This is what I will miss about Africa:
- The smells. Both good and bad.
- The life and movement of the people and the cities.
- Street shops and street signs.
- The wonderful tasting fruit.
- Palm trees in cornfields.
- All of the people who wave and smile at our bus.
- The spirit here.
- Genuine hospitality from strangers.
- Indifference to appearance or body odor.
- Stoney ginger sodas.
- Warm humidity.
- Long night and morning talks with Sara and Teresa.
- The Southern Cross.
- Faith.
- Being connected to, dependent on and always together with these 11 people.
- Bus rides and looking out the window.
- Time. Both feeling like it is unlimited and having it all planned out for me.
- The calmness I feel here.
- Music.
- The animals. Especially the birds.
- The red dirt against green vegetation.
- Chapatti.
- Endurance. Patience. Willingness.
I have thought about Africa everyday since I returned to the United States. Some days I think about it more than others. But whenever I hear traditional music, see a child smiling or playing in the dirt, see someone walking on the side of the road, smell a fire, or get up early in the morning I am transported back to Africa. And I feel safe, content and free.
