what i miss most

When I told people I was leaving to study abroad in Africa, responses were varied. In Chicago, the news was typically greeted with something like, "That's awesome! Where will you be? It's going to change your life!" In Bemidji, the common response was, "Wow... and why do you want to go there?"

Amidst the congratulations and criticism, there was a general consensus that this experience would make me thankful for the United States, and what I had.

This is my 7th week in Africa. I've realized the extreme wealth of my material possessions in relation to many South Africans, especially when it comes to electronics like my laptop, camera, and ipod. I've realized the blessing I have to eat healthy food, as I eat mainly starch and meat with my family every night, and watch small children by cheesy 'nic nak' snacks and suckers for lunch (or dinner). I've stamped cockroaches and dealt the with the reality of mangy dogs and monkeys. All of the students in our program complain about the poor accessibility of the internet (WIFI doesn't exist), news, cars, public transport, etc.

However, when it comes down to it, those aren't things I miss. Yes, WIFI is convenient, and I wish I ate more leafy greens and bell peppers, but I could live for a long time easily without those things. I can picture myself very content in a life in the rural area we visited. Picking fruit off trees, washing clothes in big basins, cutting potatoes into french fries and sweeping the house everyday. Walking along the rocky, dusty road that was supposed to be paved five years ago but wasn't. Eating corn that isn't sweet or juicy, playing in the yard and swatting mosquitoes, far away from the internet and cars and bars.

What I do miss is this: community. No matter where I am in the US, Bemidji or Chicago, there are beautiful communities that love and support me in deep ways. These communities are intentional, real, and honesty. They love in a way that challenges a society that tells us we need to focus on time and money, not people. The members tend to these communities like gardens- it takes discipline, patience, and time to grow a community. It takes respect for each plant, and dedication to nurture and grow.

This community is the concept of "ubuntu" that I hear so often here- A person is a person through other people. I am because we are. It was a beautiful realization that what I miss most about the United States is something we created together. Something that doesn't belong to the United States, but to the world.