Africa...oh my

So ever since I was little I've always known that I was not meant to be in Wisconsin. I never knew what it was, but I knew that I was not supposed to stay here.

I never did any real traveling other than when we went on ski trips to upper WI, MN and MI, and even bordering the fabulous Canadians..but that was really it. I went on my first big trip my senior year of high school to Myrtle Beach, SC with some friends. I had just had my surgery and had to walk on the beach with my huge black protective boot. I felt like the coolest person...spending $250 to go on a road trip with friends and lay on the beach. I had a blast and realized I really, really liked the south.

I have since only been on two other trips. One was Washington, D.C. last summer with the Royal Purple. I went with my three closest friends there and we had an unexplainable amount of fun. I appreciate every single thing that experience taught me (including that the university doesn't reimburse you if you tip over 15%!) I really learned and loved so much about that city, but it wasn't the hospitality and love I experienced from the people down south. I then went over winter break in January to New Orleans, LA to rebuild homes and lives of those who lost everything during Hurricane Katrina, which was over the summer of 2005. I've never seen devastation that has lasted that long. So many of the people around the U.S. have forgotten about what happened. It makes my heart hurt even more for those who were affected by the tsunami. I re-fell in love with the south. New Orleans has a sort of love and hospitality for its visitors. They know that visitors bring in money, money that the city needs to rebuild the town.

My sister Erin, who is turning 27 this year, dated Gbenga, who was from Nigeria, a couple of years ago. They were friends for a year through church. Gbenga's story of how he came to the U.S. was out of pure luck. He was working at a paper factory back in Nigeria, and a professor from UW-Madison came in to get some things copied and printed. They got to talking, and she learned that Gbenga had been going to school for a year, then taking off and working to pay his way for the next year. She was obviously inspired by his story, and she brought him back to the U.S. under grants for UW-Madison to learn. He then joined the church, met my sister, and they were friends for a year before dating. They dated for a short amount of time, and I appreciated meeting him. He taught me a lot about West African cultures and customs. He was from an extremely small town. He had never heard of a restaurant because "you could never trust anyone other than your own family to cook your food for you." He ate food from both my plate and my family's plate because he loved to share. He told stories and made me so interested in his life. He told me Africa was beautiful and that I'd really love it there, he could tell. From that moment on, I knew I needed to go.

Having the two speakers in class on Thursday really helped pique my interest. I have always wanted to go to Africa. Not South Africa (even though it is a fashion capitol of the world), but to travel around and see the world as I've never seen it. The warmth and love I saw exchanged among the speakers really made me realize that I need to go. It's not really an option. I just need to figure out how and when and all of the small parts. I need to go.