I Miss Africa

I miss Africa. I speak of the general continent and not a specific country because in my moments of reminiscents I miss default things found throughout Africa. I think I took a lot of these things for granted while I was there. I know that somethings even annoyed me but now I would give almost anything to enjoy them once more, right now.

I miss the music. The random music that makes you laugh out loud at the bizarreness of the situation. One musical memory I hold dear is hearing Kenny G playing from a tape player in Motete, Lesotho. Motete is a mountain village located 5 hours away from the nearest city by a very winding mountainous rode. Or the four hour bus ride I, along with Nathan and Nicole, took to get to Semongkong. We were tortured with accordion music that entire bus ride, but now I realize how much that was an experience in African randomness.

I miss accelerated friendships. I think of the time I was stranded on a Liberian beach and was given a ride by some Doctors Sans Medicine (Doctors Without Borders) people that I met that day. They could relate to my need to get back to town before dusk and although we’d only known each other a few hours drove out of their way for me. I miss having an unspoken bond with a total stranger because of circumstances that we all share living in a foreign country, on the continent of Africa.

I miss Africa. I miss her people. I miss the friends I made. I miss the work that was often too tedious but always worth it. I miss my children – all the babies I “adopted” that found a spot in my heart and made me feel at home. Mary. Khotso. Prince. James. Kangaroo. Rose. I miss them the most.