Many people lived with us when I was growing up. We had a big compound. We had different types of fruits and vegetables in our house. I remember my father would tie nets under the trees to catch the fruits as they fall. They would not fall to the ground. When they are ripe they fall into the net. Think about it. That's very smart. My father fought in the Boer War, so when he returned he came back with a lot of different fruits and vegetables from South Africa. The house was full of food. We even gave some to our neighbors. That's a big lesson I learnt from my parents and it fueled my love for gardening. I love gardening and eating fruits from my small farm. My parents were Catholics. My mother was very senior in the Catholic church. So when I was born again, she and my dad did not like it. My dad said I had forgotten my identity and my roots. I challenged this. I was learning that as a believer, I was grafted into the family of Abraham. I am Jewish in that way. Those are my new roots. I used to sneak into the bathroom to read my Bible because no one read the Bible in my house. I wanted to join the Scripture Union on Sunday afternoons but my mother said no. My mother was always afraid that someone would kidnap me or something. She tried to make sure our Sundays were busy so I could not go. She would make me cook and cook. It was very frustrating. I told myself one day when I have my own children how I take them to bible study myself.

My earliest childhood memories are staying with my grandmother. My grandmother was strict. She was more serious than my mother. Usually the grandmothers are less serious. That's funny. She would go to different villages. She sold groundnuts, shea butter and essential oils. One time she asked me to go with her. I said no. And then she asked me why. I told her that the last time I had gone with her she had an argument with a lady who owed her money. It was not a lot of money but it mattered to my grandmother. I told my grandmother she was spoiling her name in public. But for me, my grandmother was the best one. Because she would come to school if I said a teacher beat me. And my school was far! And she would ask the teacher why she beat me and she would argue with the teacher. I loved my father. To me my father was the best for my mother and for us. I remember Sunday after church he would make a huge salad. He often took us to the balcony and would ask us many questions like "who is your favorite teacher"? Sometimes he whispered to birds and they landed on his knees. My fondest memory of my mother was the sweets and bread she used to make. She puts the sugar in the pot and turns it into caramel. When she made bread, she would allow us to make our own shapes like a fish. And then give us Kraft cheese to put in and it would melt inside the bread. I really liked it. My parents were very generous. That is something I remember.

We had a dog called Snoopy when we lived in Ghana. I loved the dog to come into our room so it would wait for Theresa to leave and then run in. She did not like the dog at all. The day I left for Vienna, the dog ran away. It followed the taxi I took to the airport but could not keep it. It was as if he knew. My work as an International Inspector was focused on countries such as Japan, Iran and North Korea. My focus was assessing the nuclear reactors to ensure they were not trying to build bombs. We were promoting nuclear peace not for war. North Korea was interesting because it was closed to the outside world. At the height of the tension with the US, my colleague and I were the only ones permitted into the country because of the sensitivities. We were two African nuclear experts who had to go into place of American, Canadian and British colleagues. Our knowledge was valued and our access to these countries in the middle of complicated geopolitics was essential. People always say that North Koreans eat dogs so as Africans were concerned. We tried to limit where and what we ate to make sure it did not include dog meat. The truth is, we were always treated like royalty - they would make an effort to give us access to foreign foods, cognac and wines. I always enjoyed the times we were in North Korea. In 1994, we traveled to North Korea at a time of extreme heightened tension which required President Carter to fly into the country. For a few days, the outside world assumed we were lost. Theresa was listening to the news but had no idea where I was for a few days. Normally, I made an effort to call when I was away on inspection but North Korea was always an anomaly. Because there was no access to the media of the outside world, we had no idea what was happening. But the deliberations between the presidents were successful which meant that the two of us were not deported out of the country.

The expectation I had for Ghana as a youth did not come true. I thought we would be at a certain level today but essentially we have been deteriorating. That's disappointing. We were excited for independence at the beginning. When we were young, we had so many things that were better than now. We had a public address system that the government would use for mass education. They would advise us to gather at a central place and talk to us about points of concern like a public health issue or customs. Usually, they would play some music and show some cartoons before the speeches. There was also an order at school. But it was also an adventurous time. I remember in our dorm rooms we would wait until late at night and then eat secretly. A few of us would take different foods we had in our chopboxes and eat together. We would say “no contribution no chop”. I had a love for Mathematics and Physics at school. But I learnt about the atom in my Chemistry class. Then I heard that the Americans and the Russians are working with atoms. I didn't know they were using atoms to make bombs. I wanted to know more. I tried to learn more in the libraries. When I found out that America and Russia were giving scholarships to African students, I applied. I did my MSc. in Nuclear Physics and Russian Language at the Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia So that’s how I moved into nuclear physics as a lifelong passion.