Africa

I just had to take a deep breath before I started typing, because talking about this makes me feel like there’s a wind storm in my chest. The topic? Africa.

When I was really young, I saw the movie “Out of Africa” with Meryl Streep and it pretty much set my soul on fire. There has always been something about Africa that has had a grip on the core of me. The thought of it was like thinking of finding my long lost biological mother or something. I was able to go for the first time when I was 18 and stepping onto the ground from the plane literally made me want to pick up handfuls of dirt and rub it into my skin and hair. Sound crazy? Yeah, I know. I have had the enormous opportunity to go to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nimibia, Botswana and Ethiopia. Let me tell you some of the things that I love about this place.

First and foremost, there is the smell. With the exception of densely populated areas like Johannesburg or Addis Ababa, there is this smell in the air in Africa that is unlike anything else. It is kind of like the smell of soil, but it is mixed with fire smoke and that waterfall mist smell. There is something fluid about it, like you are breathing under water, because the air is so clean and clear. Then there is the landscape. Africa varies widely as far as what the land looks like, but it all has this harsh yet soft feel to it. It is really hard to explain. It has to do with the textures. The barrenness of some of the trees but the fluffiness of some of the grasses. Even the lush jungle areas have these subtle African reminders, like dark black rock outcroppings. The colors are like nowhere else, as you can see in the picture above. I took this on the side of the road, driving down the middle of Ethiopia. It’s the green and gold mix that makes it unique. Most of all, I love the people of Africa. I feel like sometimes people view Africans like they are ignorant or irresponsible. Like everywhere, this is true in different dimensions, but there is a deep and eternal wisdom that comes from the people’s connection to the land. They are living with the earth, not on it. I feel like they are living on some higher plane when I am with them. Yeah, I may have the knowledge that washing my hands consistently will help keep certain bacteria out of my body and it would help many communities in Africa if I shared that knowledge with them. But there is a way of viewing life that Africans have that the world would greatly benefit from if we were able to admit that there was anything we could learn from them.

There is a supernatural connection I have with the entire continent that I cannot put into words or account for in any way. I can’t wait to go back.