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.

I met Ike at a wedding. He was an expert in nuclear energy. My mother asked whether he was going to bomb us when he came to make his intentions known. We moved to Yugoslavia where he was pursuing his doctorate. Flying into a foreign country was a new experience. Sometimes it was lonely and sometimes it was difficult because I did not understand the language. That affects everything you do. Ike did not understand the language well. He would make up the weather report and say the next day would be mild weather. The next day it would rain. I decided I had to learn the language myself. We were poor students for a long time but eventually we settled well and had our first child. By the time we returned to Ghana, I had learnt the language well, made some very good friends and written a book. We moved back to Ghana and lived in Kwabenya, an area the government had built for people working at the Ghana Atomic Energy Agency. More nuclear men and women. We had married in the Kwabenya church and so it was very precious to me. I started teaching at the Sunday School there as well as teaching full time at Legon Primary. Some of our lifelong friends were made during our days at Kwabenya. We had another child and then Ike was relocated to Vienna, Austria to work at the International Atomic Energy Agency. I remember he had applied for the role but we did not hear back from them for a long time. I kept checking. Then we found out that his boss had received the letter but hid it in his drawer. I do not know why he did that. Ike moved to Vienna in 1984 and I moved with the children in 1985.  Vienna was our home for many years - so I have deep roots there from friends, our church community at Grace Church and working as a teacher at the Vienna International School. I taught so many children at Vienna International School. So I have so many adopted children from different nationalities that I am still connected to. I love Vienna; the healthcare, the cleanliness, the food, cafes, the public transport. Our third child was born in Vienna. Three children with three different birth cities with the Nuclear Man. 

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. 

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.

The pivotal event during my teenage years was Scripture Union. I had an ulcer. My elder sister (Eugenia) was a nurse so when I had pain she would take me to the hospital and give me an injection. It would help me relax and sleep peacefully. So when I went to Scripture Union I went with my stomach issue. I had my first healing from Scripture Union. It was an Easter convention. We went to a convention and the speaker said you are here for a purpose and if you believe in God, He's able to set you free. I really didn't understand. During the break three people came to pray with me and they said do you believe that God can set you free from these troubles? I cannot remember their names but they prophesied so many things over me. After the programme, they took me to the dining hall and told me you are going to have lunch. As I was coming down the stairs and then I heard in my heart "you are healed from your ulcer." They gave me the food. It was spicy. And he said eat this sister. Previously, even the smell of cooking with lots of pepper would trigger my ulcer and I would collapse in pain. That day, I ate the food and was healed. It was really an amazing testimony that made me understand the miraculous power of healing. And I shared that testimony with all my family - especially my mother. That testimony at a young age gave me so much confidence in prayer.

What I remember most about Ghana as a youth are the youth groups. My elder sister (Maggie) took me to one of her groups and I learnt some songs that were used for demonstrations. I didn't even know what “demonstrations” were. Maggie was smart. She took me to all these places. And we would sing songs and march in the demonstrations to support Kwame Nkrumah. I did not fully understand the importance of independence at the time but I loved the songs and being part of the group. I still remember some of the songs. I liked school generally. What I didn't like about school were sports. What I liked the most about school was telling stories. I had an aunt, who was not educated, but she could tell good stories. My father said no one should teach if they do not love children. He was a teacher so he should know. He said that even before he died. I asked him several times: "who doesn't like children?" Once I completed high school, the person who inspired me to finally pursue teaching is an uncle I would stay with during the long vacations. He asked me what I was planning to do. I hadn't even made up my mind because I did not want to disturb my mother to help me with the fees. He asked me whether I thought about being a teacher because he and the wife felt I would be very good at teaching. Right there and then we took a taxi straight to the teacher training school. I showed them my certificate and he calculated everything that I needed and paid for it. That was another testimony. That was a big testimony.

The word that describes my childhood is freedom. I had the protection of my grandmother. She always made special foods for me. We grew up with a lot of people.  I had two older sisters but at any time there could be six or seven other girls in the house - it was like living in a boarding house. I remember the food, rice, ripe plantain, soups, tea and bread. Most of the time, I played football. I would run out and play out with my friends all day. When I started Primary School, my sister had to take me to school. My school was close to the Abom house. We would walk down the main road from Cape Coast and we could go over the bridge over the lagoon. We lived with my aunty from my father’s side. In our Akan tradition, we belong to our mother’s family. We do not belong to our father’s side. I do not think my aunt’s family liked us very much because they did not see us as family. We were the other people to them. My parents would send us money for our upkeep. My sisters would buy the things we needed and then take most of it for themselves. I did not complain as long as they bought me a football or toffee. They became my substitute mothers in a way, which made us very close. We spent time with my parents during the long summer holidays. We did not live with them for most of the year because of my father’s work. My first job as a highschool teacher allowed me to get my first car. My father was so happy. I would drive to their house once a week and have a drink with him on the porch. He liked me to drive him to church on Sundays. He always insisted on going early so that nobody took his seat. He liked to sit at the front with his peers. I did not like to sit with him and all his old friends. I remember he and his friends would wear suits and meet at one of their houses every so often and eat fine foods and salads. They were real gentlemen. 

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.