SEPTEMBER 2026

Dearest Kweku,

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     Sometimes, I like the quiet. I enjoy it when there is no sound at all and a small silence around me. Have you ever noticed the quiet, Kweku? It is not something that I remember at home.

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     At home we hear everything! The cockerel’s early morning cry, the pounding of fufu, the stern words of Father Achim about our sins and shortcomings; there is never not sound. But here, in this green England, I have noticed that there are moments when you can hear nothing at all. I think it is because of the walls. I think they are thicker here. And the window holes all have glass in them, not just mosquito mesh. These things keep the noises out.

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     Within this quiet, Kweku, there are times that you can only hear your own heart beating.

You can hear it inside your chest, and even in the silence, you hear its cry.

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                                                                     Yours,​​

                                                        Adwoa