Life-Changing Choices: Leaving for a New Chapter

Kwei--Wed 

                    View from Mount Naranco of foliage-rich Oviedo 
                                    (Recreated with AI)

There are moments in life when we face profound choices that change everything. These decisions aren't always easy, but they often lead us down paths that redefine who we are and where we're headed. I've had my share of these pivotal moments, but none more consequential than the one I’ve come to face now.

The Joke Becomes Reality: Leaving the USIt was once a running joke among many of us: "If Trump wins, I’m leaving the US." It was said in jest--a way to vocalize frustration without the intention of actually acting on it. But that sentiment has evolved. This time, the stakes are too high, and for many, including myself, it is no longer just a statement of dissatisfaction. 

In July, I will leave the US to resettle in Oviedo, Spain's beautiful, luxuriantly green city. The decision isn't born from a mere sense of frustration but from a deep, persistent sense of panic and concern. Every day, the Trump administration creates a daily environment of uncertainty, despair, and fury. Under Biden’s leadership, there were still struggles, but my mornings usually began with mundane thoughts about what errands I had to run and what my day would look like. Since the rise of Trumpism, however, I wake up with a gnawing sense of dread, my first thought often being, What new horror has Trump on Truth Social unleashed overnight?

A Physician’s Perspective: The Painful Legacy of Trump

As a physician, some of the most painful aspects of the Trump administration have been the consistent attacks on public health and university institutions and resources that directly affect the lives of millions, including my own work. The cruelty and lack of empathy demonstrated over a couple of months of the Trump regime are staggering. The following are just a few of the catastrophic actions that have left me deeply disturbed:

• USAID: Under the Trump administration, USAID’s mission of providing global aid was undermined, with critical funding cut back to nations in need, particularly those battling public health crises such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. When I lived in Ghana, I often met Americans in service under USAID’s auspices.
• NIH (National Institutes of Health): Funding to the NIH has been slashed, impeding scientific research on a range of crucial health issues. The administration’s rejection of science and research priorities has left many in the medical community feeling unsupported and unheard.
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): Once the gold standard for global health, the CDC is being sidelined during Trump's term. His administration’s neglect and active interference in health policies will lead to unnecessary delays in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies. Added to this is the ridiculousness of a brainworm-infested anti-vaxxer, RFK, Jr., getting the post of Secretary of HHS.
• Immigration and Family Separation: The cruelty of separating families at the border and the treatment of asylum seekers are some of the most heart-wrenching actions that signal a profound disregard for human dignity.
• Environmental Rollbacks: Trump’s environmental policies, aimed at rolling back protections, worsened the health risks of pollution and climate change, affecting vulnerable populations, particularly those in impoverished areas.
• Civil Rights and Voting Restrictions: The administration’s support for voter suppression and efforts to stifle civil rights were not only harmful to democracy but also to public health, as disenfranchised communities often bear the brunt of systemic inequalities. It hasn’t yet been ruled out that Trump might try to invoke the Insurrection Act at the US southern border or in places where mass demonstrations are likely to occur.

The Danger of Returning to the US

Given the current political climate, visiting the US has become fraught with more danger than ever, even for citizens. The rise of vigilante justice, racial and LGBTQ+ persecution, and a political climate that seems to stoke division every day make it feel as though the country is on a path that may not be safe for people like me for many years to come. Here are just a few examples of injustices:

·  Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia: Mistakenly deported to El Salvador in 2025 despite protected legal status. (AP News)

·  Andry José Hernández Romero: Deported from the U.S. to El Salvador in 2025 after being misidentified as a gang member. (The Guardian)

·  LGBTQ+ Asylum Seeker: Wrongfully deported from the U.S. to El Salvador, facing dangers in its prison system. (Washington Blade)

·  Karla Avelar: A transgender activist facing persecution in El Salvador for her LGBTQ+ advocacy. (Wikipedia)

The trauma caused by Trumpism doesn't simply fade away with the end of his presidency. The ripple effects are felt in our social fabric, institutions, and daily lives. And now, as I decide to leave, I’m not only fleeing a country but reclaiming my peace of mind and safety.

