapter seven

Hi everyone!

In this chapter, and perhaps the next, I will introduce you to the people in the life of Galina back in Ghana in her early years. Stay with me as I continue to build the story.

Meet the grandparents 😍

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I hope you have a good read!

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Phew!

I'm not in Ghana but I'm beginning to feel the heat. This letter is loaded. Well, my aunt never disappoints in the nagging department.  Can you imagine what would have happened had I been in Ghana? I'm beginning to have second thoughts about spending my whole leave period in Ghana.

Precisely because she mentioned Mary Jane,  I knew she would touch on my single state. Well, at least this time she didn't nag me because she knew of Sean. Mary Jane had better not cause any trouble for me. I made a mental note to add gifts to my to do list, especially for Mary Jane and her team. Seriously,  she and her husband should start thinking about using contraceptives. Her last birth was problematic,  why would she go through that again?

One of Mary Jane 's daughter's is named after me ( can you imagine? ). Now, I have two kids named after me with the usual expectations.  I won't be surprised if more are named after me seriously. I have a rather large family.

My grandparents were among the very wealthy in the Southern Province and robbed shoulders with the high and mighty on the motherland. George and Ramseyer Nelson were very respectable and estates all over the country.  The family still possesses some of the estates.  Then there's the cattle ranch in the Afram Plains in the Eastern Province and the Aikins range, also a cattle ranche in the Northern Province. These two are reputed to be the biggest in West Africa even today, with vast landscapes.

Back in the day,  grandpa's thoroughbred was much sought after. Ranchers traveled from Burkina Faso, Mali and neighbouring countries to cross their breed.

When he married my grandmother,  he became the owner of three plantations,  oil palm,  cocoa and pineapple. The plantations and ranches were well managed by Granpa George and his managers. His businesses were doing well so he soon bought the Eastern quarry and named it after my grandmother. The Ramseyer quarry is still doing well today.

My grandfather was a hardworking man. He wasn't born rich. He was born to poor parents. There are stories of  grandpa as he struggled to make ends meet. These stories I know will be passed on to the next generation as has been done for us. From the poor village of Amanase, where three generations of  his family had lived and died,  he worked hard to make a name for himself.

Most of his relatives,  including his own parents were stark illiterates and didn't see the value in educating their children. Until the coming of the Wesleyan Missionaries,  they were all traditionalists. Grandpa's family were among the first few to be converted. The mission set up a school,  Calvary Methodist Preparatory School where my grandpa, who was a little less than six and his siblings had their early education. He was the only boy amongst eight children. 

Grandpa George was intelligent and was promoted twice within an academic year.  He successfully sat for his common entrance and passed with flying colours. He gained admission into Winneba Secondary School with full scholarship.  It was at Winneba he met Grandma Ramseyer and the rest is history. 

As a couple, their very first project was the Nelson Farms. They had only two kids, my dad George Junior and my Aunt Joanna.  Life was good for them until that fateful night,  it was in August.  The police came home asking to speak to an adult.  My dad and aunt were in their early teens. Life pretty much blurred from that point. My grandparents had an accident and died on the spot. Their Aunties were not allowed a say in anything because they were women.

Luckily,  grandpa had a will but they could only access it when they were 20. People looted as much as they could.  Everyone wanted to raise them for obvious reasons.  They mismanaged the estates, managed to steal from the poor kids.

Life quickly changed for the two. They were withdrawn from their Schools and sent to government schools. Meanwhile,  their own kids were now attending the Achimotas, OLA Boarding etc. Ingrates!

Grandpa George's lawyer was faithful.  He followed them in their new schools and supported them the best way he could. Eventually when my Aunt turned twenty, the lawyer fought with them using the system. They were ejected from grandpa's house and the lawyer helped them claim what was left.

Thanks for reading.

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See you in the next chapter.

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