Starting over was one thing.
Finding where you fit was another.
Akutu spent her first few days on campus observing, listening, and adjusting.
The classrooms were different, the teaching style unfamiliar, and the social circles already well-formed.
She felt like an outsider—watching, but never fully stepping in.
It wasn't that people weren't friendly.
It was just that they already had their people.
And she didn't.
Not yet.
Her first real test came during a group project in her International Relations class.
The professor divided them into teams, and Akutu found herself sitting across from three students she had never spoken to before—
Aisha, a confident law student from Nigeria.
Daniel, a soft-spoken business major from Kenya.
And Olivia, a fast-talking, energetic student from Canada.
"So, Akutu," Olivia said, flipping through the project outline. "Where are you from again?"
"Ghana," Akutu replied.
Aisha's eyes lit up. "Oh, nice! I have cousins in Accra."
That was all it took.
The conversation shifted, flowing easily between languages, cultures, and shared experiences.
For the first time since arriving, Akutu felt something familiar.
She wasn't just existing in this space.
She was becoming part of it.
Later that evening, she sat on the balcony of her dorm, watching the sunset, her fingers tracing the edges of Kojo's note.
Finally, she unfolded it.
"No matter where you go, you'll always find your place. Just give it time."
She smiled.
Maybe he was right.
The pulleys of life had shifted once again.