I'll never forget telling my mom I wanted to move to South Africa for six months. We were on the phone talking about spending the winter break in Europe, because I've never been and have always wanted to go, and I threw her quite the curve ball. It all stemmed from my "go to question." Ya see, when there is ever a lull in conversation I find it really helpful to have one of these "go to questions" handy to be thrown out in the air between two people and break the ice. My question has always been "if you could go anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, for as long as you want, where would you go?" I find it intriguing for two reasons: first, I'm obsessed with traveling and am always looking for new places to put on my wish list, and second, someone's dream vacation says more about them than countless conversations can.
At first when I would ask the question I never even had my own answer. Partly from knowing how judgemental I was of other people's places, and partly from not knowing enough about the world, I was always a "hmm..not sure" kind of gal. I decided this just wouldn't do, because one-sided conversations are absolutely boring, so I went to the all knowing Google to figure out where I'd want to go. It didn't take me long to realize that Europe, while beautiful and diverse, would start to bore me too quickly, and Australia has far too many snakes for me to even get off the plane. My mom spent a month in Africa last summer on a horseback safari (she's the coolest, right?) and it suddenly hit me..Africa. Why I didn't think of it before I'm not sure, but there it was. After my discovery, my travel question became more of a way to talk about Africa than anything. I would literally ask people on the bus next to me where they would go.
Fast forward a few weeks, and I'm sitting on the futon in my trashed house in College Station, chatting to my mom about Christmas in Europe. "Ya know mom, why don't we just go to Africa?" Her reply was nothing but silence on the other end. "A-a-africa?" I waited for a better reply. "Well, yeah, I guess we could go to Africa." And just like that, I was obsessed. I think I've written before about how when I get an idea in my head I get completely consumed with it. Literally, certain things absolutely take over my life. I once wanted a Lilly Pulitzer planner so badly, in a certain pattern of course, that I called the headquarters and had them track down my dream planner all the way down to a little boutique on South Congress in downtown Austin. So what did I do? I got in my car and drove 45 minutes to get it, of course. I remember calling my mom when I was on the way and she wasn't even surprised. I think I spent more money on the gas to get there and back than I did on the actual planner itself.
I began to Google images of South Africa more than I went to class. It took top priority over everything else I had going on. I became so obsessed, in fact, that I decided why spend just the winter break there? I was going for the long haul. At first I just wanted to take a break from school, but that little idea didn't last until the end of my (perfectly planned) argument with my mom before being shot down. So it was settled then, I would study abroad in South Africa. What semester I would leave wasn't even a question, I was getting out of College Station as soon as possible. After a month of the most hectic paperwork I think I've ever done, it was official, I was leaving.
After being here for roughly three months I think I have learned more about life, the world, how to deal with people you flat out don't want to, and most importantly, myself, than I could have ever learned in the comfort of my home university. At dinner a few nights ago, my friend Lo and I were talking about our new "go to question" we hear in conversations. "So, why did you choose Africa?" I kid you not, I get asked this at least three times a day. We were joking about some of our answers, "the cute boys, duh!" or "I heard lions live in people's backyards" (people actually think that before they come here, by the way) and came to a conclusion: Africa is the country you go to when you don't know where to go. It is the ultimate get away, because that's exactly what you do. There is a vibe here that can't be explained by even the most skillful of writers (which I, sadly, am not) and must be not only seen, but felt to understand. In short, I love it here. And yet, I can't wait to get home. I am so excited to tackle whatever is waiting for me on the other side of the pond with a new-found realization of how the world should work, and more importantly, how it works whether we plan for it or not.
