Kente in the Cold
The cold in Russia was indescribable, especially coming from the humidity of Ghana. I would leave my beer and drinks outside the window - it was better than a fridge. Studying at the University of Moscow was exciting, especially at the time. I became a de facto DJ in the dorms and would play records of jazz and soul music for my friends. We had a small Ghanaian community in Russia and sometimes we would travel by train to Germany and by boat to the UK during the long holidays. I was studying there while America and Russia raced to put the first man on the moon. We had a cultural day and I wore my Kente cloth in the cold. They all appreciated the colorful Kente cloth but it was too cold! After my studies I returned to Ghana and met my wife, Theresa. We then moved to Yugoslavia so I could pursue my PHd at the Josef Stefan institute at Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia where I researched ways to reduce the large errors associated with neutron monitoring of radiation damage, which affects the fracture toughness of reactor pressure vessels. PHd was supervised by Prof. Mitja Najzer, who had connections in the International Development Programme, a department within the IAEA.
After my doctorate we moved back to Ghana with one child and I worked at the Ghana Atomic Energy Agency as the Neutron Activation Analysis Laboratory Head, where I had previously worked as a researcher. Our Second daughter was born in Ghana before we relocated to Vienna, Austria where I started work as an Inspector at the International Atomic Energy Agency, where we had our son and where I spent the majority of my career. Our home in Vienna has been the longest place I have lived in. It has always been about family and nuclear.