A New Beginning in Spain

Oviedo, Spain, offers me the opportunity for a new start, away from the storm of chaos and cruelty that has defined the first months of the Trump regime. I look forward to a life where I can wake up with hope, not fear, and my thoughts will not be consumed by the next Trump tweet or policy change that undermines my country’s values. I will still advocate for the things I believe in—healthcare equity, global peace, and human dignity—but I will do so from a place where I can breathe again.

This life-changing decision is necessary for my survival, peace, and well-being. It’s a reminder that sometimes, to move forward, we need to make resolutions that feel radical at first but are, in fact, the bravest acts of self-preservation.

Life is full of choices—sometimes, we choose what we think is best at the moment, and other times, life chooses for us. This decision has chosen me, and I am finally taking the leap.

A Writing Career at a Crossroads

As I prepare to embark on this new chapter in Spain, I reflect on my writing career, which I feel has reached a peak and possibly a plateau. My enthusiasm for setting murder mysteries in Ghana, once a wellspring of creativity and intrigue, has significantly dwindled since the release of The Whitewashed Tombs. Ghana's backdrop—its complex social fabric, vibrant culture, and thrilling mysteries—seems less inviting now, given the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment that persists. 

With over 80% of Ghanaians disapproving of same-sex relationships, the environment feels not only morally challenging but also potentially unsafe for someone like me to visit. Beyond the physical risks, there’s a more profound ethical dilemma: Why should I continue to patronize a society that rejects who I am? This conflict has left me in a place where my passion for writing about Ghana has been replaced by a sense of disillusionment, making it hard to find the same inspiration that once drove me.

COVID DISPARITIES ARE GLOBAL

 Kwei--Wednesday

COVID-19 has exposed deep-seated health inequities

Established disparities in American health care have been widely exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on multiple levels. 

Deaths: Pacific Islander, Latino, Indigenous and Black Americans all have a COVID-19 death rate of double or more that of White and Asian Americans, who experience the lowest age-adjusted rates. 

Hospitalizations: Black, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) people were roughly five times higher than that of White people in 2020.

Testing: Testing sites in and near predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are likely to face greater demands than those in predominantly White areas, contributing to longer waits. There are also increased travel times to testing sites for people of color. 

Vaccinations: As of March 1, 2021, CDC data show that among US vaccinated subjects in whom race/ethnicity was known, Whites have received the lion's share of full vaccinations so far.

(CDC Data)

In Georgia, 69% of vaccinations were received by White people, while they make up 52% of the population, and in Nevada, nearly two-thirds (63%) of people who have been vaccinated are White, while they make up less than half (48%) of the total state population.

Global imbalance 

But if you think the US is the only country plagued with such disparities, think again. It has been occurring in other parts of the world, but the criteria of privilege may not run along the same lines as in this country. Elsewhere, it's often a case of income and influence--"whom you know." In Ghana, a well-off someone I know called up eighteen of his closest relatives to instruct them to show up at the family home for a session of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccinations administered by a privately hired nurse, all necessary paperwork provided. 

As early as April, 2020, Russia's elites were given first crack at the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccination. 

While these reports are within countries, the world as a whole reflects the imbalances as well. In this map showing the progress of vaccinations globally from December 2020 to March 15, 2021, the gaps in vaccination are quite clear: parts of Central Asia and the continent of Africa are sadly lacking.

In the world's battle against microbes, including SARS-COV-2, it is important to remember that no one is safe until everyone is safe. In typical shortsighted and selfish fashion, the developed countries will probably forget this. Covax is part of the collaborative effort of the WHO and Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT)-Accelerator, which brings together governments, scientists, businesses, civil society, and philanthropists and global health organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to make distribution of vaccines equitable worldwide. It's under Covax that Ghana and other African countries have received their shipment of vaccines. Ironically, Bill Gates is still a favorite target of conspiracy lore surrounding COVID-19 in Africa and all over the world. 

In the midst of all this inequality, alarming European trends in COVID-19 spread in the midst of vaccine inefficiencies show us that, along with the rise of virus variants, SARS-CoV-2 isn't done with us yet. 

HAPPY STRANGE THANKSGIVING

 Kwei--Wednesday

(Image: Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock)

Thanksgiving 2020 will likely go down in history as one of the strangest for many people. Now, apart from dreading having to deal with troublesome Uncle Frank another year, there is a much more serious specter looming over the decision to travel to get together with family and friends: Covid-19.

