Addo

Addo

The Body, Energetic, Early Bird

“When I first came to New York, I had never been on an escalator. I was just watching, watching, watching and then finally I jumped on it. It was fascinating how it slid me down.”

“ I stepped out of JFK and asked my dad, who was waiting for me, why the trees were dead. There were no leaves on them ‘cause this was in March. I had this idea about New York being just nice, like in the movies, but then there were screaming people at the airport, dirty streets and dead trees. I thought everything would be crystal clean.”

“I first came here for three months as a tourist. I started training people at a gym and one of my clients was a black lady. She told me she had been visiting my country Ghana. After the workout we went for a coffee and in three months we got married. We are not married anymore, but we have been friends ever since. Back in Africa I had told everyone I would never get married, something that was unheard of where I’m from. They used to tell me I was a fake African.”

“If you move here without a plan, you’ll be distracted, confused and lost. Once you have the foundation and blueprint you can succeed. My family sent me to university in Africa to do plumbing and gas, so I could have a job when I came here. But those five years of education was a waste of money. My own plan was to be in the health and fitness industry in New York. I had been a bodybuilder competitor in Ghana and won Mr Ghana in 1995 and 1996. I knew that New York was the next step for me. I wanted to accomplish great things.”

“People who know me, know me as the bodybuilder. I won the Muscle Mania in Washington D.C. Representing United States in Mister Universe gave me the professional status I came here for. If you’re a banker, you put on a suit. If you’re a basketball player you wear tank top and shorts. The body is my uniform. We demonstrate our muscles, we show confidence, we show who we are.”

“I am up at 4.30 every morning. First I pray, then drive to Manhattan to manage my fitness centre in the Financial District.”

“I decided I wanted to work with the seniors. I have 92-year-old clients. I wanted to give back to the people that have paid their time for us to be here. Our parents and grandparent. I was raised by them back in Ghana and they encouraged me all my life.”

“I am used to a different definition of family. In Africa the grandmother is the tribe leader and you are shaking every time she calls you. Here, I have heard of mother-in-laws who babysit their grandchildren and charge you and get money! If that is true, the family is not working together like they do in Africa.”

“One time I wanted to help a blind man at the Subway because he was using his stick to find the door and wanted to get out. I said ‘Sir, I want to help you out!’ He heard I had an accent and said ‘Let me tell you- when you see a blind man here, don’t help him out. We don’t do that here in New York.’ New Yorkers will let you know that this is New York!”

Q&A

What neighborhood do you live in? Flatbush, Brooklyn.

Best thing about living there? There is a neighborhood feel to this area. Prospect Park and subways are only two blocks away from here.

Favorite neighborhood in NYC? Financial District.

Why? Because of the history of Wall Street. Our ancestors came there, and there are a lot of old souls and spirits in that area.

Favorite street to stroll? At night I like to walk on Wall Street around the World Trade Center. Sometimes you can see and hear the old spirits.

Favorite restaurant? On 7th ave and 124th there is Accra restaurant. Favorite bar? The uptown Veg juice bar on Madison Avenue and 125th street.

Hidden Gem? Brooklyn Tabernacle for gospel, and of course Southbridge Fitness Center.

How to be(come) a New Yorker? Get to know the trains and how they run uptown and downtown so you don’t get lost.

Your New York soundtrack? Holy, Holy, Holy by Donnie McClurkin

“If you can live in New York, you can live anywhere in the world. If you can survive in New York, you can survive anywhere. Once you learn how to cope with New Yorkers you can cope with anyone on this planet.”

4 THINGS THAT TELL A STORY ABOUT ADDO

WOOD CARVING “Everytime I wake up I come out to the living room to look outside my window. This picture of the old couple sitting under the oak tree in silence hangs here. It reminds me of being patient to get answers. The answer will come through your quietness, through your gentleness, through your tranquility. It is an important reminder in this city.”

BODY BUILDER AWARD “This is the 2001 New York championship award. People know me as the bodybuilder. The man with the body.”

BASKET PAINTING “This was given to me. The baskets represent all of our possessions. All our accumulations.”

WALL PAINTING “As soon as I walk in to my house and see this, it reminds me of Ghana. The culture, the men and the women. The mother carrying the baby behind her. It reminds me that family is the most important thing we have.”