Adichie told the story of leaving medical school in Nigeria — a deeply unconventional decision in a country where getting into medical school is extremely difficult. She realized she would be a very unhappy doctor and didn't want to be responsible for the inadvertent death of her patients. People later called her courageous, but what she felt at the time was simply 'a desire to make an effort. To try.' She took the American exams, got a scholarship, and came to the US to study writing. It might not have worked out — but the point is that she tried.