Although over three million people have reportedly passed through our airports already, a good 71% of travelers say they are more comfortable going by car than flying, according to a Volvo Car-USA and Harris Poll. 

Masked traveler (Image: OPOLJA/Shutterstock)

Air travelers interviewed on CNN and other outlets expressed how much they wanted to see, touch, and hug their loved ones after 9-10 months of separation from them. Neither the CDC advisory against traveling this holiday season nor the horrific Covid-19 statistics is persuasion enough: The death toll has topped 259,000 out of a staggering total 12.5 million cases with an average of 167,000 new daily cases and a projection of 20 million cases by January 20, 2021. Hospitalizations are surging and many hospitals are at capacity.

Some of us, myself included, find the risk-benefit analysis of millions to be baffling. You might be dying to see Granny again but she might be dying in two weeks after you kissed her on the cheek and gave her a puff of your Covid-19-laden breath. At the moment, personal family gatherings can act as super spreader events.

I believe flawed reasoning has determined the decision to travel and gather with family:

1. Hard to believe something I can't see. Viruses floating in the air? I don't see them, so I'm not that alarmed.

Corona Airport

2. A negative Covid test before travel means I'm okay. Long lines of cars formed at testing sites before this holiday week as people sought the reassurance that they were negative and "cleared" for travel. Unfortunately, between the time of the test and the arrival at the destination, contraction of the virus could occur. The test is only a snapshot in time: at this moment, I am unable to detect any virus inside you.

 

              Line for Covid-19 testing, Dodger Stadium Nov 18, 2020

              (Image: Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock)

3. I have my mask, I will socially distance, and I'll be fine. Here's the problem. If you are 

 traveling by air, you will undoubtedly run into areas of travel where you may be packed in with crowds

 of people you cannot possibly be distant from. Recall that in the bustle and hustle of travel your mask and other people's masks may slip down the nose or off the mouth. Are you planning to eat or drink at the airport or during flight? You'll have to take your mask then, won't you? If someone starts coughing beside you in your packed plane (and they will be packed), how can you be sure they are not spewing virus-laden droplets? This may seem like doomsday thinking, but think of the stories you hear about Covid-afflicted people who believed they had been very careful but still got the disease.

4. Willful blindness. People who no longer want to deal with a painful problem can go into denial and    choose to ignore the issue. This is exactly what happened to soon-to-be-ex-President Trump. There are also people who have a difficult time imagining themselves in the position of those who are struck down by Covid-19. They can't feel it. Others yet have become desensitized to the daily barrage of appalling numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and death.

5. The vaccine is coming, so no problem. You have no idea when you'll receive the vaccine, which, by the way, is not a cure for Covid-19. Between now and the time you get the vaccine, you could get infected.

Be ready, friends, this last spike of cases before the vaccine could be our worst yet as a result of the holidays.

What's Thanksgiving All About, Anyway?

Supposedly, in 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast and this was the "first Thanksgiving." In fact, both Europeans and Native Americans had been having food celebration festivals all along. It was really in the 1830s that New Englanders looked back at the event and thought it resembled their version of the holiday and therefore designated it as the "first Thanksgiving."

I'm firmly skeptical of oft-repeated historic legends, because time has undoubtedly modified and changed the story to become something that the original event was not. The story of what happened to the Native Americans at the hands of Europeans disallows us from presenting the story of Thanksgiving out of context and as if it was all sweetness and light.

So, on many Thanksgiving feasts as I've gorged on excessive amounts of food, I have often felt guilty at the dining table as I think of the less fortunate. My mind strays to the question, "What exactly are we doing, and are we sure we know what we're celebrating?" Like many traditions, Thanksgiving's true meaning, if there ever was one, has undoubtedly been lost and turned into an over-the-top occasion. On the plus side, the warmth of company can be a joy. Perhaps just a little less stuff on the table? 

And so, me?

You can tell that I'm ambivalent to the Thanksgiving ritual. It's okay if I don't have one. This 2020 year, millions are out of work as a result of the Covid pandemic and government neglect and mismanagement, and I'm not sure I feel good about "pigging out." As I've done in the past, I might go out and help serve up some free meals for those who have little or nothing. I think I'll feel better.