Day 20 in Ghana

Yesterday I conversed with some of the individuals whom I see around the palace during the day. I was speaking with one of them about the importance of a person's name in Ghana. It predicts so much about a person, it can even warn others! So of course I asked him for a local Dagbani name. My name is "Anam-Zoya." So I have created my whole name as Adrianna Renee Anam-Zoya.
He told me many of the names are chosen by a person's birth. I told him that my mother labored sixteen hours when I was born and I suffered an infection at birth because I was such a large baby. He was so surprised when I told him I was the only child. He said, "In Ghana we believe that such a long delivery can result in the death of the baby or the mother, but God spared you both, which means you were born a child of much greatness."
I told him that when I was still an infant, my mother in the midst of prayer lifted me up in the air as if to give me back to God. She was so grateful to have me as her gift that she was giving me back. My Ghanaian friend then said, "Ah, so the sky must be your limit." So the name "Anam-Zoya" means "the sky is the limit, God's love for me is boundless because I was put on this Earth to make a difference, therefore my successes will have no limit."
So of course after this conversation, I was speechless and in total amazement. The Dagbani people are so wise and have such strong value systems. I then told my friend about my mother. I told him how much I admire her. He said, "a woman who could labor for so long must be very strong and very great." So he has named my mother Vivian Lacey, "Pa-Wuni" which means "Woman of God." The significance of the names is absolutely incredible. So now my students call me "Anam-Zoya," along with other Ghanaians. So when I introduce myself I say "My name is Adrianna. Please call me "Anam-Zoya" and the respect that comes along with the name is unexplainable. After all, they know that I was given this name for a reason. They always smile at me and nod in approval. So I am official in Ghana now that I have a Dagbani name. It makes this journey to Ghana go deeper than before. My friend repeated "Anam-Zoya, Anam-Zoya, Anam-Zoya is your name now that you are home."